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Smashing lower control arm mounts

redneck

NAXJA Forum User
Well, since I moved from AZ to FL I haven’t been able to get out four wheeling like I use to. With school and work it sure is hard to get away to a good ol trail. On the road home from work there is an old mobile home park that was torn down and the patios are left standing there. Tonight I happened to get the urge for some urban four wheeling. I went up a few of the old block patios and was having a good time. I ended up at one of them that was a little higher than the others and thought it to be a bit more of a challenge. I got up it fine and all was good until I went down the other side. As my front wheels slid off the end I promptly stopped as the Cherokee slammed down on itself. My first thought was not to get hung up so I slid off and again the rear slammed down onto the concrete. I pulled up to inspect the damage. I landed the front on the lower control arm brackets and the rear on the gas tank skid. I got a nice little crease across the skid and the LCA mounts have been bent quite a bit, mostly spread apart. Am I going to have problems with this down the road? Its still tracking the way it always has. Should I just smack them back into place with a hammer or should I leave them be? BTW I have a 95 with a homebrew 5in lift on moabs and the stock MT/R's. Thanks
 
I say if it's ok now, leave it... I WOULD say to bend it back, but the more you bend it the weaker it gets... if down the road you find problems with it, you can always weld on new ones, or go long arm...
 
nopics.gif
 
mcraindog, I grew up in AZ so 18 years. I Moved to FL in September for school.

Pictures are on their way. I haven’t had any problems today so I am feeling better about it. It hit extremely hard and it worried me.
 
mcraindog, The alergies are terrible. I never had any until I moved here.

OK pics.
http://thumb11.webshots.net/t/52/652/9/19/46/2083919460047293791ChTjnD_th.jpg

http://thumb11.webshots.net/t/66/666/4/19/5/2269419050047293791UArEim_th.jpg

http://thumb11.webshots.net/t/66/666/9/23/40/2851923400047293791rvziMi_th.jpg

http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2297920680047293791Kqukyt?vhost=rides

http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2999065710047293791iOxHBB?vhost=rides

http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2160956080047293791qZjbZk?vhost=rides

Here are a couple of shots of where I hit. I didn’t get a pic of where I was wheeling but I can on request. The driver’s side looks quite bent and the tank skid saved my butt. I need to get out wheeling more but there’s nothing around here like the trails of northern AZ. I’m not into mudding.
 
that doesn't look too bad... if you want, you could just beat on it to straighten it a bit... but I don't think it's worth worrying about too much.
 
outlander said:
if you had skids welded to them I don't think they would have bent because they would've been boxed in.

agreed. i'd say bend it back and box the mount. you could even plate the sides, if you were feeling ambitous and it would probably then be stronger than the axle itself.
 
It looks like to me that the frame mount is bent as well by the second pic(its soo small its hard to tell) That may need some attention, the axle end can easily be fixed by boxing it and maybe gussets.
 
asp387 said:
agreed. i'd say bend it back and box the mount. you could even plate the sides, if you were feeling ambitous and it would probably then be stronger than the axle itself.
does anyone have any pictures of the mounts boxed in. I've been thinking about doing this because my mounts are bent out like the ones in the pictures and it would be good to see what other people have done for skids on the mounts
 
I welded some 1/4" flat stock onto mine(axle end). It works well but with my johnny jointed LCA's tend to hit the plates on full flex and sometimes will loosen the jamb nut up on the arms. No big deal I just tighten them up before I hit the road.


lcaskid1vu0.jpg

lcaskid2jp0.jpg
 
Should weld that to the tube as well to help strengthen it.
 
the JKS ones do!
 
So does a flat piece of steel.
 
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