{"id":181464,"date":"2025-08-22T19:21:26","date_gmt":"2025-08-23T02:21:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/?p=181464"},"modified":"2025-08-22T19:21:28","modified_gmt":"2025-08-23T02:21:28","slug":"what-does-a-car-frame-look-like","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-does-a-car-frame-look-like\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does a Car Frame Look Like?"},"content":{"rendered":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span>\n<div class=\"summary-widget\">\n    <h3>Summary<\/h3>\n    <ul class=\"summary-grid\">\n            <li class=\"summary-grid-list\">\n            <div class=\"sm-item\">\n\n                                    <p class=\"sm-title\">\n                        The frame (chassis) is the car&rsquo;s load-bearing skeleton. Remove the powertrain, body, and wheels, and it&rsquo;s what remains.                    <\/p>\n                \n            <\/div>\n        <\/li>\n            <li class=\"summary-grid-list\">\n            <div class=\"sm-item\">\n\n                                    <p class=\"sm-title\">\n                        Body-on-frame uses a separate, replaceable frame; the body holds the cabin, dash\/A-C plenum, wiring\/modules, steering column, and brake master\/booster. Unibody integrates the frame into the body, so you can&rsquo;t replace the frame alone.                    <\/p>\n                \n            <\/div>\n        <\/li>\n            <li class=\"summary-grid-list\">\n            <div class=\"sm-item\">\n\n                                    <p class=\"sm-title\">\n                        To access the frame, fully disconnect the body and frame, then lift. Roll windows down and set the body on a movable cart while you work.                    <\/p>\n                \n            <\/div>\n        <\/li>\n        <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The frame or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-is-the-chassis-of-a-car-plus-other-chassis-faqs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"chassis\">chassis<\/a> is the skeleton that provides structural support to the rest of the vehicle. <\/strong>Basically, the frame is what you&rsquo;re left with once you remove every system there is: from the engine and transmission down to the body panels and wheels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The frame acts as the primary load-bearing structure that supports the weight of the vehicle and ensures that it is stable enough when cornering or traversing over uneven roads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"831\" src=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/car-frame-diagram-1024x831.jpg\" alt=\"car frame diagram\" class=\"wp-image-181465\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Diagram of a car frame on on older large vehicles | Image Source: Richard McCuistian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Older large cars, pickups, and SUVs have a frame in which the powertrain rests and to which the steering and suspension parts are attached (see illustration).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The vehicle body is a separate part that contains the car&rsquo;s seats, dash panel with the A\/C plenum, and most of the vehicle&rsquo;s electrical system including modules (PCM\/ECM included). The steering column is also mounted in the shell of the body, along with the brake master cylinder and its booster. This type of vehicle frame can be replaced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unibody vehicles are typically newer cars where the frame is stamped as part of the body rather than the body being mounted on a separate frame. On those, you can&rsquo;t replace the vehicle frame without replacing the entire body of the car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tips On How to Access the Car Frame<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lifting the vehicle is one of the ways you can access the frame. But before doing this, it&rsquo;s important to check if the body and frame are separated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Make sure that there are no more <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/chassis-wire-harness\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"wires\">wires<\/a> and bolts connecting the two parts for a seamless lift. It&rsquo;s also a good idea to lift from the windows, so you might want to roll them down before picking your car apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When lifting the frame, it&rsquo;s advisable to have a movable cart that can store the body in the meantime as you work on the frame.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span>The frame or chassis is the skeleton that provides structural support to the rest of the vehicle. Basically, the frame&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-does-a-car-frame-look-like\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1651,"featured_media":181465,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","_ppma_block_editor_authors":""},"categories":[1034,52,3755],"tags":[4550],"ppma_author":[2607,2985],"class_list":["post-181464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-auto-repair","category-diy","category-suspension","tag-chassis-wire-harness","entry"],"acf":{"adrotate_specific_mobile_ad":"","adrotate_specific_desktop_ad":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Does a Car Frame Look Like? - In The Garage with CarParts.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Read on to find out what a car frame looks like and how to proceed with repairs that involve lifting the body from the chassis.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-does-a-car-frame-look-like\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Does a Car Frame Look Like? - In The Garage with CarParts.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Read on to find out what a car frame looks like and how to proceed with repairs that involve lifting the body from the chassis.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-does-a-car-frame-look-like\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"In The Garage with CarParts.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/carpartscom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/carpartscom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-23T02:21:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-23T02:21:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/car-frame-diagram-e1755915223353.