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TJ Addict
Report back if you use it. I'm devoted to fluid film but still like to know about other potential solutions if they work well
How to clean your Jeep Wrangler TJ frame
- Thread starter Wade
- Start date
Report back if you use it. I'm devoted to fluid film but still like to know about other potential solutions if they work well
OP
Hey, guys! I'm just checking in. I examined my frame on January 3, 2023, and the Eastwood internal coating seems to be working perfectly. So this entire procedure of adding or enlarging a few carefully thought-out holes, blasting the inside of the rails clean, and then using the Eastwood product was worth all the thought and effort. I am very pleased with this, long-term.
My only suggested change/addition would be to see whether the interior of the frame rails can be dry ice blasted after being modified and blasted out with the clog hog. I recently saw this done and it leaves ZERO residues. It is not as effective as media blasting with something solid, but it is still very good. And it all disappears/melts to leave a very clean surface. I would blast it out with the clog hog a second time afterward to ensure any rust particulate is removed, but that is just me.
Also, a friend showed me how he HEATS the frame rails to dry them out. He does a lot of river fording and is anal-retentive about his TJ frame. He blasts it out with clean hose water and then leaves the TJ in the sun to dry out. However, in the winter he has noted that the water will still be in the rails for several days. He has some fancy-schmancy heater "strings" (I did not ask him what they are called, but they are some sort of aircraft tool, and probably expensive) that he runs in one end of the frame and out a side hole, one section at a time, and they are waterproof and get pretty hot. You fish them in the rear and over the wheel arch, out that large side hole, and then warm that section until the water has evaporated. He has six of these, so he can do the front, middle, and rear of both rails at one time. It takes about two hours on a cold day.
I asked him why he did not just coat the frame as I did. He said that here in the Deep South, we did not need to do that. Whatever. I did, so I did it. His heaters would be perfect to use after washing out the frame, but before the Eastwood gunk is sprayed inside. If you spray it into a frame rail with standing water droplets, they will be forever encased between the gunk and the steel. I think that eventually, these will rust all the way through, but with no oxygen, it would probably take a very long time to do so. Anyway, the idea of heating the frame rails to ensure they are DRY is a good one, though probably not necessary. I am just alerting you to the existence of this heater cord my friend has.
One last note: The Eastwood coating that I accidentally sprayed onto my carport slab years ago looks like it happened yesterday. That nasty green stuff is tough!
My only suggested change/addition would be to see whether the interior of the frame rails can be dry ice blasted after being modified and blasted out with the clog hog. I recently saw this done and it leaves ZERO residues. It is not as effective as media blasting with something solid, but it is still very good. And it all disappears/melts to leave a very clean surface. I would blast it out with the clog hog a second time afterward to ensure any rust particulate is removed, but that is just me.
Also, a friend showed me how he HEATS the frame rails to dry them out. He does a lot of river fording and is anal-retentive about his TJ frame. He blasts it out with clean hose water and then leaves the TJ in the sun to dry out. However, in the winter he has noted that the water will still be in the rails for several days. He has some fancy-schmancy heater "strings" (I did not ask him what they are called, but they are some sort of aircraft tool, and probably expensive) that he runs in one end of the frame and out a side hole, one section at a time, and they are waterproof and get pretty hot. You fish them in the rear and over the wheel arch, out that large side hole, and then warm that section until the water has evaporated. He has six of these, so he can do the front, middle, and rear of both rails at one time. It takes about two hours on a cold day.
I asked him why he did not just coat the frame as I did. He said that here in the Deep South, we did not need to do that. Whatever. I did, so I did it. His heaters would be perfect to use after washing out the frame, but before the Eastwood gunk is sprayed inside. If you spray it into a frame rail with standing water droplets, they will be forever encased between the gunk and the steel. I think that eventually, these will rust all the way through, but with no oxygen, it would probably take a very long time to do so. Anyway, the idea of heating the frame rails to ensure they are DRY is a good one, though probably not necessary. I am just alerting you to the existence of this heater cord my friend has.
One last note: The Eastwood coating that I accidentally sprayed onto my carport slab years ago looks like it happened yesterday. That nasty green stuff is tough!
Kenneth G Zinis
TJ Enthusiast
I just thought I would add another great option to an already fantastic write up.
When I cleaned my frame out earlier this year, I used an air compressor and an air duct cleaning whip. I own a company that does air duct cleaning, so this was a simple thing for me to source the supplies for. you can run the air lines all the way through the frame, and with a whip on the end, it breaks up the caked in crap really well. I was completely shocked at how much came out. More than one full dustpan per frame rail.
I then coated the inside with POR15+topcoat, but I've no doubt the Eastwood product is great as well. I just didn't know about it.
When I cleaned my frame out earlier this year, I used an air compressor and an air duct cleaning whip. I own a company that does air duct cleaning, so this was a simple thing for me to source the supplies for. you can run the air lines all the way through the frame, and with a whip on the end, it breaks up the caked in crap really well. I was completely shocked at how much came out. More than one full dustpan per frame rail.
I then coated the inside with POR15+topcoat, but I've no doubt the Eastwood product is great as well. I just didn't know about it.
Where would one get one of these whips? I'm assuming it would be similar to a needle scaler, just not as intense?
@NWPA Jeepy T
All three of our duct cleaning trucks are currently at our main office location, and that is a 2 hour drive away for me. So unfortunately, I can't take pictures of the products that I used. However, I talked to guy in house here that orders supplies and he gave me a couple of websites to look at.
This is the company where we get most of our supplies. Unfortunately, their website is absolute garbage and doesn't have even close to all of their products. You would probably be better off calling them and asking what you would need to get this done.
http://ductcleanerssupply.com/AboutUs.php
Here is another company that has similar products. This is a much larger company, and we use a lot of their products on the mold mitigation side of our company. Here is an example of what one of the whips looks like:
https://products.abatement.com/usa/duct-pro-three-whip-power-rod-head-clear-hose.html
We also use real thin air lines that can be fed all the way down the frame. The next time I stop by our main office, I'll try to get some pictures of the tools that I used.
Alternatively, any local air duct cleaning company might be willing to clean them out for you reasonably cheap. It took me about one hour per frame rail, but I went slow and rechecked it 50x to make sure I got it all.
All three of our duct cleaning trucks are currently at our main office location, and that is a 2 hour drive away for me. So unfortunately, I can't take pictures of the products that I used. However, I talked to guy in house here that orders supplies and he gave me a couple of websites to look at.
This is the company where we get most of our supplies. Unfortunately, their website is absolute garbage and doesn't have even close to all of their products. You would probably be better off calling them and asking what you would need to get this done.
http://ductcleanerssupply.com/AboutUs.php
Here is another company that has similar products. This is a much larger company, and we use a lot of their products on the mold mitigation side of our company. Here is an example of what one of the whips looks like:
https://products.abatement.com/usa/duct-pro-three-whip-power-rod-head-clear-hose.html
We also use real thin air lines that can be fed all the way down the frame. The next time I stop by our main office, I'll try to get some pictures of the tools that I used.
Alternatively, any local air duct cleaning company might be willing to clean them out for you reasonably cheap. It took me about one hour per frame rail, but I went slow and rechecked it 50x to make sure I got it all.