Well, I knew this was coming. It has finally happened, after purchasing this LJ 48k miles from Vermont/Maine, the frame has given out. It’s rotting in every area. I could keep neglecting it and also lose the tub but I’m almost done with grad school and am already working a decent enough job while attaining no student debt. I got in 2021 and put about 20k miles on it, currently 67k. Mechanically the Jeep has been more reliable than my sister's Honda.
I purchased this Jeep (05) in 2021 with the intent of keeping it forever, frankly, I got it for 15k with only 48k miles and it was in better shape than it is now, but I’d be dumb to believe it would come free of any issues. Similar Jeeps we’re going for over 25k on the West Coast, for good reason. I didn’t mind it though, this was a vehicle I would keep so I was ready to throw money at it.
Frame; in the North East we will have these issues, especially with the already flawed design of the TJ/LJ. I took it to a shop and was quoted $3000 for full caps on both sides front to back. However I saw it on other Jeeps and wasn’t impressed, I have OCD and it would’ve irritated me to get under it and see patches. They also told me $2650 for a frame swap, if I get the frame. So frame swap is what we’re doing here. I am currently looking at a very clean one from down south near me, just trying to pick out a date. So this is pretty much taken care of.
Tub; this is the next major concern, although there are no holes in the tub besides the rear panels, it will require a lot of cleaning and rust removal, and there is no rot. Torque boxes and body mounts are in good shape, floorboards are good. However if it’s not done by the summer time I believe it could begin to rot, so I have to act quickly. The fenders have rust, but they will be removed entirely and swapped for metal cloaks. Fortunately, my neighbor is a body shop owner and will do all the repairs on the tub for free. I just have to pay for parts.
Axles; instead of fighting with the ones I have on now, I decided to just look for a clean set. While they aren’t dotted out, they are rusty. I picked up a set Dana 30/Dana 44 with 5.13 gears and ARB lockers already installed.
The current build sheet I have is here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nGkPC2TjPikeE24-i082usLxxWWWXiXvJcQ8kuJ9MOI/edit?usp=sharing
I purchased this Jeep (05) in 2021 with the intent of keeping it forever, frankly, I got it for 15k with only 48k miles and it was in better shape than it is now, but I’d be dumb to believe it would come free of any issues. Similar Jeeps we’re going for over 25k on the West Coast, for good reason. I didn’t mind it though, this was a vehicle I would keep so I was ready to throw money at it.
Frame; in the North East we will have these issues, especially with the already flawed design of the TJ/LJ. I took it to a shop and was quoted $3000 for full caps on both sides front to back. However I saw it on other Jeeps and wasn’t impressed, I have OCD and it would’ve irritated me to get under it and see patches. They also told me $2650 for a frame swap, if I get the frame. So frame swap is what we’re doing here. I am currently looking at a very clean one from down south near me, just trying to pick out a date. So this is pretty much taken care of.
Tub; this is the next major concern, although there are no holes in the tub besides the rear panels, it will require a lot of cleaning and rust removal, and there is no rot. Torque boxes and body mounts are in good shape, floorboards are good. However if it’s not done by the summer time I believe it could begin to rot, so I have to act quickly. The fenders have rust, but they will be removed entirely and swapped for metal cloaks. Fortunately, my neighbor is a body shop owner and will do all the repairs on the tub for free. I just have to pay for parts.
Axles; instead of fighting with the ones I have on now, I decided to just look for a clean set. While they aren’t dotted out, they are rusty. I picked up a set Dana 30/Dana 44 with 5.13 gears and ARB lockers already installed.
The current build sheet I have is here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nGkPC2TjPikeE24-i082usLxxWWWXiXvJcQ8kuJ9MOI/edit?usp=sharing
