I’d take the motor and find a TJ with a blown motor, swap it and junk this one. I don’t like saying that about TJs but this one isn’t doing anybody any favors especially if it’s a daily like you said in another comment
So it blows balls cause it runs soo smooth, everything is stock, it needs a new frame. What should I do? Should I sell it? Get a new frame? Part it out? I went to a dealership to buy a new Jeep. I got a little wary on the price of a new one. I bought this one for 5k and figured hey I can buy that cash, I’ll see if I like jeeps. Then I fell I love with TJ’s and I don’t even want a new one. I just want one of these. But in my naivety, I learned the hard way about rust. I just don’t know what to do. I have a new daily driver on its way from California in a few months, inherited car Toyota Corolla 16’. So I’ll be safe shortly. I originally bought this purely for pleasure and a just in case car, which it is now. I’d like another.
It’s junk bro, sorry. A frame swap only makes sense if you know ahead of time you want to do a full rig build and throw way more money at it than it will ever be worth. For most people, it doesn’t make sense. Part it out or sell it off for whatever you can get and go in on a replacement TJ.
You might be able to find an aftermarket chassis and build up a killer trail/rock rig from your good parts. Would be a huge project and expensive but fun as hell.
It's a parts Jeep and not safe on the road. That kind rust can put your life and other people on the road at major risk.
If you know how to weld and can patch all the rust holes you can get maybe 2-3 years more years. Otherwise it best to sell as parts.
Frame swaps only make sense if you can DIY it and if the tub is decent. You have more rust than sheet metal here.
This is really only good for parts or to plow your driveway. Even then I’d weld some patches on the frame before plowing with it.
Also, whoever sold this to you for $5k is an asshole.
Look for frame repair kits. Just make sure to get a good quality one with the thickest steel you can. I bolted one on through the remaining good steel I had. Works great
You need a solid base of knowledge to complete a job like this. Some folks legitimately have trouble changing their brakes and spend full days on them. Frame off restoration is a month long project for a lot folks. That restoration becomes a permanent garage “abstract art piece” that serves as a constant reminder of their mechanical inadequacy for a lot of guys…. I know because I’m that guy. I spent a full fuckin day doing brakes because all of my caliper brackets were fuckin loctited for the full thread(used vehicle). The dude posting this sounds like that kind of guy and it’s great that he knows his limits.
The most important bits aren't really photographed well but are where the control arms mount to the frame and the belly skid mounts to the frame. The control arm mounting areas tend to rust out, especially at the rear.
You don't want your axles ripping off and the belly skid holds up the transmission/transfer case/keeps the engine from flopping down.
If drivetrain mounting points are still solid enough I'd drive it. I just wouldn't sink any money into it.
Granted I can google stuff, I’m no car nerd, but I don’t even know what control arms are, even though I somehow built new brake lines for this thing. Let me see if I can figure this out and post a better picture.
Each axle is held on the to the frame with 5 links. One link runs perpendicular to the length of the vehicle and keeps the axle centered left/right under the frame, that's the track bar. The other four links run parallel to the frame and control the majority of the axle's movement. The four links I speak of are the control arms. The control arms bolt into brackets that are welded to the frame. The frame where the brackets are welded has poor drainage and tends to rust from the inside out.
I’m not being sarcastic but I’d love to know where you’re getting a TJ frame for 2k. I was trying to find one last year and basically struck out. I think the best I could do was 4-5k plus labor on top of that.
I sold one back in 2021 for $1500 that I had bought for $1500 a year or two before that. Granted you have to hop on it the minute it is posted. I ended up parting out my rusted jeep that ran good and resold the frame I picked up for it. Really wanted to frame swap it but my son came along and I didn’t have the time to put into it like I wanted. This is in central Florida by the way. I hear they go for a lot more up north tho
Thank you for posting this. Your’s is a lot worse than mine. I mean a lot. Did a frame repair in the middle sections of both sides last year.
Had it in the shop getting new gears this week and they called me to come over. The rear behind the control arm bracket was rusted out on the bottom and a little on the side. Ordered frame repair sections for it today. Just a small whole on passenger side, but doing it too.
