Diamond In The Rough. New To Me 97 TJ

[stylo328]

I think I made a very poor decision! After searching for months on CL, autotrader, etc... for a TJ, I found one on eBay that I thought would be perfect. I bid against several other bidders and ultimately won the auction at what I thought was a great deal. It arrived today and needless to say it is good from far, but far from good. I plan to use this thread to document the work that will be needed to bring it up to an acceptable standard. Upon seeing it in going for a test ride in it my wife thinks that I should just relist it and cut my losses. I’m actually a bit excited about the challenge of trying to resurrected from the nearly dead state it’s in now.

I am open to any advice anyone is willing to offer and have tentatively scheduled to have it towed to a local repair shop that does a lot of jeep work on Tuesday as I don’t think it is safe to drive in its current condition. Below are the description from the eBay listing As well as the photos.

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[stylo328]

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[ac_]

Well I like it!

I have a 98 and am excited to help out any way I can!

 

[Alex01]

From the photos it looks like it will clean up nicely. Looks like it has 2 different sets of tires and no shift knob though. It will be fun to make it into the jeep you want. I look forward to seeing your progress.

 

[stylo328]

This was her sitting in the rain today in front of the house.

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[stylo328]

Well I like it!

I have a 98 and am excited to help out any way I can!

From the photos it looks like it will clean up nicely. Looks like it has 2 different sets of tires and no shift knob though. It will be fun to make it into the jeep you want. I look forward to seeing your progress.

Thank you both very much. I thought it looked great as well and was super excited to have gotten it for $6,250, plus an additional $700 for shipping. It seemed like a much better deal than anything we had here locally.

Here’s the bad part though:

For starters, it was difficult to get started to pull off the transport vehicle and has been difficult to start since. There’s a bit of smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe whenever it’s running and the idol is very rough. The shift knob is not only missing, but the threaded shaft is broken off. The tires are in fact miss matched with the rears being new and the fronts needing to be replaced. The rears are pro comps and look to sell for about $200 each.

The top half of the doors are torn and in poor repair. The emergency brake does not stop the vehicle from rolling. The odometer does not reflect actual driving speed, there must be something going on with the front bushings because the steering is sloppy and all over the place, the steering wheel itself is sticky and gummy, and there something wrong with the driveline that is binding as I drive in the 20 to 30 mile an hour range. The driver side seat belt does not work, it is missing a hood latch and the windshield is cracked.

None of this was disclosed by the seller and when I reached out to him today with my concerns he still feels that I got a jeep in great condition for the year. The paint job appears to be brand new but there are drips and runs here and there. Overall she looks amazing from 10 feet away but I’m not certain that she’s even safe to drive to the repair shop.

I have buyers remorse and feel embarrassed in front of my wife and kids to have bought a Jeep that appears to need so much work. It sucks getting duped but now that I have it I’m left with little choice but to make her my own and get her right. Looking forward to being part of this community and learning from all of you.

Rant over; now it’s onto making her great again.


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[Rob5589]

Frame looks rough. I would definitely take a good look and feel inside, and between the skid and frame rail.
The rear frame pics look off. I would guess they have been replaced.

Here is a generic stock rear frame section

 

[Rob5589]

Thank you both very much. I thought it looked great as well and was super excited to have gotten it for $6,250, plus an additional $700 for shipping. It seemed like a much better deal than anything we had here locally.

Here’s the bad part though:

For starters, it was difficult to get started to pull off the transport vehicle and has been difficult to start since. There’s a bit of smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe whenever it’s running and the idol is very rough. The shift knob is not only missing, but the threaded shaft is broken off. The tires are in fact miss matched with the rears being new and the fronts needing to be replaced. The rears are pro comps and look to sell for about $200 each.

The top half of the doors are torn and in poor repair. The emergency brake does not stop the vehicle from rolling. The odometer does not reflect actual driving speed, there must be something going on with the front bushings because the steering is sloppy and all over the place, the steering wheel itself is sticky and gummy, and there something wrong with the driveline that is binding as I drive in the 20 to 30 mile an hour range. The driver side seat belt does not work and the windshield is cracked.

None of this was disclosed by the seller and when I reached out to him today with my concerns he still feels that I got a jeep in great condition for the year. The paint job appears to be brand new but there are drips and runs here and there. Overall she looks amazing from 10 feet away but I’m not certain that she’s even safe to drive to the repair shop.

I have buyers remorse and feel embarrassed in front of my wife and kids to have bought a Jeep that appears to need so much work. It sucks getting duped but now that I have it I’m left with little choice but to make her my own and get her right. Looking forward to being part of this community and learning from all of you.

Rant over; now it’s onto making her grade again.


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So, you have some work ahead of you. Start from the front and work back. Change all fluids. Check out the differential internals while changing their fluids. New tires for sure and honestly, I would drop to 33's. Easy on the gearing which is likely stock, easier on the drivetrain, and will better fit under 4" of lift. Plan on replacing every front end component. Make sure the frame is sound. It looks like it was coated but after it was already rusted. Check on drive shaft/u joint condition. Check transfer case mount. Check rear end suspension. After all that is sound you can move to the other stuff like door fabrics, interior, shift knob, etc.
A shop is likely to charge you a bundle, depending on what they find. Which will likely be anything and everything they see.

