One day I was under my truck inspecting everything from front to back. Yjs tend to need this done more often than you would think. As a friend was turning the steering wheel i notices the steering box actually moving. I went to check the tightness of the bolts, when i found that there was a giant crack in the frame, with rust all around it.
Not being the best welder myself, I took the truck to 2 separate garages that I trust. I asked them officially (and unofficially) if there was a way to weld on steel reinforcement to the frame to solve the problem. Both mechanics informed me that the rust was too great in that area, and that too much was lost to salvage. Luckily one of the mechanics had a spare body and frame in great condition that he was looking to get rid of. It sat axles and all behind his garage with no engine or trans, packed with random jeep parts that he was looking to get rid of. A few hundred bucks and he towed it right to my house.
The first few days I spent sorting the jeep parts, sold some on eBay, some on Craigslist, and some on forums such as Jeepforum and Jeepin, which are also great sources of information by the way. I used an engine hoist I picked up from pep boys for a previous project to remove the body from the frame, and began inspecting for damage, rust or cracks. All seemed to be good. I cleaned the frame, coated it in some POR15 I had left over (Rust proof paint that is TOUGH), and began to plan the frame swap.
I had previously done a lot of work on my Jeep, but nothing this extensive. I began to make lists of what would have to be done, what would have to be disconnected, what bolts I would have to spray with PB Blaster (an excellent bolt loosener) and what the most likely tasks were to give me trouble. I planed ahead thinking what may need to be replaced, such as hoses, mounts and connectors. I made a plan of attack, writing down what i wanted to get done every day over an extended weekend. I was to begin working Friday afternoon after work, and took off Monday just in case. Once I was confident that all was set, I was ready to rock.
To capture this great undertaking, I decided to set up my camera on a timer, capturing 1 photo every 30 seconds for the entire length of the swap. The first night the camera shut off on me due to technical problems, but after that all worked out great. I used a tripod, Canon XTI and a laptop out my window, then threw it together with Quicktime.
The frame swap itself went very smooth. All my notes and guesstimations were correct. My friends Courtney, Scott and Steve all were there to lend a hand and help everything come together. The days were long, but as long as you pay attention to how you pull it apart, everything will go back together perfectly. The only problem i ran into, which took up most of Monday (because i had no ride to the auto parts store) was a broken Power steering line. The actual metal portion of the line kinked and opened when trying to unscrew it.
I took the truck around the block, and had no problems whatsoever. Through the week i checked torque on all bolts, and continued to ride without a hitch. Great project, long hours but fun times. And in case you were wondering, the fan in the video was necessary because we did the swap in June, and man was it hot!