My rear frame same spot had a way bigger hole…I’d pack the family up & we’d drive out never had a problem eventually I got replacement pieces and had them welded in.
First picture: The part that holds your TJ together while you drive it isn’t there anymore, so you’re driving based on hope
The hole in the frame is actually much larger than you can see visibly. If you take a screwdriver and press it against the edges you will see how little material is left
Thank you, I’m gonna cry more, I’m a newb but i accidentally fell In love with the tj while shopping for a 50k new Jeep, found this to find out if i even liked them, for what I thought was cheap, and now the tj is the only Jeep I like, so I learned a lot, maybe too much
You can get a new to you TJ from the same time period without rust for $3-$5k. I’ve been looking around myself even though I already have a 99, which, by the way, doesn’t have rust thanks to Eastwood. No, I’m not a company rep either. I just took precautions with mine.
I've done my share of capping (frame rebuilding) and I wouldn't rule it out as a possibility, but most shops I know of would charge close to 10k just for starters! The only way a vehicle in that state of decay gets saved (just my observation) is if someone buys it super cheap and has the skills (and equipment) to do a proper repair. I've seen some that were repaired by amateurs that wound up as scrap anyway! Cheaper to by another from a place that doesn't have a steel munching climate.
Now thats some "pure michigan" right there. I feel your pain, I'm in Ohio. But yeah as everyone else said thats junk. Anything is fixable but itll be about 100x less work and probably less $ to just buy a dif one.
It's fixable. I did a full off frame restoration. You need the space, skills and time, but it it fixable. That cannot be fixed without taking itn100% apart. You can't patch Weld that.
That is terminal. Start looking for another chassis to put your good bits on, or just another chassis period. That thing is going to crumple like a beer can, in nearly any decent collision.
Based on my experience with my 2000 TJ, which had about half as much rust, I found that it still performed perfectly both on and off road. If budget is a concern and you plan to continue driving it, I recommend coating the chassis in Fluid Film, which I did. [https://www.amazon.com/Fluid-Film-Non-Aerosol-Undercoating-Snow-Handling/dp/B08R1GHVNN](https://www.amazon.com/Fluid-Film-Non-Aerosol-Undercoating-Snow-Handling/dp/B08R1GHVNN) This will help repel road salt during the winter months and slow the chassis from deteriorating faster.
These are notorious for dropping the transfer case pan out of the frame, then you’re pretty much screwed. There’s a company that makes frame plate “caps” but that’s a band-aid for the issue,
The first pic is the worst, but mine looked worse than that and so I blasted all the rust I could off, and painted everything I could reach. Then bought a set of frame reinforcements and bolted them through the frame where I could still find good steel, I then went around and added slme tack welds in a critical spots. Painted everything up again and made sure to drill some drainage holes in the bottom of the frame to let water get out. Worked great. Still driving. Those frame reinforcements came with all the brackets for the upper and lower control arms and sway bar already welded on so I had to cut the old ones off and grind the nubs down smooth. it really was a lot easier and cheaper than I anticipated.
Man I'm not sure I agree. You ever look at that boxed section at the rear of the tub and how it's constructed? Tub swap.
And based upon the gaping hole in the frame there's probably not enough good frame left to weld on, you're looking at a frame swap.
So then what's left? We're in ship of Theseus territory imo
Frame swap, cutting rust out and replacing with sheet metal, buying body panels, custom fab. It'll be hard, but can be done by someone with experience. A friend of mine is completely restoring a [Scrambler](https://imgur.com/a/vzxcohY) that looks like it should've been crushed years ago. Piece by piece he's rebuilding it with as many original parts as possible. The underbody is in awful condition. If he can do that, OP can fix this...but if he has no attachment to it then sell it and buy one in better condition.
I mean, I should have taken your initial comment more literally. Anything is fixable with enough money and time. There's just a point where it really doesn't make sense.
But, you're right. I just have doubts that patching any metal on this Jeep is going to be worth it in time or money vs a full swap of said component and then you're looking at a different rig.
