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XJ frame stiffeners

I fabbed mine up. 3x3xquarter inch angle iron. Runs on both sides from old lCA mount's to the rear leaf spring perch. Looks great and works awsome too.
 
IMO,this would provide excellent protection for rock damage to your uni-rails, but marginal increase in chassis strength.

YMMV
 
i made mine this week. i used 1.5 x.120 thick steel tubing and they make a difference. it is nice to have a stiff frame again.
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I like what you made there mark, very close to what I have seen on some of the jeep speed jeeps with the drop brackets. I definitely like it to stiffen up the drop brackets, but would think that it dones't stiffen the frame up much. Maybe some cross braces between the long tubing and the frame could do a bit more. Seem worthwhile to me if you're not into going for a full cage. _nicko_
 
it actually did stiffen the frame up. when i drove to work today i noticed a lot less body roll almost none when rounding corners. next i want to make cross braces and tie it all together when i make my cage.
 
I understand the idea behind the angle, and agree with protecting the "frame"rails. Would somebody please explain the thinking behind the tube set up?
 
The JeepSpeed guys like those frame stiffeners, so they must work. I would have never come up with that design, but it does tie the front and rear suspension mounts together with a length of tubing that has to twist......something that tube doesn't do very well. It also adds strength to the suspension mounts, which has to be a good thing, and boxes the frame more by adding some additional structure.

I've learned the hard way that we need to add some steel to the bottom of the frame rails, before they get caved in by rocks. A simple piece of steel strap welded along the bottom, or a big piece of angle iron, will do the trick. I wonder how much the angle iron will add to the stiffness, unless it's very thick and wide....and heavy. Normally something made of tubing will provide more resistance to flexing, either square or round.

I made frame stiffeners out of 1x3 boxed tubing, spaced out from the frame by a short length of the 1x3 at each end. The seat bolts where in the way of mounting it flush to the frame, and it didn't fit very well with the slight curve in the frame and floor pan. By spacing it out, it cleared the bolts and fit nicely to the shape. Plus, the one inch gap adds more boxing to the frame and makes it stiffer than if the 1x3 was mounted flush along the side of the frame.

Of course, the cage helped stiffen things up also, but I think the frame stiffeners helped as much as the cage. You know how you can wrap your hand around the top of your door and the roof, and feel how much the door moves relative to the roof when driving on a trail or rough road? Now, mine doesn't move....AT ALL! :)
 
i just got home from work and man that was a nice ride. the stiffeners took a lot of the shock out of the body. normal bumps i would feel coming home i did not notice. i got to say that might be one of my best mods yet just by the fact that the suspension does the work now and not the body flexing to help it. :D :D
 
does anyone have these on their xj in additon to rock rails?

it seems to me the stiffeners would have to be modified to fit?

I have a set of ORGS ' s rock rails and they would seem to blockthe run back to the leaf spring mounting point.
 
we used 3/16 flat by 4inches tall. using the plasma cutter we cut them to shape to box the frame from the control arm mouts all the way back to where the leaf spring mouts would be...if I had leaf springs. i have hand built rock rails welded to the boxed frame. i'm building my cage here in the next couple of weeks and i'm going to tie into the new 'frame' with the cage. the metal on the frame already strengthens it up quite a bit.

mac 'finally a cage' gyvr
 
count me in for more info on these fabricated stiffeners, too. Anyone seen GaryE's job?

Going to fab some rails soon-- don't see why it would be very difficult to go ahead and design stiffeners into them
 
mark91xjbeef said:
i just got home from work and man that was a nice ride. the stiffeners took a lot of the shock out of the body. normal bumps i would feel coming home i did not notice. i got to say that might be one of my best mods yet just by the fact that the suspension does the work now and not the body flexing to help it. :D :D
Mark,

Have you considered marketing your design? How does your set up affect the placement of rock rails? Thanks,

Tom
 
Did anyone see the article in this months 4WOR? They installed the T&J tube stiffeners and also a brand new product never before installed. It looks like 3/16" plate, formed nicely to copy the uni-body rail from the front leaf mount on the rear to the LCA mount on the front. They then stitch welded the two together to increase rigidity. They had nothing but good to say about the driving impressions after the install, nice stable handling, suspension seems to soak up bumps more smoothly. Don't know how it would work with my rock rails, but we'll soon see!
 
I have a set of rock rails that have out riggers to the unibody frame. I was thinkiing of running a tube from the front and back to each leg then a tube between the legs. So it would then tie the front and back together plus the legs go to the unibody frame then out the the rock rails that are atached to the pinch seam. That should make a nice and solid set up dont ya think?
 
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