chaznad

So i ran into a lightpost around 10 mph, only the tire hit but it hit pretty bad . Immediatly noticed the steering wheel was way off center. I also noticed when i turn the steering wheel left a quarter turn it starts rubbing the frame bad.
I got under the rig and noticed the control arm was cracked at the welds and mangled/ bent . I also feel as though the front tire that hit is no longer even with the passenger side tire. It sits back about 1". When I drive at 40+mph its very flighty and veers to the left , also when i hit a bump it swings to the left .

Can someone point me in the right direction . I was going to take it to a shop tomorrrow to have a new bracket welded on but is there anything else i need to look for or will a bent bracket cause all this mess?

sa29560

When I've bent brackets in the past you can usually heat em and beat em back into place.

Also what can help is a large crescent wrench, open the jaws just wide enough to fit and boom bam, repaired.

Hopefully it's as minor as you believe. These kinds of accidents have a tendency to slightly whack around a few components. Depending where you smacked it, mind posting some pics?

spmitchell86

Can someone post a picture of normal front lower control arm brackets? I was also told by the dealer that my bracket is out of place because of impact.

DJ1

I doubt yours looks anything like this, although it might I guess depending on the tire size you are running (smaller tire would cushion any hits less), but here's an example of what you should not be driving on:






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resharp001

Hopefully any bracket damage is limited to axle side. That frame side LCA bracket looks like a real bitch to replace. Was looking at the Synergy frame side brackets and the install on those does NOT look fun. Not a whole lot of replacement offerings out there either. Axle side brackets not near as complicated to replace.

spmitchell86

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Wow, luckily mine isn't that bad (or as obvious) is it worth repairing this? I'm trying to get to the bottom of a mysterious caster/camber value on recent alignment.

DJ1

Based on the looks of your undercarriage, I would seriously think about getting a new crossmember and some tranny/oil pan skids before doing anything else. Maybe throw in some front lower adjustable control arms.



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DJ1

I've heard the frame side CA brackets are a bitch to grind off if you're looking to replacing the whole thing. The other option is just getting the weld-on gusset kit for the stock frame side brackets....




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spmitchell86

Yeah the crossmember is pretty banged up... will that cause an issue with the transmission or transfer case alignment?

DJ1

No, but if you crack your tranny and/or oil pan while offroad, it's going to suck major balls and most skid kits rely on that crossmember (whether it's stock or beefy aftermarket) being in good condition to mount to.


Also, hard/repeated hits to the "trumpet" on the exhaust by the front driver's lower control arm have been known to jack up the exhaust manifold.



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