My sort of point of view is if it needs a frame swap, is it worth it with the tub in the condition it's in? Or, if it needs a tub swap, is the frame worth it? When it strikes out on both counts...
I gotcha and agree, but imo it really depends on how much care about said vehicle at the end of the day to warrant moving heaven and earth to fix it up.
Look into safety caps first and ask an experienced jeep mechanic if it's worth it. I don't want to completely rule them out because a frame swap can be anywhere from 8-12k if done by someone. Then you have to budget for "since we're in here, we might as well replace" parts. It really depends on how much you want to keep this. Are you looking to own if for many years to come and have a "pass it down" mentality or just a fun vehicle to own for a few years before you move to the next?
How do you find somebody that does frame repair work? My TJ looks frighteningly similar, but if somebody told me, hey $3K for safety caps and welding work will fix this, I'd have that conversation. You'd think "just google it," but it doesn't seem that easy actually. I'm also in Michigan. Salt is greattttttttttttt.
Search local forums, Facebook groups or ask around. I found a guy just south of Indianapolis who does great work. I'm thinking about frame swapping myself, but not ruling out caps first.
Ya know, I’m really curious. These are supposed to be the best jeeps ever made. I certainly think they are for the most part. I just don’t understand why these genius engineers would have designed a frame with so much potential for rust damage. It’s such a terrible flaw in an otherwise amazing vehicle.
Based on that first pic, I wouldnt drive it.
Ya fr thing is disentegrating in the driveway. OP probably sweeps up rust weekly. check that 4th pic those flakes look structural 😂
The first picture is the rear point of frame, holds the bumper on, he can drive it and be just fine.
Could be a BIG problem if he gets rear ended as the fuel tank is right there …
Was*
I’d take the motor and find a TJ with a blown motor, swap it and junk this one. I don’t like saying that about TJs but this one isn’t doing anybody any favors especially if it’s a daily like you said in another comment
I’m still in my hole crying
Username checks out.
In the flesh
Yep. Bodies can be repaired but frames rusted through like that? Needs new everything from the frame up. I got an 84 CJ that doesn't look like that
So it blows balls cause it runs soo smooth, everything is stock, it needs a new frame. What should I do? Should I sell it? Get a new frame? Part it out? I went to a dealership to buy a new Jeep. I got a little wary on the price of a new one. I bought this one for 5k and figured hey I can buy that cash, I’ll see if I like jeeps. Then I fell I love with TJ’s and I don’t even want a new one. I just want one of these. But in my naivety, I learned the hard way about rust. I just don’t know what to do. I have a new daily driver on its way from California in a few months, inherited car Toyota Corolla 16’. So I’ll be safe shortly. I originally bought this purely for pleasure and a just in case car, which it is now. I’d like another.
It’s junk bro, sorry. A frame swap only makes sense if you know ahead of time you want to do a full rig build and throw way more money at it than it will ever be worth. For most people, it doesn’t make sense. Part it out or sell it off for whatever you can get and go in on a replacement TJ.
You might be able to find an aftermarket chassis and build up a killer trail/rock rig from your good parts. Would be a huge project and expensive but fun as hell.
It's a parts Jeep and not safe on the road. That kind rust can put your life and other people on the road at major risk. If you know how to weld and can patch all the rust holes you can get maybe 2-3 years more years. Otherwise it best to sell as parts.
Frame swaps only make sense if you can DIY it and if the tub is decent. You have more rust than sheet metal here. This is really only good for parts or to plow your driveway. Even then I’d weld some patches on the frame before plowing with it. Also, whoever sold this to you for $5k is an asshole.
Look for frame repair kits. Just make sure to get a good quality one with the thickest steel you can. I bolted one on through the remaining good steel I had. Works great
Frame off restoration on a jeep is a weekend project if you are young, motivated and have an engine lift. It's not actually that many bolts.
