What do you do after the unibody is platted?

I am going to use 3/16" square tubing to plate my unibody. I know all about chopping the top off the tubing and cutting it into sections. I am wodering what everyone welds the top of the tubing to? If its only as strong as what its welded to what supports/metal do you use to connect the top of the tubing to the floor of the XJ?

I was thinking if someone just welded the plating together side by side and tach welded them in the middle, but didn't weld the tops, I would think the welds may break after flexing. Has anyone used 3/16" sheet metal to line the bottom of the XJ to weld the tops of the tubing to it or maybe used braces. Any close pics?

And I searched trough 10 pages on here w/ no good results.

I've seen some of the guys that drill holes in the square tubing and plug weld it all over so it's basically integrated into the sub-frame rails and the stresses will be distributed all over rather than just at the top.

ZachMan said:

I am going to use 3/16" square tubing to plate my unibody. I know all about chopping the top off the tubing and cutting it into sections. I am wodering what everyone welds the top of the tubing to? If its only as strong as what its welded to what supports/metal do you use to connect the top of the tubing to the floor of the XJ?

I was thinking if someone just welded the plating together side by side and tach welded them in the middle, but didn't weld the tops, I would think the welds may break after flexing. Has anyone used 3/16" sheet metal to line the bottom of the XJ to weld the tops of the tubing to it or maybe used braces. Any close pics?

And I searched trough 10 pages on here w/ no good results.

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I'm going to tie mine into a interior/exterior cage. I don't think I'll have any worries about it after that.
Billy

JeepFreak21 said:

I'm going to tie mine into a interior/exterior cage. I don't think I'll have any worries about it after that.
Billy

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So if I had an interior cage I could just weld tubing from the plated unibody to where the cage mounts to the floor? Right? So I would need to cut holes in my floor to attach everything wouldn't I?

xj92 said:

I've seen some of the guys that drill holes in the square tubing and plug weld it all over so it's basically integrated into the sub-frame rails and the stresses will be distributed all over rather than just at the top.

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Yeah I'm planing on doing that, but I was wondering about attachment points for the top of the plating? I also plan on running tubing off the plating into a cage, but it still doesn't solve my question.....


Where is Beez and others? I need ideas from people who actually have done it and tested out their design.

Anyone know how this guy put a custom frame in the unibody? I've e-mailed, but no answers.

http://www.cherokee4x4.com/projects/creeprs/images/test_drive/test1.jpg

save the picture and open it in a photo-editing software...play with the brightness and contrast until you can see what's under there.

To me it looks like 2X2 tubing sub-frame, 4-link rear, integrated control arm mounts, coil spring perches. maby some body mount bushings betweent eh frame and sub-frame.

Email Greg at www.c-rok.com He built that frame for that jeep. He can answer most your questions.

MATT

ZachMan said:

Yeah I'm planing on doing that, but I was wondering about attachment points for the top of the plating? I also plan on running tubing off the plating into a cage, but it still doesn't solve my question.....


Where is Beez and others? I need ideas from people who actually have done it and tested out their design.

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Ahh, yeah I see it now. Hmm that takes up so GC, but you could also make a flatbelly skid for it since it has rails. Hmmm...

ZachMan said:

So if I had an interior cage I could just weld tubing from the plated unibody to where the cage mounts to the floor? Right? So I would need to cut holes in my floor to attach everything wouldn't I?

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It'd be a better idea to just sandwich the floor inbetween 2 plates. See diagram:


You'd put "feet" on your cage and bolt it down to the plates through the floor.
Billy

Sounds like you havent seen my threads....



Do lots of plug welds, your gonna want to use an oxy torch for cutting its quick and can burn all the plug holes for you. a drill and cut off wheels will take forever... I did about half and half.

I ran leafs on the front, the hangers are all 1/4in plate that sit on the 1/8in box, welded to the "frame". there is alot of metal there.

for the cage Tie ins, I took some 4in 1/4in thick angle iron about 8in long and ran it on the inside of the frame reail and welded it to the floor and to the sleaved fram I made. I have to do that in the back also..

The sliders have 4 legs on each side. each leg welds to a 4X5in 1/4in plate that is welded to the box tube over the frame.





Ive done alittle testing.



It still cant do what I want. the sliders are way too much in the way. I get hung up on them all the time. I think I need to cut them off and remove some door to relocate the slider up like 10-12in. then I think with better steering and gearing It will be a good trail rig.

Hey Ashman,how much stiffer is you're chassis after all that plating?Oh by the way that is a killer looking skidplate,what thickness is the steel?

ashmanjeepxj said:

the sliders are way too much in the way. I get hung up on them all the time. I think I need to cut them off and remove some door to relocate the slider up like 10-12in.

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WOW! that will be a sight to behold, be sure to post up pictures of the whole process. I'm assuming you're going to say "screw it" for keeping weather out of the doors then...?

ashmanjeepxj, what it looks like to me is that you cut the "caps" for the frame rails a little short and welded them to the upper most part of the factory frame rails along with utilizing the plug holes. Sound correct?

Very nicely done BTW.

Impressive work ashman..did you plate before chopping off the back? If so how well did it stiffen the unibody? How good is the setup now as far as chassis stiffness?

XJguy

xtremewlr said:

ashmanjeepxj, what it looks like to me is that you cut the "caps" for the frame rails a little short and welded them to the upper most part of the factory frame rails along with utilizing the plug holes. Sound correct?

Very nicely done BTW.

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Yes, thats correct I cut about a 1/4in off the top of the sleaving so that it would not go all the way up to the floor board. if you keep it below the floor board you have a better welding surface. I Did 3in long spot welds about every 12-18in on the top of the inside and out sides of the sleaving, and did plug welds on the sides tne bottom. The out side inside and boottome plug welds are staggered.

I sealed the top of the box tube just using paintable caulking. In AZ I wont have a water problem but if you guys see alot of watter or river crossings Id drill drain holes into the bottom of the sleaving.


My skid plate is 1/4in plate with a 1in 120 wall box tube framing on the inside. I used some old shackles with rubber bushings as my T-case bushings. it works good.
There are more pics on the my build up thread: http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=139642

when/If I do the raised rocker pannel project, I think Ill keep the upper half of the doors. I dont have a window in one of the doors and with the bottom half of the door removed The windows wont work.. so no windows in the doors, but Ill keep the door. We have very mild weather around here, but this is not a daily driver...though it has GREAT road manners.

XJguy said:

Impressive work ashman..did you plate before chopping off the back? If so how well did it stiffen the unibody? How good is the setup now as far as chassis stiffness?

XJguy

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I did the chop top, the axle swaps, and the gas tank re-location all in the same down time, so I never drove it with no top and no subframe.

I did drive it afew times with just the subframe and new cross member with no cage, and it felt soild, I could flex it up and the doors would open fine..

When I started building the cage I first built the B-hoop, the hoof hoop then the A-pillars. I didnt notice any flex before or after this. but Then I tack welded the B-hoop X-brace, and did a quick U-turn in the neighborhood and one of the tack welds on the x-brace poped... so I know even with a sub frame, THICK cross memeber, sliders, B-hoop roof-hoop and a-pillars welded the body flexed enough to pop a tack weld..

My cage is not above or outside the body, I weld it Onto the body every chance I can. Its more of a full tube chassis with an internal body, then an Exo-cage...