First welding projects for my XJ?

yossarian19 · Sep 16, 2010

Ok, so -
I finally have regular access to welding equipment. I've got a full auto shop, drill press, bench grinder, sawzall, TIG, MIG, plasma and Oxy at my disposal.

What things did you all make first for your XJ? I plan to practice on scrap and a few small items before building my steering - but what else have you all made?

whitexj98 · Sep 16, 2010

Cut out the rockers and weld in 2x4 square tubing for sliders, those are pretty simple then move on to bumpers. You can save a lot of money building them yourself I got like 200 bucks total in front and rear bumpers and the rear is a swing out tire carrier.

01_XJ · Sep 16, 2010

whitexj98 said:
You can save a lot of money building them yourself I got like 200 bucks total in front and rear bumpers and the rear is a swing out tire carrier.

This is why I want to get a welder so badly

Being broke all the time, I'll never have the $$ to have bumpers/skids/etc on my rig unless I can save cash by making them.

whitexj98 · Sep 16, 2010

Yea it helps when my dad already has everything, I just come and make a mess of things....lol

SleeperXJ · Sep 16, 2010

I like 98's suggestion about rocker replacement.
I would think TIG would be the method of choice

yossarian19 · Sep 16, 2010

I'm thinking of welding a couple bolts to the 8.25 axle tubes, so I can mount my ZJ soft lines to something (drill the metal tab, slide it over the bolt & throw a nut on top) and maybe re locating the shock mounts as well.
Anything I need to know about welding to the 8.25 tubes? Special wire, pre heating or anything..?

tbburg · Sep 16, 2010

First project I'd recommend is a pair of rock sliders. If you have rusted out rockers, you can go the full replacement route, but that's a pretty big first project. Then do a front bumper with full mount bracing and shackle brackets. Between the sliders and bumper, you'll get used to making strong and pretty, because both are highly visible, and if you hack them up, you have to look at it every day.

yossarian19 said:
Anything I need to know about welding to the 8.25 tubes? Special wire, pre heating or anything..?

Nothing special. Especially for a non-structural tab, try to concentrate your heat more on the tube then the tab, otherwise you may get crappy penetration on the tube(huge heat sink compared to the tab)

slcpunk74 · Sep 16, 2010

If you weld bolts to the axle you should try get some unplated bolts so they will weld better and your lungs will thank you.

I vote you get someone to help you make a fron bumper with plasmad plates.

Jeep450r · Sep 16, 2010

make control arm skids and then weld them on
bumpers
sliders/rocker replacement
diff skid
weld on new shock mounts (higher up so they dont drag)
new 1 ton steering
long arms
Skid plates
weld up muffler pipes

the list goes on and on, moving up as your skills advance

jeepfreak1020 · Sep 16, 2010

Jeep450r said:
make control arm skids and then weld them on
bumpers
sliders/rocker replacement
diff skid
weld on new shock mounts (higher up so they dont drag)
new 1 ton steering
long arms
Skid plates
weld up muffler pipes

the list goes on and on, moving up as your skills advance

List goes on. Ive saved a ton of money by building my own belly skid, control arm skids, upper and lower control arms with ballistic joints, front bumper, quarter pannel guards. Next i will be building a rear bumper with tire carrier, replacement rockers, steering. And I start with not even knowing how to weld. And now im trying to make it into a job. Im trying to get into a fab shop. You are endless at what you can do bud. Can alwasy make something new, and for half the price it would be to buy. And can make it more beefy then what you can buy. Good luck man.

yossarian19 · Sep 17, 2010

jeepfreak1020 said:
List goes on. Ive saved a ton of money by building my own belly skid, control arm skids, upper and lower control arms with ballistic joints, front bumper, quarter pannel guards. Next i will be building a rear bumper with tire carrier, replacement rockers, steering. And I start with not even knowing how to weld. And now im trying to make it into a job. Im trying to get into a fab shop. You are endless at what you can do bud. Can alwasy make something new, and for half the price it would be to buy. And can make it more beefy then what you can buy. Good luck man.

Thanks for the encouragement - I'm trying to do a little welding every day and see how far I can get.

Today I added on to my tool cart, used part of an exhaust clamp to make a holster for my 3" channel locks. Threw a bolt on to it to hang the clip board, too. Tomorrow I'll put soft line mounts on the axle.

1990heepxj · Sep 17, 2010

less then half the price, i figure u can build sliders for less then 50 bucks or pay 200 for a premade set

Nealio240z · Sep 17, 2010

my first welding project was to remove the rear axle and cut off the spring perches and shock mounts. Then re-weld them with new hardware and the pinion at the correct angle. Its well worth doing in the long run

First welding projects for my XJ?

yossarian19

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whitexj98

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01_XJ

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whitexj98

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SleeperXJ

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yossarian19

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tbburg

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slcpunk74

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Jeep450r

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jeepfreak1020

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yossarian19

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1990heepxj

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Nealio240z

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