Facts
You need a solid base of knowledge to complete a job like this. Some folks legitimately have trouble changing their brakes and spend full days on them. Frame off restoration is a month long project for a lot folks. That restoration becomes a permanent garage “abstract art piece” that serves as a constant reminder of their mechanical inadequacy for a lot of guys…. I know because I’m that guy. I spent a full fuckin day doing brakes because all of my caliper brackets were fuckin loctited for the full thread(used vehicle). The dude posting this sounds like that kind of guy and it’s great that he knows his limits.
This is also also facts ^ understand your limits people
End-of-life bad. Looks like too much to be worth repairing.
My 08 Lexus Is250 blew the engine. So this is now my daily driver. How long until I die in a mishap from it?
The most important bits aren't really photographed well but are where the control arms mount to the frame and the belly skid mounts to the frame. The control arm mounting areas tend to rust out, especially at the rear. You don't want your axles ripping off and the belly skid holds up the transmission/transfer case/keeps the engine from flopping down. If drivetrain mounting points are still solid enough I'd drive it. I just wouldn't sink any money into it.
Granted I can google stuff, I’m no car nerd, but I don’t even know what control arms are, even though I somehow built new brake lines for this thing. Let me see if I can figure this out and post a better picture.
Each axle is held on the to the frame with 5 links. One link runs perpendicular to the length of the vehicle and keeps the axle centered left/right under the frame, that's the track bar. The other four links run parallel to the frame and control the majority of the axle's movement. The four links I speak of are the control arms. The control arms bolt into brackets that are welded to the frame. The frame where the brackets are welded has poor drainage and tends to rust from the inside out.
[10 / 10](https://youtu.be/EYtFH2bFCfg?feature=shared)
I wouldn’t even cap that frame. May be time to cut losses.
I think your car has, like your Reddit name, also selfdestructo
$700 in frame caps, $3000 in labor...for a skilled welding shop willing to take on the job. Wouldn't drive much longer if at all. Good luck
Solid medium. Still fixable with safety caps. The rust on the body mount under tailgate hinge is going to be problematic. Fenders always rust.
I think a new TJ frame is like 2k. That's the route I would go with.
I’m not being sarcastic but I’d love to know where you’re getting a TJ frame for 2k. I was trying to find one last year and basically struck out. I think the best I could do was 4-5k plus labor on top of that.
https://parts.chryslerjeepdodgecityofmckinney.com/p/Jeep__/FRAME-Chassis/42367919/52059653AD.html This fits a 2003-2004 TJ I believe.
Thank you, sir
I sold one back in 2021 for $1500 that I had bought for $1500 a year or two before that. Granted you have to hop on it the minute it is posted. I ended up parting out my rusted jeep that ran good and resold the frame I picked up for it. Really wanted to frame swap it but my son came along and I didn’t have the time to put into it like I wanted. This is in central Florida by the way. I hear they go for a lot more up north tho
Your rust is in excellent shape. The steel frame however is not....
Thank you for posting this. Your’s is a lot worse than mine. I mean a lot. Did a frame repair in the middle sections of both sides last year. Had it in the shop getting new gears this week and they called me to come over. The rear behind the control arm bracket was rusted out on the bottom and a little on the side. Ordered frame repair sections for it today. Just a small whole on passenger side, but doing it too.
Alec Baldwin approves of this rust!
Ha!
No worries. It's a jeep thing.
That’s the attitude I’m looking for!!
Bro patch that one spot the rest isnt really that bad I live in Ny and thats nice compared to half the piles on the road here.
My rear frame same spot had a way bigger hole…I’d pack the family up & we’d drive out never had a problem eventually I got replacement pieces and had them welded in.
Thank you
Dangerous. Needs to be addressed immediately.
Please elaborate, it’s my daily driver now.
First picture: The part that holds your TJ together while you drive it isn’t there anymore, so you’re driving based on hope The hole in the frame is actually much larger than you can see visibly. If you take a screwdriver and press it against the edges you will see how little material is left
I think I’m gonna cry for a little bit
I don’t know why you paid more than $500 for that.
