What's the best way to straighten...

[Vin-tin]

...a rear bumper cross brace end?
It must have taken a small hit and bent sometime in the past.
I don't want to break it.
Should I bent it cold or heat it?

[DJ S]

I'm no expert but I'd imagine you would heat it to straighten it...?

[monto]

I would be inclined to heat it -- although if you try cold bending it very gently, and feel that its solid, you may succeed. The key word here is gently.. Can't see if it is separated at the bend. If it is, heat it.

[Keith True]

That is something I would heat.That seamed tube is kind of wimpy,and it wouldn't take much bending of the heavy part to upset it.

[andyfresno]

Yeah - -heat it up till it starts to turn red then bang it with a hammer till it looks right.

These are pretty common (unbent) at swap meets - --- $5-10?

[Vin-tin]

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Ok. Thanks guys. Guess i'll have to dig the torch out.

[CarlG]

Just bolt it up like it is. The threads inside the tube should draw it down no more than it's bent.

[SSsssteamer]

It was first bent cold, so a whack of a hammer with it being cold would put it back straight just as easily. An exception would be how many times it had been straighten this way before. Then using the torch to first anneal the metal would be the best approach. Often bending metal cold will restore the original contours where using a torch often leaves bends only where the heat was.

[harleytoprock]

It's just a little tweek to straighten, no heat or annealing needed. Hold the bent part in a vice and yank on the tube. Gentle it will bend very easily. Most likely the bumper bracket is bent also.