Frame Rust Solutions?

Arleenybean

New Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2018
Messages
6
Location
South Carolina
What do Y'alls think of this rusty hole in this 2003 TJ frame? I'm the 2nd owner, bought it in 2018 with 63k original miles. Sadly, it spent most of it's life in NY. Now it resides in SC, and I only have put 5k miles on it since I bought it. Is it salvageable?? I have hopes and dreams for this Jeep. Since, I just noticed this, I am hesitant to tow my 13ft boat, weighs 1400lbs. total with motor & trailer. Open for recommendations, suggestions. Thank you!

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Wow, that's going to take some serious repairs. I wouldn't even bother though. If that was mine I'd replace the frame with a clean one and not drive it ever again when there is salt on the roads.
 
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Frame doesn’t look great, if you know how to weld you could try to go the safe-t-caps route but you may find the rust goes too far up.

A new southern frame would give that jeep new life.

On the axles, I’d hit it with a wire wheel and rust reformer paint
 
Wow, that's going to take some serio us repairs. I wouldn't even bother though. If that was mine I'd replace the frame with a clean one and not drive it ever again when there is salt on the roads.
What is the ballpark cost of replacing the frame? Is it worth doing it? It will never be in the snow again.
 
What is the ballpark cost of replacing the frame? Is it worth doing it? It will never be in the snow again.

It's worth doing if you plan on keeping your TJ for a long time.

A rust free frame is around $1500-$2000.

Labor (if you pay a shop to do it) is probably going to be around $3000 plus depending on what needs to be done while you're in there.
 
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KRAWL off road in Anderson co, South Carolina does Jeep frame repair. Probably need to have a shop like that access the damage
 
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Frame doesn’t look great, if you know how to weld you could try to go the safe-t-caps route but you may find the rust goes too far up.

A new southern frame would give that jeep new life.

On the axles, I’d hit it with a wire wheel and rust reformer paint

Thank you for the advice! My nephew is a welder, I will have him take a look. I just want it to be safe for myself and my sons who borrow it from time to time. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be alot of car restoration places where I am in Myrtle Beach and any good ones are booked out 1 to 2 years. I would like to buy some time and get the frame replaced, I don’t want to be in over my head financially with it. With such low milage and all original, the question is.. Is it worth it?
 
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Mine was pretty bad but the upper rail of the frame was solid so I could weld some caps in. It was a five day job alone in my driveway with a lot of work but if you have the mechanical knowledge and can weld you can fix it up

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Before repairing it, consider your long term plans. If you ever think you'll sell the Jeep, a distinct possibility, then replace the frame. A Jeep with a replaced frame will have more re-sale value, assuming there are no other issues, than one with a repaired frame!
 
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"Torque boxes" a name so weird that I may never know where it came from but I know what they are. They are the parts of the body under the floor that look like pieces of the frame that the frame below actually bolts to.

I just mentioned that so Arleenybean (or anyone) knows what's being talked about when reading this:
The torque boxes look amazingly good for how bad the frame is. It is really odd how these things rust so badly in some spots and not others.

I'll also add that I bet those torque boxes are somewhere in the top 25% of all original torque boxes still in existence and if they represent what the rest of that Jeep body looks like I'd be on the hunt for a new frame.


What is the ballpark cost of replacing the frame? Is it worth doing it? It will never be in the snow again.

I have no idea what it would cost but from your pictures it looks worth being done to whoever has the time and/or money to do it. Hopefully that's you.


PS Posting a couple pictures of the whole Jeep from 10 ft away would be a nice addition to this thread.
 
What do Y'alls think of this rusty hole in this 2003 TJ frame? I'm the 2nd owner, bought it in 2018 with 63k original miles. Sadly, it spent most of it's life in NY. Now it resides in SC, and I only have put 5k miles on it since I bought it. Is it salvageable?? I have hopes and dreams for this Jeep. Since, I just noticed this, I am hesitant to tow my 13ft boat, weighs 1400lbs. total with motor & trailer. Open for recommendations, suggestions. Thank you!

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The chassis (frame) will have rusted from the inside, so the damage will be much greater than is apparent.

Because the inner and top parts of the chassis are likely to be in need of inspection/repair to do a proper job (cutting back to rust free metal) you'll need to take the body off.

With the body off it's probably quicker and cheaper to replace the chassis with one with no rust inside.
 
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"Torque boxes" a name so weird that I may never know where it came from but I know what they are. They are the parts of the body under the floor that look like pieces of the frame that the frame below actually bolts to.

I just mentioned that so Arleenybean (or anyone) knows what's being talked about when reading this:


I'll also add that I bet those torque boxes are somewhere in the top 25% of all original torque boxes still in existence and if they represent what the rest of that Jeep body looks like I'd be on the hunt for a new frame.




I have no idea what it would cost but from your pictures it looks worth being done to whoever has the time and/or money to do it. Hopefully that's you.