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"649\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"CarParts.com Research Team, Richard McCuistian, ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/CarPartscom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@carpartscom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"CarParts.com Research Team\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/what-does-a-car-frame-look-like\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.carparts.com\\\/blog\\\/what-does-a-car-frame-look-like\\\/\"},\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"$id\":\"1651\",\"name\":\"CarParts.com Research Team\",\"jobTitle\":\"Expert Automotive Writer\",\"description\":\"The CarParts.com Research Team is composed of experienced automotive and tech writers working with (ASE)-certified automobile technicians and automotive journalists to bring up-to-date, helpful information to car owners in the US. 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Guided by CarParts.com's thorough editorial process, our team strives to produce guides and resources DIYers and casual car owners can trust."},{"term_id":2985,"user_id":1646,"is_guest":0,"slug":"richardmccuistian","display_name":"Richard McCuistian, ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/richard-mccuistian.png","url2x":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/richard-mccuistian.png"},"author_category":"","user_url":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/author\/richardmccuistian\/","last_name":"McCuistian","first_name":"Richard","job_title":"ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician","description":"<div class=\"auth-social-links\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/richard-mccuistian-2681891b\/\" class=\"btn\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"linkedin\" aria-labelledby=\"linkedin\">LinkedIn<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/McCuistian\" class=\"btn\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"instagram\" aria-labelledby=\"instagram\">Youtube<\/a><\/div>\r\n\r\nRichard McCuistian grew up in Alabama learning from his father who ran an automotive repair shop. Richard has worked for nearly 50 years in the automotive field as a professional technician, an instructor, a freelance automotive writer for Motor Age, ACtion magazine, Power Stroke Registry, and others (published every year since May 2000). He has developed training courses and written or edited training material for companies in the U.S. Canada, and the Netherlands, and even Bulgaria. He maintained an \u201cask a mechanic\u201d website for 10 years answering questions emailed to him from all over the world.\r\n\r\nRichard has an instructional automotive YouTube channel \u201cMcCuistian\u201d with 13,500 subscribers and over 1,300 videos. Much of his professional work requires photography and videography in shop environments, but Richard also enjoys taking pictures of landscapes, skyscapes, old barns and houses, small towns. He has produced a coffee table book of digital watercolors called \u201cMemories of South Alabama\u201d created from his personal photos, along with a dozen Christian fiction short original novels and a collection of short stories, all available in Kindle or softcover format. Richard has written a 2,500-word Bible study every week for the past 20 years and uses it to teach a small group at his church every Sunday morning.\r\n\r\n<strong>Credentials:<\/strong>\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"author-list\">\r\n<li><p>ASE Certified for more than 30 years in 10 categories, including L1 Advanced Engine Performance and Light Vehicle Diesel.<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>Professional Mechanic\/Technician for 25 years with experience on diesel and gasoline engines, vehicles and equipment (including hydraulics).<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>Spent 5 years in fleet maintenance, 20 years in independent shops and dealerships (VW, Mazda, Renault, Jeep, Ford, Lincoln), specializing in driveability and electronics for the last 14 years of his career at the same dealership.<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>Senior Contributing Editor at Motor Age Magazine, first published in Motor Age in May of 2000 and every year since. He has won two International Automotive Media Awards for technical articles published in trade magazines.<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>Has attended hundreds of hours of automotive training from OEMs including GM, Volkswagen, Mazda, Renault, Jeep, Chrysler, as well as additional training at events like KC Vision and MACS (Mobile Air Climate Systems Association).<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>Taught college level auto mechanics for 19 years.<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>Has written for automotive training companies (including course development work for training companies in Canada and the Netherlands) and has been hired to teach professional trade show technician courses at multiple training events in Texas and Alabama.<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>While still teaching at the college level, Richard launched a new automotive program in Geneva, Alabama, setting up a dual enrollment department in a new building, organizing the shop and classroom, teaching morning classes to high school students for 2 years while still teaching at the college in the afternoon.<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>Richard\u2019s college program at Lurleen B. Wallace Community College worked at professional shop speed during his tenure to prepare graduates for production level work in the real world.<\/p><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1651"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=181464"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181464\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/181465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=181464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=181464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=181464"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=181464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}