F Troop
TJ Enthusiast
I feel your pain. I just got a quote today for both center frame rails and 3 body mounts. It’s going to cost me $2300.00 to have it done.
So this happened today
- Thread starter Jackman
- Start date
yup they are out there, I got mine at the beginning of the year from AZ 49k miles $15k
fourpointzero
TJ Addict
That is actually a bargain! But it also depends on who’s doing the work and how thorough they are.
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A complete frame is cheaper if you can do the work yourself...
I'm going to go out on a limb again as I did earlier in this thread and say i can't imagine the body on that jeep is in good enough shape to invest that kind of money on the frame. With that kind of rust on the frame there has to be rust in the body and all the parts underneath the vehicle.
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F Troop
TJ Enthusiast
I would love to do a frame swap but , unfortunately I don’t have the time or space to do it. Paying someone to do will cost a fortune. So I’m just trying to make lemonade out of lemons. The Jeeps in good shape for it being 18 years old and in Pennsylvania it’s whole life.
Based on everything that you said, repairing the frame is your only option. I wouldn't consider trying to splice in back half, that is more difficult to do correctly. A Saf-T-Cap type of repair is a good, strong repair (if done correctly) and it can be done in place. I would not recommend that you attempt on your own unless you have prior welding and fabrication experience. If you do have some experience, it is doable, but alot of nasty, dirty work, but it can be done. Also, I do think that the Saf-T-Cap parts are over priced. Check out these guys that have more reasonable pricing:
https://poconometalcraft.com/collec...enter-skid-plate-frame-repair-cmbo4pcrear0306
Our frame was rotten just like yours, but we knew that going in. I did quite a bit of research on repairing it, but decided in the end on replacing (we are building under different circumstances than you). But, for your information, after getting ours down to the frame, and seeing where the real rot was, I feel that a Saf-T-Cap type of repair could have made it as good as new.
The other thing to consider is re-sale value, if that matters to you. Many people won't touch a jeep with a repaired frame, no matter how well it was done.
Good luck...
https://poconometalcraft.com/collec...enter-skid-plate-frame-repair-cmbo4pcrear0306
Our frame was rotten just like yours, but we knew that going in. I did quite a bit of research on repairing it, but decided in the end on replacing (we are building under different circumstances than you). But, for your information, after getting ours down to the frame, and seeing where the real rot was, I feel that a Saf-T-Cap type of repair could have made it as good as new.
The other thing to consider is re-sale value, if that matters to you. Many people won't touch a jeep with a repaired frame, no matter how well it was done.
Good luck...
fourpointzero
TJ Addict
Resale value is always subjective. Ive seen amazing Jeeps w everything done right, sell for 10k or less. Seems low miles and mostly stock fetch a premium. Bottom line, the Jeep is not an investment. Its a money pit. But we all love them lol
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Wow... my vote is the scrapyard. The entire frame is 100% shot and that Jeep hasn't been safe for road use in many years. Pretty concerning that no one caught the extent of the frame damage as it has definitely been an issue for a while.
Here's a question...have you priced having someone else trade out the frame? I don't know but it might be that the price for all the prep work and welding to put on safety caps (or similar) might run the cost up near what hoisting the body, engine, and tranny over to another frame. Again, this assumes that the body is in much better condition than the frame.
The other alternative that would probably be pretty cheap as far as labor would be transferring your engine or engine and tranny into another body/frame (like a higher mileage SE with a 4-banger). You could even pull the engine and tranny (and ECM and wiring) from your existing Jeep, place it on blocks and in a box in the garage (if you have one), then, pull the remaining good parts from the Jeep (if desired) and have the rest hauled away. Then just drive the SE until you have the time to do engine the swap.
The other alternative that would probably be pretty cheap as far as labor would be transferring your engine or engine and tranny into another body/frame (like a higher mileage SE with a 4-banger). You could even pull the engine and tranny (and ECM and wiring) from your existing Jeep, place it on blocks and in a box in the garage (if you have one), then, pull the remaining good parts from the Jeep (if desired) and have the rest hauled away. Then just drive the SE until you have the time to do engine the swap.
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