 

[stylo328]

So, you have some work ahead of you. Start from the front and work back. Change all fluids. Check out the differential internals while changing their fluids. New tires for sure and honestly, I would drop to 33's. Easy on the gearing which is likely stock, easier on the drivetrain, and will better fit under 4" of lift. Plan on replacing every front end component. Make sure the frame is sound. It looks like it was coated but after it was already rusted. Check on drive shaft/u joint condition. Check transfer case mount. Check rear end suspension. After all that is sound you can move to the other stuff like door fabrics, interior, shift knob, etc.
A shop is likely to charge you a bundle, depending on what they find. Which will likely be anything and everything they see.

Thanks. I’ve got to say, that reads overwhelming... Likely my lack of Jeep experience and maybe it isn’t as bad as I’m anticipating. It definitely looks like the rear frame is different than the photo you posted.

I took a few pictures under the hood.

Looks like it was just a flip by the eBay seller. Jeep is out of New Jersey per the title.


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[TomTJ]

Yes you have a lot of work, but if you have any wrenching skill, Jeeps are about the easiest things to work on (as long as the rust is ok). Parts are fairly easy to find ( https://www.quadratec.com/ plus many others), and there are many people on forums that spend their life modifying their jeep almost weekly.

So if you are up for a project, its a great vehicle to choose.

And yeah, go smaller on the tires......33" or even smaller. Less stress and other issues unless you really need the clearance.

 

[bobthetj03]

Find out if it has had a re-gear. 35's on a 4 banger can't be great. The rust under the hood and the weirdness to the rear portion of the frame would scare me a little.

 

[Rob5589]

Find out if it has had a re-gear. 35's on a 4 banger can't be great. The rust under the hood and the weirdness to the rear portion of the frame would scare me a little.

Yep. Seeing that it has the 2.5, I would opt for 31's unless it has been re-geared. Being from NJ explains all the rust. @stylo328, you certainly have a project on your hands. Not a bad thing if you are up to it. If not...

 

[glwood]

That's some bit of trickery in the original ad, where they described it as a "1997 Jeep Wrangler sport hardtop", in that they did not capitalize Sport, as that would have been false advertising, seeing at it has a 4 cyl. engine, and is in no way a Sport.

 

[Blank]

It seems rough and you explained to be just that. But remember jeeps are meant to be wrenched on. You ha e a decent start on some stuff she just needs love. Worst case scenario pull the parts you want to keep fenders bumpers etc etc and sell it. Then out the parts in another rig if you want.


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[stylo328]

On further inspection today, I have found what appeared to be patches on the frame of the jeep. It also appears that the rear of the jeep frame was replaced with square tube frame (aftermarket or custom?). I have contacted the seller on eBay to ship the jeep back to him as this is absolutely unacceptable. One of the patches on the frame is made with diamond plate and you can clearly see the diamond plate pattern on the patch. I also believe that the floors have been patched up as well.

Patches:

Passenger floor.

Driver’s side floor:

And what I can only describe as missing body lift spacers... the rubber stops are not touching the tub.

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[stylo328]

So, assuming I can not come to agreement with the seller for a return, what should I do first? I don’t need her to win any car shows, only to be a reliable driver for an 18-mile round trip commute to work (all city streets) and maybe some occasional fun at a local trail or two.

In the spirit of full disclosure, she is a third car for me, but neither of the other two are incredibly practical to drive to work. Also, I really dig the way she looks as she sits, so appearance is spot on, now I just need to get her running right.


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[JMT]

It does look good as it sits. Before getting into tires and aesthetics, I’d follow what @Rob5589 suggested in post #8. Start with the fluids and then start at the front and work your way back checking the front end suspension parts (tie rod ends, ball joints, hubs, etc.,,,) you should be able to adjust the e-brake in the rear drums. Lots of help here on the forum and videos on you tube.

I also notice an aftermarket air intake. I’d look for a stock one to replace it.

As per the frame, patches aren’t bad if they've been done correctly. But it shows it’s had a salt life, which could mean other rust. If you’re up for the work hang on to it. Otherwise you might get it in decent shape for someone else and turn it. You’ll be looking for parts in junkyards, davey’s Jeeps and craigslist.

I would try to find some decent pro comps to match the rears for now.

 

[Rob5589]

Wow man, there are some huge issues with that thing. The side body mounts do not touch but, the first pic of the rear looks like there is a 2" body lift??? That rust is severe. Rust can be repaired for the most part but it looks like a lot of yours was simply painted over. The body mounts can be replaced which is the good. That rust is going to make things very difficult which is the bad.

Not to discourage you but, if you can wrench on your own rig and want a project, you certainly have one. But if you have to send it out to a shop, it probably isn't worth the money it would take to get her squared away. Do you have any Jeep buds that can take a close look and give you an honest opinion?

 

[xackley]

It appears the seller was dishonest, and odds are you will get no return satisfaction. Document all the problems not mentioned in the ad, then work with paypal and ebay to hold up all payment.
The "undercoating" without a thorough cleaning of the rust beforehand actually makes the condition of and working on the frame much worse. I have seen it on many used vehicles at bad businesses, and would be an immediate rejection. It appears they didn't even remove the belly pan before spraying.
Perhaps, if necessary, take it to a reputable Jeep shop and pay for a thorough inspection for obvious problems the seller should have disclosed. Frame and body patches should always be included in the description of the vehicle.
I once bought a 1972 xs650 motorcycle on ebay, in which the seller displayed the beauty shots and did not disclose any problems. I stopped payment and eventually got all my money back.

 

[mcj600]

stylo328, I would contact ebay and paypal. Let them know you received a vehicle with undisclosed frame damage. That should fall under the buyer protection they advertise. Watching your thread, hope you get some resolution.