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TJ-6 Build ideas and Input

9K views 50 replies 10 participants last post by  T-Jay 
#1 ·
So I am considering doing the fabled TJ-6 stretch this summer and I am trying to start putting together a plan. For anyone who doesn't know what I am talking about, its when you literally cut your Jeep in half, ad 15 inches of everything in the middle, and then sew it back together. These are some examples:







basically you are making your TJ into an LJ with the rear overhang of a TJ... if that makes sense.

there are several ways to go about doing this including taking an LJ tub and welding it to where you cut your TJ in half, or building your own panels and going about it that way.

regardless I will need 15" of a TJ frame for both sides, or similar sized tube, and then frame inserts to go on either side of said 15" piece of frame. I am going to fish plate the inside but just plug weld the outside and grind it smooth so the finish is clean.

Also will have to extend the fuel lines, brake lines, and all of the wiring for the tail lights, and fuel pump, as well as have the drive shaft lengthened. I currently have a Long Arm lift kit so I will need longer control arms as well. I may have to adjust some of the mounting angles as there will be different angles after the stretch.

The body is my biggest concern as far as figuring out how to bend sheet metal in order to mimick the bends at the top of the tub. ideally I can find a TJ or LJ tub to use for doner parts. If not, I will just go ahead and bend some sheet metal myself. the rails to attach the top can be purchased for an LJ from Jeep directly so if I take the later route I will probably just do that. the actual floor panel that would be added in would be 10 gauge steel bent over on the edges to add some strength.. I know PSC has uncut corners that I could use to cover up any flaws in the body work so that's the backup plan if it looks overly patchy, but Ideally I can do it clean enough where I can just paint it.

I understand this is a massive project and there is a lot of work and planning that goes into something like this. Basically I am going to spend the next 4-5 months assembling a parts list, getting said parts, and doing my research so I don't have any nasty surprises.

Is anyone around that has actually done this? All of the builds I have seen are a couple years old and I have yet to get any responses from the guys. What am I missing? What suggestions do you have?

Thanks guys! :thumbsup:
 
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#2 · (Edited)
I had my frame extensions made on a plasma table. I'm picking them up this week. I'll post pictures on my thread and detail how we made them. Finding the straight part of a jeep TJ frame around me is damn near impossible (they all get bought up for stuff like this). As far as the body part. We are using sheet metal I salvaged from wrecked ambulance doors. It's same thickness as the jeep tub and using a metal brake I've made the belt rails at the top to look exactly like the stock belt rail. Then it's just alot of finesse and welding very slowly and seam filler. I'm doing body work on mine currently. But my project is very slow going. I'll post pics and try to detail every step I took.

As far as your suspension. My suggestion is to make your own custom 4 link or just extend your current arms or make new ones. The attachment points you currently have should be just fine. And dont forget you'll have to extend the roll cage as well. Plus you might want to change location of rear seat (depending on your application)
 
#5 ·
Please post pics, I would love to get some ideas. I was considering making a duplicate of all the parts I use and selling a complete 'kit' to someone but I am not sure yet. The rear seat is probably coming out, and I am going to build a cage similar to the angles of an LJ. Thanks for the response!

i plan on doing the same with my tj. i plan to just fab the body parts and frame. i do kind of want a factory roll bar though to use a frameless top. can you really still get that belt rail or whatever its called? new from dealer?
from what I understand, yes you can still get it from the dealer. I will call this week and confirm though

I just finished mine. Actually going to do final assembly tomorrow. Just painted everything. I collected parts for about two years. I got the Craigslist finds and harder to get parts in that time. I was $2700 for parts. I used an LJ Hardtop and roll bar, and LJ belt rails.

A good find was a front end collision TJ tub. It also lett me get a practice cut in and give me miscellaneous parts. It let me mock up my corner armor and get it cut in advance as well.

Fuel lines and wiring were easy to extend. I pre bent all the metal for the patch panels and had them waiting for when I cut it. I was exactly one week from cut to all the metal work done.

I'll think of more things and post them up.
that looks damn good. I wish I could find a wrecked LJ around here. Guess I will keep my eyes open... Do you have any other pictures?
 
