just looking for advice/opinions about the rust on my 97 Wrangler tj. It’s really only underneath, not much at all on the body. I attached pics 
Rust advice?
- Thread starter YACOBELLIS21
- Start date
coming from a North Easterner, you are way ahead of the game compared to most here....it looks more like mud than rust.
X2 to that. The only thing that looks like more than mud or surface rust to me is the right side of the fuel tank skid and the body mount channel right around the mount in the 8th picture. I'd just clean up the fuel skid and paint it, and take a closer look at that body mount channel. If it's still structurally sound I'd just clean that up and paint it as well, if it's rotten enough to be a problem you can get patches for individual mounts or the whole torque box. I doubt you'd have any need for the full torque box based on how clean everything else is though.
I've seen far worse, that's not too bad.
Do what I do. Anytime I spot an area of rust (even if it's tiny), I take the wire wheel to it (either on my dremel or my much larger power tool) and strip it to bare metal, removing all the rust in that area. Then I degrease it and paint over it with a nice satin black paint with rust protection properties.
Works like a charm! Do that and keep up on it, and your TJ will outlive you!
Do what I do. Anytime I spot an area of rust (even if it's tiny), I take the wire wheel to it (either on my dremel or my much larger power tool) and strip it to bare metal, removing all the rust in that area. Then I degrease it and paint over it with a nice satin black paint with rust protection properties.
Works like a charm! Do that and keep up on it, and your TJ will outlive you!
X2. I bet if you took a wire wheel to all of the areas in those photos, you'd find very little serious rust. Folks in the rust belt would take that off of you in a heartbeat.
Starrs
TJ Guru
Like everybody else has said that looks pretty good. You could just wire wheel all of that like was mentioned before and spray paint the whole frame if it bothers you. Just have to spot spray when you see areas pop up.
TJ2
TJ Expert
buy a gas tank skid plate from Amazon instead of fixing those skid plate rust.
Your frame is in good shape.
Your frame is in good shape.
I'd address the axle seals and u-joints before even thinking about any rust issues on that TJ of yours. You'll want to clean up all that greasy gunk first anyway before doing any painting. Aside from that, as i'm replacing the suspension components on mine I've been using Eastwoods Rust Encapsulator, slightly thinned.. as I go along touching up everything underneath mine which looks (looked) very similar to yours.
tquig01
TJ Enthusiast
I will second the advice in this thread. Doesn't look too bad at all but prevention now will save you from a mess later. Definitely address any torque boxes (subframe) early as AlaskanRedneck said. Better to have a small replacement mount welded in now if needed than to have to replace the full thing and the floors. Messy and overall unpleasant job. (Ask me how I know ). As Chris said, wire rusty areas down to bare metal and degrease it before painting. I like to go an extra step and used a rust encapsulator like jeepins said before painting, although my preferred brand is Rust Sergeant (https://www.vintagejeeps.com/p-2112-rust-sergeant-rcmp-quart.aspx). No affiliation, just like the stuff. A little goes a long, long way and it works very well. Regardless of which brand, follow the instructions and really work it into all crevices where rust likes to hide. Trapping rust behind paint is just asking for trouble.
). As Chris said, wire rusty areas down to bare metal and degrease it before painting. I like to go an extra step and used a rust encapsulator like jeepins said before painting, although my preferred brand is Rust Sergeant (https://www.vintagejeeps.com/p-2112-rust-sergeant-rcmp-quart.aspx). No affiliation, just like the stuff. A little goes a long, long way and it works very well. Regardless of which brand, follow the instructions and really work it into all crevices where rust likes to hide. Trapping rust behind paint is just asking for trouble.
have any of you jeepers ever heard of oshpo (maybe oshfo)? it is a green liquid used by bodyshops to neutralize rust?
