My front frame hack up and rebuild

[_MURDERED OUT_]

How do you get that plate perfectly flat and centered inside the rim? Wouldn't that cause some serious wobble and imbalance if it were off even a little bit...

Do you think the weld from the 2x4 to the plate will be strong enough? Even with the reinforcements you described, I can picture it flexing a lot which might lead to fatigue. The firewall isn't all that rigid.

Are you planning to drive this on the road?

The wheel centers are 12.65" OD which is the exact size of a 15" rim on the inside where the wheel center is welded. So i cut an inch from the wheel center lip all the way around and let the new center rest on the old center then welded it in. So the new centers are as close as i can get to being as true as the originals. Steel wheels are always off a hair. And i havent balanced a set of tires on this thing since i bought it in 2002, we dont worry about that crap, with tires 38" or bigger you just ride them as they are. It actually does very well or did may i say, ive had this thing doin 80 on the highway but the front end shakes...

I will be gusseting the mount then tube will connect it to other stuff later. It will definately be a major stress point since all the weight of the front end is on it. But hey, i'm not worried.

And yes i will drive this thing on the road, but just short trips around town and stuff like that.

 

[whitneyj]

did you get those coils?

 

[_MURDERED OUT_]

did you get those coils?

Yep. The other day. They are laying behind the jeep somewhere! Thanks tho!


And some minor progress tonite=
Driver side plating almost finished. Need to trim the bottoms and plate the bottom of the frame rail.

 

[jeepcomj]

watch the vertical welds. don't do them...it will crack.

keep up the good work though

 

[_MURDERED OUT_]

watch the vertical welds. don't do them...it will crack.

keep up the good work though

The vertical welds are just plate to plate, maybe very little weld spill over on the actual frame rails. there is a big hole in the frame to access the upper control arm bolt that i covered up. Its actually right in between the 2 plates, you can see a big circle where there are no plug welds, that is the hole i'm talking about...

 

[_MURDERED OUT_]

yeah, so no progress this weekend so far.... Its been a lazy weekend!

 

[_MURDERED OUT_]

did something today. Cut out 2 plates for the passenger side, blew holes in them, checked fitment and ground the edges down to fit good. Just clamped/sitting in place. Dont feel like welding at the moment.

I made a little inter-locking tab that you can see on the first plate that goes into the 2x4. should have done that on the other side...

 

[wolfpackjeeper]

2 things,

1)wouldn't it be easier to go ahead and pull the shocks off the truck so they are not constantly in the way?

2)when you notch plate like that to put them together, it might be better to set the notch in a V instead of the tooth shape you have

either way have fun

 

[_MURDERED OUT_]

i just havent felt like taking the shocks off. And now there is no reason to, ive already worked around them... Ive melted the shock boots with the plasma cutter numerous times.

 

[SOUTHTEXASXJ]

WOW is all that really safe? Are the frame extensions as safe as those cinder blocks with jack stands on them?
Is this going to be a DD or just for show?
Well good luck and carry on!!

 

[_MURDERED OUT_]

WOW is all that really safe? Are the frame extensions as safe as those cinder blocks with jack stands on them?
Is this going to be a DD or just for show?
Well good luck and carry on!!

SAFE? I'm sure it isnt... I mean the whole damn jeep has been a rolling disaster since 2002. And no it is not a DD, its barely even a driver! its just a toy/ trail junk.

Anyway so progress tonite:

finished welding the pass side plates, shot them with some spray paint, jacked the front axle up and stuck the wheel/tires on it, moved it around a bit till its kinda mocked up in place.

Mocked the spring in place, it will have a mount coming off the side/bottom of the 2x4. Will have to raise up the front a little bit to get the 2x4 up about 3" from where it is right now so i can put a plate/gussets in for the upper spring mount. I might increase the lift some dont know yet... got to have clearance for engine oilpan and stuff.

Measured for the lower links and they will be 40". Goin to do a typical long arm style front setup. 2" square lower links, 1.5" tube upper links.

 

[n1ywb]

The frame reinforcements look beefy, but maybe it would be even stronger if they extended down the new rails a ways to relieve some of the stress on the rail to plate weld? Some gussets would probably help too, although that would probably just transfer the stress to the plate to uniframe welds. Plating the inside of the frame rail to the new rail seems like the best thing, but I'm just not sure how to do it since the new rail is so much narrower, maybe bend the plate?

 

[billyjp2]

what are the plans for the links on the suspension?

 

[_MURDERED OUT_]

I'm goin to "gusset" the 2x4 on the bottom where it meets the plate with a piece of 2" square.

what are the plans for the links on the suspension?

Front will be a long arm style= 2 lowers with 2 short uppers coming off of them, the rear will be 2 lower links and a upper "Y" wishbone.
All the links will be made out of 2" square 1/4" wall thickness.

Should start working on the links soon. Got to order some junk from ballistic fab, mainly tube adapters and a joint or two....

 

[Mr.OverKill]

Front will be a long arm style= 2 lowers with 2 short uppers coming off of them.....

those would be called radius arms like the TNT Y link system

 

[Israel]

those would be called radius arms like the TNT Y link system

Fixed.

 

[_MURDERED OUT_]

I think of radius arms as the factory ford suspension on the broncos and f100's. Thats the style i was running, I believe everyone has confused ladder bar type suspension as radius arm, tho i guess they are kinda the same thing. I dont know what you could really call the y link stuff....cuz they are not entirely rigid, the links can twist to allow lot more articulation that like say a rigid radius arm/ladder bar set up.

 

[goodburbon]

I dont know what you could really call the y link stuff.

You could call it a radius arm.:callme:

 

[_MURDERED OUT_]

You could call it a radius arm.:callme:

probably so....
I've been squaring up the jeep today and attempting to center the axles under it. Had to move the body over a bit to make it straight, cuz i didnt park it perfectly when i put it on jackstands. So with that done, now i'm trying to see how i need to do the rear end to make it close to the same width as my front axle. The front axle has been narrowed but the rear has not. So if i flip the hubs in it should be 1.5" narrower per side than the front axle...

Will find out tonite.

 

[Bent]

...and a joint or two....

Don't forget a lighter.


:greensmok