Fangio76

right at the very end of a great 4th of July weekend in Big Bend for my girlfriends birthday, and yet another 1,200 miles round trip in the Texas summer heat with no hiccups, some drunk *** slammed in the back of my Jeep at a stop sign a block away from my home and then took off.
My heart is completely broken. For 11 years I took so much care and money and effort to keep "Buddy" in the great shape it is/was until yesterday.

Is this even repairable, from a practical and technical standpoint? could it be bent in more spots?






BTW - After filing the hit and run report and being dismissed by the Police, I went around the neighborhood to look for the guilty car myself, because I had seen his damage and I was sure there was just no way he could have gone very far. Sure enough, I found it sitting in a parking lot a block away.
The driver had already taken both his license plates off and tossed them in the backseat and disappeared. I called the cops again and they took down the car's information.
Needless to say, he is not insured and the plates did not even belong on that car.
I have a lot of sentimental attachment to this particular car, I don't want the insurance to total it... if I can avoid it.
I pay for "uninsured motorist property damage" coverage in my policy.. I don't know if that means they'll agree to repair it, but it's something.

BruceB

Uninsured motorist property damage will only cover to the coverage you have up to $25000. Call your insurance company for a more detailed explanation.

caged

you have some cool stickers on there.

but unfortunately the insurance company will likely write that one off.

did you have your hitch in when it was hit?

Willys55

it's a loss as far as your insurance company is concerned

BlueRidgeMark

Stick a fork in it. Sentimental value and wishful thinking won't fix that. Theoretically possible? Yes. Cost effective? Not a chance.

Fangio76

No I did not.

Fangio76

I just put new brakes all around, new shocks all around, new front wheel hubs, new throttle position sensor and cam position sensors, a new rear wiper motor, new windshield washer reservoir and pumps and a Optima battery, ... all in the last 4 months
Oh and I fully rebuilt the AC last year

Fangio76

They will probably try to give me 70% of $1,500 (blue book value) which doesn't even cover the maintenance I have done this year alone
I used to get complimented 4 or 5 times a month by strangers, or shop mechanics, about how "clean" my Jeep was ... this pisses me off beyond belief Nevermind that I could have easily sold it for $5k to the right person in the "real world"
this is its latest picture... less than 12 hours before the accident

OldTires

This truly sucks. Sorry it happened. At least you were not hurt.

Take it to a body shop and ask them to measure the frame. If the wheels are still aligned and the wheel box square, it may not be that bad. Have them pull that part up and then you can go about replacing all the other panels. You can even weld some steel plates to that frame rail part that was bent to reinforce it.

It still is a lot of work. Plus you want to make sure your fuel tank is not damaged.

Outlaw Star

If sentiment is a major factor in keeping this rig, as they said, it will not be cheap, but can be done. You can even get a rear subframe stiffener to be welded in if the frame can be "pulled" back out.

jordan96xj

No professional or insurance person is going to say that it is worth fixing. Sadly, some here will say the same. But, that is easy for them to say because they don't own, and don't care about it. Its just a dollar question to them. If that was all we based our decisions on, almost nothing we do on our Jeeps would be justified.

Get it bent back, reinforce it with steel plating, and continue loving your Jeep. If no one will bend it back for you, then figure out how to anchor the Jeep down and bend it back by yourself. You've done a lot of work on your Jeep already (I assume you did the work by the way you spoke), so you know how to figure out a plan and execute it.

For example, just looking, I might be inclined to:
1. Remove gas tank
2. Round up someone who has access to a fork lift or tractor with fork lift attachements
3. Remove lift gate (if necessary)
4. Pin the vehicle down with forks inside the cargo area (in from the rear)
5. Begin bending the frame back up using hydraulic jacks at the strongest points.
6. Go just slightly further in order to get a true angle once lifting pressure is removed
7. Reinforce frame by adding something like 1/4 steel plates to both sides of each frame rail bridging the bend section (doesn't even require welding, if pinned through with hardware).

Another way to anchor it down could involve passing a 4x6 through the rear passenger doors (through the vehicle) and secured to a tree on either side (or other solid structure). Anything to keep the vehicle from lifting off of the ground while you lift just the rear portion around where the hitch is attached.

Another way to pin down the vehicle would involve cutting a 4x6 to fit inside the vehicle just behind the rear passenger seat (as close to the bend as possible, but still forward of it). Then cutting one access hole through floor by which a chain can hold down the 4x6 and be anchored solidly to the ground (finding something to anchor to would require a little thinking). This would have the added benefit of being able to be situated close to the bend, and also crossing over both frame rails (side to side) so that the pressure is somewhat equalized and well supported between the two.

In any case. I hope you fix it.

There is a guy here who rebuilt the entire front end of his Jeep after an accident, and on one of his test drives after nearly finishing the work, it got wiped out again by another accident, same degree of damage, but on the other side. He rebuilt it again (on a budget) and shared the story as he went.

Fangio76

you nailed it.. and yes, I have done some of the recent work myself, but not all. I used to do most of it myself when I was a homeowner and had a garage. I have since moved to another state and live in an apartment and have less time/space/resources/connections than I used to. It would have to be done in a frame shop and, like you said, they probably won't. I'm still gonna try though

jordan96xj

If I was in a new area and had no connections here is what I would do. I would hit facebook and the web to find my local Jeep groups, even if they were small. I would join as quickly as possible and concisely tell my story, and ask if anyone had the desire to help or appropriate place to work on it. Especially if they sense that you are sincere about wanting to save your Jeep, I would bet that something could be arranged. Beer and Pizza could go a long way, not to mention that you'd probably come out of it with several new friends in your new area.

Fangio76

Thanks, that's good advice.
I took it to a reputable frame and body shop today, the high-end estimate is $6,700, replacing as much as possible and with all OEM parts (used or new)
If I can prove/convince the insurance company that there are many comparable XJ selling for even more than that in this area on Craigslist, maybe I can have them agree to pay around $5,000 and I fork in the rest. On top of that I could also start scrounging up parts for a lot cheaper than they were quoted in the estimate (ie $55 for the Jeep lift-gate logo, $1,150 for a new lift gate, $600 for new exhaust and tailpipe etc) and provide them to the shop myself, all hope may not be lost.
I am gonna try whatever I can. I have been on adventures all over the country with that Jeep for the last 11 years. I have pictures of it in all kinds of cool, memorable places. It's always been so reliable and so capable... the thought of watching it being hauled to a junkyard knowing it still runs and drives great just brings tears to my eyes.
Like putting a dog to sleep because you don't wanna fork for the treatment. I just can't do it

Martlor13

Are you sure the xjs in your area are selling for that price? Or just the asking? In my area xjs have a large asking price at first, but come down considerably once sellers realize the value is not there.