How in Hell can this happen?

[DA BIG ONE]

Upper control arm bent backwards making a 3/4" less difference in distance between front and rear axles.

[AndyLBZ]

Are you sure that the rear axle is straight? It is very possible for the rear axle to be biased to one direction. Try and find a different reference to measure from, or verify that the rear end is where it should be.

[DA BIG ONE]

Are you sure that the rear axle is straight? It is very possible for the rear axle to be biased to one direction. Try and find a different reference to measure from, or verify that the rear end is where it should be.

I do see the upper control arm is bent (bowed) backwards w/it's bushings cocked instead of straight.

I'll check rear again.

When I measure wheel to wheel frt to back bottom is close, center is off 3/4", and top of wheel is way off.

[ronniejoe]

Has it ever been in a wreck?

[DA BIG ONE]

Has it ever been in a wreck?

Yes, the driverside suspension was damaged. Everything was replaced new some time ago alignment was ok, no unusual tire wear until son recently used truck off road. At this time he had ripped the x-over pipe off of engine by catching it on a stump. What's strange here is that nothing but the upper control arm appears to be bent. Looking at it from the wheelwell it is bowed backwards. Lower arm is located properly, no abvious impact damage anywhere.

I'm now wondering if bottoming suspension hard could cause this?

[JeepSJ]

Usually the bottom arm bends when you have a severe bottoming impact - it bends where it contacts the suspension stop. In off-road racing we have seen the tops bend when the wheel takes a hard impact from the front or side, usually when in a tight turn.

[DA BIG ONE]

After ordering a new control arm I find cam 2 bolt washers stripped and forward control arm bolts only finger tight. Needless to say, "I'm pi__ed".

Try to figure if off road driving did the damage, or last alignment shop did not tighten bolts leading to the damage, or? Guess it's a flip of a coin on this one.

Anyway, I can put the SilentArmor 285/75/16's back on and not worry of excessive wear....

[Mark Rinker]

I can see your truck now...with son at the wheel...(humming tune from Dukes of Hazard.)

"Just a good 'ole boy, never meaning no harm..."

I once caught about 3' of air over a Missouri backroad intersection in a 1973 International Scout. Two of my buddies were reclining in lawn chairs in the rear, hung over. Thank God the rollbar stopped their ejection from the truck. When we landed (badly) the front driver side hub shattered, and the half shaft wobbled its way out, whistling past my ear with a tire attached to it at about 40mph. Everyone was okay, but needless to say, I never played Dukes of Hazzard, or Holleywood Stuntman again.

[NH2112]

I think a Scout is just a bit heavy for catching air LOL And all that weight coming down on what I think should have been a Dana 30 (first year for D44 was 74, I think?) definitely didn't help. I caught maybe a foot of air once in my 76, coming down right into a tree maybe 8" in diameter, and the Warn winch bumper barely had the paint scratched from knocking the tree down. I made a point of not catching air after that, too :)

[DA BIG ONE]

Well, way back when I was guilty of the same airborne tactics until it got deep into my wallet. Since then I've been the slow (but sure) poke off road!

Forget at times I was young and wild too.

[fastcat800]

I can see your truck now...with son at the wheel...(humming tune from Dukes of Hazard.)

"Just a good 'ole boy, never meaning no harm..."

I once caught about 3' of air over a Missouri backroad intersection in a 1973 International Scout. Two of my buddies were reclining in lawn chairs in the rear, hung over. Thank God the rollbar stopped their ejection from the truck. When we landed (badly) the front driver side hub shattered, and the half shaft wobbled its way out, whistling past my ear with a tire attached to it at about 40mph. Everyone was okay, but needless to say, I never played Dukes of Hazzard, or Holleywood Stuntman again.
Hey Mark, I beg to differ! I saw the pic's of your boat on the sand bar in the river last summer. You still give--r. Still don't know how you got her off that sand bar.

[restoguy]

I'm with Mark on this one. I don't know the kid or how he drives but I have a brother.....
I take pretty good care of my stuff and treat it nice 'cause I have to pay to fix it and I have do all my own work. He, on the other hand, still lives with my parents(high school) and so dad pays. Plus he can't fix crap so it goes to the shop in town. He drives dad's '83 K25 farm pickup. To date he's broken shocks and shock mounts, ripped exhaust off, bent the grille gaurd, smashed lights, damaged sheetmetal, chunked the tranny(SM456 4spd), threw a rod out the pan, and the best....BENT THE FRONT AXLE! Yeah, bent the 8 lug corporate 12bolt(dana 44 equiv.) And swears he doesn't know how any of it happened! Everytime he drives it, it's something new, but he says he never chases coyotes or deer and doesn't drive it wrong. He'd make a good politician 'cause he actually believes the crap he's feeding dad! Oh well, a couple years from now he'll get to pay his own bills and maybe then he'll start being more honest with himself about how things get broken.

[DA BIG ONE]

I have a boonie hat that I just let sit on pass frt seat, use it on occasion, today was that occasion. Well, under that boonie there is a big 5" dia burn hole from a high powered spot light, which my son set face down and switched on and forgot to mention. So, I'm thinking there is more to come.