[Honkylips]

Is this just a recipe for disaster, or is it doable with a little extra reinforcement?

 

[Flatty]

Specify CJJ frame. Early frames are weak. You have to box them all the way and brace a little. LAter ones CJ7 are fine.

DIma

 

[XJ618]

Yes, you deffinetly want to box it, and on mine, i'm doing mog axles, im going to add tubing to the frame to make it even stronger, incase on a flip.

 

[Honkylips]

the Cj in question is an 83. Frame fully boxed that year??

 

[gumbojeepyj]

I'd use a YJ frame.

 

[fullygruntled]

Doable. Don't even necessarily need the reinforcement, although it surely wouldn't hurt.

And yes, CJ7's were fully boxed from '78+.

 

[mikesagpn]

I riped my frame almost all the way off at the motor mounts with soa and 37's
I was going to have it squared up again and reinforced but I just built a new fram after I saw the extent of the damage under the motor mount.
check the factory welds along the bottom on the frame I didn't see that they had broken causing the frame to fail faster.

Mike

 

[MCgiver4x4]

im in the same boat as you my frame its a 76 cj5

i will apreciate Pics of reinforced frames

i willing to instal 39.5 (now have 36's) but the frame feel its loose and i want to reinforce and make it stronger

 

[RCKRATZ]

mine is strapped the entire length & strategically boxed. Running fodies with no issues. Old school 1953 frame too

 

[jefe]

If you're going to hard-core it, you will want to box the front frame horns on at least 3 sides from the front back to about the first body mount past the fenders. This is a weak aspect to the CJ frame, even the 81-86 CJ's. I've seen them crack in two around the shock mount location. Do it now, as it becomes less convenient later. I've plated mine up by degrees adding 1-2' of boiler plate as needed. What I need to do is cut all that patchwork off and start over and do one-piece plates. My son did a cardboard template of his frame horns (ea about 5' long) and had a bud with a CNC machine cut the plates with holes and slots cut in. Cool. No worries now. His frame broke IN Half on the Hammers with 36's.
Yes, the YJ frame is somewhat stronger than the CJ frame, especially toward the front.
Another thing to consider is the mongo twisting you get at the frame by doing a shackle reversal. Those anchors at the front have a lot more leverage on the frame than regular front shackles. This is the reason I have not gone to shackle reversal.
regards, as always, jefe

 

[Honkylips]

Good info, thanks guys.

 

[MC]

Unless she is in bad shape and you have thin walls dont worry about it...we have run over 400hp and 44" tires redenck style without any frame crackage. On the flip side 39's and a healthy 360 tore a frame 10"s 3 weeks ago....but his frame was weak to begin with

 

[4x401cj]

I straped my `72 also, top and bottom, front to back with 3/16 x 1 1/2 welded the full length. Didn`t do any boxing except for where the spring hangers attach to the frame.

 

[rckjeep]

Doable. Don't even necessarily need the reinforcement, although it surely wouldn't hurt.

And yes, CJ7's were fully boxed from '78+.

Mines a '77 and it's boxed but maybe they did something different in '78.

 

[CSP]

Mines a '77 and it's boxed but maybe they did something different in '78.

It's boxed, but look closer at the area next to the gas tank. I'll bet money it's not unless yours was a late '77 that got a newer style frame. The '76 and '77 frames were open for the last two feet or so.

 

[Tfab]

Tie the cage into the frame in 8 or more places. This will help put the stress on different planes. Also box in the frame and add more crossmembers.