Grand Willys Project

[wildspear]

I don't see the pic's, bandwidth used up? Moved the pics to a different server?

[Mutt]

i see them

[Gojeep]

Pictures are still there for me?

[gajim]

This looks like a very ambitous and intriguing project, I'm anxiously awaiting the final product. I'm trying to imagine a Jeepster receiving the same treatment.

[partszj]

Great update. Summer starts here next week. Do you have a cold winter there? Always looking forward for new progress pics. Keep going! When I tell people about this, they are amazed.

[Gojeep]

Originally Posted by partszj

Great update. Summer starts here next week. Do you have a cold winter there? Always looking forward for new progress pics. Keep going! When I tell people about this, they are amazed.

Been in winter a couple of weeks here already as starts on the 1st of June each year. Coldest morning so far has been 34*F but still got up to 57*F during the day.

[Gojeep]

To help control distortion from the welding, I placed the two frame rails back to back with some 75x50x6mm, 3"x2"x1/4", RHS in-between. Also added additional spreader pieces where the tube was not central.


The welds were around 100mm/4" long and always balanced with the same sized weld top and bottom as well as in the same spot on other rail before moving on. This way they are pulling against each other while cooling down. I would then move forward at least a foot to a cool section of the rail and repeat. I never welded a new section that was still warm from the last weld.


I did longer welds around the area where the upper suspension mounts were welded in to balance the shrinkage it has caused on the opposite side of the rail


18 metres or 59 feet of weld later, all done.




The the weld was ground smooth. First with a 9" grinder and then followed by a 40 grit 5" flap disc to sand it just like the other side of the rail was done. More will be done later.


Was careful to remove as little of the weld as possible. That is why it has a sharper radius than the pressed corners, but rather have that than weaken it.


About 2/3rds of the frame is free of bends and wanted to keep it that way. In the end after being separated from the RHS, Rectanglar Hollow Section for the non Australians, and each other, the rail had a dip of just over 1/2" from the welding. I have pressed this out slowly to bring it straight again. Applying heat opposite the weld would have fixed it also.


Got a small peak inside the end of the frame and can see good penetration all the way through without being excessive. Wiped away the white powder and was pleased to see that all the weld through primer was still intact and only a few millimetres each side of the weld had burned off.

[partszj]

Just checking in to be sure I did not miss anything. Good on ya, mate!

[Distrbinthapiece]

Just finished viewing all your pages. Awesome work. I will follow this to the end.

[Gojeep]

Spent some time getting the rails perfectly straight again in the press after the welding on the boxing plates.
I also bought myself a 7" disc sander to make it easier to do the final sanding and get it nice and flat. Started with 16 grit and worked my way up through the grades to 80. Did it now as easier without all the brackets that will go on soon.


Back working on the rear cross member which was started some pages back. Used a holesaw to get the matching radius of the Hayman Reese receiver. You will notice it in two halves also. I spent some time fixing up the rear cross member from the other frame to box this one. You would have seen the mess it was in when I was using it as a lever to straighten the frame etc in the picture below.




The original cross member was only 2" wide and that is too narrow to use as a towbar. Needs to be 3" wide in this wall thickness. So rather than making the second cross member 1" wide to add to it, I cut 1/2" off both making them both 1.5" wide to get my 3" of total width.
The reason is it means the pull when welding will be even and will stop it turning into a banana! Also gives me two perfectly straight edges to work with.


This will actually be the side of the cross member facing outwards. I have recessed it in the thickness of the cross member so it will be flush once welded. I didn't want the receiver sticking out and it will be hidden behind the licence plate.


I am showing here how I have the centre sitting up some before welding. With the welding it will shrink and hopefully pull it down level.


All tacked up ready to weld in stages. Top followed by the bottom directly underneath it. Then jump ahead to a still cool spot to do the next bit.


Fully welded and it stayed nice a straight due to keeping it in exact halves.


Backside of the receiver welded in too. The height the receiver is set so it matches the the one on my Jeep Cherokee. That way when I tow my offroad camper, it will be nice and level still.


Upside down here, but can see how I can fit the licence plate over the hole to hide it. I will attach the plate to a piece of tubing to go into the receiver and held with the hitch pin, or fit a spring type mount where it will hinge out of the way.


Pretty happy with how the pre-set came out in the end.


Made up some mounts for the safety chains. Just copied the ones that were on the 2008 Grand Cherokee towbar, which is for sale if anyone needs one.


All done and ready for the frame assembly.