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Yea they didn't come with any instructions and they don't have them online either, so any prep hints, welding etc... Would be great...I read someone's installation and they caught the carpet on fire.
They Probably were not welding properly then if the carpet caught fire, I have them on mine and i dit not need to pull carpet.
Depending on what year yours is, late models you have to remember to mark the hole where your E-brake bracket goes, or just weld it on like I did. If you have a factory Tcase skid, mark where the hole is so you can notch it or drill it.
Best thing is just prep the metal as best as you can.
They Probably were not welding properly then if the carpet caught fire, I have them on mine and i dit not need to pull carpet.
you probably weren't burning yours in hot enough then
always pull back my carpet. it's really easy to catch that stuff on fire
step 1: cut off your lower control arm mounts
step 2: remove cross member
step 3: clean frame rail
step 4: use a floor jack to push the frame plate very snuggly up against the rail
step 5: make sure the plates make contact with the frame rail (keep in mind, that lip on the top of them will probably not touch your floor. if you want, you can cut this lip off entirely as you will most likely not use it)
step 6: make sure all the holes have clean metal underneath and they're ready to burn
step 7: gets some clamps and add some pressure to keep those plates on tight while you weld (floor jack is still in place underneath)
step 8: point your mig gun at the 3/16 and start a puddle. try not to point your gun directly at the frame for more than 1 Mississippi because you will blow right through it. drag your puddle into the frame rail.
DO NOT put any 3ft long beads on your frame plates. use stitch welds about 3-6" long. do not fully weld these plates to your frame
that should be the gist of it. please check out this link for instructions on how to properly weld to a uniframe
They're designed to be ran with long arms. You're supposed to cut off the LCA brackets. But you can simply chop the stiffeners as you please to fit around the brackets, save the part you cut off and weld it on later if/when you go long arm
And if it helps, here is where you have to either remove the LCA mounts, or trim the stiffener around the LCA mounts.
Also, what I did was bore the stock cross member nuts/holes to about a 1.5" hole in the unibody and then welded 1/2" grade 8 flanged nuts to the inside of the stiffeners. This not only is stronger but brand new then, and helps prevent stripped or frozen cross member bolts in the future. Then used button head bolts. I actually did 4 down each side, the stock needed 2 and then 1 each on either side further out, in case I ever needed them for future belly skid attachments.
Well I see it says cut the lip off if you like. I would leave it no matter. It adds significant strength.
And if you ever cage it, you can use this lip for cage floor plate reinforcement and sandwich the floor to the lip.
mine fit no where near as snug as yours did. looks nice that way. I would've rather had more space at the top of the frame rail to weld to. mine is just flapping in the wind touching nothing. and with the way my sliders tie in I wouldn't have worried a bit if I did cut it off.
I'm going to bump this thread instead of starting a new one to pose a couple questions.
My next big project is frame stiffeners and I'd like to have a good game plan before diving in. This will be my first welding project on the Jeep so some clarification/reinforcement is needed.
A few specific questions regarding install:
1) What products are safe to clean the rails with prior to welding?
I plan to remove the undercoating with a wire wheel/flap disc then sand down to bare metal where it will be welded. I know not to use brake kleen to wipe it down with but what is acceptable? Acetone? Mineral spirits?
2) Weld-through primer. Yay or nay?
I did a bunch of reading and video watching on this topic today. I learned that cheap weld-through primer is garbage. Even the 3M stuff is no good. Some of the more expensive stuff caught my eye though. U-POL 0768 Copper runs about $35 a can (ouch) but does exactly what it should. Doesn't negatively effect the weld and doesn't burn around the puddle. It is supposed to melt around and mix with the puddle to give it anti-corrosion properties.
My thoughts were to prime the entire unibody rail and inside the stiffener with regular self-etching primer then sand down where I'll be welding and cover those areas with the weld-through stuff. Thoughts? Recommendations? Overkill?
3) Any specific instructions on where/how to weld?
I understand to fill in all rosette welds and to stitch weld the openings at the top and along the bottom. My question is more towards the vertical openings and around the ends. Is this a "less is more" situation or is more weld better? Is there anything I shouldn't be doing to avoid creating any high stress points?
09-12-2014, 08:03 PM
