Unibody Frame Cracks at the Steering Box

Ironically Cracker is cracking. I had finally eliminated my creaking in the front end a month ago (my track bar bracket) and I had a new creak louder than any other that I have had.

Upon getting to work today I decided to look again at what might me the noise. I found a bunch of cracks where my track bar is mounted. There seems as if there is no cracks where my steering box attaches (yet).

My question is, one of the cracks is pretty far back close to the track bar frame bracket. Will I need to reinforce all the way past the bracket or will the JKS (or C-Rok) systems take care of my needs? Is there any other system that will go that far back down the unibody? I know some of you (Goatman) have reinforced down that far. Any pics?

FYI: I have 35s locked with a M.O.R.E. brace on it. I am assuming the brace is what might have casued my weird cracks (as opposed to the usual steering box holes).

Yes a C-Rok or JKS plate will help BUT the next thing that will break is the welds between the plate and the TB bracket, on the under side of the frame.(that rearmost crack is just the start...) I broke ALL the welds holding all the frame layers together and could see the steering box frame portion deflect up to half an inch from the TB bracket portion of the frame when turning side to side. The to-date fix has been weld everything back together and brace the TB bracket to the other frame rail. The track bar bracket brace has solved a few issues all by itself. It has stiffened up the steering responce considerably as well as rid it of creaks ect. not too mention the RE bracket hasnt came loose once since which could be the best thing since....

T&A-XJ said:

Yes a C-Rok or JKS plate will help BUT the next thing that will break is the welds between the plate and the TB bracket, on the under side of the frame.(that rearmost crack is just the start...) I broke ALL the welds holding all the frame layers together and could see the steering box frame portion deflect up to half an inch from the TB bracket portion of the frame when turning side to side. The to-date fix has been weld everything back together and brace the TB bracket to the other frame rail. The track bar bracket brace has solved a few issues all by itself. It has stiffened up the steering responce considerably as well as rid it of creaks ect. not too mention the RE bracket hasnt came loose once since which could be the best thing since....

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Interesting. So you didn't reinforce your steering box? Just welded it together again?

And your solution was this:

Cracker, that pic is new to me,
is it a crossmember/brace for the tracbar area?
looks like a Cross Enterprises rear shock upper mount.
more info?

It connects both frame rails below the oil pan... right?

best solution is to cry lol

its a mess, the unibody just cant take it, pull the steering box down, track bar, bumper, all braces, and start plating eventually ill get some pics up of mine, take a weekend, and get some welding done......yes the passangers side too

then buy a steering box brace, and a track bar brace...

Lodi Jim said:

Cracker, that pic is new to me,
is it a crossmember/brace for the tracbar area?
looks like a Cross Enterprises rear shock upper mount.
more info?

Click to expand...

IT is a Track Bar Brace XJ - XJ track bar stiffener from RE

I think this is what T&A-XJ was referring to.

Sorry yes I have my own brew of a Crok plate and also a MORE brace. As for the TB brace mine looks just like that but again my own build. I might be able to find some pics but you get the idea.

tealcherokee said:

best solution is to cry lol

its a mess, the unibody just cant take it, pull the steering box down, track bar, bumper, all braces, and start plating eventually ill get some pics up of mine, take a weekend, and get some welding done......yes the passangers side too

then buy a steering box brace, and a track bar brace...

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I guess the glass is half empty in CT. Too much rain? Just kidding.

I would like to get some images and ideas on how to get it going.

How thick was the steel you used?

Have the same problem, but my "cracks" don't look like they started small and tore open, it looks like they all of the sudden burst. Don;t know how to explain it, but it looks very violent. I'm plating next weekend using 1/8 stitched at the ends and plugwelded just about everywhere,

Nothing unusual about those cracks. I got these as soon as I put an aftermarket bumper on the front of my Cherokee. This was after running a steering box brace for the pervious 4 years with 33's. I think the cracks are due to the way the brace and the bumper prevent the unibody from flexing in that area. The whole rest of the body flexes right up to the point where it is bound up by all of that heavy gauge steel that doesn't give, so the thin factory sheetmetal breaks. IMHO, steering box braces and aftermarket bumpers are a bad combination.







The first thing I did was get rid of the steering box brace. I had a shop weld in the JKS plates, then the frame rails just aft of the plates started cracking. Sooo I had them add some additional plates to the bottom of the frame rail and aft of the JKS plates so almost the entire side of the body inside both front wheelwells are reinforced. It's been all quiet under there for the last year or 2 now.

Something else to consider doing is adding hydro-assit, it takes lots of stress of the unibody not to mention makes it quite easy to turn in the rocks. Just a thought...

I'd clean it up, weld the cracks, install driver & passenger side SBS, & not run a steering box brace.

