Replacing torque boxes
- Thread starter SubLime
- Start date
Gunnerhm
New Member
So 8 hrs Saturday & 3 hrs yesterday. (34 hrs total). Torque box & rear driver’s side rear floor pan are in. I think it went more quickly, because the front & rear floors were cut out. It gave me more room to get at & cut out the remains of the torque box. I hope to get the driver’s side floor in this week. Good news is I only have to replace the rear 2/3 rdo of the passenger side box.
Gunnerhm
New Member
Sorry for the delayEd response The passenger side was less damages. I was able to salvage the front third and only replace the last 2/3 rds.
Gunnerhm
New Member
Another 24 hrs of effort, but wor it. Have had to reconstruct frame from rear axle bac, but have 11 strong frame to body mounts now!
Way to keep at it! I've replaced my frame rails and will have to replace my torque boxes at some point too. The Jeep had sentimental value to me (This was before I started on my big build) and it's been worth the work. Although at the 60 hours you have into it so far I can easily see how most people would trade for a clean Jeep. Especially if you're paying $100/h shop rate that adds up to $6000 + parts and materials.
Vtx531
TJ Addict
Thanks for posting your progress and pics. I plan to do this job to my sentimental value Jeep this Spring/Summer. Not looking forward to it though, especially after seeing the hours add up on this thread. I purchased a welder few weeks ago. Still need to buy the replacement boxes and floor pans. The prices on Quadratec look decent with free shipping.
Keep it up brother. I have to do this still on mine. Waiting for a dry day that is also not in the 20s since I'm doing it in the driveway lol
Gunnerhm
New Member
No labor cost. Into it for about $3K for parts. Parts to date: new drivers side front & rear floor pans, passenger rear floor pan, torque boxes, 2 new body mounts, all new body mount bushings & bolts, 1” body lift, new upper & lower rear spring plates rebuilt last 12” of rear frame rails, near rear cross member, new rear springs, new shocks, new front & rear sway bar bushings & sway bar links, MCE fenders, new grill mounted park/turn signals...don’t know why the top pic rotated but a few pics below...
Gunnerhm
New Member
nice machine. and plz don't be offended, i understand it may not be your career, but take some time and practice.
watch a few videos maybe.
referencing this pic above of the rear frame work.......welding is not like glueing the 2 parts together, that's basically a lot of what you got there.
very little of some of that looks to have actual penetration.
it seems you may have had some trouble getting a good arc start in several places. maybe the wire feed is set to fast or the powers low or the grounds not solid.
i try not to call people out on this, i manage to not rag on most marginal welds but those are on the crap side of mediocre.
get some scraps, if you watch some video you can get it down pretty quick. 85% of it is setting the machine right for the material. the other 15% is how you move the gun/wand/stick.
clean the mess, it's not easy to weld through mill scale, rust and paint, and leaves garbage in your welds.
the machine will do the work. you just have to find it the right spot/setting for your material thickness and then it's just moving it along at a steady pace.
that wire needs to touch both pieces in the corner or on the seam. if you have a gap you would move the tip in such a manor you could contact both parts, this will melt your wire into both surfaces. and the speed and manor you move along will control the amount of filler you deposit (your bead).
the stinger essentially melts the surface of both parts allowing your wire to melt into it, become part of it, as it melts in it also deposits a bridge or bead. failed penetration is just glue, that will fail.
any of that stuff that did not get penetration will crack away and you'll see rust under it next yr.
don't take this as a rip, take it as safety advice or an opportunity to get better.
watch a few videos maybe.
referencing this pic above of the rear frame work.......welding is not like glueing the 2 parts together, that's basically a lot of what you got there.
very little of some of that looks to have actual penetration.
it seems you may have had some trouble getting a good arc start in several places. maybe the wire feed is set to fast or the powers low or the grounds not solid.
i try not to call people out on this, i manage to not rag on most marginal welds but those are on the crap side of mediocre.
get some scraps, if you watch some video you can get it down pretty quick. 85% of it is setting the machine right for the material. the other 15% is how you move the gun/wand/stick.
clean the mess, it's not easy to weld through mill scale, rust and paint, and leaves garbage in your welds.
the machine will do the work. you just have to find it the right spot/setting for your material thickness and then it's just moving it along at a steady pace.
that wire needs to touch both pieces in the corner or on the seam. if you have a gap you would move the tip in such a manor you could contact both parts, this will melt your wire into both surfaces. and the speed and manor you move along will control the amount of filler you deposit (your bead).
the stinger essentially melts the surface of both parts allowing your wire to melt into it, become part of it, as it melts in it also deposits a bridge or bead. failed penetration is just glue, that will fail.
any of that stuff that did not get penetration will crack away and you'll see rust under it next yr.
don't take this as a rip, take it as safety advice or an opportunity to get better.
