I posted this on JU for some reason. I know most of the people from there who accually fab their own stuff would be here anyways. This is for a 93' zj ex- wheeler(ie. piece of shit)

post:
I was wondering if anyone has made there own subrfames and has pics or material suggestions. I know clayton does with his kit, but I would like to see some from any other fabbers out there :d
I am thinking of fabbing a sub frame and converting my re arms to longarms or that and radius arms for the front. I ripped my rear upper arms off and plating them on looks very pointless, since they are in a very weak area and have high stress on them with any lift.

I am working on a subframe for my XJ right now. It will be made out of 3/16 angle. Since the unibody frame on mine is 3x3x3, I am planning on using 1.5 angle welded together. With 1.5" being attached to the bottom of the floor boards. Right now it will just be in the middle of the wheelbase. Eventually I plan on having the whole thing like this with the rear boxed.

I hear a lot of talk about boxing in the frame, adding beefy subframes, and even adding an extra frame to a unibody jeep. Although I don't think anyone has done it. No matter what you do underneath, adding an interior roll cage will really increase overall strength.

Originally posted by CaptainFleXJ151
I hear a lot of talk about boxing in the frame, adding beefy subframes, and even adding an extra frame to a unibody jeep. Although I don't think anyone has done it. No matter what you do underneath, adding an interior roll cage will really increase overall strength.

I dont know how you'd box a unibody. But I've seen subframes under unibodies. So people have done it ;) Personally I didn't really take a close look though.

I ran 2x2x.125" along the floor of the cab above and outward of the stock rails. I added a crossmember where the rear seat used to be and it's attached through the floor to my rock rails in two places. It gets narrower and slants up to tie into the rear part of the frame that's 2x1.5x.125" and houses my lifted gas tank. This system worked real well to stiffen the chassis, but the six point rollcage helped a lot more. ;)
mike

I did it. Send me an email to racecadet@yahoo.com and I'll send you some pics.

I used some 3" (?) box that fit around the frame rails. I cut and welded to fit the uniframe bends, and then used 3/8" AK or AL nutserts to connect it to the Jeep (like 15 per side!). I have made all 8 arms for the long arm setup, but I think I'll only stick with front arms (until I really start to hate the stock rear setup with Tera arms, which is, so far, treating me alright). The front 44 I just finished was a freakin TIME HOLE from which I am just now starting to climb out of.

Cheers
Bob

I was thinking of some 3x3 angle and some 3" bar to make a u-channel. I guess it would be cheaper to and easier to do the 3x3 box. :D Forgot about that.
My arms I am going to cut and sleave my rear RE's with 1.5 sch. 80 like Cbassett. Plus I have it as scrape from my EB's arms I made previously. For the front arms I want to use the 1.5 and make better replicas of the arms on my eb, which are similer to the tj re longarms.
I am doing this just to make the jeep solid again and hopefully sell. I may pic up a waggy front and 60' f-100 9in.(both 62in. wms) for under $200. My 30 front is pretty fawked up braket wise too.
If I can't get a steal on the axles i'll reuse the stock ones and make some superduty brakets for them:D

Here is my plan on it......since I have to replace the floor pans anyway, I am going to make some frame rails to insert inside the unibody rails, tie in some x-members for some added rigidity. I am then going to tie in an interior rollcage to this along with some rock rails. I believe that it will be plenty strong enough and improve the "stiffness" of the Unibody without going to drastic on it.

Trango and Stadlerm, I sure would like to see some pics of the mods you guys did to the uniframe. Kind of hard to visualize with just words. :) Jeff

The two mounts for the lower control arms were fabbed and welded straight to the unibody such that the arms would end up being 36 inches in length when installed.

A piece of 3/16 x 3 x 2 angle was then welded to the two mounts (not to the unibody,) to provide some stuctural integrity and help with not ripping the unibody sheet apart under torque :eek:

http://www.nwlink.com/~jp95/la/images_rear/03_weldedwithbrace.JPG

Jay

We dont need no stinking bolts!!(see arrows)

looks like a good start, I like the idea of NOT welding your brackt to the frame but a longer larger surface area angle iron support.

Any finished pics?

you could also add a back plate to your bracket and add a triangular support as I drew in, you may have done that since the pic.

:D

gawd, those bolts have been there since the beginning - before I knew that you could do anything except buy bolt-on accessories for a grand cherokee :rolleyes: Those sliders are from Mark Hinkley and that's how he recommended they be installed, so... who the he!! was i to question him, right?

