Cherokee XJ Custom Crossmember and Skid Plates
This Writeup is Under Construction
I needed a second crossmember to hold up the Klune-V underdrive. John Hall fabricated a crossmember and skid plate for me. John normally tackles much bigger projects, like custom tube-frame rock buggies and highly modified Toyotas, etc.
I created a custom transmission skid plate. It's made from 10 gauge flat plate, 2" x 1" x .120" rectangular tubing, 1" x 1" x .120" square tubing, and 3/16" x 1.25" flat bar. I created a mounting point on the Jeep uniframe by welding nuts into a 2" x 2" x 3/16" plate.
The nuts are flush with the bottom of the plate and stick up into the frame through existing holes (I made the holes a bit bigger). The cross brace is shaped after the Tomken transmission skid I used to use, except it's mounted further back on the frame (and it's beefy tubing instead of easily bent flat bar). The skid is welded to the cross brace and reinforced with the square tubing. The bend in the skid plate was done by grinding a cut line about half way through the plate, then bending the plate in a vice. The local steel fabrication shop wanted $25 to make that bend! In addition to the reinforcing, the cut is filled with weld material.
All the holes were drilled with Hougen Rotabroach cutters... sweet! The oval holes were drilled twice (like a binocular shape), then filed by hand. The bolt strips were clamped in position, drilled, bolted, then welded to the crossmember (the one that holds up the t-case and Klune).
The pictures don't show drain holes. I've still got to drill those so that water doesn't get trapped between the forward reinforcing.