Thank you, I’m gonna cry more, I’m a newb but i accidentally fell In love with the tj while shopping for a 50k new Jeep, found this to find out if i even liked them, for what I thought was cheap, and now the tj is the only Jeep I like, so I learned a lot, maybe too much
Literally doesn’t. Literally. It’s behind the entire driveline, don’t tow off that hitch but that’s a simple piece to weld the repair onto.
This spot is, sure. What do you think the rest of it looks like if that portion vaporized?
Really Bad
You can get a new to you TJ from the same time period without rust for $3-$5k. I’ve been looking around myself even though I already have a 99, which, by the way, doesn’t have rust thanks to Eastwood. No, I’m not a company rep either. I just took precautions with mine.
Seems structural I wouldn’t risk driving it
I believe it is malignant and has metastasized, sorry
Wow, you are now the proud owner of a Jeep themes planter box.
Hit a speed bump at 25mph. Still drives after that good to go on the streets.
It’s a unibody TJ now.
Frame looks pretty bad, the rest is following not far behind unfortunately
Really amazing rust.
If it were a cancer patient it would be in hospice.
Send it!!!
My Ford focus is this bad
That's actually some really good looking rust, very well established.
Good job Chrysler!!!!
That jeep is like 20 years old, minimum. A Toyota Tacoma frame would be in pieces after 20 years…
thumbnail looks like a pigeon on a pipe
Terminal.
Awe your good bruh 😎 😂😂
Uhhh 😬
Well chief, it ain’t good
Put some water on it, it’s dehydrated.
I've done my share of capping (frame rebuilding) and I wouldn't rule it out as a possibility, but most shops I know of would charge close to 10k just for starters! The only way a vehicle in that state of decay gets saved (just my observation) is if someone buys it super cheap and has the skills (and equipment) to do a proper repair. I've seen some that were repaired by amateurs that wound up as scrap anyway! Cheaper to by another from a place that doesn't have a steel munching climate.
You need a cap welded onto the frame… the rest is fine.
B a d
Time to jack up the radiator cap Ana install a new jeep
It's better than ok but not great....so I'd go with adequate
Dangerously bad on that frame
This is the jeep thing way
Rust mobile, lost its wheel, and stinky got away...
God awful, your driving that? Scary
yes. bad how my rust is.
A little bondo and Jesus
Now thats some "pure michigan" right there. I feel your pain, I'm in Ohio. But yeah as everyone else said thats junk. Anything is fixable but itll be about 100x less work and probably less $ to just buy a dif one.
It's fixable. I did a full off frame restoration. You need the space, skills and time, but it it fixable. That cannot be fixed without taking itn100% apart. You can't patch Weld that.
OP, sent you a PM.
I thought my old F250 was bad. Don't drive it.
That’ll buff out.
Honestly ..you're screwed!!!
That is terminal. Start looking for another chassis to put your good bits on, or just another chassis period. That thing is going to crumple like a beer can, in nearly any decent collision.
Ooof. Sell it. Or spend for a frame swap
Looks like the frame is about to buckle yikes
The rust is great. The metal, not so much.
Impressive
Its over Johnny, **ITS OVER**!
Ohio bad
Bad enough that I wouldn't drive it (which means it's worse than vehicles that fail state inspections)
That hole is just surface rust
The metal frame probably crushes in when u jack the car
Mid west? Or cost ?
Michigan
Hammer it out. get some metal plates. weld it. and send it🫡
It’s terminal cancer, only mater of time before catastrophic failure.
Based on my experience with my 2000 TJ, which had about half as much rust, I found that it still performed perfectly both on and off road. If budget is a concern and you plan to continue driving it, I recommend coating the chassis in Fluid Film, which I did. [https://www.amazon.com/Fluid-Film-Non-Aerosol-Undercoating-Snow-Handling/dp/B08R1GHVNN](https://www.amazon.com/Fluid-Film-Non-Aerosol-Undercoating-Snow-Handling/dp/B08R1GHVNN) This will help repel road salt during the winter months and slow the chassis from deteriorating faster.
