Fixable as a trail rig?

[dagr8tim]

seeing the axle mount and LCA i'd say its straight. Is this on the pass side where the axle is bent the most?

This is the only thing I can find that is visually bent.

If I had to guess, I'd say the hit was fairly high and got the top half of the tire and the fender.

 

[dagr8tim]

Thanks guys. The $10,000 question is can I replace the knuckle without replacing the whole axle? I have to admit I am intimidated by the thought of replacing it.

Haynes says you can, somebody told me it's nearly as much hassle to change the knuckle as the whole axle, and another friend said he thought the knuckle was welded to the axle tube. The axle is a D30 with 3.55's and no ABS.

 

[foxwar71]

just get another D30; simplest, quickest, easiest, cheapest

 

[FlexdXJ]

Thanks guys. The $10,000 question is can I replace the knuckle without replacing the whole axle? I have to admit I am intimidated by the thought of replacing it.

Haynes says you can, somebody told me it's nearly as much hassle to change the knuckle as the whole axle, and another friend said he thought the knuckle was welded to the axle tube. The axle is a D30 with 3.55's and no ABS.

D30's are cheap! I bet you can find one at a pull it yourself yard for next to nothing. you've got the yoke and the control arm bolts and the axle end trackbar bolt and of course brake lines and a few other odds and ends and its changed.

 

[DanMan2k06]

The axle is actually VERY simple to take out. You have the front driveshaft, the brakes (calipers and rotors), Coil hold-down tabs, Upper control arms, and lower control arms. I would say if you are fairly competent with tools the whole swap could easily be done in a day. Fixing the axle would be a TOTAL pain. Definitely not worth the hassle. Especially because you don't know what else might be toast on it from the accident. Heck the whole tube might be bent. Not worth the risk.

 

[LuckyLewk]

I looked at that very Jeep. I remember the Craigslist ad.

Go get a D30 at U part It, bastard pack it, throw some ZJ coils on it with spacers and go beat it to death.

 

[dagr8tim]

I looked at that very Jeep. I remember the Craigslist ad.

Go get a D30 at U part It, bastard pack it, throw some ZJ coils on it with spacers and go beat it to death.

Already got an extra set of XJ leaf's & a set of v8 ZJ coils. :clap:

I got these for my 97 XJ, before I bought my 98.

Anyways, I found a place to work and hope to have Frankenstein on the road by the end of July.