Paul

Handlebars said:

Nothing unusual about those cracks. I got these as soon as I put an aftermarket bumper on the front of my Cherokee. This was after running a steering box brace for the pervious 4 years with 33's. I think the cracks are due to the way the brace and the bumper prevent the unibody from flexing in that area. The whole rest of the body flexes right up to the point where it is bound up by all of that heavy gauge steel that doesn't give, so the thin factory sheetmetal breaks. IMHO, steering box braces and aftermarket bumpers are a bad combination.
The first thing I did was get rid of the steering box brace. I had a shop weld in the JKS plates, then the frame rails just aft of the plates started cracking. Sooo I had them add some additional plates to the bottom of the frame rail and aft of the JKS plates so almost the entire side of the body inside both front wheelwells are reinforced. It's been all quiet under there for the last year or 2 now.

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WOW! That is identical to mine.

Did you reinforce both sides or just the drivers side and did you brace your trackbar bracket?

BIGWOODY said:

Something else to consider doing is adding hydro-assit, it takes lots of stress of the unibody not to mention makes it quite easy to turn in the rocks. Just a thought...

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I have already started gathering parts for the hydro-assist project. Perfect timing. Another reason to do it.

I had both sides plated the same way. No track bar brace... yet. I didn't know a bolt-on one was available 'till this thread!

Those are cute. Last year my box seperate itself from the frame, cracking around both bolt heads, and snapping the bolts in half. The cracks were all around the heads, and wrapped around completely across the underside of the unibody.







This time around I have this HUGE crack that stars around the outside of the HD RE tracbar mount, and continues underneath. This is a view from undeerneeth:



Also, my crossmember is torn in both bottom corners:



Sorry for all the unsized images, but u see more detail. And sorry for the crappy cell phone pics in the begining. Low light no workie so well.


To be noted, I did not have a steering box brace, SBS, c-rok plate, trac bar brace, or anything. I was only running 32's (recently 33's) and no front locker. I had a huge bumper, but the mounting system was stock.
When I got the cracks from the box, I had Ryan Brown (rawbrown) make a reinforcement plate and weld it all up around there. Now we're working on reinforcing EVERYTHING.

:flipoff:
__________________
site: www.mike-g.net/jeep
5.5"/33x12.5"/F8.8"

Dam dude that sucks, how did it happen?

JayJay said:

Dam dude that sucks, how did it happen?

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I don't think that kind of thing (the cracks) just HAPPENS, after 6 years of wheeling it in the rocks at least once a month, if not several times a month, the stress adds up.

The ripped crossmember I believe is a result of a my heavy duty front bumper and the back of a Chevy Silverado at about 45MPH. The unibody and the poor mounting system was the crumple zone.

:flipoff:

Cracker, that is exactly the place I got my first cracks. We've learned the hard way that when you stiffen one section it just makes another section flex more. Frame reinforcement is crucial, steering box braces are not. If you want to run a steering box brace, be sure to also run a track bar mount brace.....and still reinforce the frame around the steering box.

Here's a thread with more comments from me:

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?p=328165&highlight=frame+cracks#post328165

In addition to that post, I have ripped my steering box off the frame once with a steering brace, and I have ripped my track bar mount off twice, once with a track bar mount brace. All three times the frame had already cracked, been repaired, and plated. I currently have extra metal everywhere, a steering box brace, and a track bar mount brace. I've also added a frame to frame tube across the front crossmember and welded T shaped steel to the top of the crossmember, where it had cracked away from the frame on both sides.

Bottom line......reinforce now, as much as you can. And don't be as hard on yours as I've been on mine.

Goatman said:

Cracker, that is exactly the place I got my first cracks. We've learned the hard way that when you stiffen one section it just makes another section flex more. Frame reinforcement is crucial, steering box braces are not. If you want to run a steering box brace, be sure to also run a track bar mount brace.....and still reinforce the frame around the steering box.

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As you might have noticed, the date I posted this was a few months ago. Ron and I did an all-nighter repaiting the area with the JKS plates and putting it back together before Moab (thanks Ron!!!)

Since then I have added the Track Bar Bracket Brace that we fabbed up and I have a limiting strap on it as well. (Like the leaking steering box? )


I have since added a new crack, where we had previously welded up. It is on the underside of the frame rail and is about 2.5" long but there only seems to be one.


I would like to drill out the end of the crack and rosette the drilled hole and finish by welding the rest of the crack. I am also thinking about plating the whole underside of the framerail and the portion between the JKS plate and the track bar bracket. I would like to actually weld it TO the track bar bracket.


Do you see any problems with plating the underside and welding to the track bar bracket?


I will be on 37s within the next couple of weeks and I will also be adding frame stiffeners as well as an exo/inside cage that (if done properly) should help stiffen the complete chassis. I will have to NOT wheel too much until the cage is done

Goatman said:

And don't be as hard on yours as I've been on mine.

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Well that means I shouldn't show up ont he same runs as you do :laugh3: