Well this is my first post on the forum and have been like many just reading a lot of whats here but to the point - I got in a car accident in my 1998 Jeep Cherokee Sport and the damage is pretty significant. Because of my coverage i am left with the car and don't have the money for a shop to fix it. I have looked around and there are not many junk yards around me that'll pay anything for it and Im wondering if anyone has any ideas of what to do with it. I am not an experienced welder but know my way around the vehicle and have no idea if the bending in the frame is possible to repair - what I do know is the engine is intact and undamaged by it and the steering. Aside from the frame the damage consists of the radiator, bumper, lights, grill, hood, and side panels with some miscellaneous hoses and the battery. Please let me know if anyone has any advice on what to do.

 

Ouch, that looks pretty much totaled. Anything can be fixed, it is just a matter of how much you are willing to spend and that is a pretty significant amount of damage.


It looks like both rails are probably shifted over, likely at least $1k to get those straight again (likely more) or replace the whole damaged section (if you are not experienced with welding you would want to get someone to do this, the frame is not a place you want weak welds) which would also be rather expensive. On top of that you are looking at a whole front clip (fenders, hood, etc.), rad support, upper rails/inner fender/apron, rad, condenser, lights, signals, header panel, grill, cowl, wiper arms (and possibly motors as well), bumper & mounts, rad fans, probably all of the accessory belt drive system, and miscellaneous things like batt. tray, air box, washer bottle, etc., plus the air bags and controller. As well as possible front axle or suspension damage. Easily $2k-3k+ of damage if you do most of the work yourself (and get favors/good price on getting the frame fixed) and use mostly junkyard parts.


Are the engine/trans mounts still intact? if they are broken free you may have drivetrain damage as well.


Your best bet is probably to part out what you can from this one and look for another vehicle.

 

Looks like a parts vehicle....

 

If it were me I'd look for a cheap one with a blown engine since you said the engine is still good and just swap the engine and part out/ scrap the rest. Good luck with whatever you choose to do!!

 

I agree with the above. Ive bought jeeps that were wrecked not nearly as bad as this one. After its been wrecked once, it will never be the same. Unibodys can be pulled and straightened, but this one is unfortunately done for. Best bet would be to find a cheap 4wd with a bad motor, happened to notice yours is 2wd. Just be sure to check your motor really good. With how badly the front end twisted, its possible the motor mount bolts ripped out of the side of the block.

 

Even if the motor is bad maybe he could find one that has a bad rear axle or something. Basically find one that has a bad part that your jeep still has a good part of and swap to make good jeep. That's the best thing to do in this situation in my opinion.

 

Yup, sell the rear end and etc if you can afford to keep it around for a while. Doors, wheels, axles, engine, transfer case, etc etc etc. Or pull the engine, rebuild it over a year if you have a spare vehicle and drop it into a blown engine vehicle. ORRRRRRRRRRR get a new one.