Be careful using that. It's basically phosphoric acid and does work well neutralizing rust (I have a 64 F100 project that i've used it on). But if you paint afterwards, it has to be neutralized well. I think it's good for areas you cannot access with a wire brush and any type of paint. Sort of pour it in a crack kind of thing.
tquig01
TJ Enthusiast
Great advice- fundamentally all of rust "reforming" products rely on chemical reactions to convert the iron oxide to a different chemical compound. The thing that differentiates them is the relative toxicity and handling restrictions of the chemicals. I like the rust sergeant because it is water-based and non-toxic. I can use it in my garage without poisoning or burning myself, family or dogs. Not saying I wouldn't ever use other options, but I try to err on the side of safety because I have been known to drink while working on my Jeep! When you get into using acids, they require additional steps after you apply them beyond just letting them dry. Always follow the directions or you will end up doing it all over again.
Thank you for all of your quick responses! This is my first Jeep and I bought it off of a guy for pretty cheap so I just wanted to get some expert opinions about it! Really loving all of the information in these forums and seeing all of the amazing Jeeps!
I kept looking at your pics for rust and couldn’t find any!
Only “rust” I saw was the cheap gas skid plate you will replace anyway. Hit it with Eastwood rust treatment then paint black. Looks good
Jacob
New Member
Buying a project jeep, yes it's a Northeastern(the pics say so), would this be a waste of money? I have a buddy who can weld the frame crack, so that wouldn't be an issue
I wouldn't touch it to be honest. You would be money and time ahead to buy one from somewhere with little to no rust issues and ship it back to you
Super new to all of this so sorry if I sound stupid lol but just curious if there is something terribly wrong with the axle seals and u-joints? I don’t want to be driving it unsafely, that’s why I ask!
TJ2
TJ Expert
Doesnt' look unsafe at all.. just everything under there looks original so i'd just take a closer look at the stuff producing all the grease buildup in those areas. My point was I think there are other areas to be concerned with before you worry about any rust issues.
tquig01
TJ Enthusiast
Just went through this whole process on a similar project. I posted a thread on here. Let me give you the breakdown on what I see and hopefully it will help you decide.
The Jeep in your pics has two types of rust issues, frame and floor/subframe (torque box).
The frame can be fixed with Safe-T-Caps and a good welder. It requires the body to be unbolted from the frame and raise 4-6" to allow enough room to weld the backside. Going just by the pics, both sides likely need full caps which is about $1000. This leaves you with a repaired frame with the least amount of work. You could also source a used, rust-free frame and do a swap. This is considerably more work and requires a bigger area to work in. Figure 10 times the work plus the cost to get the new frame. No idea how much they cost in your area but figure at least a grand.
If you pull the tub for a frame swap, it is the best time to replace the subframe (torque box). About 100 spot welds to be drilled but you can lay the tub on its side which will be easier. If you don't pull the tub from the frame, you have two options, after-market caps (rustrepairpatch.com makes some or fab your own like I did) or full replacements (much harder laying on your back drilling out the welds). If you buy the caps, figure another $500. It also looks like your floors are rusted pretty bad and this is the time to repair them, since everything is pulled apart. Luckily floor pans are cheap but there may be some fabrication involved if your rust extends beyond the replacement pan. In my case the rust had extended up the center tunnel in the front passenger area, the bottom of the door supports and both rear wheel wells. No aftermarket panels for them, all fabbed.
All told, you are looking at minimum of $1500 - $2000 to fix this yourself if you get really lucky with hidden issues. Probably closer to $3000 given the state of the frame. Can it be fixed? Absolutely, but only you know your limits of time, space to work and expertise. You also need to factor this cost into the price of the Jeep. Look at clean TJs in your area with similar mileage. In my area, it is about $8500. My rule of thumb is double the materials to account for my time and busted knuckles to get a cost to repair (I'm alot cheaper than a garage-lol). So unless I got a Jeep like yours for around $2000 - $2500, it wouldn't be worth it.
That is why I got mine with a solid frame- that is where the real outlay of cost and time is. Although I am new to Jeeps too, I have yet to see one with frame rot that doesn't also have floor/subframe issues.
Hope this helps.