Is this going to impede anything? I'm going to and try and hammer it back some.. but it should be okay.. right ?

I'm installing a new Smittybilt XRC Bumper.. I knew it was bent, but I didn't realize it was that bad until I took the factory bumper off.

 

Unless it is bothering something or rubbing, leave it alone. Hammering on it to bend it back will only weaken it. Get a skid plate to protect everything for the future. Jeep seems to have got a little cheap in the protection up front so it is a good idea to put some real protection.

 

I don't know about the smittybilt but I think my Rugged Ridge xhd would contact/ not line up correctly. You might try to heat & bend versus just beating on it.

 

It can be straitened with NO ill effects. If it is too strong to straiten without heat then heat it with a rosebud torch tip and hammer into shape. A 4 lb sledge-type hammer with an 18 inch handle works well. Remember NEVER heat the rails too hot, a DULL red is as hot as it needs to be...then air cool. Don't spray with water to cool it. An unrepaired rail or frame section is nothing but a predamaged area that is amplified by any additional damage in the future. Always repair damage- it will save you on a run when something happens and the same area is damaged again.

 

FYI, this is from the factory service manual:

Use of Heat During Repair

WARNING: Chrysler Group engineering’s position on the use of heat during collision repair is as follows:

• Any body panel or frame component damaged which is to be repaired and reused, must be repaired using the “cold straightening” method. No heat may be used during the straightening process.
• During rough straightening prior to panel replacement, damaged panels or frame components may be heated to assist in body/frame realignment. The application of heat must be constrained to the parts which will be replaced and not allowed to affect any other components.

This “no heat” recommendation is due to the extensive use of high strength and advanced high strength steels in Chrysler Group products. High-strength materials can be substantially and negatively affected from heat input which will not be obviously known to the repairer or consumer. Ignoring these recommendations may lead to serious compromises in the ability to protect occupants in a future collision event, reduce the engineered qualities and attributes, or decrease the durability and reliability of the vehicle. Failure to follow these instructions may result in serious or fatal injury. This statement supersedes any previously released information by the Chrysler Group.

 

I think all bets are off since he is putting a substantial aftermarket bumper on.

How that is going to effect the vehicles crash performance? I don't know. I do know that the front end is carefully tuned to deform in a planned way during a certain crash mode (the modes that the governments test, which are country dependent).

I suspect that the after-market bumpers are going to help transmit crash forces to the occupants of the vehicle more efficiently in normal accidents but that added strength may be necessary in off road situations.

I am not directly involved in safety analysis but are somewhat aware of the things they are trying to accomplish because I have to evaluate them for durability (not for Chrysler).

 

Lawyerspeak intended to warn the hacks away. Heat these hi-strength steel parts too hot and yes you can ruin them. The reality and economics of vehicle repair indicate repair of minor damages such as a slightly bowed front or rear end member. As a professional repairman this would not concern me in the slightest. However ANY crumple zone collapse (however minor) or any rail area bent past a 90 degree bend cannot be repaired even cold. Any heat past a DULL RED- read dark viewable in normal shop light is too much. This is the same situation as installing used wheels on your vehicle. ALL manufacturers say this is unsafe-don't do it. 75% of all insurance repairs requiring a wheel replacement get a USED wheel ( read reconditioned). It would be 100% if the correct wheels were obtainable. Remember a reconditioned aluminum wheel has been damaged in a prior accident or comes out of a junkyard. Many of them we get have been turned on the edges to ''true them up''. This results in much thinner wheels than when originally installed. There's a whole lot of gray in any repair process.Like it or not....

 

Any large non-deformable mass (rigid heavy bumper)attached to the front frame rails will negate any energy absorbing performance designed into that front end. After 30 years of repairing 4WD pickups It's been my experience that frame damage on comparable accidents is always much worse when large unyielding steel bumpers have been added. The same holds true for suspension and axle tube damage. Large wheels and tires put much more damaging force (due to their weight) on the suspension during an accident.

 

I stuck the XRC Bumper on tonight and it does use the crash bar. You have to drill out 4 holes in it and tie the bottom of the bumper to it with some carriage bolts.. fortunately I was able to straighten it out though.

 

I would have to see how it all ties in to answer that question.
My guess, though, is it has to add some rigidity to it, especially if drawing lines through all attach points (including the welds at the top of the bar) forms a triangle.