Help needed : front axle damage. 2001 xj

Hello everyone,

I recently bought a nice 2001 xj 4.0 which I am enjoying very much.

The car at some point in its life spun and jumped over a sidewalk.( side way impact ). The 2 right wheels have some light scars, but their circularity is ok as per the tyre balancing machine. The tires took most of the hit.

The rear axle is slightly offset to the right. I can notice some slight shifting in the U bolts hlding the leaf spring to the axle
The problem is with the front axle damage as you can see in the picture, more specifically the right lower control arm mount. I can see it is slightly buckled.

I have as well seen some damage to the 2 upper control arms.

I am planning to replace all 4 control arms, however my local dealer wants to change the entire front axle!..I am simply not convinced to throw away the entire axle just for this, as i checked for tube straightness and it seems ok. The axle is showing no sign of damage except this item.

will changing the 4 control arms and maybe those U bolts for the rear axle restore the proper geometry?

you can buy the front axle mounts from any good online 4x4 supplier ie Rusty's off road ,Tereflex all sell them. you can have a competent welding shop or 4x4 shop cut off the old one and weld on the new one.

if you were here in america, the hands down solution would be to start with replacing the d30. as junkyard parts are easy to find around here... oversea's, you'll have to weigh the pro's and con's yourself... as most of us have no idea about your junkyard situation.

what kinda use is it going to get? if it's a mild on-roader, i'd replace the control arms, and whatever it took to get it to drive straight and controlled. but if it's an offroad toy, obviously its the perfect excuse to remove and replace with a built up version.

i'd love to see more pics of the rear leaf spring mounts. it's hard to imagine bending/tweaking the leaf perches.

welcome to the board.

I would say find a replacement high pinion Dana 30 to replace your low pinion one, and upgrade your control arms, long arms if you're going to lift it and wheel it, adjustable short arms if you're going mild to no lift. As for the rear axle, I doubt the perches are damaged, but I would definitely replace the u-bolts and centering pin just to be safe.