New guy with questions about frame off restoration

Severo93

Severo93

New Member
Joined
Mar 2, 2020
Messages
7
Location
Grove City, PA
I bought this 2006 Wrangler 4.0 in 2014. She runs and drives but definitely needs some TLC. I want to basically do a complete refurbish/restoration of her. After watching some youtube vids and poking around online here I can tell that with my lack of a full garage and general knowledge of modern vehicles I'm going to be in well over my head. What I want to do is a complete off frame refurb, mostly rust control and prevention as well as a new 2 inch lift. Ideally I want to keep this beauty on the road for many years to come as my secondary vehicle. I have a budget of about $3,500 currently. Where do I start? Should I take it somewhere to have it done professionally? Without having my own garage I feel kind of helpless when it comes to doing everything on my own. I'm in the greater Meadville/Grove City PA area. I need someone with some experience to bounce ideas and everything off of. Thanks for any info and sorry this is such a broad topic post.

20200101_150308.jpg
 
I don't know what a "frame off restoration" entails, but if you're talking about replacing the frame with a rust free frame, retaining the vehicle, installing a lift, etc. $3,500 is not even going to put a dent in a project like that. I'd say more like 20k.

In addition, without a garage this is all going to be next to impossible. I'm not trying to be discouraging, just realistic.

The smart thing to do would be do things in stages.

You could start by posting photos of the underside of your Jeep, including lots of detailed photos of the frame.
 
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Thanks. I guess my main goal is to gauge what damage has been done to the frame and all components, and then replace and fix what I need to. Perhaps coat the frame and tub to help prevent further rust.
 
Severo93 said:
Thanks. I guess my main goal is to gauge what damage has been done to the frame and all components, and then replace and fix what I need to. Perhaps coat the frame and tub to help prevent further rust.
Click to expand...
Yea, if you just have some surface rust, you can handle a lot of that with just an electric drill with a wire brush attachment and some basic rust treatments like Krust Kutter. Before you do anything like that, you just need to make sure that the frame isn't weakened or in need of any serious repair.

It's also a good idea to get an idea of what the inside of your frame looks like. If you have an endoscope/boroscope, can take a look to see if it's good in there. Personally, I just bought a cheap endoscope from Amazon to check on mine, but it's probably not entirely necessary, depending how good the outside looks.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077XWJP2T/?tag=wranglerorg-20
 
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Equilibrium31 said:
Yea, if you just have some surface rust, you can handle a lot of that with just an electric drill with a wire brush attachment and some basic rust treatments like Krust Kutter. Before you do anything like that, you just need to make sure that the frame isn't weakened or in need of any serious repair.

It's also a good idea to get an idea of what the inside of your frame looks like. If you have an endoscope/boroscope, can take a look to see if it's good in there. Personally, I just bought a cheap endoscope from Amazon to check on mine, but it's probably not entirely necessary, depending how good the outside looks.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077XWJP2T/?tag=wranglerorg-20
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Thank you. I'll look at those. I'll have a chance to thoroughly go over the Jeep later this week and I'll probably come here to post pictures of what I need help with.
 
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You don't have to do a frame off. The beauty of the TJ is you can get to most everything easily. The only real hidden place is above the gas tank. Remove it and you can get to what you need to there. Most of the rust treatment/prevention requires simple tools and lots of time and elbow grease. Bottom line, do the work yourself. You'll learn a lot in the process and save a ton of money. I've showed this before, but here's an example of what $25 worth of rattle can paint and numerous hours work will do to the outside of the frame. For the inside, I probably spent about $150 on Eastwood internal frame coatings.

The caveat is I also used a 4 1/2 angle grinder and flap disc assortment, along with a cordless drill and wire wheel assortment.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07S67JVRQ/?tag=wranglerorg-20

bKjWTej.jpg


tYcl13m.jpg
 
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Per my previous comment about the gas tank, here's a view of what's potentially lurking in the bottom of your stock gas tank skid.

MEvwJFP.jpg


Fortunately, Savvy has the best cure for this problem!

LIXEbTN.jpg
I5vvswU.jpg
 
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I just went through mine the exact same way. If the frame is solid, you can make a lot of improvements and preserve the Jeep for many years by laying on your back and suffering through surface rust clean up, and repainting of components. I too used a lot of Eastwood products on the frame and bottom of the tub - internal framed coating and rust converting spray, and then giving the bottom of the Jeep another good coating of rubberized undercoating. It sucks, but the work is well worth it in the end.

LO-J Frame.jpg
 
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Irun said:
You don't have to do a frame off. The beauty of the TJ is you can get to most everything easily. The only real hidden place is above the gas tank. Remove it and you can get to what you need to there. Most of the rust treatment/prevention requires simple tools and lots of time and elbow grease. Bottom line, do the work yourself. You'll learn a lot in the process and save a ton of money. I've showed this before, but here's an example of what $25 worth of rattle can paint and numerous hours work will do to the outside of the frame. For the inside, I probably spent about $150 on Eastwood internal frame coatings.

