anybody built theier own CJ frame?

I have not done it yet, but I have put some thaught into it. I have been watching this guy's project and I think I would try to do something very similar

I found out from an old Basque philosopher while I was in Spain, that the secret of living well was "que pases el tiempo bien", or "spend your time wisely". If building a vehicle frame is your idea of a good time, then go for it. Personally, if I found a "30+ yr old OEM one" that was restorable, I might enjoy doing that more. It is all a matter of personal taste.

Earle

Not sure where you get the $.10 on the dollar. I know I could build a new frame from 2x4" rectangular tubing faster than I could wire brush and repair the excrement of the tin worms. I'd figure 40 hours and $.60 a pound for the steel. Same frame construction as used in the Cobra kit cars that they bolt 427's into.

Just depends > Just know that you'll at best only recover about ten cents on the

Nice philosophy. I like it.

The only question it raises is "Then, what am I doing reading Usenet?"

Earle Hort> I found out from an old Basque philosopher while I was in Spain, that the

We were talking about replacing a tin worm frame with a new frame. Quadratec has rectangular tube frames running about $1800 (depending on model) $300 worth of steel and 40 hours to get to the same point.

Would I spend $1800 for a new frame, plus $2000 for a fiberglass body, and $xx for all the rest, of course you w> Sounds like you're never built a hot rod, then had to sell it. > great!

What about the claims I have seen at some sites about welded frames being stronger then OEM? One company even compared it to Nascar as they require welded frames for safety. I'm just trying to figure which way to go. I cant case harden a frame either but I thought that's what the heavier gage metal was for.

Just thoughts.

Lots of guys are building frames of 4x2 square tubing and welding short sections together to make arches and bends. Someone posted a thread with pics on a Pirate Board last week, but the search function is down for a few days. My Cherokee frame project will involve cutting one frame to make donor panels to weld onto anothe making it fully boxed. The stock 74 Cherokee frame is not heat treated, so it can be welded, drilled, etc with no problems, unlike commercial truck frames. I don't know that Jeep ever used a heat treated frame.

If you knew anything about metalurgy, you would know that retangular tubing is a hot rolled product with low carbon, typically 1008 steel with a yield up around 55kpsi. This material is not casehardened, is not alloy, has only minor issues with HAZ from welding. On the other hand, my shop used to produce race frames made from 4130 tube and heat treated the complete frame to over 200kpsi Your vaunted OTR truck frames are a higher carbon material that is heat treated up to the 80kpsi to 100kpsi range. Allows the manufacturer to shave a few pounds but decreases the fatigue life expectancy.

If I were to build a stock LOOKING Jeep frame, I'd use the hot rolled rectangular tubing, slight bends made in the hydrualic press, major bends done as cut and weld. Result would be slighly heavier than the original stock frame, should be around 2 to 3 times more torsionaly rigid. I havn't really thought it through whether I'd use .120" wall or .187" wall, it would depend on my choice of engines. Finshed frame in .120" wall would run about 125 pounds without the center crossmember.

L.W.(ßill) Hughes III wrote:

Apples to oranges. Commercial truck frames are subjected to stresses far in excess of what a Jeep frame would see. The manufactures have invested a considerable amount R&D to delivering a product that is light but carries a substantial safety margin. By using high-tensile steel and heat-treating it becomes something that only qualified fabricators should mess with. As such, the manufacturer and the feds try to ensure public safety by limiting unsafe modifications. If the frames are modified other than specified by the manufacturer, then the manufacturer is no longer liable.

Light trucks are another thing all together. Lower tensile strength and no heat treating. Much more forgiving. You would definitely have a higher resale if the frame were professionally fabbed rather than home built. If that is a concern. The biggest drawback would have to be the abilities of the person doing the welding. Properly welded joints are stronger than the base metal. If you have the desire to do it, the proper training and select the right materials, you will end up with something comparable to the mandrel bent frames. The mandrel bent frames, of course, would likely have much tighter tolerances but wouldn't necessarily be any stronger.

It would easier just to go find a decent used frame. Do you do some extreme four-wheeling? Do really you need something stronger than stock? There are always some on Ebay. Here are a bunch in Texas that would cost around a grand delivered. Item # 4568417170. Realistically, you would spend around half of this figure in materials and your time has to be worth something.

The link to shopfloortalk that Rusted posted was excellent. It offers a really good perspective on exactly what is involved.

. A blast from the past. I took a BMW powered buggy there in the mid-70s. I never got into the Glamis thing too much, the desert was a lot more interesting

Really? Far in excess of commercial trucks? Yeah, okay. Whatever you say.