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A driver stopped in the middle of a keep moving lane which was in a curve, and I caught the rear end of their car with my front left bumper at a relatively low speed. Everyone was okay, my truck seemed to get the worst of the damage.
Other than The drag link does anybody see any other potential bent pieces here?
Whoa... thanks for sharing the photos. Very interesting.
There is a shiny spot on the drag link that bent.
The shiny spot is only visible in the first two photos... on the left in the first photo, and in the foreground of the second photo.
Is that shiny spot the result of some rubbing against something else?
If so, then was that rubbing occurring prior to the accident?
If so, then are there other issues going on with your front end that would render your drag link vulnerable to such a dramatic bending during a slow speed impact?
What motivated the installation of dual steering stabilizers?
On a separate note... what is going on with your transmission cooling plumbing? It is clearly modified, but unclear as to where it is coming and going from, or why, based on what is only partially revealed by the photos.
I am very surprised that the drag link bent, those are super strong.
your truck must have been going sideways, and the front wheel caught their bumper?
Truck was going straight (again this around a gentle right-hand turn in a keep moving lane). I turned to the right to try and get to the median and avoid a collision. My front left bumper tagged their rear right bumper. I still can't understand why the tire didn't blow out with a force that strong. The rim is intact from initial glance but I intend to inspect more closely when I have the wheels off to replace the inner tie rod.
Looks like damage was thankfully isolated to just that tie rod assembly. Waiting on the adjusting coupler to come tomorrow then I should have it back together and roughly placed where it can be driven for alignment
I would jack the front end up (tires about 1-1/2 inches off the ground) and use a prybar to pry up from underneath the tire on the outside edge. You're looking for play in bearing assy and play in ball joints. I'd also spin both front wheels and see if a wheel got bent. I would bet that in the impact, the drivers side tire took a lick and that is what pushed inboard causing the tie rod assy to bend. Also, put the vehicle back on the ground and have helper pull the wheel left and right to see if you have play in the track bar. Lastly, there is also the possibility that the steering gearbox took too hard of a lick. With the front end up in the air and the vehicle off, rotate the steering wheel to see if you feel any binding and look hard for any leaks at the gearbox.
