Explorer Stolen then Wrecked

Well my explorer was broken into and stolen, then they crashed it. I only have liability and the thief left the accident and was not found.. but when i bought the truck they said it had been stolen before and thats why i didnt have any door locks, just the keys for the ignition.. the theif totally screwed up the ignition and when he crashed he mashed in the passenger side door and fender, and when he hit he cracked the steering box shaft that attaches to the pit man arm. So being that i only had liability i'm gonna go ahead and keep the truck and get a new steering column (he totally mutilated this one, and a new key ignition will not fix it) and steering box. Where would be the best place to buy these, and what am i gonna be expecting to pay? This really sucks i just got the truck 4 months ago and i'm only 15 so i didn't need these extra expenses I filed a police report but they said they're doubtful that they'll find the criminal, so i figure i'll just fix it back, i'm not worried about body damage as it already had some from trail riding.

 

[dtl 2k2 sport]

sorry to hear that,, ! People who do those things are just not right in the head,, Hope your x gets back to normal w/ your work,, I'm sure you could modify it alittle more then just a few stock options,,how's the wiring other then the ignition ie: radio, ect,,

 

[MONMIX]

Man, I dont think this is a project you want to get into.

Based on your description of the damage, it all sounds rather significant.
You, unfortunatley, may want to look into plan 2.

 

[Garfield]

i broke the output shaft on my steering box a couple years ago on my F-150. I bought a used steering box from a junkyard for about $75 and put it in myself. Warning: It's heavy as hell! Doesn't take the long (I say that now because now I know what I'm doing lol). There was more damage but I just needed the vehicle to be driveable to get back and forth to work until I could come up with the money for my deductible. I can't offer many tips on the steering column, but maybe you can also find one of those at a junk yard. Hopefully the key part of the ignition switch is still useable, or you will need a new one with a new key.

Good luck!

Forgot to add, my truck was an '02. With the year of your vehicle it may be harder or easier (not sure) to find these parts at a junkyard. Call around.