Lonnie-S
Active Member
- Joined
- August 10, 2012
- Messages
- 92
- Reaction score
- 7
- City, State
- Carlsbad, California
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2002 Sport Trac 4x4
I have a '97 XLT 4x4 I bought recently. I love the vehicle, but I didn't do the under-the-truck inspection I should have done when I bought it. When I took it in to my local Ford dealer for service on another issue, they informed me of some damage to the passenger side protective cover and mounting bracket at the rear mount for the torsion bar.
I've annotated some photos of the damage and provided a picture of the stock, undamaged driver's side for comparison.
Photos here ==> https://picasaweb.google.com/107833...orsionBarXmember?authkey=Gv1sRgCKum08K4uKP9DQ
The suspension man at the dealership looked at it, and in his judgement, there is no safety or structural problem. Although there is some local bending of the transmission crossmember and the cover, the torsion bar is not compromised, he feels. All the welds are intact and sound in the right places. I've pretty much made up my mind that nothing needs to be done. However, I do see that the bent cover has done it's job many times for the previous owner (I'm the 2nd) and I do plan to use the vehicle off-road myself.
So, I guess my real question is, "How can I best restore the protection the cover provided?" If I just bought a new cover, it would not fit. The front and rear tabs where it mounts to the cross member are bent. The cover is too thick to shape using hand tools. I'm looking for suggestions on an effective solution to the protection issue.
And, there is a "bonus question" to be answered. What does the part I've labeled as the "Mystery Part" do in relationship to the torsion bar and mounting apparatus? I can't figure it out.
Thanks in advance,
Lonnie
I've annotated some photos of the damage and provided a picture of the stock, undamaged driver's side for comparison.
Photos here ==> https://picasaweb.google.com/107833...orsionBarXmember?authkey=Gv1sRgCKum08K4uKP9DQ
The suspension man at the dealership looked at it, and in his judgement, there is no safety or structural problem. Although there is some local bending of the transmission crossmember and the cover, the torsion bar is not compromised, he feels. All the welds are intact and sound in the right places. I've pretty much made up my mind that nothing needs to be done. However, I do see that the bent cover has done it's job many times for the previous owner (I'm the 2nd) and I do plan to use the vehicle off-road myself.
So, I guess my real question is, "How can I best restore the protection the cover provided?" If I just bought a new cover, it would not fit. The front and rear tabs where it mounts to the cross member are bent. The cover is too thick to shape using hand tools. I'm looking for suggestions on an effective solution to the protection issue.
And, there is a "bonus question" to be answered. What does the part I've labeled as the "Mystery Part" do in relationship to the torsion bar and mounting apparatus? I can't figure it out.
Thanks in advance,
Lonnie