sturoc

Hi Gang ,
new to forum, found it while looking for a good Cherokee forum .
So got a problem right off the bat:

92 Cherokee Sport 4.0
It's one tough Vehicle as you may know.
Mine just rolled slowly in neutral into a small tree bout 40ft away
dead center of the grill /bumper bent the bumper into the cross piece that ties the two frame rails together, That piece got bent in a few inches.
Where this ties into the Frame rail ends look pretty straight.
With the bent bumper pushed the grill into the AC cooling unit pushed into the radiator bottom and slightly bent that in as well-Just enough to warrant a new rad even though there are no leaks.

I think I can use an iron bar insert it behind the frame cross piece and straighten with a come-along ( to some good anchors) enough to be okay.with a few hammer hits here and there.
Has anyone had any experience dealing with this front cross frame piece ?
can send photo tomorrow ( fri)

Looking for some calming advice

thanks

95Cherokee

What about tying a tow rope around the smashed in part of the bumper with the other end around a tree, then back up?

I did this to straighten my bumper after a similar accident.

sturoc

Hey Thanks for the quik reply.

After this happened tonite I needed to calm myself down, This is my main road vehicle, and ck the Radiator status so I began to pull the bumper/grill and top pieces over the rad off. The bumper lays on the floor now, If I had a press probably could straighten that out.
My concern is that cross frame piece.......

Thexjfiles

Ive got a whole shell no one wants to buy. Make me an offer, Ill cut out a perfect crossmember for you to weld on.

Vindicator9000

I would think you should be able to straighten that with a tree, a good strap, and reverse. Or maybe a come-along to get it just right.

I actually used a frame straightener to pull out my front crossmember, but it really didn't need a lot of nuts on it to pull it out... and mine was crunched really hard, in the corner. A minor bend right in the middle should pull right out, I would think.

sturoc

Thanks Guys,
XJFiles, I will keep ya posted if I go with your offer. The thought of a nice straight piece is enticing. Will try pulling it out, if it gets too ugly I'll be emailing .

Vindicator, I figured someone has been thru this Will try the come-along method.

Might as well do my H-Balancer replacement while I have the room to work in !

Will post how it all goes...

sturoc

In the My Photos to the left are the pics

Those are pics of damage So I only worry bout any structural strength lost in the area of the cross frame there once it's bent back close to original spot?

Thanks

mani.sundance

I'm looking at taking my sawzall and removing the middle 8 inches. point the dangling remainders to make an I rather than a V and weld some angle steel to bridge the gap. Felt that bending the crease back would make it rather weak in the middle.

RockinRonnie

Sturoc How did you make out with your small bend! yours would have been an easy fix.

Mani.sundance Welcome to the site!
If you are able to cut out and weld in angle then I would take the time and remove the front piece and replace it correctly rather then weld in angle !

mani.sundance

I spent a few hours on Youtube last night and made a better plan. Barely slept running though my ingenious plan which I stole from an smarter Youtube man. Here is the link to the video:
I ended up simply straightening the bend with the dueling jack method, once I realized that the lower radiator support isn't all that structural (confusion between xj with radiator support being main cross member?). I don't mind the little crease in the middle, if you can confirm frame or structure not compromised.

I have a few pics if I can figure out how to post them (manage attachments button does nothing). They hopefully will help others down the road.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/zaBoh57KxPLUxL9YA
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Cr8RFoSxJbct74kw5
https://photos.app.goo.gl/AqLogLF6ybx3m7wi7
https://photos.app.goo.gl/TRKAF1kdhYKWd8GBA

It's now straight as an arrow with a little bulge in the middle, which the radiator mounts more than clear the height. Took all of 3 hours, including finding jacks, straps and much extra caution.

Any insight or suggestions?

sturoc

Hey old thread revived here !
I hooked up a come-along and cable anchored off to my van and pulled out the bend. Not perfectly straight but good.
I didnt have the time or the metal stock to weld in a nice cross-member.
My XJ is at 260k now and still going strong.