Broken Jeep Tips - Busted!

If you do manage to blow the steering box off the frame, don't have a welder, and break off three of the steering-box mounting tabs in the process, there is a fix. Tommy McElmeel ("Competition Camper," April '05) crimped off one front brake line with a pair of vice grips, disconnected the drag link from the tie rod, and attached the winch cable via a snatch block to the tie rod. What he ended up with was a non-welding fix that made his Jeep turn right when he hit the brakes and left when he spooled the winch in. Go to jpmagazine.com for video of steering with a winch.

However, if you still have an AMC 20 and the two-piece axles, it will eventually come apart on you. When it does, tighten the nut down as much as possible and weld from the nut to the hub and from the nut to the axleshaft for a temporary fix.

If you are running around with a Dana 35 rear axle, carry spare axleshafts. Sure, the log wheel or tire bumper looks cool, but replacing the axleshaft is the only way to really fix it. Not even a welder will help you here. From a four-popper to a V-8, carry spare Dana 35 axleshafts.

When U-joints pop, they often only lose their caps or somehow destroy the axleshafts. When that happens, take the U-joint out, put your spare in, and tack weld the caps to the axleshafts to prevent it from coming apart again.

If you bend a suspension link, tie rod, or anything of the tubular sort, the first step is to straighten the bend as much as possible. Sometimes it can be straightened on the vehicle, sometimes it needs to be removed. Use a winch or your 350-pound buddy to straighten the link.