Project Tech Snob

Dude I've been following this from the beginning, You do some awesome work man.

I just about cried when I saw you putting por15 on the underside.
Then I cried when I saw you putting the liner over it.
Then I bawled when I saw it peeling off just like I thought it would lol.

Any reason you're not using 2k products? SPI makes an unbelievable epoxy primer, and for the price it absolutely can't be beat. Couple that with your speedliner (or raptorliner, any 2 part bedliner) and it would be totally bulletproof. I would keep all moisture cure away from this project! :)

http://www.southernpolyurethanes.com/Pricing Info.htm
There's the link for it. Nothing but good reviews no matter where you search.
 
Dan ... I know zip about good body products. I trusted a friend who said the PPG Concept 2000 Urethane was good stuff. Bumped my hiking boots (rubber sole) against the rocker and chipped a silver dollar sized piece of clear off.


I'm crying here too. Which is why I put up a tech day request on the NAC board. To help me make up for lost time. :hang:



I'm going a route that I studied up for a few days. Picklex (etch/prep) followed by Zero Rust. And a top cost of Tractor paint with hardener. The wheel wells will get a shutz for all the little stone chipping.



I'll save the link on SPI for the next painting requirements (the actual body) when the time comes.



Thanks for the input ....


And no ... I will not be painting it myself. FAWK THAT !



Joe
 
Well .... she's asleep ... and I'm done in the shop for the night (as of 10pm). So I mgiht as well prove that I have no life. :looser:




Connected the above mounting braces to the coil mounts with an intermediate piece.




Cut the piece up ... made some v-notches in the bottom to account for the bend in the frame rail


245.jpg






Plug weld drilling



246.jpg






Clamping the assembly to keep it in place for welding



247.jpg







Weld & ground




248.jpg








Bottom shot



249.jpg







And finally ... the driver side shot




250.jpg
 
The reason for the intermdiate plates is quite simple.


1) Further stiffen the assembly by tying the side & bottom (as opposed to just welding a plate to the side of the rail



2) Serve as a structural mounting point for the rear shocks. I'm outboarding the upper mounts (much like a ZJ would be). The further out the shocks are mounted ... the more stable a vehicle is. Additionally, the straighter the shock sits, the more effective the dampening is.




At this point ... the upper mounts are on hold until the truck is under it's own power again. I would like to flex it on the ramp so I can determine what length shocks I want to run. Right now, it's a tie between 10 & 12 inch shocks. The 10s would be much easier to mount up and would provide more than sufficient travel. On the other hand .... 12s would be bragging rights. :laugh3:




As of tonite ... the engine is out. The engine bay is about 1/3 of the way scraped of all the Speedliner. The POR seems to be sticking better here (but still coming off in spots). One full day of scraping should get the rest of the liner off and a good chunk of the POR removed.



Fab wise ... I have some final frame braces to make and I should be good for a while. Then I can prep & paint the engine bay and remainder of the transmission tunnel. And that point ... I can reassemble the suspension & drivetrain and get back to where I was before this whole mess started.




Joe
 
Ehhhh. I'd be careful with the acid wash/prep/converter stuff. I usually stay away from those products like the plague unless it's something outdoor, non-detail oriented. Like a lawn mower deck... On my car, no effin way.

Here's a link that goes a little more into detail about how it works etc. Sounds more like something you'd use to coat an I-beam, rather than the underside of a car.

http://forum.caswellplating.com/powder-coating-questions/1099-picklex-anyone-here-ever-use.html

I wouldn't get too carried away with all the rust prevention and jazzed up products targeting it. As long as you prep and degrease your metal properly, you should have no problems with adhesion. The rust protection then relies solely on what product you used (this is where a 2 part catalyzed product would be better).

Concept is a pretty decent line. Could have been temp problems? Not reduced properly? Incorrect flash time? Who knows. That's the problem with finishwork. So many variables. So when it comes to easy to use products, I definitely feel you haha.
 
sooo u wanna come do this to my jeep? haha

looks really good man. u have a lot more patience than me.
 
DanMan .... I'm already commited to this route, so I'm just going to ride it out. Not disputing what you are suggesting --- I just don't have the brain or desire to change direction again.


Redneck .... you want it done (minus body stuff) ... contact me this summer.




