Next steps after accident?

[macleanflood]

So this happened...

TJ was rebuilt in 8 days...tub and frame swap... videos on my channel...whole story is on my channel from losing our dog, finding our dog and wrecking the Jeeps.

Good news is nobody was hurt.

So... it's time to work out what to do with the JK.

Insurance wants to give us $12.5k for the Jeep or $8.5k and we keep it. Didn't give us anything for the TJ.

Frame is diamond shaped. One shop gave us a $3800 estimate just to straighten the frame. Doors almost shut...but not well. Both airbags deployed. Front frame rails are toast.

So...here are my options as I see it...one...find a frame and tub and do the same thing we did to the TJ...pull everything apart and move it over.

Two...pay a shop to bend it back into shape... very dubious about this option and only one shop was remotely interested and the guy who gave us the estimate said he'd have to get permission from the owner to do the work.

Three... replace the Jeep. I've found two potential candidates two hours north and south. Both are JKUs... thought is to upgrade to a 4 door. Both are 13s...ours in a 12.

My evil plan is to get a replacement Jeep...pull all the modifications off our Jeep and turn in our Jeep with original stock parts...our current JK has a G2 44 front, D44 rear with e lockers, 5.13s. I'd be moving over the lift, axles, front driveshaft (can't imagine they're different), hinge reinforcement, bumper is probably toast but grab my winch and our 18" rims and almost new MT 35s. If I get really adventurous I'll pull the center force clutch and heavy flywheel. Dorman oil cooler too.

All said and done I'm hoping this only sets us back $4-6k.

I could fight with insurance...hit them with receipts for all the parts... unfortunately I did all the labor...but I know that's a losing game. They're willing to pay us $12.5k for a stock Jeep and that's what I plan on giving them.

Thoughts?

-Mac

 

[FishFam JKU]

First off, WOW!
Glad to hear you, the wife and pups came away relatively uninjured.
As for the Jeep. If you're intent was to trailer/tow the JK and use it as a primary Exploration/Offroad rig. I might suggest straightening the frame and replacing the necessities. But if you plan to put miles on the road (which I suspect) getting to the destination, then I would hunt for a "new" rig and as you suggested swap good parts. I would have a hard time trusting the integrity of critical parts after a hit like that. And $3800 for frame work sounds low. I really doubt that one guy could pull the frame and reinforce it in a matter of 3-4 days, that's all $3800 in labor gets you. No parts or material included.
Option one is a lot of work but if you can locate a Mechanics Special and swap the frame/tub. Might be the cheapest solution.

Good luck on the hunt.

 

[Speartip]

Watched the whole video on UTube .
As @FishFam JKU said , WOW!
Thankfully wife & dogs are ok.
Five days searching for your pup and filming it.
Nerves of steel my friend .
A friend of mine and myself hiking in Jasper
& Bannff with her Husky. He took off both times .
It kinda scary as those national parks are filled with
bears . Anyways came back in about 10 mins.
Very concerning at the time.
Good on you for keeping up the search for Willow and
Tracking her down . Huge relief for the whole family .
You got tagged pretty good. So kinda shitty trip.
With regards to insurance . It may be diff up here .
No matter how much you spend on mods they will
only give blue book value. Unless you get it appraised.
I would think pulling off the goodies off JK and transferring over
newer Jeep makes the most sense. Cause $3800 does seem low.
Thankfully able to limp home and didn't end up in a compound
somewhere where you wouldn't have had the chance to swap
out parts etc.
Just a friendly word to the wise. If involved in a realtively
serious crash with air bag deployment. I would have called
911. As you and the wife were probably in some sort of shock.
Best to get checked out by EMT's IMHO. As when your in that
state you always don't make the best decisions and can take
a few hours for things to subside.
Cool trails BTW. Let us know what you end up doing .