Build Thread 85 CJ-7 frame rebuild

[Manic Mechanic]

ok so after a hard weekend of wheeling and pulling people out of ditch's along the trail my rusty and trusty frame is need of some serious repair. I knew ahead of time that the rear frame was/is rusty and crusty but ive been to busy having fun to take the jeep off the road to fix it. any way now that i have really f-ed it up this weekend i am now forced to fix it (which i should have done a long time ago).

I know i can buy new frame repair pieces for about 100 a side but thats not who i am. i prefer to build and fabricate things on my jeep so im making a trip to the store for some 1/8th inch plate steel and busting out the plasma cutter. I will post some pics as soon as i can and document the build process so stay tuned.

 

[Manic Mechanic]

here are the pics of the swiss cheese errrrr, i mean frame.













stay tuned for the repair and or modifications

 

[tarry99]

Need repair? Naaaa............Well that looks like Junk.............go forward until you find some clean stable frame material and build from there...

 

[gr8dain]

Holy . Is there any "frame" left?

 

[Posi]

im making a trip to the store for some 1/8th inch plate steel

I would recommend 3/16" plate on the outside of the frame and 1/8" on the inside to match whatever good steel is there.

I just did a tj frame that was worse then what you posted.
FYI, if you think CJ frames rot, let me tell you, the 97-04 tj frame are much much worse. They don't have any drain holes! However, they do have a hole in the frame behind the front tire to collect all the road salt, water, and debris. Horrible planning on the tj frames they do not work on the east coast.

I recently crawled under a jk and they designed the drain holes back into the frames like the CJ's have.

 

[PistolDave]

Wow, I don't know if its pessimism, or living in West Texas where that kind of rust is non-existant, but if I had a frame in that bad of shape, I would build a new one from scratch before I would try and repair that. That frame is 45% iron oxide and 55% air!!! We have cars around here that have sat in a field since the 1940's that are not that rusty, that is crazy.

 

[Posi]

Yup, different ball game in the Northeast.
Typically it's only the back half.
tj's it's the complete frame.

 

[Belizean]

Damb I wouldn't even know where to start with that. That really is scary!

 

[Alec79CJ]

Damn!

I'd just get a new, old one in great shape. Most can be found for less than a thousand.

 

[Manic Mechanic]

tarry99 - gr8dain - yes there is frame there it looks worse than it really is part of the problem is the previous owner (s) did a cheap roll on bed liner on both the tub and frame but did not clean or treat the rust just covered it up. so ya its bad in the rear but the frame it self is really good from the rear axle forward.

Posi - i do have some 3/16 plate steel laying around as well. also in the repair / modification process i plan to build a custom drain into each frame rail and install a diff cover bung so that i can drain and treat the frame after every wheeling trip/submersion in water.

PistolDave - welcome to the northeast better known as the rust belt but i have been restoring muscle cars and building hot rods since i was 16 and own my own shop this nothing ive done cars that i can service the transmission and clean the rear seats without even getting in or under the car the rust was so bad.

Belizean - the only scary part is the chance of lock jaw from Tetanus lucky for me since i do this for a living i stay up to date on my tetanus shots.

Alec79CJ - trouble is im a cheap bastard i wont even spend the money to buy the frame repair patches id rather make them myself although i did look at a few local good clean used frames most were between 6-8 hundred but i can better use that money to upgrade my rear axle or buy a new winch or bumpers or new tires etc etc. plus when im done with it, it will be better than new

here's a link to the last CJ7 i restored and a few pics of that frame when i was done
Bootyrider by Tommy DeGrange | Photobucket

 

[gr8dain]

I am glad you have the skill and experience to do this job. You are better skilled than me by leaps and bounds. Can't wait to see the finished product.

 

[Belizean]

Hey don't worry about what I or others think. Like gr8dain said, I wish I had your skills also. Also I just got my tetanus booster last year so rust would no scare me either unless it was on my jeep. Best of luck you. Look forward to what you show us in pictures

 

[gert]

wow dude thats sweet, Im so jealous on that garage

 

[jzak]

here are the pics of the swiss cheese errrrr, i mean frame.













stay tuned for the repair and or modifications

Just get yourself some duct tape, you'll be good as new! So what is it about the rear end frame that always seems to get the worst of the rust? I've seen multiple rusted out CJ frames, and it's always worse there. Are the rear tires just throwing up salt from the road?

 

[Manic Mechanic]

Just get yourself some duct tape, you'll be good as new! So what is it about the rear end frame that always seems to get the worst of the rust? I've seen multiple rusted out CJ frames, and it's always worse there. Are the rear tires just throwing up salt from the road?

water dirt and deb-re get trapped in the rear frame and cant get out there is so-pose to be a drain hole but it usually gets clogged i plan to add a very large drain hole for removing dirt water and for treating the frame after wheeling trips where the frame is submerged or in excessive mud. to be sure that the hole does not weaken the frame im going to reinforce it with a plug and bung for a diff cover example in link below.

https://www.4wd.com/p/blue-torch-fa...=BTFBTF11042&gclid=CPvfrPDZ59MCFcWFswod0N8HsA

 

[Manic Mechanic]

ok so here we go with some more pics and progress

some more carnage pics before we begin








using a California rust free jeep being built as a template



ignore the dryer vent tube and tape thats for exhaust venting

i made some templates using a cheerio's box (see there not just for your health)




plate steel cut and bent using high heat (torch) and then checked with yet another cheerio's template




next the new piece is checked against the frame to make sure it matches the contour then set aside to await later use.




stay tuned for more

 

[Manic Mechanic]

while you wait for future updates here are a few pics of some other projects floating around the garage fighting for money time and attention.

 

[Belizean]

I vote for the 74 & 85 get the love & money

 

[Manic Mechanic]

I vote for the 74 & 85 get the love & money

not a chevy fan I see. its all good it aint mine anyway its just taking up space and time but it does bring some money in.

 

[Belizean]

not a chevy fan I see. its all good it aint mine anyway its just taking up space and time but it does bring some money in.

I like their trucks. I feel they lost their way with cars a few decades back except with maybe 1 or 2 models here or there