Joe
 
all i really dont wanna do is strip/coat the underbody. i may just have to take up on this offer haha...but my shocks will be going throught the floor.
 
Awesome build man!

I'm very interested in the rear frame plating. So do you think it's plenty enough structure to plate the rails with many separate pieces rather than just getting a piece of u channel (Or what ever it's called... ) and laying it over the rail?

I already have dents in the back d pillar because of my bumper, so I'm trying to plate the entire rear, including the hitch and cross member area.

Great inspiration!
 
Dan/Overland .... Thank you for the B-day wishes. My facebook page was hammered with B-day wishes. Was kinda cool. :)



SRM .... That would require many compound bends and I don't have that kind of equipment here. One or two compound bends is one thing, but that would be 4 or 5 total (if you count bending around to the inside rail). Technically, a one piece would indeed be slightly stronger than my 2 piece setup. But either of those is still *much* stronger than no bracing at all. And they would both be stronger than just a side face plate/brace. Another thing to consider is that not every frame is always perfect. That seemingly minor 5-8 mph impact may put a very minor wrinkle that would make the 1 piece unit much harder to install. I am not the least bit concerned about the multiple pieces. What I'd like to do ... is find a way to make that same brace and tie the shackle mount to it. Going to need some volunteers for that when the time comes. The problem is that there would be no easy way to reinforce the rear bumper mounts *and* tie it to the plates (I am referring to the 2 that rest inside the shackle box on the outer rail).



I'm not the least bit concerned about the extra welds/pieces. I thought about crossmember itself .... but only for about 20 seconds before saying "nah" :eeks1:
 
Zapthepunctual said:
Any update on this? I really wanted to see how it turned out.
Click to expand...



Zap ... it's pretty much sitting right where it was from the last time I posted. Just too many things going on that are consuming more time than I have. Hell ... I haven't even been here to participate/help/pimp. :(


Currently I am in the middle of trying to push out a TJ that is getting a custom rear long arm (built from scratch, of course). I'm starting to think about making quasi "upgrade" kits; however, my Jeep needs to be done first.


My wife has given me a bit of breathing room because of all the other stuff going on (house work, sick family member on her side, the TJ I'm doing). But I can't test her patience forever. :shiver:


And to top it all off ... I broke a part on the MIG welder (tripped and yanked the hose/liner out of the machine. The manufacturer of the hose assembly is about 1 hour away --- but the part is on back order from Australia. :banghead: Should be here the end of next week. And no ... I cannot use the TIG for this particular part of the project.




:hang:
 
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Oh Hai ! I R back. :yap:



It's been a complete whirlwind here and I'm not still unable to put together a lot of consecutive work sessions. My TJ rear long arm project turned out very well ... the front will be done this fall. And then I may try to market as a long arm upgrade. Any TJ guys here too? :greensmok



I have been taking pictures along the way whenever I do work ... so I'm finally ready to resume with some posts & progress reports.



I will space the posts out a little bit so that I'm able to do a little more work and keep a steady flow again. Of course ... customers have first priority and my truck will just have to sit and wait until I'm free.



Thanks for everyone's patience. :sunshine:
 
As everyone already knows ... I had to strip the bedliner & POR 15 out. Below are a few pics of the process and the end result.


This time around I went with Picklex just like I mentioned earlier in the thread. This was followed by 2 coats of Zero Rust. After the Zero Rust cured, I applied two coats of Tractor Paint (Massey Ferguson Grey). I used an activator/hardener to improve the durability of the paint.



Stripped down AGAIN !


251.jpg




252.jpg




253.jpg







Some sections were shiny enough that I could about see my reflection. :confused1






And a few quick shots of the bay & trans tunnel painted up.



254.jpg





255.jpg






A tiny bit lighter than I would have liked. But not a big deal. I'm planning some some semi-traditional undercoating at this point, so chip prone areas will be protected and the rest can just sit there and look pretty.
 
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And of course .... my luck ever increases. :(



Removed the rear spring mounts (the front ones). And I get to see this....



256.jpg









257.jpg








Driver side was so thin ... it poked thru with a gentle poke. Passenger side is still solid, it just looks like hell.


This Jeep is going to drive me to drink !!
 
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