#4 ·
I just finished mine. Actually going to do final assembly tomorrow. Just painted everything. I collected parts for about two years. I got the Craigslist finds and harder to get parts in that time. I was $2700 for parts. I used an LJ Hardtop and roll bar, and LJ belt rails.

A good find was a front end collision TJ tub. It also lett me get a practice cut in and give me miscellaneous parts. It let me mock up my corner armor and get it cut in advance as well.

Fuel lines and wiring were easy to extend. I pre bent all the metal for the patch panels and had them waiting for when I cut it. I was exactly one week from cut to all the metal work done.

I'll think of more things and post them up.
 

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#6 ·
I just finished mine. Actually going to do final assembly tomorrow. Just painted everything. I collected parts for about two years. I got the Craigslist finds and harder to get parts in that time. I was $2700 for parts. I used an LJ Hardtop and roll bar, and LJ belt rails.

A good find was a front end collision TJ tub. It also lett me get a practice cut in and give me miscellaneous parts. It let me mock up my corner armor and get it cut in advance as well.

Fuel lines and wiring were easy to extend. I pre bent all the metal for the patch panels and had them waiting for when I cut it. I was exactly one week from cut to all the metal work done.

I'll think of more things and post them up.
Also the Budlight is a nice touch :D
 
#8 ·
Jump on the tub. It gets the upper profile of the tub for you. And then I loved doing the practice cut. Just made me that much more prepared for cutting mine. And if you can't get LJ belt rails, it gets you two lengths of those as well. That pays for the tub right there. Plus the benefit of the practice.

Edit: I forgot to mention the benefit of using it to template your corner armor and new sheet metal pieces before you cut it. That saves a ton of time.

I have lots of pictures. What would you like to see? And I also have my junked TJ that I practice the cut on. So I can show you exactly what my cut looked like and what to watch for.
 
#9 ·
Jump on the tub. It gets the upper profile of the tub for you. And then I loved doing the practice cut. Just made me that much more prepared for cutting mine. And if you can't get LJ belt rails, it gets you two lengths of those as well. That pays for the tub right there. Plus the benefit of the practice.

Edit: I forgot to mention the benefit of using it to template your corner armor and new sheet metal pieces before you cut it. That saves a ton of time.

I have lots of pictures. What would you like to see? And I also have my junked TJ that I practice the cut on. So I can show you exactly what my cut looked like and what to watch for.
What did you make the corners out of? Like what gauge steel? Yeah having the tub helps a lot. Im trying to source the metal to build the frame extensions out of currently. Ideally I could find a scrapped TJ frame and just take 32"~ out of it but I am not having a ton of luck thus far. How did you go about rewiring the electrical components? just cut and splice or something more complex?

Also if you have pictures of where you cut, and how you did the frame pieces that would be awesome. And any other random pictures you have any comments on. Ideally I can collect most of the components before May and have an exact plan going into this. I am hoping I can come across a top on CraigsList for a steal but I am not banking on it
 
#11 ·
I used savvy blank corner armor and tub rails.

I used 18 gauge steel to make the patch panels and floor. There were two harness on my Jeep. The fuel pump harness I made an extension harness with weather pack connectors and the factory plug into the fuel pump. Then the harness in the cab had 17 wires (I think?) that I soldered and heat shrink spliced them. I had that TJ tub that had some of the wiring in it, so I used same color wiring from it to make the extensions on my Jeep.

I had lucked out and got a LJ Hardtop on Craigslist for 600 bucks.

I'll go through my pictures and find some. Want me to PM you? Post them here? Or I can email them as well?
 
#12 ·
I used savvy blank corner armor and tub rails.

I used 18 gauge steel to make the patch panels and floor. There were two harness on my Jeep. The fuel pump harness I made an extension harness with weather pack connectors and the factory plug into the fuel pump. Then the harness in the cab had 17 wires (I think?) that I soldered and heat shrink spliced them. I had that TJ tub that had some of the wiring in it, so I used same color wiring from it to make the extensions on my Jeep.

I had lucked out and got a LJ Hardtop on Craigslist for 600 bucks.

I'll go through my pictures and find some. Want me to PM you? Post them here? Or I can email them as well?
If you could post them here that would be best because I am sure by the time I do this other people will want to know how as well so we can answer all questions in one thread!

