Cherokee Dana 30 w/Bent axle flange

My daughter was involved in an accident and was hit directly on the passenger side front tire. It ended up bending the cast piece that is welded on the end of the axle tube (axle flange?). It also bent the mounts where the control arm hooks on the passenger side.

I have been told that you should not try and straighten the flange on the end of the axle tube because it is cast iron and will get brittle when heated. They say that after that happens that the flange could crack and or break off while going down the highway.

I don't want that happening with my wife and daughter driving it.

What are your thoughts on this? Has anyone ever straightened an axle flange that way? By that I mean heating it up and letting it cool very slowly to try and keep the temper in the unit.

I have a front end shop saying that it can be done, but I don't want to waste my money if I should be looking for a replacement Dana 30.

One final question, What is the going rate for complete 92-99 Cherokee front dana 30 axle assembly?

Thanks
ANdy

just get a new replacement axle to save time n money. New axles can run you from Free for Low Pinion D30s to $150 for HP D30s

I think the word you are looking for is steering knuckle instead fo flange.
Personally, I wouldn't try to straighten it. Cast is funny stuff.
Most people don't use there front (4X) very much. Shouldn't be that hard to find a good one at a wrecking yard. Just be carefull it had the same motor and tranny (like 4.0 auto). It might be smart to waste a little time and double check the ratio, but it is likely the same as long as the motor and tranny are the same as yours.
A short antedote, I once hit a knuckle with a BFH, trying to remove a ball joint and had the knuckle fall in two pieces. Broke at a casting flaw (air bubble) that was invisible from the outside.
If you really want to keep the XJ for awhile (years) I'd have them put it on a frame jig (straightener). But wouldn't get real anal about it, XJ's are known for having failry variable production tolerances (plus or minus and inch or two ).

since the D30 is such an easy axle to find in salvage yards I wouldn't bother with trying to straighten it and taking the risks involved with that. If you're still running stock gearing, you'll probably get lucky and find one with the gear ratio you already have. I don't know what the going rate would be out there in Michigan, but out here you can find 'em for $200-$300.

I'm guessing that you don't want to turn this in to your insurance since Michigan is a 'no-fault' state, and it would drive your premium up??? Otherwise, make it part of the accident repair to replace the axle as a 'safety issue' rather than repair it.

go to a junk yard find a jeep with the same gear ratio and take the front axle and bolt it up bleed the brakes changed the fluid and you r set

if it was the other persons fault, their insurance should pay for it.

i know when my wife got hit in the passenger side, they quoted her $1,200 for a new front axle. i had them write me a check and bought a complete front axle for $300 (actually i bought a whole jeep for $300 and just took the front axle out of it). then i took the rest of the $1,200 and used it to make upgrades.

scorpio_vette said:

if it was the other persons fault, their insurance should pay for it.

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Michigan is a 'No-Fault' state. Your own insurance pays for repairs regardless of who's fault it is

ricot83 said:

go to a junk yard find a jeep with the same gear ratio and take the front axle and bolt it up bleed the brakes changed the fluid and you r set

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keep your calipers and you don't even need to bleed your brakes.

a new axle is what I would do.

90xjDave said:

Michigan is a 'No-Fault' state. Your own insurance pays for repairs regardless of who's fault it is

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do what??? so what's the point of even having insurance if you basically pay everything yourself???

that's the only reason i like having insurance. how do you think my wifes jeep got build. lol other people hit her and i cash in on it.

If it isn't your fault you don't have to pay the deductible if you have collision. Without collision coverage you are out of luck regardless of where the fault lies.

BrettM said:

keep your calipers and you don't even need to bleed your brakes.

a new axle is what I would do.

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good point didnt event hink of that, so its even easier. bleeding brakes would take longer than everything else

Thanks for all your replies. To answer the insurance question, my daughter has a bad driving record lately and if I turned in the claim, the insurance company would make it back from me many times over. If it had been totaled or damaged a lot worse, I would of turned it in.

From all of your replies, the way for me to go is to just buy a replacement axle assembly. I called around and so far they all are asking $550.00 or so. It seems a little steep, especially after what some of you are saying they go for in your area. I have a classified on the FSM board so maybe something will come of that.

Thanks again for taking the time to respond.

Andy

Your axle is toast, even if you repair it as best you can you will run the risk of the part you are talking about (Called and Inner C) failing, but also probably wear out your tires faster.

Make sure the axle you get is the same gearing

try a pick and pull yard where you go and pull the parts yourself.

when you call around for parts and service junk yards, you are basically paying them for labor. if you go to a pick and pull yard, you just pay for the part and do all the work of removing it from the vehicle yourself. saves ALOT of money that way. or check around on some local 4x4 sites.

Don't try rebending the cast pieces.

Ditto on the pull-n-save route. One by me charges $65 for an axle. I've replaced mine twice. First time was to regear to 4.11 gears and the second was after some unexpected airtime bent the housing. You just need to match up the gear ratio, whether it has the axle disconnect, and high pinion or low. You can swap hi versus low pinion if you grab the front drive shaft as well. Bring a hacksaw in case the control arm bolts are stubborn and just cut the control arms.

As a bonus, if the axle shafts are straight you can resell them on eBay. I paid $130 for two axles to regear my MJ and then sold the leftover shafts for $125.

Yes, if the other person was at fault, I'd fix it right. I'd fix it right anyway...safety is no excuse.