That's about as finished a pic as i have of the lower arm mounting system - you did see that the brackets themselves WERE welded to the unibody, right? I've been so busy getting the nine inch in along with the triangulated 4 link that I haven't done any backing or gusseting since what you see in that pic - it's holding up well so far, but it's in the back of my mind. I've got an event at the end of this month that I need to get rpepared for and I still need to do something about the erar shock mounts besides install the new gears and ARB up front.... never enough time....

Jay

PS. Here's (http://www.nwlink.com/~jp95/la/reararms.html) a writeup on the rear long arm install in case you're interested.

I did it.

Took a chunk of 4x6 .250 tubing and cut it in half so you have two 3x4 U channels. That will slide PERFECTLY over your framerails. Might need to tap it on with a hammer but it is the perfect size.

I used the two crossmember bolts on each rail plus two more 7/16th bolts through the rails to locate the frame. Stitch weld it every 6 inches or so for 2 or 3 inches.

Now you have a 1/4 thick frame to make and attach anything you want to.

Will post some pics some time soon.

Originally posted by Alaska ZJ
I did it.

Took a chunk of 4x6 .250 tubing and cut it in half so you have two 3x4 U channels. That will slide PERFECTLY over your framerails. Might need to tap it on with a hammer but it is the perfect size.

I used the two crossmember bolts on each rail plus two more 7/16th bolts through the rails to locate the frame. Stitch weld it every 6 inches or so for 2 or 3 inches.

Now you have a 1/4 thick frame to make and attach anything you want to.

Will post some pics some time soon.
this is exactly what i was thinking of doing....got pics?
~John

Hey Alaska ZJ, how did you go about cutting the box tubing in half? For such a long section, I would think it would be rather difficult to actually get a straight cut going all of the way down. My band saw sure as hell isn't long enough for that, and you would probably go through a dozen cutting wheels and all of the frustration of that doesn't sound like too much fun :flipoff2:

So fill me in with the nitty gritty here.:D

I will post some pics on Monday evening.

As for how I cut it. Vermont American cutting wheel for a skillsaw.

Just make sure to let the wheel do the cutting and not force it or you will use up that disc fast.

Using a torch would not be that bad just clamp a piece of angle for a guide and slide the torce head down that. You will have to do a little grinder work afterward but it's all pretty easy.

Would be nice to have the bones to drop on a plasma cutter.....

Yea, I suppose the plasma cutter would work well provided you had a nice guide for it. I've got access to one so I may give that a shot. Thanks.

update:
I ended up using 2x3 angle welding them into a u-channel. My arms are pretty big ended up using 1.75 .250 wall for the front and radius arms and the rear lowers and 1.5 .250 wall for the rear uppers.

sounds good alaska ZJ!

1/4in all the way!!!!

Its amazing what a weekend and a cutting wheel can do for you!

The last cutting wheels I got were form ACE becuase it was right by my house. The disks seperated from the center metal ring and were use less. Had two disks that only made one cut each before breaking them selves, I also got an ACE 14in for my chop saw and that thing is so off ballance it shakes like a shady hotel bed all weekend long. :D

Ive had good luck with the dewalt wheels sold cheep at harbor freight!!

Here you guys go. These are the only pics I have right now but I think they give the general idea.

http://www.clan-phoenix.com/jeeps/longarms/subframe1.jpg

http://www.clan-phoenix.com/jeeps/longarms/subframe2.jpg

http://www.clan-phoenix.com/jeeps/longarms/subframe3.jpg

http://www.clan-phoenix.com/jeeps/longarms/subframe4.jpg

http://www.clan-phoenix.com/jeeps/longarms/subframe5.jpg

http://www.clan-phoenix.com/jeeps/longarms/subframe6.jpg

Basic stuff, everything is 1/4 inch plate. Any questions feel free to ask.

those are dam near identical to mine, they fit very snug to which is a good thing because before welding mine into channel I almost got clocked inthe head from them falling.:D
Also, I inboarded my front hanger.

How did you inboard your front hangers? Did you incoperate them into a new x member?

I thought about doing that also but decided that the little angle they are at is not worth messing with.

Also is it just me or does my pic of the two rails side by side look like all of the hangers are crooked as my dick? Funny how angles can play in a picture since they are all pretty straight and square (not perfect but WGAF)

Alaska,

I inboarded my Y-arm mounts by putting them on a new xmember, with SERIOUS gussets back to the cross member. When I did mine, I had not seen any other design than the RE TJ LA kit, so I did mine SUPER beef so I wouldn't kill myself or others.

I also did my whole xmember and channels as a single monolithic piece (yeah, like 80 pounds of subframe). That was retarded, and even though I still can drop my tcase without problems, I might have to cut out the center part and weld in some bolt mating surfaces if I ever want to say... drop my tranny.

