it is really only an issue for xj if you have big tires, lots of cargo weight, AND really take the xj on hard core offroading trails. stock cherokee is fine. only really a problem when you add lots of weight and articulation
Awsome job dude. I just did a full front to rear unibody frame out as well bought the IRO full kit even bought the front and rear pillar tie ins from T&M fab cause IRO did not offer them so its fully boxed out now. One thing I did different but similar was I used u-pol copper weld thru primer covered the sanded down unibody and underside of the frame kits to protect them I would have possibly used the stainless steel stuff if I'd have known about it but I think the same effect was achieved although I know that copper can't rust at all so I'm still happy, then I used a 500° black engine paint for the outside after the finished job I haven't driven almost at all as I want to keep it clean enough to raptor line over that cause undercoat spray does not dry properly it just stays rather soft and a bit porous which would keep moister and allow possible rust. I would never want to drive a stock unibody XJ again after this was finished as it is beyound amazing also an Iron man 4x4 steering box brace will do WONDERS for you after this much of a project. Next up is hydro assist😜
@@Whiteandsonsgarage I mean the stiffeners, I have a 97 and its just now starting to rust bc I stopped worrying about it, its worse out. I'm the only one locally that have no rust on their Cherokee
picvid entertainment not necessarily. They are a bit lighter but wheel base is the same. The 2 door are more rare and as such if I found a nice one I’d be more inclined to fix it up nice rather than beat it on the rocks.
WTH ever happened to the rest of the diesel swap?? Been waiting and waiting... aaaaaaaaand nothing. Bunch of trail riding videos, emergency lights and a CB antenna. The real how-to content has fallen to zero on this channel. Not mad and not trying to bash anyone- just disappointed. This was, by far, my favorite UA-cam channel and now I rarely watch it at all. Frame stiffeners have been done plenty but diesel swaps in a XJ have not.
We will be getting back to the diesel swap videos, I've been too busy driving it around to finish editing the videos :-) SO it's not a dead project, like so many of the ones you find on forums, it's complete running and driving I have about 10,000 miles on it now and I'd do it all over again too. Thanks for hanging in there
@@DRTJon Hi John I was wondering since you have 10,000k on the TDI swap what kind of MPG average or minimum you are achieving since I'm highly interested in this or a similar diesel swap?
@@SarahSmith-hd8kd I've actually been through a few different stages of modifications with it since starting out, my current setup of 165 HP/300+ TQ having about 70% of the total mileage on it though, I've logged every mile and fueling, and 28.6 MPG is my standing average. The lowest I have ever gotten was 25.5 which was towing a utility trailer weighing about 2000 lbs total. The best I have gotten was 37.8 when the engine was closest to stock, and I was lightly loaded with gear on an all highway trip. If you follow me on Instagram @BleepinJeepJon you can keep closer tabs on the day to day :-)
OK, so let's back up and start from the beginning... WHY would you want to do, or need to do this? What's the purpose (answer other than "to stiffen the frame" please)
Flexing the XJ unibody frame repeatedly under load will eventually wear it out, crack it, break it, etc. This mod adds longevity to your build. Really makes a nice foundation for bumpers, recovery points, sliders, and all that follow...also settles down the ride & steering.
@@alankluttz9546 rock crawling, going through big ditches and just general off roading. All of that puts a lot of stress on your frame, especially when you add bigger, heavier wheels and tires and axles, etc. The factory unibody frame was not design to handle all that
@@alankluttz9546 no problem! The F-150 has a really solid frame and if you're not doing any modifications or hard off roading, it's perfectly fine. Part of the problem with the old Cherokees is that they technically don't have a frame like most SUVs and trucks. They call it a "unibody" because the frame is really just some more sheet metal stamped and welded to the body versus a thick steel rectangular tube like your truck or even Jeep Wrangler TJs have.
