im buying a 98 xj thats been wrecked in the front. they said they hit a culvurt. doesnt look like any frame damage from what i see. the lower control arm on the passenger side is bent and so is the bracket it bolts to on the axel. my question is can i straighting that bracket on the axel out? the only other damage i see is the tie rod and body damage.

 

replace it dont bother tryin to fix the old.. just replace the old with new.. mine was in a wreck to.. heres a pic of the wreck..........


the whole front end needed replaced.. after all, this was totaled by the insurance company

 

^x2 you dont wanna mess with that kinda suspension stuff its much better and safe to just get new. you could prolly pick up a whole new dana 30 for cheap at the JY. but def dont try to bend it out cause if its not right then the suspension will bind up and thats def not good

 

If that bracket is just bent I don`t see why you couldn`t just apply some heat and bend it back into line..If it`s also weakened as well you may need to spot weld some reinforcement to it..I was in a similar situation early last year and just grabbed the flat part of metal with a real big, real long adjustable wrench and bent it back into place..if you have the nice do-it-yourself junkyards near you we do here you can just grab a new used control arm for $12

 

thats what i was thinking about doing but i guess ill stay on the safe side and get new stuff. yea i know a very cheap do-it-yourself junkyard i can get the arms from. thanks alot.

 

just remember if you bend it back its not gonna be as strong as it was before.

 

hey if he wants to take the chance and save 13 bucks, let him.. But i think spending a little more upfront is better then fixing it yourself, having it bust and hurting you, or your jeep causing you a bigger bill then a lil for replacing the broken piece in the 1st place