if its just those two spots, i still dont see, no 2000 worth of work. maybe acouple hundred........an a good welder, could clean up them other welds pretty quick, if needed.
Frame swap question from a newbie
- Thread starter Newadventurer
- Start date
if its just those two spots, i still dont see, no 2000 worth of work. maybe acouple hundred........an a good welder, could clean up them other welds pretty quick, if needed.
Jeez...That has already been repaired once. The last frame picture shows some new metal welded in. Good luck!
Crawl underneath and look. Areas of concern would be just ahead of the rear axle where the floor transitions to cargo area. It's kind of in line with the front of the rear wheel wells. There are a bunch of panel joints there, and if the tub is starting to rust, it well start there.
Here is an example from my Jeep. See how the rust is around the edges, but not so much in the middle of the panels? Those are the seams and the rust starts there due to the welding. Welding Burns the galvanizing away and the seams are open enough to allow water and salt in. They start to rust, and it's a downhill slide. If your frame is rusted through, and the tub is going, kick the project to the curb. If the tub is solid, then it might be worth it.
I have the opposite problem... Good frame, bad tub...
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tquig01
TJ Enthusiast
Your tub doesn't look that bad to me!
If I were you, I would be hitting it with a wire wheel and some POR15 before it looks like mine did!
tquig01
TJ Enthusiast
Somewhat agree. $849 for a pair of Safe-T-Caps that run from the rear lower control arm to the front of the skid plate holes. Even at 10 hrs of work x $100/hr gets you south of $2000.
I did! Well, rust reformer and bed liner.Your tub doesn't look that bad to me!
I just saw a lady in one of the YJ facebook pages posting and asking for a welder in her area to come fix her frame. Her and the husband split and she has no one to finish the job.
Maybe take a post out there and you can find a local jeep guy that is a welder that may take the project on? Especially if the tub is good. Quadratec sells the pieces for the frame.
A local dealer near me just got a TJ in from a trade and when I checked it out the frame was shot. I dont think it was as bad as yours but it was bad enough to need fixing.They cut out the rusted part of the frame and I saw they ordered a long channel section that was in one piece. It slipped over the original frame and they welded it up. When it went on the lot the sale price was under KBB value by $3k but it looked like a nice fix for a rusty frame. I know the mechanic from the dealership. Here are some photos of how it was done.
Maybe take a post out there and you can find a local jeep guy that is a welder that may take the project on? Especially if the tub is good. Quadratec sells the pieces for the frame.
A local dealer near me just got a TJ in from a trade and when I checked it out the frame was shot. I dont think it was as bad as yours but it was bad enough to need fixing.They cut out the rusted part of the frame and I saw they ordered a long channel section that was in one piece. It slipped over the original frame and they welded it up. When it went on the lot the sale price was under KBB value by $3k but it looked like a nice fix for a rusty frame. I know the mechanic from the dealership. Here are some photos of how it was done.
I took some more pictures of the other side. From what I can see the tub looks decent, but the frame is shot in so many places
It's really weird that it wasn't obvious before. How could they have disguised this level of rot? I found a 4cyl 5spd for $7500 with no rust...they're out there...I wouldn't pay that much for one...especially not a 4cyl...but it might work for you.
It does look bad, in my opinion. I feel your pain. This is the only time I am happy I live in a hot desert with no rain.
In my opinion, a frame swap would not make financial sense as you and many others have said. The previous repairs that were done are half assed at best, really just there to cover up the rot (not structural). If you want to keep the Jeep, then Safe-T-Caps are the way to go. They are a good repair (stronger than the original frame if done properly). This is the set that you would want:
This set would replace the whole rear arm mount as well as the skid plate mounting area (both rotted in your pics). I suggest showing these to your welder and getting a quote for him to do this to both sides. My guess is that you will be right around your $2000 mark.
This set would replace the whole rear arm mount as well as the skid plate mounting area (both rotted in your pics). I suggest showing these to your welder and getting a quote for him to do this to both sides. My guess is that you will be right around your $2000 mark.
Also, if you want to sanity check the price that you get, call Auto Rust (401-944-4444) in RI. The are the makers of Safe-T-Caps and I believe they also have a shop where they do repairs using them. They should be able to tell you what they typically charge to put any of their parts on so that you know if your welder is being reasonable.
I was facing the same problem last winter when I bought my 2000 tj.
I paid $3000 for it and almost cut my losses. It had a fairly fresh 4 ltr motor so I went ahead and made my own safety caps and repaired the frame. I have had 2500 miles of fun this summer and I was glad I did it. That being said it took 3 months of cutting,welding,painting and $2000 worth of parts such as new front fenders,front door pans,gas tank skid plate,new stainless brake lines,new calipers,rotors.one u joint(so far),side centre body repair channels ,my own safety caps,internal frame coating and paint and probably a few things I have forgotten.I did it all myself so it did take 3 months of steady work.Since I am retired it kept me busy. Anyway it is safe to say I could have easily spent $3 to $4000 getting it done by a shop I am sure.They people on this site would say its your call but from the last pic my frame was not that far gone that far up the side so I would not even repair that one.The amount of work that needs to be done by someone else is hard to put a cost on unless they were a jeep repair shop .If you are unable to do it yourself there will be a lot of surprises . If you could get some of your money back I would drive it for now,sell it and find a better one.
I paid $3000 for it and almost cut my losses. It had a fairly fresh 4 ltr motor so I went ahead and made my own safety caps and repaired the frame. I have had 2500 miles of fun this summer and I was glad I did it. That being said it took 3 months of cutting,welding,painting and $2000 worth of parts such as new front fenders,front door pans,gas tank skid plate,new stainless brake lines,new calipers,rotors.one u joint(so far),side centre body repair channels ,my own safety caps,internal frame coating and paint and probably a few things I have forgotten.I did it all myself so it did take 3 months of steady work.Since I am retired it kept me busy. Anyway it is safe to say I could have easily spent $3 to $4000 getting it done by a shop I am sure.They people on this site would say its your call but from the last pic my frame was not that far gone that far up the side so I would not even repair that one.The amount of work that needs to be done by someone else is hard to put a cost on unless they were a jeep repair shop .If you are unable to do it yourself there will be a lot of surprises . If you could get some of your money back I would drive it for now,sell it and find a better one.
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