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tying stiffeners together

NCCherokee

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Anderson, SC
I've got TNT center stiffeners that I installed about 10 years ago when they were the only thing on the market.

I am welding in Ares Fab front frame stiffeners this week, and starting to think about wrapping this job up, and how to tie the front stiffeners into the middle stiffeners.

Both are 3/16" thick, but there is about an inch gap where they meet, and I'm wondering if this "hinge" point is going to be a failure point down the road. The TNT end right at the old LCA mounts, the Ares cover up the LCA mounts, but with a little gap.

I'm planning to fishplate them in some way on the side and bottom, as the Ares plates wrap around the bottom as well. However, should I fill in the 1" gap with a small piece of steel and butt weld the two stiffeners together, and also to the frame, or just plate over it and call it good?

I have looked at numerous builds and write ups over the past two weeks, and have not specifically seen where someone addressed tying the stiffeners together, especially from two different manufacturers.
 
I would probably grind/trim the front frame stiffeners to give me a nice uniform gap and then use a small piece between the two stiffeners to fill it. I would then still do a fish plate connecting the two. I don't think having that gap under the fish plate would be an issue, but its a place for water/dirt to collect and start rusting.
 
I would probably grind/trim the front frame stiffeners to give me a nice uniform gap and then use a small piece between the two stiffeners to fill it. I would then still do a fish plate connecting the two. I don't think having that gap under the fish plate would be an issue, but its a place for water/dirt to collect and start rusting.

This.

4Eypi.jpg
 
yep, that looks good. I used ruff stuff, from the front bumper to the front of the rear leaf spring mount. worked out pretty good. it's had to match up seams with other brands. but I agree with the above statement
 
I would probably grind/trim the front frame stiffeners to give me a nice uniform gap and then use a small piece between the two stiffeners to fill it. I would then still do a fish plate connecting the two. I don't think having that gap under the fish plate would be an issue, but its a place for water/dirt to collect and start rusting.

I basically did this. filled in the slots with some 3/16" scrap I had lying around, ground the welds flat. I had some 1/4" scrap that was the perfect width I cut to length, had some holes cut in it already, and used that as a fishplate. Did not make it all pretty like the picture above, but I don't think it needs it, given the xj frame underneath, I think it'll hold just fine.
 
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