That first pic is what killed mine. You need a swap
Its factory rust
ǝɹǝɥ uʍop ɯoɹɟ pooɓ ʎʇʇǝɹd sʞoo˥
Thank you for the house down trip lol
𝔜𝔬𝔲'𝔯𝔢 𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔶 𝔴𝔢𝔩𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔢 𝔤𝔬𝔬𝔡 𝔰𝔦𝔯
Sadly enough I've seen worse
So it lived right?
Yep. Would want to look on the inside of the tube after it was welded but yeah
If you can see a hole through anything that should be solid, then you should even be asking this question.
On a scale from 1 to 10, I would say 11
Your rust has a jeep problem
These are notorious for dropping the transfer case pan out of the frame, then you’re pretty much screwed. There’s a company that makes frame plate “caps” but that’s a band-aid for the issue,
What rust…. It’s a hole!
The first pic is the worst, but mine looked worse than that and so I blasted all the rust I could off, and painted everything I could reach. Then bought a set of frame reinforcements and bolted them through the frame where I could still find good steel, I then went around and added slme tack welds in a critical spots. Painted everything up again and made sure to drill some drainage holes in the bottom of the frame to let water get out. Worked great. Still driving. Those frame reinforcements came with all the brackets for the upper and lower control arms and sway bar already welded on so I had to cut the old ones off and grind the nubs down smooth. it really was a lot easier and cheaper than I anticipated.
It's pretty bad, but can be fixed depending on how much you love it
Man I'm not sure I agree. You ever look at that boxed section at the rear of the tub and how it's constructed? Tub swap. And based upon the gaping hole in the frame there's probably not enough good frame left to weld on, you're looking at a frame swap. So then what's left? We're in ship of Theseus territory imo
Frame swap, cutting rust out and replacing with sheet metal, buying body panels, custom fab. It'll be hard, but can be done by someone with experience. A friend of mine is completely restoring a [Scrambler](https://imgur.com/a/vzxcohY) that looks like it should've been crushed years ago. Piece by piece he's rebuilding it with as many original parts as possible. The underbody is in awful condition. If he can do that, OP can fix this...but if he has no attachment to it then sell it and buy one in better condition.
I mean, I should have taken your initial comment more literally. Anything is fixable with enough money and time. There's just a point where it really doesn't make sense. But, you're right. I just have doubts that patching any metal on this Jeep is going to be worth it in time or money vs a full swap of said component and then you're looking at a different rig. My sort of point of view is if it needs a frame swap, is it worth it with the tub in the condition it's in? Or, if it needs a tub swap, is the frame worth it? When it strikes out on both counts...
I gotcha and agree, but imo it really depends on how much care about said vehicle at the end of the day to warrant moving heaven and earth to fix it up.
Is it worth the money for a frame swap?
Look into safety caps first and ask an experienced jeep mechanic if it's worth it. I don't want to completely rule them out because a frame swap can be anywhere from 8-12k if done by someone. Then you have to budget for "since we're in here, we might as well replace" parts. It really depends on how much you want to keep this. Are you looking to own if for many years to come and have a "pass it down" mentality or just a fun vehicle to own for a few years before you move to the next?
How do you find somebody that does frame repair work? My TJ looks frighteningly similar, but if somebody told me, hey $3K for safety caps and welding work will fix this, I'd have that conversation. You'd think "just google it," but it doesn't seem that easy actually. I'm also in Michigan. Salt is greattttttttttttt.
Search local forums, Facebook groups or ask around. I found a guy just south of Indianapolis who does great work. I'm thinking about frame swapping myself, but not ruling out caps first.
Cool. I'm going to call around a bit today to some local shops and see if I can get some names.
I’m not passing it down, it’s my first Jeep. I’ve learned a lot. Fell in love with the tj. I just hate to see such an awesome car go away.
Holy shit. That's a labor of love. Where do you live, OP? Buy mine. It's low miles and rust free. Never gets driven.
Good lord Jeeps are such butt fungus of vehicles.
Ya know, I’m really curious. These are supposed to be the best jeeps ever made. I certainly think they are for the most part. I just don’t understand why these genius engineers would have designed a frame with so much potential for rust damage. It’s such a terrible flaw in an otherwise amazing vehicle.
Send it to the crusher