My 98 4 door blazer took some front end damage last december and I am now getting it fixed. I bought all the parts I thought were necessary and I'm having a friend of mine who owns a collision shop do it. One thing I'm worried about, and I have yet to ask my friend about it, is frame damage. There was definite damage done and it got straightened by a different friend. However, the front 2 struts? were what got bent and back in place but one I think is still bent. I noticed the left front tired rubs when the wheels are turned to the left. So I measured from front rim to back rim on both sides to compare and it is 1.5 inches shorter than on the left than on the right. Is this going to be a big problem? What parts might be necessary if it can't be bent back to normal? Any other advice about this would be great. Thanks.

 

Where does ther tire rub? The fender? Sounds like the "A" arms may be out of whack, bent tie rods, or something else.

The front end geometry is forever changed and shim kits may help.

I would get another truck or find a donor vehicle where you can pirate parts from and put them back to use.

Good luck.

 

When turned to the left it rubs on the inside of the fender on the rear of the front left tire.

 

Your friend at the collision repair shop needs to be told so that he can take measurements and "pull and square" if needed.
You should probably have a 4 wheel alignment also and tell them the problem and they can also take all the measurements and make the proper adjustments.
If you get this done, it should be good as new.

 

If all the repairs end up costing around $2,000, would it be better to just buy a new one? Put a $2,000 down payment on one and pay it off? What is my cut and run mark? I really love this car but I don't want to pay too much for it.

 

What exactly do you think is bent? Is it just a replacable arm coming off of the frame?

 

Got any pics?

 

I'll try and get some up later or tommorow.

 

If I get under the car, what should I be looking for?

 

Upper and lower control arms, sharp kinks in the frame, bent tie rods. Anything that looks bent and shows signs of paint peeling off.