Jeep CJ-5 frame replacement, POR-15, rust proof

78 Jeep CJ-5 Frame Replacement
page 1

My 1978 CJ-5 has almost no original major parts left on it except the frame, grill, and hood. There has always been little rust concerns for me since the Jeep stays in a garage and the body is fiberglass. Recently concerns for the frame's well being have been growing. In the section under the driver's seat the frame has completely split where the inner and outer section are joined. I have also noticed other places showing rust signs too.

You know, changing out a frame is no small task, essentially disassemble the entire Jeep and reassemble it. No problem!

I contemplated a new aftermarket frame but the price was out of my budget. I located a donor Jeep, a 78 CJ-5 with a pathetic body and a dead engine but a good frame. I new I'd have some work to do to get the donor frame into good condition but I was up for the task. I also decided to coat the frame with POR-15 to keep the rust away.

the donor	disassemble away!
rolling chassis	not much left

The disassembly of the donor Jeep was easy: cut, wrench, destroy. The old rusty body was almost crumbling on contact.

The Repair

After the donor frame was freed of its parts it soon became evident that the rear frame ends where the rear cross member is attached was in need of some restoration. I cut away the sections using an angle grinder. It was at this point I decided to fabricate a new rear cross member that was cleaner looking than a factory Jeep one.

After all the rotted sections were removed the frame was washed thoroughly to remove grease and oil. I then took to the frame with a wire wheel on an angle grinder removing all the loose rust flakes and chunks. With the frame clean and free of loose rust I could clearly see the rest of the areas in need of repair.

cleaned frame

needs repair

I was going to use 3/8 in steel plates to fabricate and weld in plates to patch the areas along the frame rails and 2 inch square tube to restore the rear inner frame sections. I also needed to fix the body mount pads since the holes had rusted completely open.

I used a 2.5 inch piece of 3/8 c-channel steel to fabricate a new rear cross member. I closed the ends to make it look nice. Holes were drilled in the new rear cross member in the factory location so that I could add a rock type bumper to mount the spare tire carrier to.

My Jeep Disassembly

I waited until the donor frame was finished to start disassembling my Jeep. I took lots of pictures so I could remember how to put everything back together. I made a list of things I wanted to do while the body was off.

New side rocker guards attached to the frame.
Connect roll bar to the frame
New Olympic rear rock bumper with a 2 inch receiver, adapt my custom tire carrier to it.
New high-performance single exhaust.
Ditch the headers and duals.

body off - rear view

body off - front view

body

Next - Page 2 - Rocker Guards, Roll Bar Mounts, Reassemble

tech

cracked and rotted!

bare frame - front view	bare frame - rear view
driver side inside rear	more rust
drivers side center	passenger side center
rear	rear
rear inner	rear inner
fixed body mount	crossmember

TIP
Remember, remember, remember - Take lots of pictures during dissassembly so you know where everything goes back.

Mike's 07 JK, 78 CJ-5, 94 Cherokee, and others