Opinions on this TJ?

[97' 4 Popper]

My last 3 Jeeps were XJs I bought in decent condition, but as I drove them they rusted severely. Every bolt turned into an ordeal involving the torch and lots of penetrating oil. I now have another car I drive daily, so hopefully my Jeep will stay clean. I think any vehicles I buy in the future especially Jeeps will be from rust free areas. Yeah it's a pain to get them, but the prices are very similar and not having to fight every single bolt is worth it.

I honestly don't know how people around here pay for brand new cars/trucks. They are very expensive and after 10 years the thing is ready for the scrap pile. One of my friends bought a new Tacoma a few years ago. He's pissed because he just finished paying it off and the bed and the frame is already showing rust even with fluid film treatments. The treatments help slow down the rust, but won't stop it.

1000x this. I will personally never buy a new car even if salt wasn't an issue because that's just me. But it's even more of a money pit when you start talking about driving in the snow and salt. Might as well get something ten years old and clean it up, because if you intend to keep your new dd vehicle for that long it'll look all the same. Like I said earlier I don't drive my jeeps in the salt, and my LJ I'm trying to make into a garage queen. I usually have an awd sedan on hand because I like to cruise in the snow at high speeds. Granted in a good winter I will take every chance I can. Still after washing every two days within one winter any small existing rust spots will have doubled. Forget about getting 10 years out of it then if the rust already has a foothold anywhere and you don't address it and just keep dailying it those conditions.

Everyone I know always wonders why I don't get one of those newer model wranglers. Even if I found them appealing if I were to dd it in winter or take it mudding it's just gonna need work anyways. The other options are treating it like a baby (already have LJ for that). Or going more than a 1000 miles out to more dry offroad sites.

 

[TWiG01]

1000x this. I will personally never buy a new car even if salt wasn't an issue because that's just me. But it's even more of a money pit when you start talking about driving in the snow and salt. Might as well get something ten years old and clean it up, because if you intend to keep your new dd vehicle for that long it'll look all the same. Like I said earlier I don't drive my jeeps in the salt, and my LJ I'm trying to make into a garage queen. I usually have an awd sedan on hand because I like to cruise in the snow at high speeds. Granted in a good winter I will take every chance I can. Still after washing every two days within one winter any small existing rust spots will have doubled. Forget about getting 10 years out of it then if the rust already has a foothold anywhere and you don't address it and just keep dailying it those conditions.

Everyone I know always wonders why I don't get one of those newer model wranglers. Even if I found them appealing if I were to dd it in winter or take it mudding it's just gonna need work anyways. The other options are treating it like a baby (already have LJ for that). Or going more than a 1000 miles out to more dry offroad sites.

Two words. Fluid film. If you clean your undercarriage really well and apply some fluid film yourself and make sure you hit every nook and cranny it will work wonders. I just bought a brand new suv and i have already coated the underside with FF. I live in NJ so anything I can do to combat the salt helps. I have seen 10 year old daily driven vehicles up here that have been taken care of (with FF) and they look great underneath

 

[97' 4 Popper]

Two words. Fluid film. If you clean your undercarriage really well and apply some fluid film yourself and make sure you hit every nook and cranny it will work wonders. I just bought a brand new suv and i have already coated the underside with FF. I live in NJ so anything I can do to combat the salt helps. I have seen 10 year old daily driven vehicles up here that have been taken care of (with FF) and they look great underneath

I may be wrong here but I thought fluid film only works 100% if there's no rust? In either case my plan was after I'm eventually done removing the rust from the frame, on the outside I was going to use rust converter, then encapsulator, along with internal frame undercoating. Then because the encapsulation is considered like a primer, I would go to topcoat, then a rubberized undercoating. Finally I may even grease between the skid plates. I'm gonna have to research fluid film vs a rubberized coating.

 

[jeepguy03]

Two words. Fluid film. If you clean your undercarriage really well and apply some fluid film yourself and make sure you hit every nook and cranny it will work wonders. I just bought a brand new suv and i have already coated the underside with FF. I live in NJ so anything I can do to combat the salt helps. I have seen 10 year old daily driven vehicles up here that have been taken care of (with FF) and they look great underneath

Fluid film only slows down the rust, and you have to soak everything really well, then drive down a dirt road to help it form a coating. It certainly helps, but you can't possibly get it everywhere, and also prevent it from washing off of the inside of the wheel wells if it's a really wet winter. Not to mention you can't really spray it on the vehicle's paint or in the engine bay, which the salt also eats away at.

 

[TWiG01]

Fluid film only slows down the rust, and you have to soak everything really well, then drive down a dirt road to help it form a coating. It certainly helps, but you can't possibly get it everywhere, and also prevent it from washing off of the inside of the wheel wells if it's a really wet winter. Not to mention you can't really spray it on the vehicle's paint or in the engine bay, which the salt also eats away at.

Nothing is 100%, but with a handful of cans you can get the undercarriage pretty well, but you are right, you definitely need to reapply as it will come off in time. It certainly helps though.