Bent Frame?

[Tahoedonner]

Frame looks to be straight to the naked eye but while sanding off all the dirt and rust I came across a rippled patch of frame at the rear drivers side wheel well. Here's a pic. Is this legit from the factory, or am I dealing with a crumpled frame?

 

[RobertC]

Frame rails are a "constant" "[" (dimension).

Looks like yours has an additional piece of flat steel added as a brace on the bottom - as well as the "notch" on the top in the 4th pic.

Hopefully he other side does not match... Have to assume an accident...

 

[dkminors]

I'm assuming a Scout II frame because it looks a lot like mine. That looks like standard issue manufacturing imperfections to me.

The frame rails look like they were made of two pieces with the top and sides formed of a single piece that was bent into an upside down u shaped channel and then contoured to form the frame shape. The bottom section was then welded on.

The distortions you are seeing are in a spot where the steel was bunched together due to the contour bending. I just looked at mine and it looks fine at first glance, but when you shine a light from the side you can see those same distortions that your sanding made show up so well.

 

[Tahoedonner]

Thanks for the replies guys. I ran my finger along the passenger side rail (not yet sanded) and it has the same rippling effect to it. Good to know that I'm not the only one. Just want to make sure I'm not starting work on a weak frame.

 

[Michael Mayben]

The rippling effect seen in the frame rails is a perfectly normal occurrence. It's found in many frames from all manufacturers and is part of the process when the rails are formed during manufacture.

Those are not a "flaw", simply what happens when the rails are formed, that process is not done in a machine operation that actually prevents the outflow, no need to do that.