I like that idea.... I have the safe T caps now
I see how far i get here and look into just that, found a few sources.
This one's drive train only has 93K, plenty of life on that end
Frame rot
- Thread starter Jbelcher
- Start date
I like that idea.... I have the safe T caps now
I see how far i get here and look into just that, found a few sources.
This one's drive train only has 93K, plenty of life on that end
18 years is a good run for a rust belt vehicle with a poorly designed frame coupled with a lack of proper maintenance along the way. Not dissing you, you would have needed a crystal ball to know what would become of most TJs in the northeast back when you got this, just saying despite all that you had this longer than most people keep any vehicles. There's a time to put sentimental views aside & see things for what they are, and those recent photos are horrendous, I'd return the safe-t-caps if you can or sell them, there just doesn't look to be enough meat left to weld them to, not to mention that tub... continuing on with this I believe will be regretted in real time and in the long run. TJs are cheap now, I look at them all the time on FB Marketplace, prices are the lowest I've seen since I got mine in 2016. Granted, many have issues, but if all you're looking for is a few more years you can accomplish that with 1000% less aggravation by dumping this/parting it/keeping it as a donor for another you can grab on the cheap that still has a few years left in it.
I am just trying not to have a payment and have something to drive while I get my truck fixed up.
My wife said also said that I should just get rid of it.
I feel pretty foolish as i knew it was pretty bad, i have made attempts to slow the rust in the past. But its just crazy.
I am afraid i have made some poor decisions in regards to this vehicle.
You like the Jeep. Fix it. Safe t cap the frame find a cheap tub and run it. Go to safe t cap web site. Many install videos. Great information there. Or, dump and run
You like the Jeep. Fix it. Safe t cap the frame find a cheap tub and run it. Go to safe t cap web site. Many install videos. Great information there. Or, dump and run
There’s a fair chance you get to the point you have no material to weld to. Safe t cap’s are hundreds of dollars. A TJ frame is sub $2,000. If time
Is worth anything at all, frame and tub swap.
ChasUGC
TJ Enthusiast
Isn't it a great feeling though, if you can prove all the naysayers wrong? If you think you can do it, go for it. If not.....
Vtx531
TJ Addict
Ya and just focus on one thing. You wanted to fix the frame, do that. Don't get distracted by all the other stuff that is wrong.
Right just need to dig in, I think its worth a shot. If nothing else I justified purchasing a plasma cutter. So if it all goes sideways i should have enough scrap and salvageable parts to pay for that.
Doing a bit more inspection getting ready to cut the frame, this thing is really rough. I am really starting to question this decision.
View attachment 482884
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at least you dont have a lot of cutting to do !
I'm about an hour away from you, the salt and mud of NY has wrecked my TJ as well. I have also made some bad decisions but I commend you for making the steps toward salvaging the Jeep. Although the frame on my TJ isn't totally falling apart yet, there are a couple of soft spots/holes by the front driver control arm mount. It is my goal one day to have the skills needed to take on such a massive project of restoration. But first I would have to learn how to weld and tap threads properly. Anyone can just buy another TJ but to restore one is a whole another thing to be proud of. And what happens when there aren't any good TJ's available because they have all been wrecked or rusted out and the nice ones are being held onto for forever?
That's not really a thing, TJs aren't special in the world of Jeeps except to their owners, there are likewise giant fans of every other era Jeep. YJs & CJs are all older & they are still available all the time.
My first recommendation on this thread prior to seeing the extent of the damage was a frame swap, after seeing the photos it looks to need a frame and tub if for no other reason that safety. If he can get those items reasonably priced & do the work it would still be a viable option. If that's not the case I still say buy another on the cheap regardless of any theoretical pride one might feel after pouring hundreds of hours & countless dollars into this one, because it certainly may go that way.
Two years ago my view may have been different, as used car prices (including TJs) were ridiculous. A lot has happened since, inflation has devoured excess discretionary funds and/or access to credit (and/or willingness to use available credit), and new car inventory has gone way up. When you add that to the fact that TJs for a great many buyers are second vehicles or toys, they just aren't selling like they used to. I look at them all the time just for fun & what I've seen over the past year is that they're sitting longer and longer with more and more price cuts.
I don't know how long this trend will continue, seems it will for a while, but this is all good news for someone in the market for one. And I'm not talking about the pristine samples in the desert southwest that look like they just drove off the dealer's lot, those will always command a premium because there will always be people unaffected by the shitty economy that can and will buy them. I'm talking about a direct replacement for the OP's that doesn't have a frame and tub he may fall through like Fred Flintstone if he hits a bump.
Which one are you willing to cut your losses with? When you decide, put the other one out of its misery and let it go. Smart wife or rusty ass Jeep? You decide.
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Take a close look to the frame members in front of the front control arms. In and around the motor mounts and forward of the motor mounts. I have not found any repair pieces available to help there. If that area needs repair, then look for a new frame.
That frame didn't look as bad as what a few of the members here say they are going to cap/repair...
Yeah this thread has me fired up to limp my tub and frame along a few more years while I shop for replacements! I spent more time than it took them to swap the frame just mitigating rust around my front axle … and I’m sure the cancer is still lurking there ready to bubble through. It seems to be way more work to remediate rust than to just swap.
The trick post swap though is how to prevent rust in the northeast … likely by not driving it in the winter
Agreed. Also, it conveys a false sense of how quickly a frame can be swapped, since the rust isn't nearly as bad. I presume they had a fully stocked parts department when it came to things like bolts/nuts, fuel and brake lines, ground straps, frame clips, and nearly any tool you care to name. It took me precisely 34.6 times as long to swap my own.