That top was a steal though dang... I'm hoping I can find a soft top
 
#15 ·
Used savvy armor to hide the patch seams. I had used the junkyard tub to mock up and cut the armor. And used an LJ roll bar from another member on here. Saved a lot of time from trying to stretch the TJ roll bar.

Made two cross members for under the seat area. They really made it stout.
 

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#16 ·
Used savvy armor to hide the patch seams. I had used the junkyard tub to mock up and cut the armor. And used an LJ roll bar from another member on here. Saved a lot of time from trying to stretch the TJ roll bar.

Made two cross members for under the seat area. They really made it stout.
I am super jealous you got an actual LJ roll bar. I think I am going to have to bend up something like that. I love the angles on the stock LJ ones. Your flooring looks extremely clean. I may have asked and you probably answered- what gauge steal did you use for all of it? And what would you say was the most difficult part?
 
#18 ·
Okay thanks scotch. I will probably get a 4'x8' sheet of that some point so I have plenty. I am waiting on a response from the guy with the tub. He may have a frame as well
 
#19 ·
It was 18 gauge steel. I bought a 4x8 sheet. Had close to a 3x4 piece left after cutting all the parts. And I was very generous on size making my rough pieces.

The hardest part? When I think back, nothing stands out particularly. But I also had been doing the prep work a few months in advance. So that makes the choosing the hardest part hard to judge for me. I had the junkyard tub, so I cut the savvy armor way in advance. Then made my practice cut, which gave me a template on my whole plan. So I could use that tub to make the rough pieces for patch panels. I had factory LJ belt rails, so that saved work.


Making that initial cut is pretty critical depending on how you do it. The way I cut it, it had to be perfect. Cutting between the wheel well and b pillar is very tight. I messed up the practice one a little bit, but learned a lot. So when I cut mine, I knew what I was going to do different.

Where I cut the frame, I had to relocate a body mount. But that wasn't too bad. After you cut the frame and get it back together, that's the perfect time to extend the fuel lines, EVAP line, brake line, and fuel pump harness. It's all really easy to get too. My parking brake cables were long enough, so they didn't need extending. (Scraping the paint/coating off the fuel lines to use compression fittings was a pain in the ***)

Then you mount the back half of the body and can start the body panels. That probably was the longest part, but I still didn't think it was too hard, just tedious. After that was done, we fit the corner armor and tacked the belt rails on.

I'm trying to give highlights, if you need me to elaborate on something, don't hesitate to ask.
 
#20 ·
It was 18 gauge steel. I bought a 4x8 sheet. Had close to a 3x4 piece left after cutting all the parts. And I was very generous on size making my rough pieces.

The hardest part? When I think back, nothing stands out particularly. But I also had been doing the prep work a few months in advance. So that makes the choosing the hardest part hard to judge for me. I had the junkyard tub, so I cut the savvy armor way in advance. Then made my practice cut, which gave me a template on my whole plan. So I could use that tub to make the rough pieces for patch panels. I had factory LJ belt rails, so that saved work.

Making that initial cut is pretty critical depending on how you do it. The way I cut it, it had to be perfect. Cutting between the wheel well and b pillar is very tight. I messed up the practice one a little bit, but learned a lot. So when I cut mine, I knew what I was going to do different.

Where I cut the frame, I had to relocate a body mount. But that wasn't too bad. After you cut the frame and get it back together, that's the perfect time to extend the fuel lines, EVAP line, brake line, and fuel pump harness. It's all really easy to get too. My parking brake cables were long enough, so they didn't need extending. (Scraping the paint/coating off the fuel lines to use compression fittings was a pain in the ***)

Then you mount the back half of the body and can start the body panels. That probably was the longest part, but I still didn't think it was too hard, just tedious. After that was done, we fit the corner armor and tacked the belt rails on.

I'm trying to give highlights, if you need me to elaborate on something, don't hesitate to ask.
Highlights are perfect. As I said, I am hoping to pick up that body and frame. Ideally I can do the practice cut like you did. I am leaning towards what you did cutting along the wheel well. I talked to Chop from Wrangler Forum and he said I should tack some tubing onto the frame before I cut to make sure it doesnt move so I will probably do that. Where did you get the fuel and brake line extensions? Special order or stock at autozone/the like?
 
