Frame Fabrication
 

I've always always wanted to buy a Jeep or a Ranger/ Explorer and build it up.

Anyways, I'm not really thinking about buying a truck right now. I would need to sell my Neon or my boat before I could justify another project or even a place to put it.

But I've been reading a lot about suspension geometry and welding and fab. (Trying to think of a solution to my friends problem.) Anyways, here is my thought process, (not for my friend, but just curiosity/ semi-serious future interest/ project).


When you get crazy with the rear suspension, a lot of guys back half (I think it's called) the truck, cutting the rear frame rails off behind the cab. This is pretty common actually, I was checking out a Ranger like this at the Muffler Man shop.

And, I have seen a Ranger before that cut off the frame rails from the cab forward, because he needed to weld a set more inward for his longer control arms (because the motor was moved back and not in the way). So... would it really be that difficult to redo the frame with square tubing under the cab? And just fab it all yourself? With a full cage and tubing everywhere I think it would be pretty easy to make it damn strong.

Just curious what you guys think.

Hard? Well, thats relative. It's certainly done and not all that uncommon. But you've got to be mega-anal about measuring and geometry. Screw something up a little bit and you'll never be able to get the alignment right etc. Also, structural welds on box tubing need to obviously be of a consistent high quality for pentration, or they'll crack. If you use something like chromoly instead of mild steal, you'll have additional issues like annealing. Guys who do this stuff professionally spend forever setting up their jigs to hold things in precise location so they can repeatedly fab things up.

I think if Dodge can do it, I can do it. :nuts: But yeah, that's a good point. Not good enough of a point to stop me from trying though, haha.

If I'm able to buy a wrecked ranger for a few hundred bucks I'm going to do it. Why not? As long as the cab is intact.

I would much rather start with an explorer, but the shell makes the rear more complicated. Although, if I'm looking to save money, a truck that comes with an 8.8LSD and a V8 already is def the way to go.

I think the steering would be the most complicated. And I hate the explorer/ ranger spindles, they ruin my life.

Maybe this would be easier with a bow tie.

Either a Ranger or Explorer are great platforms to start from. The explorer would not be that much harder to make the roll cage and such. The 4.0L in the Ranger is actually not a bad platform. I think it would be easier comparatively to build a ranger and you would get more travel out of it. If you want more than 2 or 3 seats then the Explorer is the way to go.

Just don't slap dick your way through structural welding. Snapped frames leading to firey wrecks would not be all that fun to be in.

I sort of want to weld a piece of 3/16, grind it down, sand it flat, and give it to my friend who is in welding class who can put it through the bender to see if there are any hairline cracks.

I would go a step further than this guy, I would weld the frame and the 2x6 together, grind it flat, then weld the plating on top of it. Then brace it. Everyfuckingwhere.

But I don't see much of a point having the frame rails that far apart. If you're not doing center mount equal length control arms, why cut it at all?

I would want most of the motor in the cab, tie the frame in with a horizontal bar, extend two rails out from close in the center, just in front of the motor.