Ozzy Tapanes 3/16” is what most if not all the kits out there use. The bend in it is really what gives it the added strength. This particular stiffener id say is kinda mid way between nothing and all out stiffener where it wraps all Sides of the rail and you have to weld to the floor pan. It is beefing up the factory thin sheet metal inherently stiffening it, as well as providing a ton of protecting from slamming your frame rail down on rocks and obstacles
all of those welds sounded and looked pretty cold . almost like you sere scared to death of putting the heat to it , I would recommend if your a hobby homeboy welder you let FRAME work to the big dogs . that was a great kit botched up by shotty welding in my book a true false sense of security . thats my OPINION . and i'm stickin to it
I'm a new owner of an old XJ. This is great information. I wasn't aware of this issue with XJ's but at last now I know there is an option.
it is really only an issue for xj if you have big tires, lots of cargo weight, AND really take the xj on hard core offroading trails.
stock cherokee is fine. only really a problem when you add lots of weight and articulation
.035 wire is pretty big for the thin metal frame. If you use .024 it’s a lot easier
Awsome job dude. I just did a full front to rear unibody frame out as well bought the IRO full kit even bought the front and rear pillar tie ins from T&M fab cause IRO did not offer them so its fully boxed out now. One thing I did different but similar was I used u-pol copper weld thru primer covered the sanded down unibody and underside of the frame kits to protect them I would have possibly used the stainless steel stuff if I'd have known about it but I think the same effect was achieved although I know that copper can't rust at all so I'm still happy, then I used a 500° black engine paint for the outside after the finished job I haven't driven almost at all as I want to keep it clean enough to raptor line over that cause undercoat spray does not dry properly it just stays rather soft and a bit porous which would keep moister and allow possible rust. I would never want to drive a stock unibody XJ again after this was finished as it is beyound amazing also an Iron man 4x4 steering box brace will do WONDERS for you after this much of a project. Next up is hydro assist😜
Nice job Jon! Good to see another of your videos!
Great job! Don’t think our rock sliders would fit anymore 🤣 ❤️🐞
It’s a Bug’s Life you might have to mod your sliders.
I have the JCR Crusader sliders now and there was enough adjustment in the tie in brackets to make up for the added 3/16”
Turn up settings for tacking and whack it when its still hot...great video man!
Great job! I also hate how not rusty your XJ is.
I swear these are rust magnets, have to be. You did do better rust prevention than most people who do this
M Blake Jr in Australia ever single one is pretty much rust free
@@Whiteandsonsgarage I mean the stiffeners, I have a 97 and its just now starting to rust bc I stopped worrying about it, its worse out. I'm the only one locally that have no rust on their Cherokee
I'm glad to see more of the short boys build
David Twa hey now, I’m 5’10! Hardly what you’d call tall but not exactly short either 😂
Auto correct I meant to type bus
Great instructional video plus important wrap up and tips!
Nice job John.JCR has some very nice stuff....
Grear job. Anymore content on the tdi swap?.
There will be several more videos on the swap
Jam Tool AND weld on your jeep. Were we separated at birth? Keep rockin bro
Would you folks have any recommendations on who could do this for me? Im in central Oregon.
How much to do a job like this? Full set
Great video.Do you guys think a 2 door is better than a 4 door for rock crawling
picvid entertainment not necessarily. They are a bit lighter but wheel base is the same. The 2 door are more rare and as such if I found a nice one I’d be more inclined to fix it up nice rather than beat it on the rocks.
with welding something like this, less is more. it doesnt need to be fully 100% welded, especially not in one shot
Are you gonna stiff the rear?
cheep jp not any time soon, unless I go with a coil spring setup
Why isn’t this showing up in the main list of videos?
its not out yet... you are special!
WTH ever happened to the rest of the diesel swap?? Been waiting and waiting... aaaaaaaaand nothing. Bunch of trail riding videos, emergency lights and a CB antenna. The real how-to content has fallen to zero on this channel. Not mad and not trying to bash anyone- just disappointed. This was, by far, my favorite UA-cam channel and now I rarely watch it at all. Frame stiffeners have been done plenty but diesel swaps in a XJ have not.
