First XJ... I mean 4th or so.

so frame stiffeners are in and soon to be put on! I lined one side up and marked it last night, but not making much headway since I am changing jobs and school and still working. should be knocked out saturday, then the rock sliders, and finally that will commence the building of the 3 link!
Here are the frame stiffeners I picked up off of a company online called H. D. OFFROAD ENGINEERING LLC — XJ CHEROKEE MAIN FRAME STIFFENERS (PAIR), they are 10 gauge steel and plenty beefy to weld my 3link crossmember to.
ai1067.photobucket.com_albums_u440_danthemannn1997_20160229_221642_zpsepjvjogd.jpg

I did last have the ruff stuff stiffeners but decided to go with these because of the price point being at $130 shipped. I think they will work well and serve their purpose as designed very well, but we will see soon.

Here are the rock sliders that I picked up off of a board member and repaired. They turned out nice and was a simple fix that saved me a ton of money!
ai1067.photobucket.com_albums_u440_danthemannn1997_20160225_152750_zps24dve1c2.jpg


If the weather is well saturday and things work out I will be painting the jeep and doing the frame stiffeners and rock sliders. Knowing how the weather works with my days off the painting isnt going to happen.

The build is going to be pretty mild but it will be a solid jeep for now and when I finish up the Cj resto i may go wild with the build because I really dig one ton XJs.
 
I like that steering box brace. I need to do that to mine. My uni frame has broken at the steering box a few times.
 
1stgenxxx said:
I like that steering box brace. I need to do that to mine. My uni frame has broken at the steering box a few times.
Click to expand...

yeah my true "first xj," the previous blue one, was parted out because I broke the frame and it was pretty extensive. 6 inches either way, so i grabbed this one for cheap enough. I guess I need to change the name of the thread haha.

No updates today, but tomorrow is frame stiffeners day!
 
I did a set on the last jeep and they took a while. Welding on your back really sucks!
 
frame stiffeners are done, and they were honestly much more simple to install than the ruffstuff ones. total took me between 6 to 8 hours because its a lot of welding and grinding.
I began by unbolting the crossmember and grinding off the undercoating. This is where I learned that a 32grit flap disk is really what you need for that job rather than the hard grinding disk. I had all of the under coating torn off in less than 10 minutes.
Then I placed the floor jack under the jeep and pressed the stiffeners on to the frame starting at the rear and moving to the front I tack welded all of the sections into place. using the C clamp to make sure they were tight to the frame horizontally and vertically. ( make sure you do not pinch and fluid lines on the driver side)
ai1067.photobucket.com_albums_u440_danthemannn1997_20160303_124214_zpstw1t9rs8.jpg



Then i filled alll the rosette holes and stitch welded around the edges. after filling all the holes and stitch welding i ground the side and bottom flat removing all the excess weld from the stiffeners.
Ending up with something like this
ai1067.photobucket.com_albums_u440_danthemannn1997_20160306_173407_zpsdbgrrr5r.jpg





After finishing the stiffeners I mocked up my sliders and clearanced the areas that needed it.
ai1067.photobucket.com_albums_u440_danthemannn1997_20160306_173334_zpssgdxh2ly.jpg


tomorrow I will be drilling the holes for the sliders and painting the frame stiffeners and finally I will be ready to begin the 3 link build.
 
Yes Ruffstuff are nice but very involved we had Grants done in no time yesterday He used L and J I believe
 
yeah, it probably would have went faster with help
i thought his were tnt customs or that was what John told me
 
DannyH said:
yeah, it probably would have went faster with helpddo cut my fingewr
i thought his were tnt customs or that was what John told me
Click to expand...
plenty help, Moretz, JR, Tim, me, John and Grant got rear s10 leafs made and installed, frame stiffeners on, front winch mount/steering brace frame strengthener welded and partially installed (needs paint) and front end partially dissassembled until i decided to cut my finger off!
 
The 3 link is going to be pushed back as next weekend is the work day and then URE opens and the wheeling season begins and trying to find a tow rig and changing jobs and slightly attending school. So, if I can find time I will do it during wheeling season but possibly not. there is always next winter! now just to get these rock sliders on and wheel this thing.
 
Through wheeling I have realized there there is an uncomfortable amount of slack in my current front suspension and my rear, well it has issues totally of its own. Now, through lack of attention span, I have decided that it is high time to build a 3 link and stretch the rear. Research is done and the best looking and most time effective method of this is another HD Offroading engineering product (H. D. OFFROAD ENGINEERING LLC — XJ 3 Link bracket kit (NO HARDWARE)) that I was recommended to at the big workday. I had seen it, but pushed it away because I was dead set on building a cross member, but now I've decided that this will be the easiest and safer way to build the 3- link. Plus if I don't get the links done by next trip my stock CA can stay and the brackets can rest in place until then. Ordering these ASAP considering the going to highschool and working after kinda hours.

Oh yeah and I rattle canned it desert tan for quick clean up with some sheet metal moving I plan to do.
 
Back
Top