#21 ·
Orielly's had them in stock. I bought a 3/8" fuel line extension kit. And I think 2 - 5/16" brake line pieces to extend the other two lines. Then used brass compression fittings on each end of the extended line pieces. Then the brake line had a fitting right next to the frame cut. So a brake line coupler and a piece of brake line tubing from Orielly's and that was good to go.
 
#22 ·
That's not bad. I spoke to a friend who does a lot of electrical work and hes going to look over everything after I get it together to make sure it is all set so that's nice.

One thing I completely forgot about. my Jeep has an 8.8 and my E-Brake is on a separate lever, I think it may be hydraulic. I am going to have to figure out how to extend that. It is probably about the same but I need to figure out how to add fluid and bleed it
 
#24 ·
I do, so that will be fun. shouldn't be hard, just a little bit of messing around with it. My tub lead fell through so that is off the table. I am going to see if I can find someone who's scrapping one and get 15" from the top on either side so I don't have to bend the angles and then see if I can get LJ belt rails from Jeep
 
#26 ·
This will be a fun build to watch. As you plan the floor pan, keep in mind the extra space you may be able to utilize where the wheel wells would have been. I can get sleeping bags behind the front seats and in front of the rear seat (sides). Maybe 10" x 10", but on both sides. Sure is handy.
 
#28 ·
I have seen that actually. trying to decide what I want to put there and how I want it to be accessed. Do you have any pictures? I like pictures...

Welcome to the dark side.
I don't know that any one part of the stretch was any harder than the rest with the exception of maintaining oem appearance on the tub sides. That would be a piece of cake if you are planing to run full corner armor.

There were a few tools that I found immensely helpful.
- a spot weld cutter
- a carbide tipped scribe
- cheap laser levels
I will look into all of the tools mentioned! I am going to do full corners so appearance be damned on everything underneath! The inside will look extremely clean though. Going to jump through hoops to make sure of that
 
#27 ·
Welcome to the dark side.
I don't know that any one part of the stretch was any harder than the rest with the exception of maintaining oem appearance on the tub sides. That would be a piece of cake if you are planing to run full corner armor.

There were a few tools that I found immensely helpful.
- a spot weld cutter
- a carbide tipped scribe
- cheap laser levels
 
#29 ·
Tack something onto the rear body half along the top, It's kinda flimsy. I wouldnt worry about the frame until your doing the welds. Cutting it isnt going to move it a bit.. I've had mine in half for over 2 months.. Not moved an inch. But when you start welding in the extensions, doing those final burns (long welds) Yeah I'd brace it.
 
#30 ·
I may weld all of those places to be safe honestly. I am going to hammer it out in 2-3 weeks from the time we start cutting til the time It is all back together and I dont really want to take any chances... I was considering making a duplicate of every part I make in case anyone wants a kit to try it... not sure if that would work though
 
#32 ·
Sand1235, that interior is super clean. Nice work.
My fenders are similar in shape and length, although the floor remains raised where the fenders end. MCE used the rear floor of a donor LJ (on mine), but shortened the fenders for additional storage. Having a few inches of height would be useful, though I an happy with mine as it is.
 
#42 ·
Sand1235 said:
My interior turned out pretty good. I think I'll love the extra storage on the side of the rear seat
That did turn out good. Any more photos of your project?

Toxic94 said:
I may have found someone with TJ Belt rails and the frame pieces I need. Fingers crossed. Still searching for a good @$$ deal on a top
Have you checked Davey's Jeeps? There's also a couple guys on eBay with huge inventories of used TJ and LJ parts

Here's a link to Davey's http://www.daveysjeeps.com/

Good luck with the build. I'm on schedule to start cutting this month. My build thread is in my signature if your interested.
 
#43 ·
That did turn out good. Any more photos of your project?
I do. I actually just finished it up mostly this week. I just have to paint the inside of the frame, body b pillar, and cross members I made for under the back seat. And then extend my Hanson rock sliders. Other than that I should be done with the stretch.
 

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