The caveat is I also used a 4 1/2 angle grinder and flap disc assortment, along with a cordless drill and wire wheel assortment.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07S67JVRQ/?tag=wranglerorg-20

View attachment 143539

View attachment 143540
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Thank you! I'll start with this approach for sure.
 
I'll recommend against using that Eastwood internal frame coating, or any other type of hard paint like coating inside of your frame. If you can get the inside spotless that's one thing, but it sounds like that is not realistic for you. Clean out as much as possible, then use either Fluid Film or one of the several Cosmoline sprays available. Any hard coating, any, will trap at least some amount of corrosion between the inside metal and the hard coat allowing rust to go unchecked while all the time looking pretty in there. Using the Fluid Film will soak in and smother the rust blocking oxygen from the metal. And it can creep up and also into any small crevices to stop the rust. Plus you can see if there are any area that might need a heavier coating where you might have missed earlier. And you can apply more with ease. For the body and any exterior rust you can clean, spray a self etch primer and then paint over that. Those areas you will be able to see if the rust is blistering under the hard coating. But I would still use (and I do) the Fluid Film for everything underneath the Jeep. That allows me to use a long wand they sell online to get in the torque boxes and every little seam with the FF and block the rust. It's easy and much cheaper than using Eastwood products. I had tried them on a different vehicle and had extremely poor results even when cleaning to bare metal. Others claim good results. I only speak to my experience. FF on the axles. On the steering components. Inside the doors. Behind the gas tank. You get the idea.
I do recommend dropping the fuel tank to get any rust back there that can hide from you.
 
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Goatman said:
I'll recommend against using that Eastwood internal frame coating, or any other type of hard paint like coating inside of your frame. If you can get the inside spotless that's one thing, but it sounds like that is not realistic for you. Clean out as much as possible, then use either Fluid Film or one of the several Cosmoline sprays available. Any hard coating, any, will trap at least some amount of corrosion between the inside metal and the hard coat allowing rust to go unchecked while all the time looking pretty in there. Using the Fluid Film will soak in and smother the rust blocking oxygen from the metal. And it can creep up and also into any small crevices to stop the rust. Plus you can see if there are any area that might need a heavier coating where you might have missed earlier. And you can apply more with ease. For the body and any exterior rust you can clean, spray a self etch primer and then paint over that. Those areas you will be able to see if the rust is blistering under the hard coating. But I would still use (and I do) the Fluid Film for everything underneath the Jeep. That allows me to use a long wand they sell online to get in the torque boxes and every little seam with the FF and block the rust. It's easy and much cheaper than using Eastwood products. I had tried them on a different vehicle and had extremely poor results even when cleaning to bare metal. Others claim good results. I only speak to my experience. FF on the axles. On the steering components. Inside the doors. Behind the gas tank. You get the idea.
I do recommend dropping the fuel tank to get any rust back there that can hide from you.
Click to expand...

I second this...covering inside with Eastwood if there is known flaking/chunky rust just seems like a bad idea to me. If it's already there, and you can't clean it all out/off down to bare metal, fluid film is the option I'd suggest. Requires more routine cleaning/reapplication but at least you can keep track of what's going on inside a bit more...it will also creep and seep into the little nooks you might otherwise miss...

Even if you don't use it inside the frame, it's a wonderful albeit messy product for any of the applications and areas described above
 
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Irun said:
Per my previous comment about the gas tank, here's a view of what's potentially lurking in the bottom of your stock gas tank skid.

Fortunately, Savvy has the best cure for this problem!
Click to expand...

Is the gas tank skid similar to the transmission skid insofar as if you drop it, you need to support the gas tank? Or can you drop the gas tank skid by itself without having to support or mess with the tank itself?
 
Rustoleum products are as good as anything imo.

Also vote for fluid film, its nontoxic. It's essentially lanolin which is wool oil, sheepskin sebum gross. But it wont poison you or animals.

CRC 06026 Heavy Duty Corrosion Inhibitor is awesome to spray fasteners with. It forms a more durable waxy coating than fluid film so it wont wash away as rapidly. It's like cosmoline aerosol. Probably toxic though and tuffer to clean up when you get to being a mechanic.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000AXYA0/?tag=wranglerorg-20
 
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Not_Invented_Here_ said:
Is the gas tank skid similar to the transmission skid insofar as if you drop it, you need to support the gas tank? Or can you drop the gas tank skid by itself without having to support or mess with the tank itself?
Click to expand...

The Savvy skid is like the factory one, in that the skid is what holds the tank up.
 
Irun said:
The Savvy skid is like the factory one, in that the skid is what holds the tank up.
Click to expand...

Sorry, meant stock gas tank skid specifically but I think you answered the question anyway. Glad I didn't pull it recently like I had considered...I didn't know it was supporting the gas tank itself, thought it was just covering.
 
Not_Invented_Here_ said:
Sorry, meant stock gas tank skid specifically but I think you answered the question anyway. Glad I didn't pull it recently like I had considered...I didn't know it was supporting the gas tank itself, thought it was just covering.
Click to expand...

Yup, the stock skid holds the tank in place with two straps at the top just like an aftermarket. There is a quick disconnect for your fuel line bundle, evap line and electrical. A few bolts and its out.
Fuel Tank 3.jpg
 
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