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Started beefing my stock crossmember

S

Steve F

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Australia
My stock cossmember had taken a beating and down here in Australia parts for Jeeps are more expensive than the US due to a smaller market etc so I decided to take a spare crossmember and beef it up.. Be kind, I've only had the welder for a month and this is my first large project with it :)

First I cut the bottom off the stock crossmember
100_2098.sized.jpg


Then stripped it back
100_2106.sized.jpg


Went and got some steel to plate it with (It's 8mm and will be used to replace the stock tcase skid as well)
100_2117.sized.jpg


100_2114.sized.jpg


Next I cut it to shape, drilled some holes for accessing the mount studs. Also drilled 4 holes and welded some nuts on the back for mounting the tcase skid and then started to weld it all up.
100_2122.sized.jpg


100_2123.sized.jpg


And my welding, I got better as I went along, welding 8mm plate to the thin stuff wasn't easy for me either. Seems good and solid though.
100_2131.sized.jpg


Now I just need to trim it up, bend the ends to follow the crossmember profile and finish welding it :)

Cheers
Steve
 
There is such a thing as too much of a good thing my friend where the extra thickness will only add weight. The secret is to know when you reach that point. 6 mm would have been plenty. ;)
 
Gojeep said:
There is such a thing as too much of a good thing my friend where the extra thickness will only add weight. The secret is to know when you reach that point. 6 mm would have been plenty. ;)
Click to expand...
Well.. yes and no. It all depends on how big of a rock you got in your way. IIRC if the crossmember is made from flatstock most went with 1/2" (12mm). I've bent up a 1/4" reinforced crossmember before without really trying too hard. ALso 6mm is rather flimsy and would flex under load.
 
Steve F said:
Now I just need to trim it up, bend the ends to follow the crossmember profile and finish welding it :)
Click to expand...
One suggestion: try semi boxing the sides to add rigidity to the bottom plate. A 1/4" or 1/2" tall piece of 3/16" steel all the way across from one side to the other should be more then fine.
 
Kejtar said:
One suggestion: try semi boxing the sides to add rigidity to the bottom plate. A 1/4" or 1/2" tall piece of 3/16" steel all the way across from one side to the other should be more then fine.
Click to expand...


thats what I was thinking
but IMO Its not neccesary ..
that being said

theres no such thing as overkill on a crossmember either..:)

I owuld box em em ..hecl chalk it up to time on the welder.:)

even funner yet
experience wise
bolt it back up and pratice welding upside down on youir back :)
 
I was thinking of boxing the top some more, I have some plate left over that would do the job just fine. I guess I'll see if I can be bothered after I've finished the rest off though.

As an aside I've stuffed 2 stock crossmembers already which is why I went with the 8mm plate :)

Cheers
Steve
 
Remember that the boxing is not needed in this case as the rest of the existing cross member does that. If you were running flat without the old part of the cross member then yes you would need it unless running 1/2" plate which would have gained more clearance under the cross member too. But dont forget that the lowest point will always remain under the transfercase and not the cross member.
 
There are 4 extra holes with nuts welded on the inside of the plate for mounting a skid plate, I have some more of the 8mm plate to make one when this is done :)

Cheers
Steve
 
Goatman has been running a stock crossmember like this for a long time. I ran one myself for a few years before switching to my current unit that incorporates long arm mounts and sits flush with the bottom of the frame rail. In fact, I've got my old unit for sale if anyone is interested. :) I've got a skid plate that bolts to it too. Jeff
 
tealcherokee said:
$150 for a bent peice of 3/16 thats held on by self tappers???
Click to expand...

$150 is kind of steep, that’s not what I paid for mine. :laugh2: I’m sure an enterprising soul could build one for much less. Just offering up some food for thought.
 
I've got a Cabo Mfg. crossmember. It has done great for me so far. Simple yet effective, and strong as an ox.
 
Finished it off tonight, final bit of cutting, welding and painting (with a brush and some rustoleum I had) and its done. I'll bolt it up tomorrow night and then start on a new tcase skid plate.

Total cost so far is AUD$44 plus my time and a few cuting discs at about $2 each so say AUD$50 if I round it up :)

I'll take a pic side by side with the stock one tomorrow.

Crossmember_010.sized.jpg


Crossmember_011.sized.jpg


Cheers
Steve
 
Nice work! I took a slightly different approach and just made a whole new one, but I had a full shop at my disposal.

skids2.jpg


skids3.jpg


skids6.jpg


skids8.jpg


The problem with that, though...make sure that you keep the bolts tight on the frame, and use good quality fasteners there. With the crossmember being that rigid the frame and those bolts will take a lot more of the hit than with a stock one, which would just crumple instead. With that setup I got to thinkin that I was invincible, so I just kinda quit paying attention for a little while, then accidentally ran over a boulder on what was little more than an access road.

IMG_1446Medium.jpg


Ripped the bolts clean out, and stripped the nuts up in the frame. No idea where the bolts went and the holes weren't threaded anymore. Two car batteries, some jumper cables, and some 6011 rod later:

IMG_1447Medium.jpg


Sorry for the novel, just passing along my experiences!
 
Thats one of the reasons I decided not to reinforce the actual mounting holes, I figure I'd rather bend it up around them if it came to it than rip it out all together. I'll also be bolting a skid onto the crossmember which will then bolt to the 'frame' in 4 places, which should hopefully give it some more strenth and resistance to anything trying to twist it off the frame.

Cheers
Steve
 
Steve F said:
Thats one of the reasons I decided not to reinforce the actual mounting holes, I figure I'd rather bend it up around them if it came to it than rip it out all together. I'll also be bolting a skid onto the crossmember which will then bolt to the 'frame' in 4 places, which should hopefully give it some more strenth and resistance to anything trying to twist it off the frame.

Cheers
Steve
Click to expand...

Yep, that sounds good...in hindsight I wish I had done that same thing. Good luck to ya!
 
Jeff 98XJ WI said:
my current unit ...sits flush with the bottom of the frame rail.
Click to expand...
Could you post more information about your design? Did you raise the transfer case to make this design possible? I believe a stock one mounts approximately 3/4" below the bottom of the frame rails. I'd love to see anything you have on it.

TIA.
 
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