We will be getting back to the diesel swap videos, I've been too busy driving it around to finish editing the videos :-) SO it's not a dead project, like so many of the ones you find on forums, it's complete running and driving I have about 10,000 miles on it now and I'd do it all over again too. Thanks for hanging in there
@@DRTJon
Hi John I was wondering since you have 10,000k on the TDI swap what kind of MPG average or minimum you are achieving since I'm highly interested in this or a similar diesel swap?
@@SarahSmith-hd8kd I've actually been through a few different stages of modifications with it since starting out, my current setup of 165 HP/300+ TQ having about 70% of the total mileage on it though, I've logged every mile and fueling, and 28.6 MPG is my standing average. The lowest I have ever gotten was 25.5 which was towing a utility trailer weighing about 2000 lbs total. The best I have gotten was 37.8 when the engine was closest to stock, and I was lightly loaded with gear on an all highway trip. If you follow me on Instagram @BleepinJeepJon you can keep closer tabs on the day to day :-)
Maybe the paint you used was weldable but the etching primmer? doubt it..
Jud -AsinSmith- Stansell the etch was not a primer, just an acid to remove some surface rust
@@DRTJon Why not just use the weld thru primer prior to welding?
What is the stainless steel paint you're using?
Probably steel it
Justin Giannola Seymour Stainless Steel off Amazon. Same thing as Steel-IT
“Stainless steel paint”? Is that really a thing?
Jeff Hutton no I made it up just to confuse people 🤦🏽♂️
Jon BleepinJeep well that’s a sufficiently wise-ass response from a UA-camr. Good work.
OK, so let's back up and start from the beginning... WHY would you want to do, or need to do this? What's the purpose (answer other than "to stiffen the frame" please)
Flexing the XJ unibody frame repeatedly under load will eventually wear it out, crack it, break it, etc. This mod adds longevity to your build. Really makes a nice foundation for bumpers, recovery points, sliders, and all that follow...also settles down the ride & steering.
@@RB-rl7kv What do you do that you need the extra rigidity on the frame?
@@alankluttz9546 rock crawling, going through big ditches and just general off roading. All of that puts a lot of stress on your frame, especially when you add bigger, heavier wheels and tires and axles, etc. The factory unibody frame was not design to handle all that
@@JoeGarofaloII Thanks Joe. I've never done that. I have a 4WD F150 Super but never had it off road like that, and never made any mods to it.
@@alankluttz9546 no problem! The F-150 has a really solid frame and if you're not doing any modifications or hard off roading, it's perfectly fine. Part of the problem with the old Cherokees is that they technically don't have a frame like most SUVs and trucks. They call it a "unibody" because the frame is really just some more sheet metal stamped and welded to the body versus a thick steel rectangular tube like your truck or even Jeep Wrangler TJs have.
Stay STICKY amigo... also stay stiffy👌
If only they made Jeeps that are body on frame..
Just drop some viagra 🔷 inside the chassis that should stiffen things up 👍
Metaldogrides Hahahaha would definitely help
dont need metal to stay stiff ....
Seems kinda thin metal..? For stiffening? No...?.
Ozzy Tapanes 3/16” is what most if not all the kits out there use. The bend in it is really what gives it the added strength. This particular stiffener id say is kinda mid way between nothing and all out stiffener where it wraps all
Sides of the rail and you have to weld to the floor pan. It is beefing up the factory thin sheet metal inherently stiffening it, as well as providing a ton of protecting from slamming your frame rail down on rocks and obstacles
Jon BleepinJeep yep, I can see it adding protection..
all of those welds sounded and looked pretty cold . almost like you sere scared to death of putting the heat to it , I would recommend if your a hobby homeboy welder you let FRAME work to the big dogs . that was a great kit botched up by shotty welding in my book a true false sense of security . thats my OPINION . and i'm stickin to it
If only they made Jeeps that are body on frame..