too much jeep stuff in college appartment

[foxwar71]

i'd say this is representative of most of my welds... FWIW. a few spots that could be better but overall not terrible (i think, someone tell me otherwise)

crappy plating... going to take it off i think... i have a bolt-on idea.

thats an OK looking bead, like everyone says practice makes perfect. ive seen much worse out there. looks to have decent penatration. as for the plating, id just make a plate that covers the butt weld, stitch welds along the edge, couple of plug welds, and ties into the three front stock bumper bolts. also, maybe a tube that runs from between the steering box bolts to the outside corner of the bumper. that would support the sides nicely.

 

[asp]

do you think there's a big advantage to a welded on plate vs a bolt on plate?

 

[foxwar71]

personally, i like having all the mounts welded solid to each other and the rest of the bumper with the only bolts beign the ones that actaully hold the bumper to the rest of the jeep. i was thinkin something like this. The green being the patch peice with welds alongs the edges and the red beign some plug welds. just my 0.02

 

[asp]

ross, i like it. i wonder if i'll have to pull the bumper off the jeep to do it. it was less than fun getting it on... if i have to pull the bumper, i'm going to redo the mounts again because stuff didn't line up as easily as i'd hope.... but oh well. live and learn.

i'll see what i can get for scrap at the student machine shop tomorrow. how thick should that plate be? do i need .250 or would .188 be ok? i don't have a large scrap pile to myself, so i'm kind of in the position where i'll take what i can get. thanks again dude.

 

[foxwar71]

i think u should be able to do it with it on the jeep. that being said id think about doing it off the jeep. thatll be alot of welding and last thing u want is to fry the computer or something. if done with it on, disconnect the battery and computer. as for the plate, id say at least 3/16" or 1/4". i jsut couldnt bring myself to trust 1/8" in that spot.

 

[asp]

3/16 is .1875 :wave:

 

[foxwar71]

:doh: i guess im used to referring to stuff in fractional numbers, not decimals. i see .1xx and i always think 1/8"

 

[nhrocker]

Ross's design should do it. Extending it further forward/back wouldn't hurt either if you have larger scraps. Same thoughts on thickness. Don't be afraid to use angle iron either if you have the clearance for it (depending on size). That could brace it quite a bit and might be easier to find than a large chunk of plate. With the extra dimension to it 1/8" could be enough if done right.

You might be able to tuck the gusset just above the stock bumper bolts and extended back as close to the top steering box bolts as far as possible. That should keep all the bolts accessible.

As for the battery/computer worries, I've never seen anyone actually damaging either from welding (other than physically burning/melting something), but I sometimes disconnect the grounds to the battery during big jobs just in case. Better safe than sorry right? :cheers:

 

[asp]

yeah, i've been wary about welding on the jeep with the battery connected. i think it pretty much has to do with where your ground is and where you're welding. sending current through the bumper won't do anything, but if your ground was say on your rear axle and you were welding on the front bumper... things would be bad. and the welds would probably suck too. i think when i redo this, i'm going to cut the JCR tabs off the bumper and re-do it from scratch with the gussets. i'll be able to get a better fit this way too. it was close, but getting everything to line up was a biatch... the unfortunate part is that i don't know when i'll be able to do this... it might end up waiting a few weeks.... spring break is coming up. i should be able to get that and some more of my plans done then...

 

[5spd_xj]

"more of my plans"... fill us in

 

[asp]

i have some short arms with flex joints to go in, maaaaaybe the 1/4 panel repair or rocker panel repair.... not likely the unibody stiffeners yet though. i think i might try to set up some bumpstops fr and rear. and maybe the tranny swap/new clutch... ya know. whatever i can get done out of my list. i really need a second vehicle for a little while. i'm biding my time till i start my job, then expect me to be working on my jeep nightly.

 

[5spd_xj]

daddy's ZO6. nuff said.

 

[97panda]

daddy's ZO6. nuff said.

*cough* motor swap *cough*

ur dad wont mind right tony?

 

[asp]

hehe yeah. "go put it over on that there tan shelf"

oh yeah, kyle... i rounded the edges on the front of the D-ring tabs. just for you buddy.

 

[Hackmeister]

niice :cheers:

 

[5spd_xj]

hehe yeah. "go put it over on that there tan shelf"

what, that was a car cover? :eyes:

 

[asp]

so i'm starting to come up with dimensions before i go cutting away at the machine shop... and i found a PDF of the dimensions of the xj bumper bolts, but a bunch of the posts in that thread say it's incorrect. i'm wondering if anyone knows if these are correct... thanks.

http://www.twisted-halo.com/digicam/xj/Bumper%20mount.pdf

for reference, here's JCR's in the mirror orientation as the PDF shows it...

 

[RCman]

Umm... Take a tape measure and a caliper outside maybe? :spin1:

 

[5spd_xj]

He's too lazy.

 

[asp]

no wonder why it's not going straight anymore...