best way to fix bend control arm brackets???
05-02-2010, 07:24 AM
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Year: 1999
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best way to fix bend control arm brackets???
so the front lower control arm bracket on the drivers side of my jeep got bent end some & its makein my death wobble even worse .. it ripped bout a quarter inch of the factory weld from the axle on one of the brackets
i was thinking heat it up with the torch bend it back in place then reweld the tore spot and maybe reinforce these brackets sumhow?
can anybody help me out here ?? i drive this jeep daily and this dont help me any at all lol
i was thinking heat it up with the torch bend it back in place then reweld the tore spot and maybe reinforce these brackets sumhow?
can anybody help me out here ?? i drive this jeep daily and this dont help me any at all lol
05-02-2010, 07:52 AM
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Caracticus Potts The Mod
05-02-2010, 07:55 AM
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??? How in world did you do that?? but anyway as previous poster said..Heat, Straighten out, reinforce and you should be OK...Tj
05-04-2010, 12:11 AM
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thanx for the replys and ideas guys i think for now im gonna heat them up and bend them back cash flow is short right now outa work & i honestly dunno how i did it cuz i havent been ruff on it cuz i know i gotta drive it everyday after i get this fixed if i can just get rid of my death wobble ill be ok haha gets so bad sum times it runs me slam outa the road then i have to start drivein like ricky bobby haha
05-04-2010, 08:54 AM
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do a good job, once they're bent, they break right off. i've been there.
it may not be right away, but it will be at the most inconvenient time.
plate it make some gussets. maybe box in the front ends too.
it may not be right away, but it will be at the most inconvenient time.
plate it make some gussets. maybe box in the front ends too.
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05-04-2010, 11:48 AM
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okay so i did the same thing! what i did was the following:
used some steel plate i had laying around in the shop (3/16") and cut 8 triangle templates. to place upper and lower supports on each side mount. I have run it like this for tens of thousands of miles and about 4 years. i just bent the sheet metal back and then added the braces and inspected all of the welds and for cracks and what not. It was free and it is stronger than ever. ANd stronger than just the single piece that connects the 2 sides and thats it.
also when i knocked mine over i also bent my track bar..... axle shifted 8 inches over...
used some steel plate i had laying around in the shop (3/16") and cut 8 triangle templates. to place upper and lower supports on each side mount. I have run it like this for tens of thousands of miles and about 4 years. i just bent the sheet metal back and then added the braces and inspected all of the welds and for cracks and what not. It was free and it is stronger than ever. ANd stronger than just the single piece that connects the 2 sides and thats it.
also when i knocked mine over i also bent my track bar..... axle shifted 8 inches over...
05-04-2010, 07:11 PM
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Best thing to do is cut it off, and buy a beefy replacement. There are a bunch of quality replacement brackets out there.
This is what happend to a buddy at Paragon on Sleepy Hollow. Talk about a slow recovery and a loss of half a day of trail time.
09-27-2010, 04:26 PM
#10
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My 1st Fab
I managed to "cup" my front right wheel and stop it dead in its tracks.
It held out the rest of the Moody Trail outside Fort Collins, CO but my steering wheel was sideways. I could tell the majority of the weld was still intact and was confident it wouldn't sheer off. So with a quick alignment I was able to limp it home.
The log is just holding up the axle, we used jackstands. Cutting out the old bracket.
Pieces of the puzzle:
Stronger? Hope so.
Cleaned off the axle for new mounting surface.
Mounted to axle. Had to drag the axle forward to realign it (measured geometry thoroughly) with tow straps. It's welded to the shock mount on top as well.
Also boxed in the driver's side. Another "Why didn't they just do this in the first place?"
Just returned from the Jenny Creek trail by Rollinsville, CO. I checked the width and droop with some digital calipers to see if it had bent at all &, far as I can tell, it's holding fast.
It held out the rest of the Moody Trail outside Fort Collins, CO but my steering wheel was sideways. I could tell the majority of the weld was still intact and was confident it wouldn't sheer off. So with a quick alignment I was able to limp it home.
The log is just holding up the axle, we used jackstands. Cutting out the old bracket.
Pieces of the puzzle:
Stronger? Hope so.
Cleaned off the axle for new mounting surface.
Mounted to axle. Had to drag the axle forward to realign it (measured geometry thoroughly) with tow straps. It's welded to the shock mount on top as well.
Also boxed in the driver's side. Another "Why didn't they just do this in the first place?"
Just returned from the Jenny Creek trail by Rollinsville, CO. I checked the width and droop with some digital calipers to see if it had bent at all &, far as I can tell, it's holding fast.
12-02-2010, 10:45 PM
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my jeep had an altercation with a fence recently and now i have the same problem... my lower control arm mount got crunched back and now my steering wheel sits facing sideways. after reading this forum, ive decided to buy some heavy duty after market mounts but im wondering if pulling the axle back where it belongs corrected your steering wheel?... and also, did you need to go back and have a professional alignment afterward? thanks!
03-31-2012, 05:34 AM
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Wow forgot all bout this post i ended up tradein the jeep for a bronco then sold it bought a 92 5 speed xj then sold it and bought my 95 xj with the bent bracket back cut off stock brackets welded sum rustys after market ones on it traded it later on for a lifted pathfinder then traded it for a 98 xj then sold it and i now own a 99 2 dr sport lol
03-16-2013, 01:07 PM
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Wow forgot all bout this post i ended up tradein the jeep for a bronco then sold it bought a 92 5 speed xj then sold it and bought my 95 xj with the bent bracket back cut off stock brackets welded sum rustys after market ones on it traded it later on for a lifted pathfinder then traded it for a 98 xj then sold it and i now own a 99 2 dr sport lol
Busy busy busy
That is funny though.