2X4 frame for my CJ2A

Tacked up the body mounts. They are cut out of the same tube as the frame.

 

Looks good, well done fb

 

Cut out the rear bed today. Got so mad I almost threw the whole body away. There was really nothing left when I put it back together and what was left is was super rusty, dented, bent, holey, and plain ugly. My own work put it back together, but its awful. I had to walk away and do my most favorite thing in the world, sanding drywall on a ceiling. If you have ever done this you know I am lying.

tailgate is gonna get welded shut.

 

Thank you for your good advice. Obviously I am confused all the time, just look at this thread.

I totally am doing the pedal swap. I actually put in a 1"body lift with the floor pedals. Gotta elongate the holes. wasn't a problem with my raggedy body. I thought about raising the mounts 1" but decided against it because I thought that I might need to box the inside of the mount where it protruded above the top rail. Now certainly even without that boxing, the mount would be strong enough, but that was my thinking anyway. What I have used for my 1" lift before was a piece of 1x2 rectangular tube and pieces of conveyor belt to stop squeaks. and I thought I could just use that again. I will get a much better idea when i mock up the engine mounts with the block in there. Its all just tacked.

 

thank you. I welded the tailgate on. I can only do so much with the stuff I have. UGLY! Whatever.

Thank you. this is my feeling as well. All tacked up. Pulling off the springs and diff assemblies to tack on the perches and mounts tonight/tomorrow.

 

This might be original to the 47 CJ2A, might not. Nothing else is besides some body parts.

 

Thanks for the link. I see that you boxed the back of the mount. If I were to protrude my mounts beyond the top rail of the frame I would box the back of it where it rose above too. I am really thinking about how far up I can raise the engine and the transmission/transfer case into the frame without giant body lifts. The transmission and transfer case are held in with the stock mount. I guess I am only limited by the hood height and air cleaner.

 

Unless something dramatic happens, I will have a tacked up rolling chassis today.


My old frame is heavy. i think I might have actually pulled a muscle in my back. getting soft in my old age I am going to measure the distance apart from the spring ends where my old mounts were and tack them in place here is a bit. Should approximate the weight of the engine/transmission/transfer case to get the right angle on the shackles.

 

Well, I am part of the way. Work got in the way of tacking up the rear, but there is still time.


I may or may not need a block up front or might have to cut and re adjust my differential spring mounts to get correct caster. Thats for another day.

 

Its a roller now. I know the shackle angle is all wrong up front. No engine or transmission. It will change.


There is problem though. The PO was an idiot who didn't make the body right. This side is about 1/2 shorter than the other and the wheel well isn't really round either. Wait, I am the PO?! Cuss that derned PO anyway!!!


I measured the length between the old frames shackle and spring mounts and welded them right in. Shackle angle is all wrong. There isn't a lot of weight in the back either. Cant go further back on the shackle, so i will cut the tacks for the spring mount and slide it back an inch or two. That should solve my angle issue too. The wheel well needs to be cut anyway to accept the bigger tires, so thats not an issue. I just need to get it somewhere near the center of the wheel well.

 

You're at the part in frame-up builds that I dread. One mistake there and you'll feel it, or regret it at minimum.

What are your opinions on a shackle reversal up front?

 

Since this Jeep sees almost 100% on road driving, I don't see a shackle reversal in my best interest. If it was even 25% off road then I would consider it.

I think i went too far on the shackle angle this time. The other side has the axle centered in the wheel well though. This side has my bad body work in it so thats why it looks too far back.

I will either cut off the tacks on the spring mount or try and push back the shackle end a bit. That would require me to outboard the shackle mount a bit beyond the rear frame crossmember/bumper/body mount. I would probably just cut off the excess mount and flush it up with the frame.

My last frame mess didn't really have all the mounts in all the same places, the frame was twisted and who knows what else i did wrong. It still drove fine up to and including 60 mph.

Since this is now a rolling chassis, I put away all my tools, cleaned up my mess and now I look at it and think before I go any further. Like Ryan said,"One mistake there and you'll feel it, or regret it at minimum". At least this time all the mounts are in the same places with the same distances between and square to each other.

 

I think I would allow the rear axle to fall to full droop.
Then set the tires up in the wheelhouse just foreward of center.
You need to figure the springs change of length under load to know exactly how far foreward of center to set the tire in the wheelhouse.
Then tack the shackle and the spring pivot brackets so that the shackles are vertical at full droop.
That way the shackles will not reverse direction after the springs are compressed.
The shackle should be near vertical when weight of jeep is on the springs.
Springs resting at maximum arch yields maximum belly clearance.
Got that ?

 

My "go-to" method has always been to remove all but the main leaves in the spring packs, clamp the main leaf flat to a board, bolt them in the mounts and set the shackles to the angle I'd want them at their most extended position (at or just past 45*). Unless you have a crazy-arched lift spring that will never see flat? If that is the case, let the main leaf rest on the bump stop (or wherever its max up-travel will be) for your measurement.

More food for thought, just in case the spring-eye to center-hole is not identical between left spring and right spring, get a left and right measurement from the axle tube to a common point up front before making your mounts permenant. Not probable, but it's easier to adjust that now than chase a demon later.