From: Pete C. on

Nate Nagel wrote:
>
> OK, so I got the hitch ball that I mentioned in my previous post removed
> (the less said about that the better, but it involved a very large
> Crescent wrench, a pipe wrench, and a 4 foot cheater bar)
>
> Now I find that I have another "opportunity" as the motivational
> speakers would say.
>
> The truck in question is a '93 F-150, extended cab 2WD if it matters.
> The challenge that I'm having is that this trailer hitch that I have is
> obviously intended to be located by drilling out two existing holes in
> the truck's frame to 1/2", and then drilling two additional holes on
> each side. Insert hardware, torque down, et voila. Easy, right?
> Welll... not so much.
>
> It is imperceptible to the casual observer, but placing the hitch under
> the truck reveals that the driver's side frame rail is ever so slightly
> curved in at the very end - not surprising, as I know that the truck was
> rear-ended at least twice prior to my acquiring it, both time requiring
> replacement of bumper braces (the main reason I wanted to have the Class
> III hitch on there; I don't care what the rating on the bumper says, if
> it folds up like wet cardboard when hit from behind, I don't
> particularly want to rely on it for a connection to a trailer.)
>
> So one of the holes that I need to drill is about 1/4" or so from where
> it should be. Obviously I can't enlarge a hole off-center, nor do I
> have a porta-power.
>
> Any ideas how I can rectify this myself, or should I just take it to a
> frame shop and likely spend about what the truck is worth just to mount
> my cheap used trailer hitch on my cheap used truck? Do you think a
> sledgehammer is even worth trying?

Let Harbor Freight ship you a Port-a-Power clone, they are incredibly
useful for all kinds of things.