Put my new (to me) 2013 Wrangler sport in the ditch last week and bent up my lower control arm mount (axel end) on the driver's side. Bought HD replacements from Extreme Terrain that were delivered a couple days ago. Having a hell of a time finding someone to grind off the old mounts and weld up the new ones for me. Called machine shop and mechanics both and they have all said that they can't do it because "the vehicle travels down the highway". Is there a way around this other than telling them it is an off-road only vehicle? (Not only do I have a problem with it ethically, but it is pretty obvious it isn't only an ORV) If I bite the bullet and try to DIY it, do I need to pull the axel out of the housing before welding to keep from blowing out the axel seals? I'm not the most proficient welder, but my family owns a farm and some of the hired men are pretty good. I. Would obviously check the welds before trusting them going down the road if I went this direction. Thank you in advance for any help you can give.

 

A body shop should be able to do it as they will certify their repairs anyway for insurance purposes.

 

I would imagine any off road shop would do it. But it’s not a hard job. If you have a welder you can make a few practice runs on some scrap steel. If you have a decent bead then grind and weld away. You won’t be welding much on the axle so no need to take anything apart.

 

Those are inner seals at the diff.....pulling the axle shaft would make no difference at all. Agree though, you're not welding enough on the tube, or close enough to the seals to make much difference. I'd just DIY this if you have the equipment to do so.