Any precautions to take while welding TJ frame?

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pocojo

TJ Enthusiast
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Jun 3, 2017
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Stroudsburg, PA, United States
Good morning fellow Jeepers,

I plan to do some minor rust hole repairs on the main frame rails by grinding away rust areas and welding in 3/16 mild steel plate. Are there any precautions to take other than to disconnect the battery to protect the electrical system ? Thanks for reading and any input you may have regarding this issue. Enjoy the day and the Jeeps.

Joel
 
Here I am in the rust belt and have dealt with rust my whole life.

What do you consider a minor rust hole?

How many are some?

Where are they located?

Have you checked inside the frame at all?

All the answers will help us and you to know how large a job this could become in the near future.
 
These areas are located directly in front of the rear control arm mounts and to the rear of the front control arm mounts. They are about 2"X3". There are four areas like this on the outer sides of the frame rails. I looked/ felt inside the frame and there is quite a few rust flakes which I plan to remove by making an access hole on the bottom of the rails and reclosing them after spraying the insides with" Corrosion X". All the steel appears to be solid all along the frame in between these rust areas and there are no cracks anywhere that I could see. Thanks for your response.

Pocojo
 
I always use a respirator when grinding or welding anything as I was a Safety and Training Administrator in a Con Ed power plant and saw first hand the damage to people who failed to wear their personal protective gear. Thanks for the warning as I never knew how bad POR 15 could be. Thanks again.

Pocojo
 
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Without seeing pictures it's difficult to know for sure, but if you are treating rust near the control arm bracket then you might consider using parts from SafeTCaps to replace that section of the frame including the brackets. Were you able to get the skid plate off without difficulty? Usually the nutserts will strip out if there is rust in the center section.

My guess is that what you are seeing is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of rust damage.
 
Yes the nutserts did strip out on the right side of the skid plate and I through bolted them with 7" long SS bolts and nutted and washered them on the top of the frame, I also did the same on the left side because if one side was bad, the other side will be the same. I don't want to replace any section of the frame because of the difficulty and access for the welding operation. This TJ has 170K on it and I just want to do some patching for maybe another year or two of service as it is what I use for plowing my very long driveway. Its a secondary vehicle and if I can get another two years out of it i will get a newer one and plow. My main concern is to prevent any electrical component damage from the welding operation. I was intending to disconnect the battery and place the welding ground clamp very close to the damaged area. Do you think these precautions would be sufficient protection ? Thanks again for your response.

Pocojo
 
Are there any precautions to take other than to disconnect the battery to protect the electrical system ? [/QUOTE]There is NO need to disconnect the battery and, in fact, it is best to leave the battery connected to serve as a big "capacitor" to absorb possible voltage spikes. Just connect your ground wire as close to the weld as possible and you'll have no problems.

The rumor that the battery has to be connected is an old wive's tale and is only spread by those who don't know how electricity or welding actually works. And nope, not even many experienced welders truly know how electricity works or understand why the battery should remain connected.
 
Jerry Bransford said:
Are there any precautions to take other than to disconnect the battery to protect the electrical system ?
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There is NO need to disconnect the battery and, in fact, it is best to leave the battery connected to serve as a big "capacitor" to absorb possible voltage spikes. Just connect your ground wire as close to the weld as possible and you'll have no problems.

The rumor that the battery has to be connected is an old wive's tale and is only spread by those who don't know how electricity or welding actually works. And nope, not even many experienced welders truly know how electricity works or understand why the battery should remain connected.
[/QUOTE]
 
I would seriously look at the rest of the frame. Chances are that there are more places that need to be replaced or will nebe d to soon. It’s hard to stop rust once it starts. Going with a full length safety cap may be the best bet. Then you at least know you are good to go for a while. And I guarantee you won’t hurt anything if you disconnect the battery. 😉 Lots of people take that precaution, being a safety guy I’m sure you can appreciate going the extra mile just to be sure.
 
Disconnecting the battery is by no way doing anything extra or going the extra mile to protect anything. Keeping the battery connected actually helps protect things like the computer. The battery is also like a big filter capacitor that filters out voltage spikes. Disconnecting it leaves sensitive components more vulnerable. Really, and despite the rumors and old wive's tales.
 
liquidfluidity said:
Don't use brake cleaner on anything about to be welded either. Toxic fumes
Click to expand...

I wonder about that. I thought one of the attributes of brake cleaner, is that it doesn't leave residue, which makes it good for braking surfaces which you don't want to contaminate. In that case, what is left after it evaporates that would cause an issue when welding?
 
jeepndogs said:
I will agree to disagree on disconnecting the battery.
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If you only understood the battery's ability to also act as a giant filter capacitor you wouldn't feel that way. You are preaching to disconnect a very effective buffer/filter capacitor that actually serves to help protect sensitive circuits. The less electrical circuits are thoroughly understood, the more likely it is that the recommendation to disconnect the battery while welding will be made.
 
indio said:
I wonder about that. I thought one of the attributes of brake cleaner, is that it doesn't leave residue, which makes it good for braking surfaces which you don't want to contaminate. In that case, what is left after it evaporates that would cause an issue when welding?
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It doesn't leave any of the grease behind since the liquid washes it off. But it still leaves some of the chemicals behind that are ok while braking but deadly when welding and consuming those fumes. Don't do it!

More info here: Clicky clicky
 
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Indy said:
It doesn't leave any of the grease behind since the liquid washes it off. But it still leaves some of the chemicals behind that are ok while braking but deadly when welding and consuming those fumes. Don't do it!

More info here: Clicky clicky
Click to expand...
Thank you for sharing that link. I read it, and forwarded it to my home e-mail address. Also shared it with a coworker who just bought his first welder.
Again, thank you for that!
 
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jeepndogs said:
I would seriously look at the rest of the frame. Chances are that there are more places that need to be replaced or will nebe d to soon. It’s hard to stop rust once it starts. Going with a full length safety cap may be the best bet. Then you at least know you are good to go for a while. And I guarantee you won’t hurt anything if you disconnect the battery. 😉 Lots of people take that precaution, being a safety guy I’m sure you can appreciate going the extra mile just to be sure.
Click to expand...

I would love to do that but I don't have the facilities or capability to perform such a major undertaking as removing the body from the frame. I appreciate your input and taking the time to respond.

Pocojo
 
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