PS Posting a couple pictures of the whole Jeep from 10 ft away would be a nice addition to this thread.

Thank you all for the feedback!! I am attaching some additional pics to show how good of shape this Jeep really is. The frame seems to be mostly intact from what I can see, but I'm a mom and not an auto expert. The upper and lower control arm mounts are in good shape all around. Rust in the frame seems to be in the center section on passenger side. I just don't know what's under that skid plate? I will have to get it to a professional welder shop to see how far it goes. After some research last night, I came across Taboo Customs and they make kits for this type of damage. His YouTube videos were very informative. I just need to find a reputable frame welder in my area to properly install the kit if I go that route. My mechanic quickly glanced at it yesterday and didn't think it was as bad as I made it out to be. He assured me it's safe to drive (for now around town), and to clean all the rust up under it and then have an expert assess and address it. Either way, I'm not parting with my Jeep!! It took us a while to find this TJ that was all original, serviced and 1 owner with such low miles, and not "girly" so my boys can us it, lol!! I need to find out if there is a Jeep club near me, most enthusiasts have knowledge and connections. I will keep Y'alls updated. But tell me what you think of the Jeep itself. I appreciate everyones time and advice :)

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Thank you all for the feedback!! I am attaching some additional pics to show how good of shape this Jeep really is. The frame seems to be mostly intact from what I can see, but I'm a mom and not an auto expert. The upper and lower control arm mounts are in good shape all around. Rust in the frame seems to be in the center section on passenger side. I just don't know what's under that skid plate? I will have to get it to a professional welder shop to see how far it goes. After some research last night, I came across Taboo Customs and they make kits for this type of damage. His YouTube videos were very informative. I just need to find a reputable frame welder in my area to properly install the kit if I go that route. My mechanic quickly glanced at it yesterday and didn't think it was as bad as I made it out to be. He assured me it's safe to drive (for now around town), and to clean all the rust up under it and then have an expert assess and address it. Either way, I'm not parting with my Jeep!! It took us a while to find this TJ that was all original, serviced and 1 owner with such low miles, and not "girly" so my boys can us it, lol!! I need to find out if there is a Jeep club near me, most enthusiasts have knowledge and connections. I will keep Y'alls updated. But tell me what you think of the Jeep itself. I appreciate everyones time and advice :)

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That's a decent Jeep... But you need to get into the rust inhibition pronto. You have rust in the seams underneath. If you can get it sealed up, it will have a long and happy life. If you don't... You'll have a rusty tub in a few years. Personal experience here.

Finding a Jeep club is a good idea. They will have an idea of who you can take it to locally to get it fixed correctly.
 
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That rust is repairable with a section kit, you can get them off Amazon and weld them in.
FYI, your frame is clean compared to what I had to work with.. but it's solid as a rock now.

"user name says it all"
 
That's a decent Jeep... But you need to get into the rust inhibition pronto. You have rust in the seams underneath. If you can get it sealed up, it will have a long and happy life. If you don't... You'll have a rusty tub in a few years. Personal experience here.

Finding a Jeep club is a good idea. They will have an idea of who you can take it to locally to get it fixed correctly.

Thank you for the feedback!! We are going to start cleaning up under there asap. Do you have any product recommendations for rust removal and inhibitors?
Mine was pretty bad but the upper rail of the frame was solid so I could weld some caps in. It was a five day job alone in my driveway with a lot of work but if you have the mechanical knowledge and can weld you can fix it up

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Wow! What a difference 👏 I have a little less anxiety now after seeing your before and after pics. Did you custom make the caps or did you purchase them pre-fabricated? Also, what guage steel did you use?
 
Thank you for the feedback!! We are going to start cleaning up under there asap. Do you have any product recommendations for rust removal and inhibitors?


Wow! What a difference 👏 I have a little less anxiety now after seeing your before and after pics. Did you custom make the caps or did you purchase them pre-fabricated? Also, what guage steel did you use?

I bought them from eBay. Found the two center sections for like $80 and then found the rear trailing arm sections where the control arms go for $90-$100 for the pair. The most expensive part was buying a welder lol
 
Thank you for the feedback!! We are going to start cleaning up under there asap. Do you have any product recommendations for rust removal and inhibitors?
Not really. I ended up replacing my tub, and I'm going to end up doing my frame as well. Any rust removal, done properly, is going to be a LOT of work. I'd say POR-15 or KBS, but doing the underside of a tub would be very difficult to go through their cleaning and acid etching process. It's a very good product, when applied properly though.

Eastwood makes quite a few products for rust mitigation in aerosols, but I don't have a lot of experience with them.
 
I bought them from eBay. Found the two center sections for like $80 and then found the rear trailing arm sections where the control arms go for $90-$100 for the pair. The most expensive part was buying a welder lol

You have skills. (y) I bought a Jeep that the PO "welded" the center frame sections and the welds looked more like wads of chewed bubblegum. It still passed Va state inspections, but I sold it a month later.
 
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