Has anyone boxed their frame or made extra crossmembers?

[taipeichris]

Hi,

Has anyone boxed their frame to reinforce it?

I saw a frame at a friends place the other day and the front and rear of the frame had homemade cross members welded into place.

I was thinking about finding two straight pieces of a donor frame and fabricating a front and rear cross members.

Instead of welding them in place, I was thinking of using extra transmission cross member mounts to bolt them in place so they could be removable.

I'm sure someone out there has done this modification, if you've done this please post photos.

It would be interesting to see different takes on this.

Thanks,

Chris
taipeichris13@yahoo.com

PS Also, does anyone have a donor, rust free frame they wouldn't cutting off two pieces for me? And, does anyone have some of the transmission cross member 90 degree mounting brackets?

 

[Broncobowsher]

My extra crossmembers are made in the form of some really stout bumpers.
I guess you could consider the BC transfer case skidplate a crossmember. I doubt it does much for twisting but I sure bet it does something for racking.

 

[Crewwzin]

One of the greater selling points of the Early Bronco is the fact that they come from the factory with a boxed frame.

I'm not real sure what would be the point of putting two more crossmembers in there, but it sure would make it stiff. Good luck with it.

 

[taipeichris]

Good point on the bumpers! I just thought my frame is 43 years old and since I've been thinking of taking some trips into the Sierra Nevadas this summer I was thinking of making it stronger as well as fixing a very long list of "to dos/parts to install." I'm sure I'm not the only one with a long list for the Bronco.
C-

 

[DirtDonk]

Long lists seem to be the norm. And they somehow manage to get noticeably longer just before a trip!
What is your overall setup currently? The Bronco frame is relatively stout as is, so I'm wondering if you even need to have this as a priority? More IS usually better, but if you're not running big tires and big power already, then maybe your frame will be just fine as it currently sits.
If you want to reinforce a weaker area (weaker as far as larger tires and dropped trackbar brackets are concerned anyway) you can add plates to your frame behind the steering box to keep it from cracking.
Otherwise, I'm not aware of any traditionally weak areas in a Bronco frame unless it's either heavily rusted, or you're extremely hard on your equipment.
Just my 2¢

Paul

 

[Wyldebill]

If you are willing to add extra weight to your rig, I would suggest that you add it in the form of skid plates, or rock proof bumpers, or beef the areas that are more likely to be a weak spot than the legendary Bronco frame. The only weak point on the Bronco frame that may appear is where the steeing box is mounted. That is a spot that is usually strong enough untill you add bigger tires and then may cause a problem.

 

[taipeichris]

Thanks guys, good points.
My 66 Bronco was manual steering up until 2 years ago.

So here's the list:
Alarmed
Rebuilt 302 with mild cam, Holley 500 cfm 2v 27k miles
New NV3550
Dana 20 T case with home made twin shifters
Dual exaust
Dual tanks, total capacity 35 gallons
Front/rear disc brakes with hydro booster
Front/rear sway bars
Power Steering
Painless bumper to bumper
Wrangler Mirrors w/signals
Roll bar/4 point belts, BMW seats
33's on 15inch
Stock tyre carrier
Parts waiting in the garage to install:
Dana 44
91 Ford tilt column/new steering wheel
FJ Black electric side mirrors
Electric windows/locks
Electric sunroof
To Fabricate:
Cut/Raise the stock windshield frame
New metal hard top
Newly designed metal dash

And I think there might be just a couple of other things to add to the list that I'm forgetting...


Hmm... skid plates sound interesting...

C-

 

[broncnaz]

With the specs of your rig that you've listed. I dont think you'd gain anything by adding more to the frame your not overly powered and your tires are not that big. While even boxed frames do twist a little its not all that much that its a issue. If anything a little frame twist probably helps more than it hurts.
The bad part of adding anything extra underneath weather it be crossmembers or skid plates to your bronco is that at some point your probably going to have to remove it to work on something then the idea wont seem so great especailly out on the trail.

 

[taipeichris]

Ha, good point.
C-

 

[Socal Tom]

There used to be a list on the net of what spares to bring if you took your rig on the rubicon. With Jeeps they said bring everything except a radiator cap.
With Broncos, they said bring an extra set of front axle shafts. EBs are built way stronger than the early jeeps. You don't need to strengthen the frame unless its been rusted away.

If you add big tires, then some reinforcement around the steering box is a good idea.
Tom

 

[Steve]

As others have said the frame is already boxed. I've removed the front x-member to fit the HP D60 that's going under it and is being moved forward from the stock axle location. I've removed the rear x-member to fit the FF 14B that's going under it and being moved back ~10" from stock location. When I make new bumpers they will serve to replace those x-members. I have also added a new one behind the Atlas to serve as the rear drivetrain mount and the mounting point for two of the four links for the rear suspension.