XJ ONLY

So today I was going through doing some little stuff on the jeep (1998 I6, Auto), and making sure everything was solid and tight like it's supposed to be. And that's when I found this crack, the crack itself is about 4" long, and widens out to be a pretty good sized tear. I have been reading up on this and it seems the location is not good either (Driver Side, front of the shock mount). Please give me your opinion on this.

gpXJ

Ouch, that's a big tear. I would be hesitant to try repairing that with just welding it up. You need to look into some front stiffener plates and plate that whole front section. HD off-road sells them. Maybe drill a hole, weld up that crack then throw down the front frame plates and maybe some bottom plates too.

I don't think it spells scrap the whole thing, but you should be thorough when fixing that. That section carries a lot of the stresses from steering and it needs to be strong.

XJ ONLY

Yeah It's pretty bad, after all the work and money I put into it last year I might just cut my losses on this jeep, cause a weld for sure won't work, I'm thinking it would need a plate welded over it, but what do you think about driving it, would anyone consider it "reasonably safe"

SatiricalHen

I say if you fix it RIGHT no problem driving it... Just my two cents. I'd fix and drive it.

smooth move

weld her up and slap some plate over it and weld some more. drive on!

XJlimitedx99

X2 that is a major issue that needs to be addressed. Drill a hole at each end of the tear, weld it shut, and plate it.

XJ ONLY

Ok, I'll look into a bit more. Cause I don't have time to make it home to a welder anytime soon.

XJlimitedx99

I wouldn't consider that safe, but it's not like that happened over night. God knows how long you've been driving like that. It will probably be alright for a little while longer.

2000chersport

Mine cracked there too. But not near that bad. This is what I did:

Filthy addiction Steering box brace
RE track bar with track bar brace
Jcr steering box spacer
Front bumper that has the frame tie in to the steering box (rough country bumper)

Still want to get it welded up too. Wish I had a welder

sycoglitch

OP, just curious, do you still have the stock TB or an adjustable one?

Actually nvm just looked at picture again.

steelybill

Good call on stop-drilling the cracks. The crack is actually longer than what is visible, so going past the ends a bit with the holes is a good idea.
Seems like a wrap-around plate welded over that area, down the side & across the bottom, would reinforce it......

madmanmarty

Have someone that really knows metallurgy weld it up.

93_xjcherokee

You're good. See the zip tie? Its holding it together. Those things are pretty solid.

XJlimitedx99

Amen brother! Hahah

Fred/N0AZZ

You do need an experienced welder to do that job correctly and plate the frame. Do it properly and it should work fine for you, but must be done by someone knowledgeable in this type of repair and plating.