Frame rust repair on our low mileage TJ in North Carolina

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dockdoc

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Charlotte, NC
Hi all - joined this forum to ask this question, and I've done a fair amount of online research so I apologize as I know this is a common thread.

We've had our TJ since new in 2001 (MY 2002). It lived in the NE for a while and saw salt, unfortunately. It now has 69k miles and we use it as a non-essential vehicle (which is not to say it's not useful and we don't love it).

I recently had new tires put on, and the shop pointed out the dreaded frame rot issue. The transmission cross member is currently held on by 2 out of the 6 bolts, and the underside of the fame in that area is just plain gone. I've put the vehicle on the bench for the time being. Of course like a dummy I let them put the new tires on, which I'm now worried may have been a waste of money.

I've called one shop in NC and sent some photos, and was quoted $2200 to have the SafeT Caps put on the middle section. So partially, I'm inquiring about whether that seems like a fair price.

Of course, after doing some research (And the shop recommended that I check this as well) I've also inspected the rear spring mounts and those appear pretty rusted out too. The shop mentioned they could fix those areas too. They'll also clean and spray the entire frame for future protection.

I'm seriously considering this but wanted to see what people think. Obviously I have doubts about sinking in several grand into an aging vehicle. At the same token, it's fairly low mileage for a 19 year old car, runs well, and has been in the family since new. If we were to say goodbye, we'd likely not replace it with anything.

Oh and also while looking at it again tonight I noticed that there's an apparent oil leak which I suspect is the rear main seal. So that's great.

What would you do in my shoes? Any recommendations on how to find good shops for competing estimates, or know any good shops near Charlotte, NC?

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Growing up in Boston I can relate to that rust !! All my jeeps were plagued by this rust until I found fluid film which should come in the glove box of every vehicle in New England . Anyways that rust at the skid plate it’s too far gone IMO . They make frame repair pieces sold for different areas of the frame however someone with more experience will chime in any second .
 
I went through a very similar repair on my 2001 that I also owned from new. I was hesitant at first and immediately after but the safe-t-cap repair turned out pretty good and I am glad I got it done.

See my thread here for pics: https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/well-i-got-the-dreaded-news.14065/

I paid about $2000 out the door so that price isn’t too bad. I bought my own skid plate so that might be the difference in price. Yours looks worse than mine did so you’re potentially getting more bang for your buck if that helps at all.
 
primetime4 said:
I went through a very similar repair on my 2001 that I also owned from new. I was hesitant at first and immediately after but the safe-t-cap repair turned out pretty good and I am glad I got it done.

See my thread here for pics: https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/well-i-got-the-dreaded-news.14065/

I paid about $2000 out the door so that price isn’t too bad. I bought my own skid plate so that might be the difference in price. Yours looks worse than mine did so you’re potentially getting more bang for your buck if that helps at all.
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Thanks just read that and it sounds like we have very similar stories! Glad to hear it worked out for you.

I would consider a $200 difference within the margin of error so sounds like my estimate is reasonable.
 
I had typed up a big reply, but condensed it down to this: depending on who you called for the quote, you might give these guys a call. They were listed on the Safe T Cap website.

Buckeye Performance Inc.
5 Della Ree Lane
Swannanoa, NC 28778
828-779-2242
www.facebook.com/Buckeye-Performance-INC


But if you wouldn't replace the Jeep with anything if you sold it, then maybe it's time to let it go.
 
For what it's worth, I found a set of the exact same SafeTcaps rails on craigslist (extremely lucky as I've never seen them listed in my area after that). I paid $200 for the set, new in box. I had my local mechanic let me come in and help do the job, and he taught me how to weld in the process (having never done it before). Cost for the labor ended up being $350 (probably saved paying about an hour of labor by helping, which was $65/hr). Was just under a 6 hour job to do both rails, and weld on the side steps.

Cost for the parts direct from autorust (the manufacturer) is $370 plus shipping. (https://www.autorust.com/product/center-frame-at-skid-plate-mount-art-113-s/) You could call around and see if you could find a shop to do the labor if you supplied the parts, may bring the price down some.
 
I did my 2000 tj 3 years ago.Looked similar.Glad I did it.If I had had it since new as you have and low mileage I would invest the money otherwise you have no value at all.At least you know the vehicle.Most of us have bought ours used and sketchy history.My 2 cents worth.
 
bruceco said:
I did my 2000 tj 3 years ago.Looked similar.Glad I did it.If I had had it since new as you have and low mileage I would invest the money otherwise you have no value at all.At least you know the vehicle.Most of us have bought ours used and sketchy history.My 2 cents worth.
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Glad to hear that worked out well... I keep going back and forth about trying to replace the frame or doing this, but I think the frame job sounds like it could turn into a total nightmare whereas plenty of people have done this with good results.

Did you do the rear spring mounts too?

GEEP4ME said:
I had typed up a big reply, but condensed it down to this: depending on who you called for the quote, you might give these guys a call. They were listed on the Safe T Cap website.

Buckeye Performance Inc.
5 Della Ree Lane
Swannanoa, NC 28778
828-779-2242
www.facebook.com/Buckeye-Performance-INC


But if you wouldn't replace the Jeep with anything if you sold it, then maybe it's time to let it go.
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Thanks - that is the shop I got an estimate from over the phone, they seemed really knowledgeable.

I probably shouldn't have said that about not replacing it. What I meant is that the Jeep has become a fun 'extra' car, occasionally useful but mostly I just drive it when the weather's nice and I'm not going far. I would definitely consider another one in the future, but I'd rather do what I can to keep this one running.


