SeniorXJ

I'm about to pick up a set of Rusty's long arms & crossmember:
http://www.rustysoffroad.com/rustys-...m-upgrade.html I know its a bolt on kit but i'll be welding it regardless which leads me to my question... I have a set of Ruff Stuff stiffeners: https://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com...og/XJRAIL.html that I have yet to install, so would it be best to install the stiffeners first & then mod Rusty's brackets onto the rails, OR should I install the long arms & mod the stiffeners??


Thanks!

Atmos

stiffeners first. stiffeners should always be first. they should be the only thing welded directly to your frame. plates first, then add whatever your want on top

XJwonders

I welded my stiffeners on the jeep first, then trimmed the inner pinch seams slightly so my long arm brackets fit on.

The rule of thumb of getting a xj to wheel should be to plate the frame first.

survailencewagon

so just how hard is it to weld those onto the frame
I know a guy who can weld real well
but if it takes 10 hours to remove everything in the way,
that's on me

what all has to come off?

Atmos

are you installing long arms at the same time? this kit is made for jeeps that are having long arms put on at the same time because it requires you to cut off the LCA mounts at the same time

you have to remove the crossmember and clean off the spots you want to weld to. the biggest time waster is the stupid LCA mounts. huge pain in the ***. or you can cut the frame plates right before the LCA mounts, but you might have trouble bending them to fit properly later. long arm + plates can quickly become a big weekend project. and welding 3/16 to the uniframe isn't exactly easy or fun. mine turned out like garbage

this is often why I recommend the HDO plates. but if you're up for the task ruffstuff definitely makes some good frame plates

SeniorXJ

Now that I think about it, since the Rustys kit is a bolt on, I might as well bolt it up & save any welding for after the stiffeners are on. Then I can go ahead & cut off the LCA brackets & keep the upward bend on the stiffeners. Then ill just unbolt it when im ready to install the stiffeners & mod the Rustys mounts until they fit & work.

Might be twice the work, but at the moment my short arms are done & bolting in this kit wont take any longer then a weekend. Besides I'm NOT wheeling her till the stiffeners, rock sliders, & skids that are all sitting in my shed waiting to go on which is the smartest move I can do so I don't trash another unibody, lol!!

Atmos

yeah can't hurt to just do one thing at a time. lol been there. I'm sick and tired of uniframes at this point

Demonoid369

You'll be happy with the ruff stuff stiffeners, I kinda did the opposite approach and started plating and skidding my jeep before I lock it and lift it lol I'm only at 2" and 31". Just make sure the welder is good(a 220v welder is the only way to go on this) and knows how to weld on to sheet metal.

Here is mine

SeniorXJ

I have a Hobart 140 Handler which is about as much juice as u can suck up while still on 110 & i'm sure its up to the job! Its loaded with .35 flux, so should I use .25 instead when welding the stiffeners?? (im guessing there's less chance of blow thru).

The question still remains, bolt in Rusty,s long arms now then remove em & mod to fit when the stiffeners are in.. OR, wait & do both the stiffeners & long arms all in one shot??

I do have a bit of a time factor as i'm moving to Virginia from NY soon.

Atmos

use the 35 wire for sure. I don't like welding with anything less than 220 gas now but you gotta make due with what you have.
just do what you can. if you don't have time for both right now the long arms will certainly survive on their own without the stiffeners. just dont go dragging the frame over any rocks until you have time for the plates

Demonoid369

X2 don't do anything that'll dent your uniframe more than it is, Makes welding the stiffeners WAY WAY more difficult and annoying. I played it a bit smart and got em welded before I did anything serious. Others I've seen didnt and it makes the job a lot harder

SeniorXJ

This is EXACTLY how I planned this build. First I bought an XJ from S.Carolina, (no road salt & snow), as it was completely rust free, & the motor was well taken care of. It was also a passenger vehicle meaning it had never been offroaded & the unibody was laser straight.

So I stripped it down to just the unibody, (shoulda done the stiffeners then), & installed all the parts from my first build, driveline, suspention, axles, etc; I purposely left out the stiffeners, rock rails, & skids so that I wasn't tempted to wheel it. Once I move to VA, I will finish all the armor & a-wheelin I will go!!

...Thanks for all the replies as its now time to go order them long arms!!!

RubberSideUp

Get one of these. Makes it a lot easier.

SeniorXJ

OMFG, LMFAO!!! Awesome vid & a good find!

I wonder if they make em to fit jeeps...?

stickandrudder

hey buddy, I know this is an old thread, but did you end up getting all this done? I’m going to have a shop weld on the ruffstuff stiffeners next week and I just got those Rusty long arms. I’ve been trying to figure out the order of installation too. I called Rusty’s and they told me to notch my stiffeners which seems to be kinda weird. Cutting the stiffeners seems like it would create a weak point in the frame.