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Another TJ-6 Build

64K views 119 replies 35 participants last post by  chop110 
#1 ·
Well, I have decided to follow in the footsteps of a few talented individuals before me and stretch my TJ tub and frame by 15”. A couple examples of my inspiration can be found on the following links (Thank you, Jason and ‘Kelowna’ Mike).

108" TJ. the TJ6 - JeepForum.com

http://www.wranglerforum.com/f118/tj-6-a-63621.html

I don’t know who coined the “TJ-6” moniker first, but I like the whole CJ-6 theme… and with their permission, I am going to run with it.

Here are a couple of other 15” stretches I came across in my research.





Truth is, I always wanted an LJ. The advantages of the larger wheelbase and extra interior room can’t be denied. At one point, I was seriously considering trading my TJ for an LJ but the cost of this trade up always got in the way of this plan. It seems like LJ’s are hard to come by in general (I can’t say I blame people for wanting to keep them). Whenever one popped up, they were either high mileage Jeeps with a minimum $12K price tag or just too close to $20K. Considering that at best I can only get 6K for my 99 Sahara with almost 200K miles in the odometer, I knew I was going to pay dearly for it. Then there is the issue of the $6K I had already spent on mods over the years. I was going to have to start all over again (I just put on an AEV highline, I was not about to just give that away!!)

I then came across Mike and Jason’s impressive TJ-6 builds and others like them. As I looked into to it further, it dawned on me that this was something that was definitely within my fabrication abilities and budget.

I am licensed structural engineer by trade but do have some basic know how on metalworking and welding. Plus, I have recently dabbled in bodywork and automotive painting when I did my highline install.

Like Mike, I will use frame sections from a wrecked TJ for the frame extensions and will borrow ideas from the AEV Brute frame extension conversion. I will attempt to repair the 15” tub gaps with 18 gauge sheet metal and body filler (Some creativity will be required to effectively hide the splice seams). I will remove the soft top belt rail on the driver’s side and transplant the excess material to belt rail gap in the passenger side. I will then use a new LJ belt rail for the driver’s side.

Here is a digital previsualization of the finished product:



I will tally up all the material costs at the end along with any money I gained from selling my current soft top and frame from my TJ. So far, the biggest expense has been a new Bestop LJ top and soft top frame ($1000).

Along the way, I will incorporate upgrades to the roll cage, skid plate, suspension, and drivetrain that I would have already done on my SWB TJ anyway.
 
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#59 ·
I fabricated my trackbar mount from scrap 2 x 3 x 3/16" tube I had from my crossmember build...



Here is the bracket welded in place with the track bar attached, ready for clearance testing.


At full bump, the top of the track barely touches the frame crossmember. It should be noted that I have 4" of bumpstops for my rear coils.



If I had an acetalyne torch, I would have heated the rod so I could have bended it a little and thus to improve clearance (Like Unlimited04 did on his setup... incidentally, I got the idea from him). This will be ok for now, I suppose.

Check out the reversed brake calipers courtesy of Mr. Blaine's kit.
 
#62 ·
How is the build coming along? I miss driving mine, hopefully it will be back on the road in another month or two.
 
#63 ·
I know what you mean. It has been over a year for me since I started doing this on my free time. I finished all of the suspension modifications. Now I have to meadia blast, clean, and paint all of unfinished surfaces on the fab work. Then it is going to take a day to knock out all of the small stuff like fuel lines, brake lines, exhaust, and wiring extensions. Once that is all done, the only thing left will be body work, which I am really looking forward to. So... three more months? :happyyes:
 
#65 ·
I finally got around to outboarding the rear shocks.

I fancy myself to be somewhat of a fabricator. Ha! In the image below, you can see the lower shock mounts being made from square tube. The design is very similar to what can be found in some of the kits out there. I sized mine for the 1/2" pins on the Rancho RS999005 Shocks.



Here is view of the lower mount installed, as well as a chunck of the frame gone (After chopping the frame for the extensions, this didn't phase me in the least) to make room for some Ford shock towers. There are a ton of threads out in the forums that served as go-by's and I am thankful to every one of them.



Speaking of the Ford shock towers... I also have Blaine's handy notch in them. Although in my case, it is more for ease of assembly than weld penetration. With the tub out of the way, I have the luxury of being able to weld all around without obstruction.

 
#66 ·
Once the shock mounts are tacked in and the springs are out, I can cycle the shocks from full bump to full extension to check for clearances...



Looks like we clear the installed tire too:



Once I am happy with all tolerances, I finish all of my welds.

I notched a piece of 3/16" angle iron and welded it to the back of the shock towers for strength. In practicality, this is not necessary for most people out there. In my case, there is the possibility that I may have to take my Jeep to a frame straightening machine to fix my 1/2" frame deflection. After taking a chunk out of my frame for the shock outboarding, I didn't want to leave less section modulus at these locations so that they end up being the only spots that do any of the "fix" bending.

 
#72 ·
Nothing too exciting to report. I finished all of the electrical splices, fuel line and brake line extensions. BTW, the 5/16" stock fuel line is a pain to flare. I have a bunch of leftover 5/16" and 3/16" steel flare line fittings if anyone is in need of some.



Also, redid the exhaust piping and installed a new muffler.

And here is the completed suspension and drivetrain.



Now all I need is a buddy to help me pick up the rear tub section and place it back on the frame mounts for some sheet metal work.

:happyyes:
 
#73 ·
I pulled my exhaust to complete the welds. I will media blast the joints and paint them for rust protection. Here is a view of the assembled exhaust system after the cat connection:



I also finally got around to putting the tub back on the frame.



