I think some of you guys are overreacting to this. Sure, the welds ain't pretty, and I would definitely get those welds checked out by someone who knows the craft. Personally, I'd grind them down and make sure they were solid and re-weld where necessary. The fact is, it's common for this area to crack, and it IS fixable. If it's welded and then plated, it certainly CAN be stronger than factory. That is, of course, assuming it was done right. What do you guys think you're doing when you weld frame stiffeners in?

Get it checked out, but don't consider it an end-game to your Cherokee.

 

Lmao.

 

Frame stiffeners are not trying to repair a cracked unibody.

 

You can't just let a thread end without trying to offer a rebuttal to every post that is contrary to your thinking. Move on, man. This isn't yahoo answers. No one is voting on the best answer.

 

I agree, they are installed in an attempt to prevent unibody cracking and tweaking. And that's exactly what they do. If the unibody is cracked, it can likely be fixed...that's the beauty of these things called welders. Most anything can be fixed if you have the willpower, money, tools, and time to do it.

 

I respectfully disagree. In the collision repair shop I've worked in when we do framework we fix the bent/rusted out/tweaked frame rail with basically a patch, after we've bent the rails back to within factory spec. of course. As long as it's done right and welded up good it should be just fine. Have you ever seen how thin our unibody frame rails are? It's basically two pieces of 1/8 inch sheet metal bent together to form a rail. Any patch or frame stiffeners you put in are going to be a lot stronger than the rest of the "frame". Just my opinion. If all the patchwork and welding is done right I wouldn't hesitate to drive the Jeep until the engine blows, then a rebuild and keep on chugging. No need to waste a good Cherokee body by telling him to send her to the scrapyard.

 

Sure, patches work well in certain applications when done properly. Since you worked in a body shop, you know the "frame rails" on a unibody vehicle mainly serve as an attachment point for subcomponents. The true strength is actually in the whole body structure itself.
Those "frame rails" are tissue thin when compared to a true body-on-frame vehicle.

Let's keep in mind exactly where those cracks are in his Jeep. That particular area is subject to a lot of physical forces, in all dimensions, when the Jeep is being driven. Think about the leverage the wheels, tires, and front end components have on that area.

Those forces are responsible for the cracking there. I would imagine that very few Jeeps crack there when they are driven in a reasonable manner with the stock type tires and wheels, as AMC engineers designed it to do.

Maybe if someone is going oversize/lifted, it would be a good idea to head off the possibility of cracking as much as possible by proactively installing one of those strengthening plates.

Modifying something usually means having to modify something else.

 

Definitely make sure the welds are looked at/tested by someone who knows what their doing maybe have them weld the rest of it up. Stick welding tends to look ugly and have some slag so the welds may be ok or they could be terrible. Unless the guy is planning on jumping this thing then that brace isn't going anywhere with solid welds.

 

As thin as automotive sheet metal is, I've found that a wire welder works much better than a stick welder.

Even so, it's still hard not to burn through. You've got to turn it up enough to penetrate the metal and get it hot enough for the welding metal to flow, not just sit on the surface.

 

Man I would KILL for an XJ that solid!!!

Our uniframes are 16 gauge sheet metal, which is less than 1/16". Where extra strength is required, such as transmission crossmember mounting surface, the steel is layered.

But please resume the dick measuring gentlemen! This is excellent and I'm sure very relevant to a massive steel reinforcement plate over a steering box stress fracture!

 

Lol no dick measuring just didn't want the guy to think that his jeep's body was ruined. I admit I wasn't thinking clearly when I was describing how thin the metal was.

 

Let's talk about something everyone agrees upon.

The absolute best oil, weight, filter, and change interval for our Jeeps.

 

I'll get started. Pennzoil 20w50, FRAM filter, change every 8k.

 

Uhhhh look Beavis, he said "dick measuring"!

Don't ask me why that made me think of Beavis and Butt-Head! I guess I need help!!

 

Thanks for all of the input guys. I thinking i am going to stick it out and have the welds checked out by a guy i know who has a fabrication shop. There are no signs that the frame is bent or anything, none of the doors or fenders are off at all. Hopefully just a little cleaning up of the welding and maybe some additional welding will make it good enough to last for a long time! It is my first XJ and has been a sketchy experience so far! Had issues with sensors as soon as i bought it, ac messed up and still have a few unknown noises i am trying to figure out! I am hoping to find a decent mig welder on Craigslist and then start fabricating my own roof rack and maybe pumpers in the future.