Hello! -- my kid slid into a post... (he is fine) ... so now wondering if this is fixable? It still drives okay ... don't think any damage to the frame was done. I don't expect it to be perfect ... just wondering how bad it might be... What do you guys think?

Thx!

 

How does the B-pillar look?

 

That's hard to say. Get the door open and see if the pillar is twisted. You might be able to correct it slightly but it really comes down to how that pillar looks.

 

In order to fix that, you will need to cut out the section that is damaged from a same shape XJ, including doors, B-pillar, sill section etc

Before resorting to that, get underneath and inspect and measure the UniRail. If the distance between the two sides shows variation, its probably done

Assuming you can MIG weld, the repair will be relatively straightforward. Depends upon the supply of wrecks in your area.

As you will be cutting, a whole car can be good value for other spare parts. I bought my non-running spare for $450, $100 on a lift truck, $100 in parts, runs now

 

Thanks for the suggestions ... I will first measure the unirail and look for any issues and take it from there.

 

To cut out and weld in a 'B' pillar is not a job for a novice. That is a structural member that may save your life if you ever get in a serious accident. If the 'B' pillar is damaged or the frame rails are distorted and you are not experienced with this type of repair, I would find a roller and swap over your parts. If the pillar and rails are in good shape then I would cut out the rockers and weld in some 2x6 square tube.

 

Any update?

 

I found a local guy parting out his XJ ... got the doors, pillar, and lower rocker section. Now trying to find a local shop that's willing to do the work.

 

Post up your location. Might be someone on the forum willing and able to do the work. Or they might know someone in your area.

 

Sure .... I'm located just North of Richmond Va. I've tried a couple body shops so far but no luck. I've still got a few more contacts to try but I'm open to suggestions!

 

That a good score, a very good start

It may be hard to get a reasonable quote from a body shop, for several reasons

It would be time consuming and they charge shop hrs for everything, and would probably allow 20+ hrs, more if they are exacting

One way around it if you have time & space, some skill and MIG welder

After consulting widely about where to cut, you can use self tappers and rivets to aid you in tack welding it together, test fit everything, then get an experienced sheetmetal welder to finish off, if you do not have enough experience with MIG welding

You would need to form some new sections to act as reinforcement/inner sleeves and for the rivets and screws, doing it this way, you can take your time, trial fit doors, weld up more & more holes

I have quite a similar job to do on another vehicle, which is to replace the front door with another and re-fabricate the A-pillar, both gone due to rust

I am not actually sure I could get a panel beater to give me an affordable quote on this job, so I know it has to be me, my confidence grew when I showed a pro body shop owner who I know 40 yrs some of my repairs and his jaw went a bit slack

The idea would be to get a mobile welder to finish off the work, or some local dude that can weld sheet

You can then tidy up the paint and re-assemble

cost would be **** all really

I would allow 2 weeks for me to do that, I would do all the work myself