I have a 1991 full size Jimmy that I got back when I was 17 (39 now). I have built her up to do some climbing, then I had some issues and couldn't afford to address them at the time. Now I'm getting her back up to par. I have one major issue I am concerned about. I apparently ripped the steering gear box off of the frame... along with a chunk of the chassis! I'm not thinking its something i can have re-shaped and welded (not sure though). Thinking I may need to go with a chassis swap. would I need to do the entire thing or can I just do the front? Any ideas on where to get the parts? Any tips or ideas are greatly appreciated! I am in Colorado if that helps at all with parts (can travel to acquire as well). Thank you all in advance.

 

This is a common problem area on these trucks. There are several kits that are available to rebuild the area as well as brace kits to reinforce the area to keep it from happening again. Off Road Design is one such company that sells both the weld-in repair pieces as well as the bolt-in support pieces.

You start by getting the frame back where it belongs, drill out the ends of the cracks to keep them from going any further, weld things shut, grind things back down, weld in the reinforcement pieces, then bolt your box back up. The weld in reinforcements are often enough to repair things, but if you are a belts-n-suspenders kind of person, the bolt in support will definitely keep things firmly where they belong after the repair has been made.