Today I had my Cherokee lifted up using a jack to do some maintenance and brake work. I lifted the left side first then the right side, letting them both rest on jack-stands. I noticed the door wasn't opening all the way easily when it was on the stands but though it would change when I put I lowered it back down. I finished my work, put the tires on, lowered it, and attempted to open the driver door but it is now catching on the panel in front of the door. Did I bend the unibody when I lifted it up? What should I do? Going to be buying a welder soon so what can I do? (The door opens a quarter of the way until it hits the front panel and paint was being chipped off).

 

Doesn't sound good. Not at all.

 

Where did you have the jack stand resting through the whole process

 

On the left driver side I had it on the control arm mount while on the other passenger side I had it on the axle tube. Was unable to put it under the axle on the left due to not enough space available.

 

The control arm mount end on the unibody not the axle

 

Is your jeep rusty, maybe it's transforming due to rusty uniframe. Lol

 

Yepp, it's very rusty.

 

poke around at the frame with a screw driver. Any holes? Check around the front side of rear leaf mounts.

 

I remember seeing part of the uni-body was cracking due to rust near the left rear leaf mount. Do you guys have any solutions to this? Welding some plating on or metal? Or what.

 

if it's cracking, then It's probably gonna be more than meets the eye. Rust, it's not what you can see, it's what you can't see. Poke around with a screwdriver, but from the sounds of it, sadly, that jeep may be scrap metal. Even if you weld the crack, the rust will show up somewhere else. If it has as much rust as you say it does, and if the frame is falling apart, than you probably don't want to drive it. It's probably unsafe. The points that you used for the Jack stands shouldn't have caused the unibody to bend, but rust will. And it sounds to me that the frame is giving out therefore putting stress on other points of the jeep causing your door issues.

 

I don't think it's rusted out to that point but thanks for the insight. I'll be looking into it for the next coming weeks.

 

do you got some pics?

 

Unfortunately not cause it's too late, I might get to it sometime

 

So, it's very rusty? But you "don't think" it's that bad?

I highly suggest you look into this ASAP. If you bent it just from jacking it up, it is NOT safe to drive. Not for you, your passengers, family and friends, or anyone on the road around you. A rusted out uniframe means it is toast.

Nobody wants to hear or find out their ride is scrap...however, your safety and the safety of others is more important. It isn't worth your life.

 

This is fatal. If your Jeep's uniframe bent or cracked more from being jacked up, it's done. Whatever rigidity you may have had is gone now. It could literally collapse when you drive over a bump.

These sorts of repairs are extremely difficult. If you had said "there's no rust except for this one spot", well, small areas can be patched or plated. But since you said it's "very rusty" I am assuming that the entire frame is looking crispy. That means there's nothing to weld to as the rot has spread. My 1999 has some real rot issues and I'm not sure I can save it - but nothing like the thing just bending after beig jacked up!!! That's seriously far gone.

The prudent thing to do is to park it, pull your good parts off, and find a new one. At least do the first before someone gets hurt.