On Sun, 28 Feb 2010 18:32:00 -0800, Jon Anderson
wrote:

Howard Eisenhauer wrote:

CJ frames up till the late 70's were mostly un-boxed c cahannel & were
very flexy. Most people building up an early CJ foe seroius off-road
activities will completely box thier frames for the added stiffness &
t prevent cracking at stress points, htey rely on up-graded
suspensions to keep all 4 on the ground.

A boxed frame will still flex, be it steel or aluminum. Here's a thought
to ponder. I know some guys take small wire or buzz box welders out on
the trail. It's sometimes possible to patch a cracked frame enough to
get home. But that's steel. How many guys take a TIG welder out on the
trail?

But hey, give it a go. Nothing like empirical testing... G


Jon


Indeed they do but no-where's near as much as an un-boxed frame, and
after they flex for a few decades they do tend to crack, especially
around the front cross member & spring perches

http://www.tantel.ca/Images/The%20Sl...RACK%20A_1.JPG


There is a school of thought that says the frames were designed to
flex, another says they were made that way to keep the weight & cost
down for the wartime jeeps, but then the MBs & GPWs wern't expected to
have a long lifetime to begin with.

I D-plated mine instead of boxing but I'm trying to keep things as
stock looking as possible-

http://www.tantel.ca/Images/The%20Sl..._D-plate-1.jpg

http://www.tantel.ca/Images/The%20Sl..._D-plate-2.jpg


Good point about the trail welding though.

H.