My little idea of a home brewed crossmember for the tranny....any good?

[LeadFoot]

My first idea was to re use my old front spring hangers, weld them on a square piece of steel, and bolt/weld them to the inside of the frame, with a 1/4" piece of angle iron bolted to the tranny. Now I have a new idear. Could I use the two out of the six (the ones in the middle) of the stock bolt holes that the stock skidplate bolts to to hold up the tranny/t-case combo? The frame is drilled thru the top of the frame, and I currently use a bolt/nut combo. I want the skid to be able to come off, and the drivetrain still be held up by the crossmember. Would two 1/2" bolts be significant to hold up the weight of the 435/205 (weighs about 500lbs)? Or should I use 4 holes, and make new ones for the skidplate? Thanks for any ideas or tips!!

[mrblaine]

Originally posted by LeadFoot
My first idea was to re use my old front spring hangers, weld them on a square piece of steel, and bolt/weld them to the inside of the frame, with a 1/4" piece of angle iron bolted to the tranny. Now I have a new idear. Could I use the two out of the six (the ones in the middle) of the stock bolt holes that the stock skidplate bolts to to hold up the tranny/t-case combo? The frame is drilled thru the top of the frame, and I currently use a bolt/nut combo. I want the skid to be able to come off, and the drivetrain still be held up by the crossmember. Would two 1/2" bolts be significant to hold up the weight of the 435/205 (weighs about 500lbs)? Or should I use 4 holes, and make new ones for the skidplate? Thanks for any ideas or tips!!

Dig around for ChrisO's pics of his YJ crossmember. I copied it after a fashion and am quite pleased with the result. It's too hard to describe and I took no pics. Need to correct that somehow.

[blkTJ]

Originally posted by mrblaine
It's too hard to describe and I took no pics. Need to correct that somehow.

you could take pictures and then describe them. just sayin'...

[Matt Pascoe]

I also "borrowed" the crossmember design from ChrisO

Heres an old pic of it:


If you can, try to grab all four tranny bolts.

Also, use rubber bushings rather than poly. I used poly and I don't think it lets the tranny twist as much as it should.

[LeadFoot]

I would.....but I can't vertical weld with an arc welder, only mig's (which are at my school, I don't have one at home yet). So due to my crappy metal fusion skills, I'm looking for ways around it.

Didn't you get neverous as heck welding next to fuel/brake lines?!

[ChrisO]

I have found that using TJ LCA rubber bushings work best @ the frame sides. It allows the crossmember to "float" in rubber, yet holds everything in place very well.

Here is a few pics:






The tubing I found that works for the rubber bushings is 2.50" OD x .125 DOM.

I've never had any issues with breakage (at the adapter), like some folks claim.

The skid plate is a seperate item that can be removed to service the drive train, and be replaced when rocks bite it badly. I've built aluminum and steel skids, and the next time, I'm gonna try plastic.



I got pics of several others I've built, so, let me know if you want/need more.

Keep on Jeepin'

Chris O

[m-l_johnny]

That's pretty awesome. I'm gonna have to cross that bridge pretty soon, as most of the skidplate nuts in the CJ frame are gone. That's one of the simpler designs I've seen. I like it!!