Alternate Rear Recovery Points

I have finally decided to modify my XJ with a lift, etc, but understand that adding recovery points is my first step.

I've appropriated a nice OEM-type receiver hitch that (in theory) bolts right up to the holes in the underside of the frame, including all of the nut strips, hardware, etc.

Well, I get all ready to put it on and lo-and-behold, I have no mounting points.

A few years ago, I was rear-ended...twice...over the course of a summer and apparently, the ghetto body shop just either cut away (passenger side) the very end of the underside of the frame or never straightened the other side (the bolt holes are still there, but just kinda angled up too far to feed the hitch bolts into).

Of course, I just noticed it last week (the "repairs" were done in 7/03), and the shop has since gone TU.

What are my options in simply mounting a tow hook or some other type of simple recovery point to the frame? Are there any other OEM points I could bolt something to other than the points where the receiver should have gone?

maybe possibly drill holes through each side of the rail and sleeve it then mount the hooks through them, over some plating..

Another option is to get the frame sleeved or boxed on three sides. Another serious option is before you start moding your XJ, find another one not damaged. Yea, I know, you don't want to hear that but you would not build a house on a faulty foundation. Another option that just popped into my head, take it to a real body shop and ask them what they can do. What you found would really tick me off.

Get an aftermarket bumper with clevis mounts and a reciever. My rear frame-rails have been bowed badly from a rear-end collision for about three years, and I have used my aftermarket bumper as recovery points very extensively with no damage to the frame-rails or pulling the unibody apart.

I didn't have nutstrips & didn't want to spend the dough to buy them; so I drilled the holes from the bottom all the way through the frame rail box into the cargo area & bolted down from there. I've had my hitch on this way for years & many wheeling trips with no ill-effects I can see.

Jess said:

Get an aftermarket bumper with clevis mounts and a reciever. My rear frame-rails have been bowed badly from a rear-end collision for about three years, and I have used my aftermarket bumper as recovery points very extensively with no damage to the frame-rails or pulling the unibody apart.

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this theory is faulty. a good aftermarket bumper with a reciever and or d ring tabs SHOULD have more mounting points than just the 4 stock bolts. i would not pull anything with the reciever nor be recover/recover you with a such bumper with only 4 attatchment points. a halfway desent bumper will bolt on to the frame rail where the hitch goes as well as the stock bumper location.

i know it may not be an option here to just go for a good type of bumper.

i would get under the rig and find out exactly what was done. see if the frame rail was replaced, sleeved, plated, bondoed or what. if one of the first three, i would consider just redrilling the holes. if the last one, get a new rig as there will be no solid mounting point.

if you want to get a inside look at what you got, take the rear bumper off. that will let you look at the inside of the frame rail and see if there is any damage that would get in the way.

hth
stewie