Vidar said:
For what it's worth, I found a set of the exact same SafeTcaps rails on craigslist (extremely lucky as I've never seen them listed in my area after that). I paid $200 for the set, new in box. I had my local mechanic let me come in and help do the job, and he taught me how to weld in the process (having never done it before). Cost for the labor ended up being $350 (probably saved paying about an hour of labor by helping, which was $65/hr). Was just under a 6 hour job to do both rails, and weld on the side steps.

Cost for the parts direct from autorust (the manufacturer) is $370 plus shipping. (https://www.autorust.com/product/center-frame-at-skid-plate-mount-art-113-s/) You could call around and see if you could find a shop to do the labor if you supplied the parts, may bring the price down some.
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Great thoughts thanks. I'll check around craigslist too.
 
@jodomcfrodo can paint a very good picture of what it costs to truly repair something like this by swapping in a clean frame.

That frame is toast in more areas than one. You can of course cut the bad sections out and replace them with new SafeTCaps (or similar), but if the outside of your frame looks like that in those areas, I can almost guarantee you that the entire inside of the frame looks like that.

The only way to truly fix something like this is by swapping in a clean frame, and that's going to cost you around $2000 to $7000 depending on if you do it yourself or pay someone to do it for you (and also depending on what else you end up finding while you're in there).
 
Chris said:
@jodomcfrodo can paint a very good picture of what it costs to truly repair something like this by swapping in a clean frame.

That frame is toast in more areas than one. You can of course cut the bad sections out and replace them with new SafeTCaps (or similar), but if the outside of your frame looks like that in those areas, I can almost guarantee you that the entire inside of the frame looks like that.

The only way to truly fix something like this is by swapping in a clean frame, and that's going to cost you around $2000 to $7000 depending on if you do it yourself or pay someone to do it for you (and also depending on what else you end up finding while you're in there).
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Honestly $2000 - 7000 sounds pretty reasonable for entire new frame if you're talking parts and labor... But where do I find said frame?
 
Be clear with the shop what they mean about a coating to prevent future rust. I would recommend never putting a hard coating inside of any boxes in areas. Things like paint and powder coat (along with Eastwood frame coat) can allow rust to build between the coating and the frame and will look fine while the metal rots away. Clean as much as you can inside the frame and then use cosmoline spray or fluid film to coat everything. It seals out moisture and air and will creep into tiny areas that can't be scraped clean. I'm up in the rust belt and the fluid Film, cosmoline, and (no first hand experience) the NH undercoat spray are game changers. Don't use any hard coating under the vehicle. They just help hide the rust as it grows.
 
dockdoc said:
Honestly $2000 - 7000 sounds pretty reasonable for entire new frame if you're talking parts and labor... But where do I find said frame?
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That's why I'm waiting for @jodomcfrodo to chime in. He had a shop replace his entire frame with a new, rust free frame and paid something like 6k I believe. Of course that included the labor, as well as replacing a lot of other parts while they were in there.

He'll say where he got the frame, but I know these guys are known to have rust free frames:

https://daveysjeeps.com
You can also check http://car-part.com
 
Chris said:
That's why I'm waiting for @jodomcfrodo to chime in. He had a shop replace his entire frame with a new, rust free frame and paid something like 6k I believe. Of course that included the labor, as well as replacing a lot of other parts while they were in there.

He'll say where he got the frame, but I know these guys are known to have rust free frames:

https://daveysjeeps.com
You can also check http://car-part.com
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Ah I see.

Well this just got interesting... I checked car-part.com and there's a salvage yard an hour away that has two rust-free frames, already dismantled and ready to go. That might just be the way to do it.
 
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dockdoc said:
Ah I see.

Well this just got interesting... I checked car-part.com and there's a salvage yard an hour away that has two rust-free frames, already dismantled and ready to go. That might just be the way to do it.
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I agree. This would indeed be the right way to do it. If you take care of a new frame from the start, you won't have any rust issues like this.
 
Doesn't Throttle Body Customs make replacement frames through '02 or '03 model years? Super pricey but those are some dang good frames I've heard if you've got the money and want to go all in.
 
My situation was similar to yours. A shop wanted between $1700 and $2000 to repair my frame. That included anything else that was found. That was way out of my budget. So, I started asking anyone I knew if they knew a good welder. I found a welder who did side jobs to cut out the bad rails and weld in the pocono repair caps. It cost me only $400 for him to do it. Great work at a great price. Try looking for a local welder. Being in Charlotte that should be an easy task. There are plenty of fab guys in that village.
 
Not_Invented_Here_ said:
Doesn't Throttle Body Customs make replacement frames through '02 or '03 model years? Super pricey but those are some dang good frames I've heard if you've got the money and want to go all in.
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Throttle Down Kustoms, yes. Not sure when exactly they started to, but last I looked they also do 03-06 frames now as well.
 
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Frame - $1000
Powder Coating - $900
Labor - $2500
Total - $4400

My costs for a raw frame swap from a shop that has done plenty of TJ swaps before. Though my actual cost was well into 5 figures since the Jeep got a fairly large makeover at the same time. It is also a 2001 that has been in the family since new.

I’ve taken it on two road trips since then, wheeled it like 3 times, and now it sits in a parking garage. I haven’t driven it more than two miles from my apartment since November 😥


Edit: Throttle down is an option but not the best in my opinion. It’s a new frame, but I’d just find a rust free original one.
 
While a frame swap is the ideal way to go, certainly, just because the center section is rotten does not mean the rest of the frame is. These TJs had a very specific defect that allowed water to pool in the lowest parts of the frame without a means to drain out. In the majority of cases—and I can say this confidently as someone who lives in the rust belt and has had Safe T Caps installed on his Jeep—the rest of the frame is OK. The two problem areas are under the skid plate and where the frame curves above the rear wheel.

If installed correctly, the repaired frame should outlast the rest of the vehicle.
 
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