G.Simpson

Top picture is passenger side frame rail, straight...bumper properly attached by three bolts.

Bottom picture is driver side frame rail, smashed in...bumper welded on in top bolt hole.

Noticed all this as I went in to install tow hook brackets this morning. Tow hooks were supposed to be a temporary fix until I got an aftermarket front bumper...now I can't install the tow hooks or eventually the bumper.

Is this problem fixable? How expensive (estimate) will the fix be?

So depressing...one problem after the other...previous owner was a hack and didn't take care of this XJ very well. I wanna keep my XJ for years to come but starting to get frustrated with it!

VTJeep

Tough to know from the pic if there's damage beyond just the "frame rail" end. I suppose a body shop would be able to tell you if everything else is still straight or not. It looks fixable enough. Cut out damaged areas and replace. Might be a good time to go ahead and get extended braces and/or unibody stiffeners.

G.Simpson

Got a buddy who works at a body shop and is their frame expert looking at it on Friday. I don't think the frame itself is tweaked as my XJ doesn't show any signs of that. I was thinking the same thing as cut and replace or even build over so hope either is possible but know nothing about this kind of repair. Might be time to forget about the tow hooks and get the aftermarket bumper sooner than I thought!

Bruce in Montana

If your aftermarket bumper comes with a steering stiffener brace thingie, it may be all you need.
I had a similar bend from hitting a deer and only the very end piece was bent...it didn't affect the steering at all. I was able to straighten it with a chain, a tree, a bfh, and some heat good enough to line the bumper mount back up.
It drives down the road straight and looks just fine. What else matters?

G.Simpson

Nothing haha...I just want to be able to put the aftermarket bumper on securely and my Jeep already drives straight so that's all I want. Although I think mine might be a bit worse than yours was...don't think there is hope of lining mine back up and even so the mounting holes are no longer able to be used.

G.Simpson

No other opinions?

rand4x4

Man that is not bad at all, Just the tip of the frams. When you get bumper make your own brackets with 1/4" plate and beef it up.

G.Simpson

Actually talked to the fab company that I want to buy my bumper from today...they can send me bumper reinforcing brackets for some additional $$$ or if I step up to the next bumper it comes with them.

Going to see my frame expert buddy tomorrow too.

motorcharge

Cut the crappy plug weld out and take the bumper off.

Option 1: Cut out the bend in portion and weld in new metal.

Option 2: Cut the hole section of the frame off, cut another good one off from a donor XJ and weld it in place.

That little bit of frame damage is hardly a big deal.

navy digital

that would be easy enough to fix with heat a mal and a pry bar. if your buddy does frame work this should be cake for him

97AT4x4XJ

Nothing to worry about. Forget about it.
Important damage would be frame between axles, affecting alignment.

G.Simpson

motorcharge, yeah those look like the options. We'll see what my buddy says and can do.

navy digital, just hope it don't cost me an arm and a leg. By the way my dad was 20 years Navy and I'm Army...assuming you are or were in the Navy, thanks for your service.

97AT4x4XJ, I just wanted my tow hooks for a recovery point and my bumper eventually so looks like I gotta get it fixed.