Build Thread Reviving "The Bruise" thread

[kj 7]

Ok. So, it's been a while since i've updated this thread yet again. My computer crapped out quite a while ago and didn't want to buy a new one. I've got a lot of good working pics on my digital camera that I'll upload eventually but my iphone pics will have to do for now (to prove I've made progress).

I have been working on "The Bruise" though. Slowly but surely "The Bruise" has been healing.

Windshield hinge and spare tire bracket and latch sanded and painted.



I then cut off the passenger side rocker.



Then I bent these pieces at a 45 degree angle and welded some tubing at the bottom to use as a slider.



I also had to fix the body mount. This is a pic of the one I did on the driverside but the passenger side went the same.



Before I welded on the new rockers I had to cut out a lot of rust from the rollbar tie in corner. This pic doesn't do it justice but was all I had on the iphone. I also capped off the top of portion with some new metal but didn't have a pic of it. All in all it came out slick.



Once that corner was done, I closed it all up by welding the rockers on. 14 gauge steel plus a welded on tube slider ought to be plenty beefy


I'll post more pics of all that when I can upload my images to photobucket.

Then I had to move on to the fender. I had to weld on a 45 degree angle piece, same as the tub, in order for it to match up to the body and not look goofy.



With a lot of adjustment it lined up great with hardly any seam.





All of that took me about 6 months to complete with life getting in the way at every possible turn.

So, now I'm on the driver side. Got the corner boxed in, bodymount/hockey puck spacer on and getting ready to weld on the new rocker.

Trying to get as much done as I can before... baby controls every aspect of my life!

Any thoughts or questions?

 

[CJKrawler]

That looks really good!!! I have been tossing the idea around of doing that on my 7, and I think you just convinced me it would not look bad at all. Keep up the good work.

 

[kj 7]

Thanks. It may look a little wierd when it's done due to the 31's. I think it would look more appropriate with larger tires. I will paint it all the same color so that may help. I'm also toying with the idea of bolting a slider/step rail from wheel well to wheel well. Should help with strength and rigidity.

 

[IOPort51]

Do you have access to a shear and brake?? If not how did you form the sheet metal??
Looks terrific BTW.

 

[kj 7]

My dad originally brought home the 2 5'x6.5" pieces from work about 6 years ago. I drilled holes in them and the jeep to rivet them on (and cover up the rust). You can see them in my first post on page 1. So, I took them off, stripped the paint, welded the drilled holes closed using copper as a backer, ground them down, marked where I wanted the bend, took them to a local metal fab shop and we bent them on a hydrolic brake. Guy was real cool and let me work with him. Cost me $8. He was interested in the project I was using them for.

Then I welded the tubes along the bottoms. The welding warped the metal so I had to use a bottle Jack and the underside of my bumper with the rocker on Jack stands to bend it straight again. Was a PITA!

 

[kj 7]

Higher resolution pic dump.

Welded the new nut for the body mount.



Welded the nuts for the roll bar bracket. This is the bottom of the boxed in corner on the passenger side.







A few more of the passenger side before final welds and paint.





The rocker with the tube welded to it. Good penetrating welds. Probably why it warped.









Inside passenger side after cauked up welds. Before that I had patch welded some strips from the inside new rocker to the tub floor for even more metal to metal contact. Then I cauked.







After finishing up the passenger side I took a side turn and removed the gas tank. I didn't want to cut and weld on the driverside with all of those lines along the frame with possibly gas still in them! I blew out the lines after removing everything. Tank and skid were then cleaned and painted.





Rinse and repeat for the driver's side.











I could've just permanantly taped these templates on and it would have been more support than what was there.




The boxed in corner for the driver's side came out better than the other.