bend this back?

95yj

Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2008
Location
knightdale
Got in an accident yesterday, guy ran me off the road then drove away. Bent my pass side lower control arm bracket pretty bad. Think I can bend it back? And if so, how! I was supposed to be leaving for ure in the morning :shaking:

ai849.photobucket.com_albums_ab59_schecterguy95yj_DSC04139.jpg

ai849.photobucket.com_albums_ab59_schecterguy95yj_DSC04140.jpg

ai849.photobucket.com_albums_ab59_schecterguy95yj_DSC04141.jpg
 
You can bend it back with a BFH. Just get it as straight as possible. Is the metal broken anywhere? With that much damage, are you sure your control arm is not also bent?
 
Checked that, control arm is fine. Metal not broken. It's not moving with the bfh, my friend suggested cutting the metal so it isn't a channel, bending it back and welding it back together?
 
I wouldn't waste my time bending that back. By the time you get it fixed you could have cut and burned in 1/4" tabs. just my $.02
 
That is going to be about impossible to bend back. As recommended already, cut it off and weld a new one on.

It looks like that may have been due to hitting something really hard in the front. Check the frame mount for that same control arm, and also make sure the knuckle on that side doesn't have any cracks and that the ball joints are good. A hit like that seems bound to damage something else.
 
You could try heating it and bending it out using pliers and hammer. You'd need to get it extremely hot. A propane torch probably wouldn't get it hot enough. Like everyone else, I think it would honestly be easier to cut off and weld a new one.
 
maybe I'm the odd man out but it doesn't look that thick and should bend. take a huge crescent wrench (12"+) and clamp down and pull. what size hammer are you using. a 3lbs "love" should do the trick.

if not, I guess I'll agree with the rest and say cut and burn some new ones.
 
Last pic, bottom of the left weld, you can see the metal cracking. If beating it back into shape didn't finish that off, the fatigue of driving would, at the worst possible moment.

Cut off, replace.
 
I've straightened them worse than that before, ask Britt what his looked like after he rearended and tried to climb over a car, both sides were wacked.

I wouldn't try to just hammer it back over, it'll be all out of align and woppy jawed, plus you need to fix the welds and crack areas.

I cut Britt's and others off, straightened it(hammer/vice/heat), boxed it /renforced it and welded it back on so it wouldn't taco again. There pretty thin, boxing them helps alot on rigidity. If you just box the front all you need is a little 1/4" or 3/8" piece of flat plate.
 
maybe its an optical illusion created by the bend in the track bar, but the axle tube looks a little bowed in the first pic.
 
2 c-clamps & some 1/4" plate & that will bend back. But will be considerably weaker then befor it was bent.


Cut it off like suggested, or straighten it & plate it then find a longer bolt.
 
Since we are on the subject, let me get a noob question regarding metal out of the way. If he was to heat it up, pound it back straight, wouldn't that make the metal weaker and make it easier to bend again in the future? Like I said, I am a noob when it comes to metal fabbing.
 
BigClay said:
Since we are on the subject, let me get a noob question regarding metal out of the way. If he was to heat it up, pound it back straight, wouldn't that make the metal weaker and make it easier to bend again in the future? Like I said, I am a noob when it comes to metal fabbing.
Click to expand...

yes, that's why you plate it with additional metal. Then the old bolt will be too short (plus its probably trashed), so a longer one is needed.
 
you can pick up a set of lower control arm mounts for pretty reasonable price. I'd cut them both off and put on some stronger ones.
 
Even if you put new ones on, box the front side - you won't be sorry. Those things are cracked/bent on most every TJ that is off roaded.

Meaning welded up both sides and across the axle tube.
 
I would cut it off and weld a new one on, if its a stock axle I bet someone here has a good used one cheap.
 
That looks alot better than the factory one, bent or not.
 
negative, I have a hp44 I'm planning on swapping in as soon as possible, so I'm trying to minimize the amount of money i throw at the 30.
 
Back
Top