Is this 2001 TJ worth it?

[G_Willikers]

A coworker of mine has a 2001 TJ 90,000 miles 4.0L auto. It’s been sitting in his yard for awhile and wants to get rid of it. He said I could have it for free as long as I bring a trailer to pick it up because the frame is rotted. 4Lo doesn’t engage and 4Hi will but slips out. I’m looking for a cheaper way to get into off roading. I’m capable with a welder and working on it myself. Is it worth saving this or should I find a Jeep with a better frame and just swap the motor? It won’t be a daily driver just a weekend off-roader that I would prefer to drive to the off-roading spots.

 

[CodaMan]

We would need to see pictures of everything underneath to give you some kind of educated idea.

 

[01TJ-Blues]

For free the parts would be nice as spares even if you have to buy one later.

 

[2001slvrstntj]

Free is the right price. I would take a look and then decide, as mentioned you could easily sell parts if you did not want to repair. These thing are really desirable good luck. 4wd could easily just be a linkage issue and not the transfer case.

 

[qslim]

Have a close look at the frame and post pics if you want a detailed analysis. For the price you can't really go wrong, if it were me and I had the room for it & the time to sort it out I'd grab it in a heartbeat. Take your time to evaluate, if it proves to be too much pass it along to the next guy willing to take it on.

 

[Chris]

We would need to see pictures of everything underneath to give you some kind of educated idea.

X2

Without detailed photos, this thread is worthless

 

[Nomaybes]

I don’t need photos...whatever condition it is in...it is 100% worth $0.00.

As stated earlier, it could make great spares as a donor to a future build.

If the question is, “is this TJ worth investing/refurbishing” - I agree that there is not enough information to provide informed recommendations.

 

[G_Willikers]

Alright thanks guys! Hopefully Sunday I’ll be able to pick it up. If not next weekend for sure. I’ll post some pictures of the frame and have you help me evaluate the damage. My hope is the rot isn’t too bad and some patches will work. Then I can put more into suspension than I initially would and build it how I’d like from the beginning.

 

[AndyG]

I don’t need photos...whatever condition it is in...it is 100% worth $0.00.

As stated earlier, it could make great spares as a donor to a future build.

If the question is, “is this TJ worth investing/refurbishing” - I agree that there is not enough information to provide informed recommendations.

Very well articulated post , Chris , be sure this guy gets a parking pass at TJRama this year .

Going by the description , what the OP needs now is a frame and tub , or a good southern TJ the same year with a blown engine.

90,000 is nothing on these , so my guess is the frame is horrendous.

 

[G_Willikers]

After a couple months of waiting I finally got the jeep! Washed and cleaned it. So far it’s needed a new starter and front driver side caliper. Frame has 2 small holes in it but besides that it looks alright. What he thought was massive frame rot looks to me like undercoating flaking off. This weekend I plan to needle scale the frame and assess what it truly looks like so I can repair and prevent any more rust. I also will replace both front calipers, rotors, and pads. First Jeep I’ve ever owned so I can’t wait to get it road worthy!

 

[Hog]

After a couple months of waiting I finally got the jeep! Washed and cleaned it. So far it’s needed a new starter and front driver side caliper. Frame has 2 small holes in it but besides that it looks alright. What he thought was massive frame rot looks to me like undercoating flaking off. This weekend I plan to needle scale the frame and assess what it truly looks like so I can repair and prevent any more rust. I also will replace both front calipers, rotors, and pads. First Jeep I’ve ever owned so I can’t wait to get it road worthy!

View attachment 184598

Looks ok for free!.. have fun... keep us posted.. it will be nice to see it go from this to... better

 

[bromel]

I'm going to stop you right there. Assume the frame is toast. If it's got holes, I guarantee you it's rotting away from the inside out. Good news is that it's likely only rotting under the skid plate and at the rear control arms. You can cap both fairly easily if you know what you are doing.

 

[John Wolf]

Damn, if that thing was free, you just made 600 to 800 on the hardtop alone! Rust looks pretty bad but superficial from here, hope your frame is not gone!! Looks nice for free!!

 

[G_Willikers]

I'm going to stop you right there. Assume the frame is toast. If it's got holes, I guarantee you it's rotting away from the inside out. Good news is that it's likely only rotting under the skid plate and at the rear control arms. You can cap both fairly easily if you know what you are doing.

That’s my plan for this weekend. I’m going to strip off all the undercoating and see how bad it actually is. From what I hear water basically goes inside and rots it from the inside out. I plan on just buying some steel bar stock, plasma cutting what’s bad, and then patching any spots that look compromised. After it’s all stripped and patched then spray paint the frame and use some of that oil people use to protect the inside of frames.