Jeep Frame racked

Help:
I have 1966 CJ5 with a V6 Dana20 Xfer case and a Centered Dana44,
I have the Tub removed My problem is that the drive shafts are not centered and i believe the frame is racked,
Is this possible?

 

Easy enough to check, measure diagonal corners of the frame.

Be sure to level all four corners first.

You can also check cross members with a carpenters square, they should be 90* to the side rails.

 

Also remember that the 66CJ V6 has the engine off-set 1-3/4" to the right.

 

You can use a plumb bob on a level floor to measure a frame in situ. Mark the locations on the floor, then measure between the marks.

 

Your drive shafts won’t be perfectly in line with the transfer case outputs. Being offset like that is actually how the u-joints lubricate. If they were in line the u-joint bearings would flatten out and would wear groves in the bearing caps.
By forcing movement from them it prevents the u-joint problems I mentioned and keeps the grease distributed.

And check your frame by doing this^.

 

canuk,
I actually had the same question regarding drive line angles... Thanks for the post.

I think mine might be off as well... I have only about 1/4" clearance between the driver's side valve cover and the firewall. With the drive shafts not being straight I was thinking everything may be catawampus.

 

Well it looks like my frame is racked and twisted, lots of cracks and repairs.
I used a square and it is off by quite a bit,thanks Mike.
Looks like i am looking for a new frame, any body in Phoenix have a spare?
Can you repair these?
Thanks again
Terry

 

You can fix anything. The question is, is it worth the time and effort. I say not. You're better off getting another frame, be it by itself or with another JEEP attached that you could part out.

 

Ok, I’m not a welder but a very good friend of mine is and this is the plan of attack we’ve formulated when we repair the crack in my frame before we box the frame in.
First, grind out the crack over its full length leaving a bevel behind for filler wire making sure to clean the metal all around the crack.
Fill the crack with weld then grind the weld smooth. After that we are going to “fish plate” it with some plate steel cut in a diamond shape just big enough that the points cover the welded crack but extend no further.
Of course we are going to box the frame in after that so it will eliminate the flex that caused the crack in the first place but I still feel this is a pretty solid way to repair a cracked frame.
How many cracks are we talking about in your frame?

 

Certainly here in the East there are a lot more Jeep frames than there are Jeep bodies. If you want a new frame, look around and you should be able to find one. An M38A1 frame is already boxed, should you find one.

The problem with selective boxing is that you create a stress riser adjacent to the boxed section. The frame will then crack next to the boxed section. Before you go wild adding extra metal, I suggest you do some research about what other people have done to fix similar problems.

 

Check the classifieds, I think one just came up.

http://www.earlycj5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=79661

 

Correct. If you’re going to box a frame it must be boxed from front to back in one continuous piece, if possible. If not, any place there is a seam must be fish plated as I described.
This is the same reason simply welding a crack isn’t sufficient. The weld filler wire is a harder metal than the frame so when the frame flexes it will simply crack again next to the weld because the frame flexes and the weld won't.

 

Since these old frames are very low carbon steel, if you have to weld a crack you can take a torch and heat the area around the weld to a dull red and hold it that way for about 30 seconds and then add and remove heat until it comes back to normal color and let it cool slowly, this will anneal the welded area and the weld will now be as soft as the back ground material. I annealed the whole front of my frame when I welded my saginaw set up to it.

If you tig a frame on these old jeeps and your slow like me the darn frame will be annealed by the time your done welding.

 

Fantastic information. Thanks.

 

http://www.hdts.vcn.com/JEEP/JEEP FRAME DATA.pdf

Warning, it's a big file, but it will tell you the specs

 

Here is what i am concerened with,





This pic is the verticle angle.






This is dana 20 and a centered dana 44, is this what it should look like?
Thanks for the information.
Best regards
Terry

 

Yep thats about as straight as the were from the factory. There not gonna be perfectly straight in line

 

Yeah, I would measure it to see how square it is and how much twist there is. I'd take the wheels off and support the frame on four jack stands. Then I could measure up from the floor and transfer the locations of the corners to the floor with a plumb bob.

The compound angle on the driveshaft is not a problem as long as the angles are not excessive. CJ-5 rear driveshafts are really short anyway, and the Dana 20 doesn't help. You might consider a high-angle driveshaft for the rear axle. Or shim the transfer case down so that the pinion angle matches the transfer case.

 

The engine is shift to the driver's side 1-2 inches factory to allow room for the front driveshaft. I see nothing wrong with that frame.