Project - Just Another TJ

M

moto

Guest
So I bought this TJ...



I knew it had problems so we torn it down...




I knew it was bad when I got it but...




I could have done all...
Please login to view full content. Log in or register now.
 

O.D.

Well-known member
Club Member
Nice tub color!!!

Whicked project for sure


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
M

moto

Guest
Waiting on some new poly body bushings to come in to mount the tub so that I can finalize its placement on the frame and finish the rear bumper. Hopefully they will be here next week. Once that is done Ill start the sheetmetal work on the tub.

Im undecided on one thing about the frame and maybe you guys can chime in here. Ive thought about completely sealing the frame but Im worried about it sweating and having no place for that moisture to go. Right now Im leaning towards making a few holes at the low points for drainage and maybe some on top for airflow. I have 5 cans of Eastwood Internal Chassis Sealer so Id spray that up in there to keep it fresh. Any suggestions or experiences would be appreciated.
 
Last edited:

trixter192

Well-known member
Club Member
Just an idea. Blow it out with dry nitrogen then seal it up. There's no moisture in the atmosphere of the frame to sweat. You can toss some silicate in there too.
 

chunkytrunks

That's MR.EX Pres to you!
Club Member
Love this project! Very cool!

If you keep your frame clean and krowned it will never rust.
 

badcompany

Well-known member
Club Member
I work for a bus company and the old ones (now gone) had a square tag axle, unlike the newer stuff that has a formed I beam type of tag axle.
any way they were filled with diesel oil, apparently because if it cracked you would know right away from the leak/swetting.

don't know if this would work for your application but its something to think about.

maybe a small fill hole somewhere and fill with a couple of liters of oil.
 
M

moto

Guest
Well, I can't believe it's been this long since I worked on the TJ.

Over the last two days, we have managed to get 8 of the 11 body mounts in place. The 2 tub pieces are aligned and ready to stitch back together. It was a lot of work to make sure everything was square and level but confident that it will work out great. We made the mounts out of 4x4x1/8in steel and cut them to shape. They are lifted about an inch over factory which should provide clearance for the donor motor, tranny and etc.

Here is a pic of 4 mounts in place. More pics to come.

IMG_0991.JPG
 

Dr.Phil

Well-known member
Nice work, i did the oil in the frame when i did mine. Like badcompany said, if it crack, you we be able to see it.
With a strait frame like that, make sure to put brace between each side to keep it from flexing. Did you fish plate your joint?
I have more than a 100hrs in the building of my frame...but it will be worth it.

Keep up the good work.
 

junkpile

Well-known member
Not sold on the diesel or oil in the frame, if you ever weld on it again.....watchout! Lol!
I would think that you either have a bunch of holes in it so you can spray paint into the inside and have access to be able to wash it out OR weld it water tight and don't think about it again!
 
M

moto

Guest
The frame has initial welds on it right now. Enough to keep it together. There are also temporary cross members and diagonal supports to keep it straight as we work on it. My plan is to keep it this way until I work out engine and suspension placement. Once that is all done, Ill finish weld and fish plate the joints and work out where the actual crossmembers are going to go.

As for rust prevention, Ive decided to drill some holes for drainage and that will also allow me to spray in the Eastwood Internal Frame Coating. It`ll also give me access to flush out the frame when needed.

Ive got the center floor area welded in. This weekend I hope to have the two side floor pieces done (im building the floor in 3 pieces to recreate the seam for strength) and hopefully the outer sides mostly in also. Once that is done, Ill need some donor pieces from another tub for the sill/top mounting area. I thought about trying to fab those, but in the end the bends are too complicated to make look good with my limited experience and itll probably just be easier to cut and paste some in. When Im done, it`ll all be covered by armor, so Im not too concerned how it looks.
 
M

moto

Guest
Here are some pics of the body mounts and the floor almost in.

IMG_1001.JPGIMG_1006.JPGIMG_1007.JPG
 
M

moto

Guest
Ok so.. a bit more work done to the tub.

I managed to find some donor pieces at Kennys for 16 bux. I separated the top cap from the sheet metal so that I could overlap the top cap to the existing body for more support. Then I made a piece to fill in the rest. I still cant figure out what to do about the bottom contour.. but since I plan on installing armor.. Ill probably just put he armor on and trim the sheet metal to fit that. Its kinda a lazy way to do it.. but it wont be seen, so who cares. A million little tacks to put in the sheet metal.. but im only using flux core and the heat is way too high even at the lowest setting. I picked up a piece of brass to take away some of the heat and it really helped.. especially for the big gaps because of my terrible cutting job. Anyways.. some pics of the progress.




 
Last edited:
Top