96 Front Suspension Help
 

Hey folks! First post here. :)

Got into a fender bender w/my 4x4 ZJ(?). :oops: I'm fairly new to the Jeep world but to my untrained eye all I could see that needed (non-general maintenance) repairing was the lower suspension arm.

http://i56.tinypic.com/2ylk1dw.jpg

http://i53.tinypic.com/zui5pi.jpg

The rest of the suspension components, although articulated far left, seem ok. A new arm was $70 but I managed to junkyard one for $20. New bushings would have been nice but that's a project that will have to wait. :(

http://i55.tinypic.com/349fii0.jpg

Here's my problem:

http://i56.tinypic.com/27wvwi9.jpg http://i54.tinypic.com/kd8n12.jpg

I'm obviously not lining up. The bolt holes are roughly 2 - 3" off. I'm unable to physically push the suspension at all to get it lined up. So here's my question: is it the dampener seen here that needs to contract back into itself to allow the give I need?

http://i51.tinypic.com/30ixd8w.jpg

Aaaaaaand if so, could I place a scissor jack like this to push the sucker back in?

http://i52.tinypic.com/2m67ark.jpg

I appreciate your guys' help in advance. Really need to get this guy back on the road pronto! :) And I apologize about all the pictures but I figured the better picture I painted the better my little blunder here would get across.

Glad to have found a Cherokee forum!

Any thoughts guys? Here's what it looks like on paper.

https://i54.tinypic.com/fdrtj8.gif

Does anyone else think his swar bar looks bent out of shape? Maybe it's just me...

can't tell if the sway bar is bent, but I did notice he's installing the LCA upside down. I've always used a come along to "wench" the axle forward or back what ever it my need.

You have the arm upside down, and that one bushing looks pretty bad. I got two lower arms from ebay for abot 70 bucks. The upper arm might be tweaked too.

Ha! You're right! I made sure it was good horizontal... but not vertical. :001_tongue: I'll give that upper arm a good eye. Thanks man.

http://www.apextooloutlet.com/mm5/gr...01/chic41a.jpg

Ah, very cool. I've never seen one of these guys.

For how bent that LCA was, my guess is that the upper control arm is bent a little too, keeping the axle too far back to mount the LCA.

Edit: Upon looking at the pictures again, I'm almost 99% sure that your passenger side UCA is bent.

Hmm, I'll be sure to give the UCA a good inspection. Thanks Dan.

Not a bad idea to replace all four arms with new arms just for the sake of knowing they will be straight.

^Busted, I really wish I could man but I have but a few bucks to get this thing driveable.

SO... You know, once there, w/the scissor jack in place and pushing away mm by mm I couldn't help but chuckle at the situation I was in.

http://i52.tinypic.com/210byj4.jpg

But it did the *job!

http://i56.tinypic.com/2hol17t.jpg

UCA, thankfully, looks ok. Filthy, but straight. :)

http://i56.tinypic.com/zvt0e8.jpg

*I get the wheels back on ready for a quick around-the-block shakedown and... CLICK CLICK CLICK. Deaaaaaad battery. What luck! It's over at the auto parts store getting trickle-charged overnight. BLUGH. So uhh... I haven't driven it yet. :pwned:

Thanks for all the input guys. Will let you know how it faired.

You might wanna replace the ps sway link.It looks pretty bent at the top bolt.

Crap. I didn't really think to check that. Kind of figured it was just flexing. I'll have to take it off and check it out. Thanks Troy.

The swaybar links on ZJs have some sorta ball joint on them, unless that flex ripped the joint apart it's probably fine.