The wheel well spaces look huge with the highline and the 33" tires on the OME 2.5 inch lift. I eventually want to go to 35's.

The build is getting pretty exciting now!
 
#74 ·
I'm in the middle of a rear axle swap before I do my stretch and looking back on your pictures I can't believe how clean your frame is!!! I'm so pissed at the snow and salt of the northeast. Keep up the good work!! Can't wait to see the finished product!
 
#76 ·
More progress:

To attach the rollbar extensions, I used 6 inch long 2" diameter inserts with the same wall thickness as the factory rollbar. I also drilled some plug weld holes for additional hold.



Clamped things down, measured and remeasured to confirm the extension sections are straight and true...



Other side...



Once my extensions are welded in, it becomes pretty obvious that my earlier goof with the frame is messing with the tub alignment.



The cheap option is to shim the body mounts and get on with my life. Unfortunately, this will bug me and knaw away inside of me for many years. If only I hade been a perfectionist back when it really counted; when the frame was being put together. :rolleyes:

So I decided to go with the more expensive option and take the Jeep to the frame shop. Luckily the frame shop is only five minutes away from my house and is run by a trusted shop owner. It is the perfect opportunity to test drive the Jeep after one and a half years of sitting idle.
 
#77 ·
To make it easy on the folks at the frame shop to remove the rear portion of the tub while still having functional brake lights, I used a six pin Deutch connector to tie in the extended electrical rail.



After charging the battery overnight, I placed it back on the Heep and what do you know? It drives! Drove it right out of the garage! There were no exhaust leaks but one of the fuel line connections had a slight leak. I tightened it up some more and it ran like a champ. Huge milestone.



The drive was mostly uneventful, except for the big gap on the floor and the temporary cardboard sides threatened to blow away. Brakes are functional, no wobbles from the track bar, I do need a serious steering alignment after putting in the OME lift... Drove slow the whole way, I am surprised I didn't get pulled over by the fuzz. Yes, I did put the driver's seat and seat belt back in.
 
#78 ·
While the frame is getting fixed, I took the opportunity to cut some sheet metal for the sides of the tub.



I can't wait to ge my Jeep back. There is still quite a lot to do, but it does feel like I am getting closer to completing this. To add to my excitemnet, the Olive Drab Monstaliner arrived today!! Woohoo!! :2thumbsup:
 
#82 ·
I am curious why you went with a CV shaft. I plan on stretching my YJ. Goal is to reduce the driveline angle so I can get away with a 1350 straight shaft and do away with the CV. I have not decided if I will do a complete tub and frame stretch, but after reading every word of this entire thread it is much more likely I will.
 
#85 ·
I ended up needing the CV drive shaft because of my tummy tuck. The angle was just not going to let me get away with a slip yoke, even with the added 15 inches.

Word of advice, it is very easy to screw up the angles on the frame. If I had to do it over again, I would have put the frame completely on similar jacks and leveled it out before cutting (No wheels touching the ground). Once this is done, you will need to measure the elevation of the rear of frame or better yet, stack some blocks like this guys does to tell him where the end should be once you put it back together. That and I would have done a better job of bracing the frame before cutting. Mine "sprung" after I cut it so now my left corner is 1\2" high.

http://www.virtualjeepclub.com/showthread.php?80188-Recipe-to-cook-up-a-TJ-6
 
#87 ·
Thanks for the detailed info, I have them ordered.

How about an update? With pics please!!! I'm going to tear into mine in the next week or two.

Question: what flaring tool did you use for the brake and fuel lines?
I've got my head wrapped around the welding and cutting and grinding and bracing and crying about my jeep being in two pieces but I can't find very good info on flaring the lines.
 
#89 ·
I was able to take advantage of the long Memorial Day weekend to get a lot done...

The support frame for the floor extension (made from channel and L1.5x1.5x1/8" angle):



Installed... Note the welded nuts for the relocated rear seat brackets!



Once I got the tub squared with adjustable scissor jacks at four corners and measured 100 times, I welded on some rail extension supports to hold everything in place.

 
#90 ·
Time for sheet metal work!! After seeing Solman's build, I could not in good conscience leave the floor completely flat as I originally intended to. So, I kicked some ideas around and decided to make use of the available space for some storage compartments that will continue off from the wheel wells. It will take a lot more work, but... what the heck! It is going to be so sweet!

First, I made my templates out of posterboard material. Then, working with 18 gauge sheet metal and using a homemade press brake, various cutting tools, and a heck of a lot of hammering, I made this support bulkhead. I started out painting everything with weld though primer, later I just stopped doing this because of the time it took to get the stuff to dry and for some reason, I could not get good spot welds that held together.



Welded it in place with one half of the floor panel...



 
#91 ·
Then came the actual compartments... with some posterboard mock up work first...



Spot welded it in place...



I was running short of time and the air was feeling kind of damp. I knew it would be a while before I picked this up again so I painted the interior with primer for rust protection:



Just for kicks, I decided to test fit the side panel:



I need to finish this already!! :atomic:
 
#92 ·
I had some time to work on the TJ-6 this weekend...

I bent some more sheet metal for the driver side storage compartment:



And then installed it...



Now the floor panels are starting to look like something. I still need to grind down all of those spot welds.



I made a few fitting adjustments to the passenger side panel, drilled a couple of holes for the AEV flare connections and proceeded to weld it in place. This will be a slow, careful process; we don't want excessive heat to burn through the sheet metal or warp it.

 
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