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I’ll have to take some more pics of my current torque boxes, the TJ goes to a shop in two weeks for repair of the rusted boxes. Will report back after that on costs and labor hours.
I'm missing the point... is there a significant emotional attachment to the TJ to go through all that? These aren't rare, and there are tons of them out there.
You said 23 hours thus far, at even $100/hour labor rates that puts you into this repair at $2300, not including parts. The frame, from what I've seen in the photos is scaly, you said reinforced which means probably already have been safe t capped, and probably rusted nearly completely through from inside. I'd say with parts you are close to or over $3000, you could most likely find a clean donor body and frame for that...
I'm not knocking your work, may be cheaper than therapy, but why go through all that?
You said 23 hours thus far, at even $100/hour labor rates that puts you into this repair at $2300, not including parts. The frame, from what I've seen in the photos is scaly, you said reinforced which means probably already have been safe t capped, and probably rusted nearly completely through from inside. I'd say with parts you are close to or over $3000, you could most likely find a clean donor body and frame for that...
I'm not knocking your work, may be cheaper than therapy, but why go through all that?
Have a 98 tj that I recently had the torque boxes just done. I bought the Pocono Metalcraft replacement set , all 6 and had a mechanic install. The boxes were 250 and labor to remove and install was 450. All was properly rust protected and then painted also . Very happy with finished product .
Complete brake job ,all s.s. lines and new everything from abs on was 375 labor and 625 parts including rear axel seals . Cheaper than I could buy parts . Rear end nest kit 400 and200 labor. Cooling system complete flush ,free . While on hoist removed transfer case so I could do sye , no charge as was easier to work on it for him .
Very pleased with the work that was done.
Replaced bushings also100 labor plus kit of bushings .
I put in double adjustable control arms , Tom Woods drive shaft , front and rear track bars and de-rusted frame and used Gemplers rust converter inside and out ,2 coats .
P.O. Had done safety caps then quit , overall happy with the way it is . Rolls down the road nice and straight and very tight.
Complete brake job ,all s.s. lines and new everything from abs on was 375 labor and 625 parts including rear axel seals . Cheaper than I could buy parts . Rear end nest kit 400 and200 labor. Cooling system complete flush ,free . While on hoist removed transfer case so I could do sye , no charge as was easier to work on it for him .
Very pleased with the work that was done.
Replaced bushings also100 labor plus kit of bushings .
I put in double adjustable control arms , Tom Woods drive shaft , front and rear track bars and de-rusted frame and used Gemplers rust converter inside and out ,2 coats .
P.O. Had done safety caps then quit , overall happy with the way it is . Rolls down the road nice and straight and very tight.
Vtx531
TJ Addict
Any updates?
Upon doing more inspection on mine today, I think I will need new floor pans all around too.
The TJ is currently at a shop waiting for new torque box install. Parts are here. Starting to get Jeep withdrawal. Here is what the boxes looked like when they went in.
Vtx531
TJ Addict
Are you getting new floors too? My floor pans are like wet cardboard where the torque boxes get welded on. (okay I exagerated a slight bit) Yours don’t look much better
I thought through cleaning up my tub and fixing the rust. In the end, I figured the 1000 dollars to buy a new tub and swap it would be time ahead. My frame is mostly solid...for now. I expect that it will need repair at some point and I'll tackle it then. I'd love to replace it but I don't think Id replace it with another TJ...which means my costs would go up dramatically. A 2013+ JK rubicon would be sitting in the driveway instead...and I'd be 20,000+ lighter in the pocketbook.
Vtx531
TJ Addict
I thought about just leaving the tub until it ACTUALLY falls apart. I have a perfectly functional Jeep at the current moment and it pains me to think I might be taking it out of service for a few weeks or months during primetime Jeep season coming up.
Maybe I can do this in small steps and try to worry about it less.