Oh yeah, I cut some like 6"x3" inside dimension rectangular tubing in half for my frame rails. I did it with my 4.5" angle grinder. I also flap disc'ed the cut edges BIGTIME - I was afraid of them cutting into the sheetmetal like a mobile shop brake when I flexed. I thought that IF there was any movement in the sheetmetal, a small radius in the edge there would be good for the sheetmetal of the uniframe.

Bob

I mounted them off the side like the rear but lenghtened them to drop a few inches below the stock crossmember. I kind of did all the inboarded brackets in a quick half ass manner so they hang to the left :flipoff2:
When I get some junkyard axles I'll cut those brakets off. For the front I will weld in a tube crossmember to replace the stock and intigrate my front mounts into that. For the rear upper mounts I'll do them in a similer fashion to Cbassett with a triangulated 4 link.

My main concern is to get the thing driving till I finish my bronco. Then I can go back and do it right. I'll need at least one car to drive to school soon.

Originally posted by Trango
Alaska,

I inboarded my Y-arm mounts by putting them on a new xmember, with SERIOUS gussets back to the cross member. When I did mine, I had not seen any other design than the RE TJ LA kit, so I did mine SUPER beef so I wouldn't kill myself or others.

I also did my whole xmember and channels as a single monolithic piece (yeah, like 80 pounds of subframe). That was retarded, and even though I still can drop my tcase without problems, I might have to cut out the center part and weld in some bolt mating surfaces if I ever want to say... drop my tranny.

Oh yeah, I cut some like 6"x3" inside dimension rectangular tubing in half for my frame rails. I did it with my 4.5" angle grinder. I also flap disc'ed the cut edges BIGTIME - I was afraid of them cutting into the sheetmetal like a mobile shop brake when I flexed. I thought that IF there was any movement in the sheetmetal, a small radius in the edge there would be good for the sheetmetal of the uniframe.

Bob

Man that is a heavy subframe! I will be making a ne X member but it will just be a HD replica of the stock on. I might suck it up a 1.4 inch or so but nothing to drastic. I just need something a little stronger to put my bellypan on.

My upper rear tri is a Y setup. I like it that way. Bought a Avalanche 8.8 cover with the moutning tab and built a hoop over the diff. It is very stout and should be just fine. New rear wieghs a bunch seeing as I used 1/4 for everything. But like you said overengineer everything LOL.

Not like we have many examples to follow out there. I took some hints from the unibody Race car guys. TJ long arm kit. XJ kits (although all the production LA kits for the XJ are crap IMO. Skycrapper!) but mostly I just looked at the three or four guys that have and are making thier own stuff. This is a lot of work but I think it will be worth it.

what are you guys using for your arms.

I just cut my re ones all in half and sleaved them with 1.5" and 1.75" .250 wall. Also how long are your arms. mine are I thinik are in the exsessivly long area 37.5", 40" and 43.5"

Great Googling Moogly! Those are some long arms! Mine are 32 in the front and 36 in the rear. TJ long arms are 38.

I am doing basically the same as you except I am making my upper tri with a couple of bushing assemblies I purchased from MORE (11 bucks a piece I soulg not beat that).

So what is the OD of your tubing, pipe or whatever it is that you are using. I was considering 2x2 1/4 square tubing.

My RE arms are 1.5 OD. so I was thinking you meant ID when you gave your specks. That is unless RE changed designs at some point and we have two different kits.

I also thought about some schedule 80.

shit, I thought they where long:D
All my lower re arms are 1.5"od and they fit snuggly in 1.75"od pipe.
my uppers are 1.25"od and fit the 1.5"od pipe ok(a little loose).
I don't know the sizes according to sch. as I never really looked.

All I have left is weld the uppers to the lower arms in the front effectivly making a radius arm, take a bend out of the front track bar to lenghten it, and probably toss the front sway bar.

Then when my bronco is drivable I'll do the 4-link rear, new crossmember/front hanger, waggy 44's or 9in.&waggy 44 with lug conversion, try it out and sell it.

F that rear 44 either do a 9" or 8.8.

Why not go get a HP 30 and a 8.8? I know that the HP 30 is not all that but it moves the weak point to the 297. A standard 30 it is a toss up between RP and 297 IMO.

Don't some early broncos come with 5 on 4.5 spacing? Could pic up those knuckles for a HP 44 in the front.

1.75 od pipe with a 1.5 id is schedule 40

I might use shedule 80.

Uppers.........1x1 1/4 I think???

I was thinking the front waggy and 60's 9in. since they will be 62"wms and I already have a set of 35's with alot of backspacing from my bronco.
plus the front will have flat top knuckles, which I probably not use to its advantage. I can convert it to 5 lug easily too.
Most importantly I'll be able to find them in the same junkyard for probably less than $300