Rust and transmission questions

[Gwarden13]

I’ve been lurking for a while and finally acquired my very own TJ
I have never owned a Jeep before so am venturing into new territory.
I bought an 02 Sahara with 170,000 miles on her fully intending to make a project out of her.
My wife has named her Sofie.
The body is in great condition haven’t found any rust on the body.
There’s one rust hole about the size of two quarters on the passenger side frame that I should be able to patch.
Now we start the nube questions, there’s a cross piece under the transmission, I don’t know if it’s the support for the transmission or just a skid plate. I need to remove it for my repair of the frame. It’s my plan to clean and paint the outside of the frame with POR and clean and coat the inside of the frame with Eastwood. Can I lift the body off enough to get to the top of the frame?
I also found the spring perches are rusted, I don’t think they’re to bad just surface rust. I plan to remove the springs and coat the purches with POR, and replace the spring isolators.
My next concern is, there is oil on the pan under the transmission. I’m okay with this as with the high mileage I’m considering rebuilding or replacing the engine and transmission. I see new transmissions on line. Would I be better off to buy a new transmission or get mine rebuilt?
That’s it for now

 

[Rob5589]

Welcome! Just a FYI, no pics of said TJ will garner no good will on this here forum

 

[Cornbread]

The cross piece under the transmission is a cross member and a skid plate, you will need to support the transmission before removing it. I don't know if you plan on ever lifting the Jeep or building it but a 1" body lift makes cleaning/painting the top of the frame very doable. 1" body lift also allows for upgrades such as a motor mount lift down the road, if you wanted to build the Jeep.

Is your transmission having mechanical failures? If it's just leaking it you may not need a new one, tranny's aren't cheap.

 

[Chris]

Got any photos of the rust? That would be a lot better than just trying to imagine what it looks like.

Automatic transmissions generally last around 150-200k before they need a rebuild. Is it just leaking fluid or are you experiencing actual drivability issues with it?

In other words, we need more info.

 

[Gwarden13]

Okay I added pictures
It’s a manual transmission it shifts are stiff to me but I’m used to shifting a Miata
I will try to get pictures of the rust

 

[Gwarden13]

Well this project went south real quick
All three of the bolts on the passenger side have the nuts spinning inside the frame, the driver side came apart.
Has anyone ever tried to replace the nuts inside the frame?

 

[Not_Invented_Here_]

triggered

I think you have to replace more than the nuts...you can find them on MOPAR though. I believe it matters what model year you have too FWIW

 

[Mike_H]

Well this project went south real quick
All three of the bolts on the passenger side have the nuts spinning inside the frame, the driver side came apart.
Has anyone ever tried to replace the nuts inside the frame?

View attachment 77274

Hate to tell you this man...but you're going to be replacing more than nuts in the frame. They used rivnuts there. Generally, if they are spinning, it means the frame has lost thickness so they can't hold anymore. Its probably too late now, but try tightening them up with an impact. You might be able to pinch the nut a bit more and get it to grab. The other thing you can try is using a pry bar to put down pressure on the skid near the bolt. Try to bind the rivnut to the frame and get the bolt to break free.

Now, for the really bad news...You're cutting and welding in new metal along that WHOLE skidplate, once you get it free. Good luck, keep us posted.

 

[JDS123]

That’s not a small patch job. If you’re looking to patch the frame, you’ll want to do the entire length of the frame on both sides. That rust hole isn’t the only problem area, the entire inside of the middle section of the frame is rotten with almost 100% certainty.

 

[Gwarden13]

Yes it’s a much bigger job than planned, I’m looking at getting repair parts on ebay

 

[BuildBreakRepeat]

Yes it’s a much bigger job than planned, I’m looking at getting repair parts on ebay

Really sorry man, internal frame rust can literally cause your Jeep to fall apart driving down the road. Eastwood internal frame coating is great - but without the thickness needed there is nothing to protect. Welding plates over cut out sections is time consuming and annoying work - especially since the cancerous rust has probably spread all over the internals. Try inspecting the inside with a bore cam or your phone to see as the damage clearly and post it up here. If it’s far gone sometimes a junkyard frame that’s in good conditions is cheaper and easier swap. Really really too bad. Drilling drain holes right behind the control arm mounts to the frame is an easy way to prevent future problems when you get it all sorted out. Best of luck!

 

[Not_Invented_Here_]

Yes it’s a much bigger job than planned, I’m looking at getting repair parts on ebay

Check out this site - https://poconometalcraft.com/

Seems to have great reviews.

 

[Gwarden13]

Well the weekend is here and I found time to play.
I might have been able to just clean and replace the nutserts then patch the original hole I found.
But I decided to cut it open and make sure I have good metal inside the frame.
I also found the front control arm mount has already been replaced on the passenger side.
I bought pre made frame pieces from amazon and they’re made to go all the way to the top of the frame. I am cutting them down in length and height so my side steps will still fit.
At least this way I will know I have good nuts for the transmission skid/mount.