[bubbawithabolens]

i got the chance to buy a wrecked jeep for scrap price, now am i nuts for thinking about fixing it, i know i could never get the front end perfect enough to put a stock grill, or make it showroom nice or anything and thats not the plan, my plan is to take and straighten the front end out enough to use it as a winter beater so am i nuts for trying to do it.



drivers side top view

drivers side

drivers side front view

angle view

passenger side top view

passenger side top view 2

passenger side

passenger side front view

engine bay hood open

impact zone

 

[MONSTERMUDDER]

s**t'll buff out :biglaugh:

Good project, buy it

 

[F250Highboy77]

Bob it, chop it, 4-link it, big tires, MAKE A CRAWLER!!!!!!

 

[mike-o]

Scrap is exactly what it is. Unibody is heavily racked, I would not even make an off-road toy of it, let alone put it back on the road.

 

[kb0nly]

Frame straight?? Looks like the drivers side wheel is where it should be, which means purely body damage.

If junk yards in your area have enough of them in the yard its just a strip down the front clip and replace. I have seen a lot of them like that go through the local rebuilder guy here, some even worse! But if the frame and wheels are straight its nothing some time and money can't fix hanging new sheet metal. Looks like you need radiator support, front fenders, hood, radiator, the whole front clip at least. But it CAN be done.

 

[windowgoblin]

I've seen a lot worse fixed.They are never the same after a thump though.my cousin does rebuilds and did a mustang one time,it was from the states,running state troopers,lost control and hit median dead on.made 3 cars into one.too much work for me lol

 

[kb0nly]

If its not the same it wasn't fixed right...

I know shops that can fix something like that including frame damage to the point that it drives like new, the really good guys make it straighter then it was from the factory!

I saw a smashed up Dodge Ram once, most of the front end gone.. They put it on their big frame table and it was like new when done you couldn't tell.

 

[The craftsman kid]

It's worth it. Use it as a yard/trail beater. Especially since its the 5.2

 

[MONSTERMUDDER]

Offroad toy

 

[matt167]

look at the back. try to open all the doors including the hatch. check door gaps. if any of that is off, it's twisted or pushed.. Check front end for any issues. they can get pretty twisted up and still have tires that look like there where they should be... personally, it's not worth putting it back togther.. The engine/ trans would make a nice swap into a 6cyl 1 tho.

 

[bubbawithabolens]

thanks for the replies, i pulled some measurement the other day on it, from center axle to center axle on driver side and passenger side and both sides measured up to the same, i also pulled a X pattern in measurments too, right front to left rear, right rear to left front and it all mesured out equally, i dont remember what the measurements are exactly, all the doors have the correct gaping,they all open and close as they should

whats so special about the 5.2 in this thing, all i see is a gas guzzler, one thing i kinda do and dont like about it is that its full time four wheel drive.

ive come to the conclusion that i am going to see if the guy will let me bring it over to my place an see what i can do with it, im not worried about him changing his mind or jacking the price up if i do get it fixed. if i can straighten it out then i will pay the guy for it, but if not and then he can scrap it, good thing is he lives right next door to me so i bet i could take the fan shroud off and a few other little things and drive it over to my place. and by all means dont stop commenting on it cause i need all the encouragement i can get.

 

[coldwater]

Scrap is exactly what it is. Unibody is heavily racked, I would not even make an off-road toy of it, let alone put it back on the road.

This. ^ I would walk away unless you have a complete donor vehicle, lots of time, lots of tools, and lots of knowhow. Those poor Cherokees suffer badly when hit.

 

[bubbawithabolens]

i got lots of time,lots of tools,very little knowhow and no donor though, but i have lots of sheet metal and angle iron and brackets and well lots of time, being unemployed sucks, so like i said i have lots and lots of time

 

[PJJ]

Has it been totaled by an ins co? Is the title still good? Check with your DMV for the requirements for registering a rebuilt vehicle, and see if you want to go through that. I don't know about Indiana's regs. Could you pay a body man a small fee for his opinion as to suitability for repair? He will know what to look at to see if repair is feasible.

 

[poncho62]

If you can get it for scrap price, buy it, strip and part it out.....you will make money

 

[bubbawithabolens]

the title is still good, all that was on the jeep was property and liability.

 

[bubbawithabolens]

ive rebuilt a few wrecked vehicles before well i just put new fenders and a hood and core support and stuff like that on it, ive never had any problems reregistering a previously wrecked vehicle

 

[PJJ]

If the front suspension is still good, then the rest is likely fixable for a DIY project. The 5.2 may be a little thirsty, maybe 17 or so mpg with the full time 4wd, but the 5.2 is about as bullet proof an engine as you will find. A friend had one with well over 320,000 miles when he sold it to his son, no engine/tranny issues. Did have issues with the viscous coupling in the transfer case.
With that upper radiator hose off, hope they shut the engine down before it overheated.

 

[Vonrow]

look at the back. try to open all the doors including the hatch. check door gaps. if any of that is off, it's twisted or pushed.. Check front end for any issues. they can get pretty twisted up and still have tires that look like there where they should be... personally, it's not worth putting it back togther.. The engine/ trans would make a nice swap into a 6cyl 1 tho.

to add a bit of experience to the above advice:

take and give each door a couple of good serious "closing manuvers." Open each door about 8 to 12 inches, and rap em shut. If they latch and close completely --yer gold. If they "bounce" and miss a latch, or outright fail to close TIGHTLY then your frame is tweaked. It will never be right again. Ever. You could be going down the highway and a door or 2 could fly open--even if locked.

I have personally had this happen on a previous Jeep years back--same body style as your white one there.

If your doors close fine, then the front clip is a super quick cosmetic repair. Find a donor for the front end & drive the wheels off it.

The 5.2 liter is the old 318 chrysler/dodge engine. Buggers are smooth runners even into the 300K zone. Gas mileage on both of my 5.2 Jeeps were around 20 to 22/gal no matter what I did with em. Fuel pumps on the Jeeps are weak points, as are the pickup/induction coils on ignitions systems. Keyswitches & electric door controls are another source of stress.

If it's full time 4x4, keep an eye/ear out for the viscous couplers in the t-case & the front driveshaft's u-joints. The other 4x4 systems offered at around that time period are lil more robust.

Don't let the naysayers get ya down. If your rig specs out and you got it for what you think is a decent price--do what you want with it:thThumbsU

 

[bubbawithabolens]

hopefully ill have more news by tommorrow (saturday) about it, im hoping he says i can see waht i can do with it first before i buy it,