UGH......Went up in the woods Sunday to clear some trees that had fell across the road. Me and my 7yr old was on the tractor, my 9yr old was driving the Jeep with wife riding shotgun and 3yr girl in the back seat.

I heard a CRASH and looked back to see he had hit a tree. Panic move, stomped the gas instead of brake. Hit it on the corner of the bumper and front tire, busted the grille, wadded the fender and bent the driver LCA mount (axle) and wife's head busted the windshield. Would have been REAL NICE to have had the L&L bumpers I paid for May 2013 and never got
Think I am going to order a set of Nates bumpers (like I should have done in first place).

I am gonna see if I can beat the fender back out to some useable form, I'd like to be able to put the fender flare back on if I can. I've already pulled the bumper corner back out with the tractor - it was jammed against the front tire. Not sure what I am going to do for the LCA bracket....cut off and replace with beefier units?

Anyway, here's the pics.

 

I may be wrong, but did I just read that your 9 year old was driving the Jeep with your 3 year old in the back? I hope I'm wrong.

 

fender and bumper I would just R&R with junkyard parts

LCA mount can be replaced with aftermarket, assume you have a welder in that big building

wife should keep her hand on the parking brake so she can slow the boy down

 

Ugh..... Here it comes, dude.

Despite the fact that you allowed a very expensive and painful driving lesson to occur, you seem to be asking for comment on buying 300 dollar bumpers to dress up a pounded out front fender.

I think your priorities on the repair are just as backwards as your judgement in allowing a 4th grader drive your family around in a place filled with trees.

Is this post for real, or are you just doing this to mess with ppl?

 

Sounds like the 7 year old is the brightest bulb in the bunch. (not being in the Jeep). To bad he didn't stop them and save the wife a headache!

 

Yes, axle-side LCA mount can be cut off and some heavy duty ones welded on. A lot of companies sell 'em. Other than that it looks like only the fender, bumper, bumper cap, and header were damaged. No hood, carnage that's a bonus.

Evidently the OP's wife trusts the 9 year old's driving ability so much that she didn't bother with a seatbelt so I'd say yes.

 

Alright...I understand that people let their kids drive around on properties and whatnot....at 13-14. Not 9.

If you didn't want all this backlash, you shouldn't include the story.

Now, for the jeep- jy fenders are 50$, and the lowers can be cut and better units welded on.

 

Awe come on guys, none of you drove when you were young? Yes my 9yr old boy was driving - just putting around on our land no big deal. Lots of boys in the country learn to drive at early age - anyway, I don't mean for that to be main point of this thread.

My thought process on getting the Nates bumpers is that had I received the ones I already paid for, this damage likely would have been much less (but that is beside the point now). I need to replace the bumper anyway, may as well replace with a beefier bumper, right?

I probably will end up getting a grille and fender from a parts jeep when I run across them, but that will likely be a bit so I think I can beat it back out to due until then.

Really my main concern is the LCA bracket. Yes I have a welder and can cut off old / weld on new brackets. What are the options on those?

...

 

I started driving my dad's 3 speed cj5 at 7. I used to sit on his lap and steer at 5

 

 

OP, mistakes were made, **** happens. Honestly your wife should have been wearing a seat belt but that's neither here nor there at this point. None of us were there.

However, don't use this to bring up your issue with a vendor and highlight it. It's not their fault your son hit a tree. Even with their bumper you may have bent the frame rail. Guess what, you don't know. Leave them out of your posts and make a small claims against them on your own.

As for the repairs, you can get stuff from rock auto, junk yard, eBay or even a part out here.

Lesson learned for you, your wife and your son. Fix your jeep and have a good day

 

I was driving tractors at that age. Don't let these nancies sway you away from letting him Drive

 

That's not the point. Apparently the OP doesn't comprehend the crumpled fender may have saved the wife a trip to the hospital.

 

That is rough and I hope your son is okay. I hope he learns from it and that it doesn't freak him out too much... My brother did something similar when he was young and it really freaked him out for a long time. Good luck on the repairs though!

 

Bingo...

Can only speculate where the three-year old was. They're a little harder to put back together.