I'd be MUCH more worried about that if it were welded on as that can cause damage to the metal. I'd run it as is and never think twice about it. It wasn't stress cracked, it was gouged by a tool if I'm understanding correctly, so there's near 0 damage beyond what is visible.

If the chip was caused by prying against it and it cracking that would be a different story. Probably still not a problem, but there would be some potential for unseen damage.

I see a lot of "run it" and "it's fine"....my suggestion was asking if he had access to the tooling to make the repair the right way. If so, why not just do it the right way, and have peace of mind? As he stated, not his car, his kid's car.

Think of it as a customer. Would you put a customer's car out there with a known problem?

Can you run it as is? Probably...but peace of mind dictates, fix it, so there ISN'T a future problem. At least in my mind.

I'll also ask this...how many of you weld for a living? I do, and I've seen things that'll make your head spin.

Bottom line is would I run it? No. I'd fix it. I have the tools and know how to do so. Not everyone does, I get that...but minimal risk is still a risk. A lot of forces happening on that knuckle...shock, vibe, resonance, and mechanical stress. Might look small now, and hell, you might not even see anything. But the original configuration is compromised.

Granted...it is a small area. Backing plate or not, mounting area or not, it has been compromised.

Only thing to GUARANTEE it isn't, is to repair properly or replace.

Call me paranoid, call me a negative Nancy, just don't call me after it fails. Unless you have deep pockets, LOL

BTW, thanks Bug...appreciate that

Loose ends make my *** itch

Hey-we're all on here to help. We provide opinions based on our own experience and common sense. That's fine. We do work on our own vehicles. We do brakes. We do transmission work, clutches, suspension etc. We are not mechanics for the most part but have mechanical skills. Of course it would be better to replace all components with new-when wouldn't that be true. We all have different financial circumstances that dictates what we can afford to do.

I was in a near head-on collision in my little Toyota a few weeks ago. The other driver crossed the center line and hit my car. Both of us doing 50+ MPH but I just managed to veer a little to the right at the last minute so that she just hit between front and rear doors. She never braked before she hit. She was charged. I think she was texting and driving. She had a newer car roughly the same size as mine and similarly equipped. Air bags (front and side impact) deployed in my vehicle. Front air bags went off in her's. Both of us walked out of our cars with just a few bruises. Amazing!

It made me think what would have happened if I had taken my '87 Cherokee instead. I would most likely be dead or she would be from the difference in the vehicle types-Not sure. Maybe the '87 unibody would have crumbled to dust or unseen fracturing or the 30 year old control arms snapped, or the seats and seat belts ripped out of the old floor mounts etc. Who knows? You can't control what will happen to you on the road and what others decide to do. We make choices and take risks. I see guys driving rigs with 6" lifts, huge tires and other extreme modifications out on the road almost every day. Are those vehicles safe? They've got new components installed but they were never intended to be placed on our rigs for road driving.

I've got 4 kids. Very rarely did I let them take the '87 out and then only to school a few miles away from home. I worried every time they did. They have their own new cars now. I feel better but still worry. Part of living I guess.

I thought that was the Spicy Curry

I thought his *** itched BECAUSE it was a loose end, LOL

All thanks to you daddy

My privilege man. You made it sound so easy too! lol

RAWR

You guys crack me the hell up

Me personally I wouldnt be too worried about it if I had to drive it as my only vehicle. But that would only be until I could have it repaired professionally or found a replacement. I would be paranoid as heck driving it till it was fixed but if you gotta get around you gotta get around