I came into possession of a 2001 Jeep Wrangler TJ this past summer. Has quite a bit of rust underneath with some holes in the frame. I lack the tools, expertise and talent to repair it myself and am looking for any personal recommendations folks might have for companies who specialize in this type of repair. Just looking for someone who is reputable and does good work. I realize it can get expensive but just want to be sure I'm not being taken for a ride. Thanks.
Massachusetts Rusted frame repair recommendations (Central Mass. area)
- Thread starter Jim Mulgrew
- Start date
Send some pictures of the problem areas. Is there rust on the body or just the frame? There are frame patches made by SafeTCaps that are supposed to work well. If your frame is not reparable then a frame swap can be done for a few thousand dollars. If there are other mechanical issues with the Jeep then the question is why repair it at all unless you want to make this an expensive hobby.
Auto Rust Technicians (the makers of Safe T Cap) do their own work and are in Cranston, RI. They'll do the caps, sandblast the entire undercarriage, and then undercoat. They do the best work, but they are expensive.
A friend of mine took a plasma cutter all the way down the bottom of the frame rails. He was then able to clean, sandblast, inspect, and properly patch the frame. Once finished he welded a new piece of steel on bottom and painted everything up real nice. You can barely even see any of the cuts and welds. I'm a little jealous as he does have a full blown shop to work on farm machinery. I think it is a job beyond most average joes garage.
OHFIVETJ
TJ Addict
I agree with DetroitTJ why waste your money ? What I have learned in the past not only on Jeeps, but i'm very big into older Corvettes too is that RUST is like cancer it spreads & usually never goes away. Then it pops up in other places you never saw or knew about previously. Lesson learned was to start with a good, solid, low miles, clean base to build on & go from there. Most peoples answer to frame rust would be "RUN FOREST RUN" It's Hard & very expensive to turn a whore into a lady, ask Richard Gere 
I personally would never buy that vehicle with a frame repair down the road, so think of eventual resale value or the lack of when you want to sell it. If you love the Jeep that much, I say frame swap. Just my .02
I personally would never buy that vehicle with a frame repair down the road, so think of eventual resale value or the lack of when you want to sell it. If you love the Jeep that much, I say frame swap. Just my .02
Yes, gotta love the birdcage rust in Corvettes.I agree with DetroitTJ why waste your money ? What I have learned in the past not only on Jeeps, but i'm very big into older Corvettes too is that RUST is like cancer it spreads & usually never goes away. Then it pops up in other places you never saw or knew about previously. Lesson learned was to start with a good, solid, low miles, clean base to build on & go from there. Most peoples answer to frame rust would be "RUN FOREST RUN" It's Hard & very expensive to turn a whore into a lady, ask Richard Gere
I personally would never buy that vehicle with a frame repair down the road, so think of eventual resale value or the lack of when you want to sell it. If you love the Jeep that much, I say frame swap. Just my .02
Swamp Yankee
TJ Enthusiast
I think I remember a guy on Worcester Craigslist under auto parts that buys jeeps to fix and or part out, he claims that he repairs frames might be a start, he posted repair pictures.
Thanks for all the replies, I have not put any money into it myself yet, I inherited it so there is some sentimental value to me in the Jeep itself and what it represents. I guess it will be a matter of how much I value it compared to how much it would cost (grin). It has rusted all the way through in a couple of spots which I am concerned about. I've attached a picture of an area where one of the mounts is. Thanks for the local recommendations, will reach out to them to get ideas on the cost estimate and take it from there.
OHFIVETJ
TJ Addict
I agree with DetroitTJ why waste your money ? What I have learned in the past not only on Jeeps, but i'm very big into older Corvettes too is that RUST is like cancer it spreads & usually never goes away. Then it pops up in other places you never saw or knew about previously. Lesson learned was to start with a good, solid, low miles, clean base to build on & go from there. Most peoples answer to frame rust would be "RUN FOREST RUN" It's Hard & very expensive to turn a whore into a lady, ask Richard Gere
I personally would never buy that vehicle with a frame repair down the road, so think of eventual resale value or the lack of when you want to sell it. If you love the Jeep that much, I say frame swap. Just my .02
I agree that if you want to be as thorough as possible, you should buy a new frame. However, plenty of replacement frames already have rust beginning inside. With caps done properly, you know you're putting brand-new metal in the most problematic areas of the frame. These TJs tend to rust in three places 1) under the skid plate as far up as the front control arm mounts 2) at the rear control arm mounts; and at the very rear of the frame where the crossmember attaches. The rest of the frame usually is fine except in extreme situations, at which point the body is probably totaled as well.
I think for most people, a properly performed cap job is perfectly fine and will last indefinitely. But the rust has to be cut out entirely.
Nick B
Member
I have a similar problem on my 2000 TJ (also in MA) and have been looking for solutions for it. I have found this Floor Pan Brace Replacement (<—- Link) that can be welded onto the bottom. There are other ones like this that may work better but this is just one example. This may or may not be a solution for you but it is worth looking into further. However, some Jeeps just aren't worth saving. I get that there is a sentimental attachment to this one, but some are just lost causes. Good luck
Swamp Yankee
TJ Enthusiast
That rot is the tub not the frame but id bet the frame will have issues also.
i was at a sign shop in Agawam MA yesterday and saw a TJ frame next door at a sand blaster, supposedly his customer fixes them to sell, I can inquire if anyone needs me to.