TJ: trouble with front end, shifted over a couple inches

[ryandavison]

im not exactly sure when or how this happened, but my front end sits shifted over towards the driver side by a couple inches. my passenger lower control arm mount is collapsed over, the driver side looks a little bent but not as bad, the passenger and drivers sides coils springs look as if they are not straight up and down. im trying to find out what kind of serious damage i could have done and what i can do to fix it? or is just as simple as unbolting the lower arms and straightening the brackets or cutting them off and replacing them. money is a severe issue so going to a shop right now is out of the question. i did do an alignment on the front end and is drives straight now with the wheel centered and no pull. heres some pics, i will greatly appreciate everyones input! thanks for the help! I NEED IT!!! (this is my daily driver too)

this is as straight on photo as i could see from underneath.

[RAT]

Did you hit something? Or go way off comber on a trail? Or smack a curb? From the pics it looks like the track bar is still in tact so that's a good thing. You can pull the control arms out of the brackets and bend the brackets back into some kind of shape, but they won't be "right" and should be replaced when $$$ is available. You should get under there with bright light and look for craks at the CA mount welds at the axle tubes, the track bar mount at both ends, where the steering box mounts to the frame, and all around the suspension front and rear. Just to be safe. If an alignment has you driving straight, you're lucky, but if you get death wobble soon don't be suprised.

[Dukes69]

Is the front end actually shifted, or are you just going by the springs and arms?

To check place a vertical piece of wood (3 foot or so long) against the outside of the tire, then measure from the frame to the wood. Do the same on the other side. What is the difference between the 2 sides?

For the control arm mount. I would pull the control arm, stack some washers the same width as the bushing into the mount and tighten the bolt. Then hit it with a sledge. Once its close you can then finesse with a hammer and crescent wrench. After you get it in place, fine some weld on LCA skids so this doesnt happen again (Currie or JKS makes them).

Do the measuring first, that will tell you what is really going on.

[ryandavison]

it is almost an exact inch difference from the outside of tire (holding a striaght-edge up) to the frame. the extra inch on the drivers side. my rear end isnt much better tho, but the opposite way. maybe i drive diagnol down the road, i dont know, my rear end sits 5/8" to the passenger side. who knows when it happened or how, i have driven it pretty hard (i sheared off my rear pinion at the yoke (drive line held- kinda), i blew up my old arb locker (but i think thats cuz im still running 3.07's, and a few other expensive mishaps. its not cadillac, but i want to make sure i take the best care of it that i can, its done good for me too, and i want to fix it all the way up someday.
the ca mount weld on the pass. side looks like it has some cracks, but the rest looked good, ill take a better look tho tomorrow when the suns up high.

[ryandavison]

heres a few more pics of some damage.


top view

[womb raider 940]

bracket is trashed. replace bracket in right location and is fixed

[Dukes69]

The control arm mount wont cause the axle to be off center. I would suggest trying to smash it back into place. Worst case you'll have to get a new one welded on.

Did you check axle center after the lift? I would suspect that the goofy track bar drop thing doesn't really center the axle properly. Its not a bad thing and wont hurt the Jeep, but some good adjustable trackbars should be in order when your funds are back up.

[womb raider 940]

my hobby is for fun.


my bad answered the question wrong.

is the track bar bent?


reason why. my original track bar was flexing like rubber. got it replaced on warranty. was bending like crazy.

[4point]

I had that happen to mine. I cut the old brackets off, welded new ones on and re-centered the front (adj TB) end. All is fine now. The new brackets are much beefier.

[ryandavison]

i hammered out the control arm mount today. but im going to save up some cash to buy a new set and a new adj track bar. thanks for the help everyone! no, i didnt actually check the center of everything when i got the jeep (it was already lifted). this has totally been a trial and error experience for me with the jeep. i love it and want to fix it up, its just a slow process for me. ive got pretty limited money, and not many friends around to help.