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Remember when we used to straighten frames with a come-along and a tree? | Auto Body Repairers - Librear

Remember when we used to straighten frames with a come-along and a tree?

Pulled into a shop last week to help a buddy with a Crown Vic that got t-boned. Kid working there had the whole frame rack setup with lasers and digital printouts. Took him 45 minutes just to set it up. I told him back in 2003 I'd have had that thing chained to a oak tree and pulled straight in 20 minutes. He just stared at me like I had two heads. Got me thinking about how much the tools changed in 20 years. You guys still see any old timers using the tree method or is that completely dead now?

2 comments

2 Comments

lucas_price834mo ago

I get where you're coming from but I gotta disagree with the whole "20 minutes with a tree" thing lol. I've seen too many cars get pulled way out of whack that way, especially unibody stuff like that Crown Vic. Sure it works in a pinch but you're basically guessing and hoping the frame doesn't twist in some other spot you can't see. Those laser systems might take longer to set up but at least they show you exactly where everything sits before you start pulling. I'd rather spend an extra 25 minutes doing it right than fight with a car that still won't align right after you "straightened" it with a tree.

angelab624mo ago

Drove an old F-150 home once after a buddy "fixed" the front end with a chain and a telephone pole. Steered fine for about 10 miles before it started pulling hard to the right. Turns out he had pulled the whole subframe slightly sideways without even realizing it. @lucas_price83 you're dead on about those laser systems. My cousin runs a shop upstate and he swears by them. Says he can set one up in 10 minutes flat and it saves him hours of headache later. I've seen him fix unibody cars that looked totally tweaked and they came out straight as an arrow. Not saying the tree method never works but man it's a gamble I wouldn't take on anything newer than a 90s truck.