I appreciate all of the input that you guys have given...all but the unkind remarks.
I have worked on old Chevy trucks for over 30 years. I can make any panel from scratch using hand tools and God-given dexterity. I know how to tell if my frame is bent just by looking at it. I run a CAD system at my workplace and design tooling to create new trucks and fixtures to build them. I made a computer model of the bend in this frame and carried out the cut that I calculated this weekend. The frame dropped precisely where I wanted it to go and the repair is invisible. I took a 1/4" wide "dart" out of the frame and didn't cut the frame all the way in two. Anyone who has studied sheetmetal forming as I have will know the dart and pleat concepts are the foundations of metal working the old time way. It's the best thing I could have done. Heat would have done the same thing but I didn't have a rosebud tip big enough to get the whole frame cherry red. There are no frame shops around here and the cost would probably be prohibitive if there had been. I repaired my frame and structural integrity has not been sacrificed in the least. It cost me nothing and took an hour.
When I ask a question on this board, I pose that question not as an expert or a smart-allec but as a humble individual seeking advice from those who might have had the same problem. I can learn from what others have done and mistakes they have made. I hope I am never guilty of making others feel the way I felt when I read some of my posts this morning. This will probably be my last post anyway. Jim
