Technical X-frame side support rails - 51 Buick

Not sure how I didn't notice when I bought the car but was underneath yesterday and noticed the side rails of the frame are pretty significantly kinked on the bottom of both sides. The X portion of the frame does appears straight. The side rails also feel like a lighter gauge of metal when compared to the X. No Idea how it could have happened. The car seems straight and the main portion of the frame unbent. Has anyone seen this happen to these cars? Any concern for structural/safety compromise?
I'd like to try and straighten them but might prove quite difficult with body on frame. Ill see when I have it on jack stands to flush the brakes. For now no lift.

Matthew

 

Matthew, can you get a picture of the frame/kink?

Ben

 

Is the bottom lip just bent up? If so it's from putting a jack under the frame and lifting the car. If the vertical part of the frame is bent you have problems.

 

Many of those Buicks and Pontiacs with that channel X frame has that damage. Many who put on a lift do not know where to lift. So they bend frame. I like to box the frame in those areas and give it extra strength. Bend rails flat with channel locks and box in some 12 in long plates.

 

Use straight pieces of heavy channel or angle under the bent sections, and use big C clamps and vise grips to pull the bent sections back down where they belong. A big enough C clamp with a little leverage can move that metal, a little at a time.

 

Hey guys thanks for the replies. Had to go out of town for work and that delayed my response. Below are pictures of after my attempt at bending it back straight (before the above suggestions). I used a sheet metal tool. Thanks for the above suggestions I will try those to get the other bends and rivet out better. Its just odd to me that these were from jacking the car up since almost the entire side rails on each side of the car were bent. You would think after the 20th bend in the frame the person would think of a different method for lifting the vehicle. One of those pics is of the inner X frame that seems to be of a thicker material. It all looks straight and unbent.

Matthew

 

Below is the sheet metal tool I was talking about above. Going to try the C clamp method and hopefully box these side rails in sometime in the future. Also, the vertical portion of the rails seem straight, so that's good.

Matthew