How does the rest of the jeep look? If that the only really bad spot I would fix it. That is about one of the easiest places to repair. I'm sure a fab shop with a good reputation could handle it. Just make sure they actually weld nuts into the frame. I have seen this repair done where they left loose nuts in the frame, nightmare... It will make life a lot easier when/if you have to remove the crossmember.

 

The rest of the jeep looks good,runs great other parts of the frame and small surface spots of rust but these areas are the worst.

 

Look into auto rust technician's Safe-T-Cap replacement frame rail.

https://www.autorust.com/product-category/jeep/jeep-tj/

 

Look into auto rust technician's Safe-T-Cap replacement frame rail.

https://www.autorust.com/product-category/jeep/jeep-tj/

Are those just as good?

 

If you have steel plate, a grinder with a cutting wheel, and some time you could save a couple hundred and make your own frame patch.

 

I don't have any tools...i got a quote from a place that restores jeeps and to do a full frame restore and undercoat is 3400 bucks...i don't know if it's worth it.. But he said it won't rot anymore!

 

I am an anxious mess about this. So the safety cap place in ri told me about another shop closer to me. i called them and took my jeep there today. He explained what he would do( cut the frame, clean it out, weld the caps on and then undercoat it) He can't undercoat it 100% without taking the body off right? how did you undercoat yours? Do these caps make the jeep structurally sound? He wanted a 50% deposit before starting which i thought was weird.. his shop is called south shore customs auto. i just worry he won't weld it or undercoat it right and then i'm screwed in 5-10 years. thank you for taking the time to read this.

 

Sorry missed your reply I didn't get mine under coated I used POR15 and put it on myself. The caps are very sturdy. If you are worried about that shop go to auto rust tech. It would be a drive but it might make you feel better. They have videos on YouTube somewhere. Hope this helps

 

I think 5-10 years without additional rust becoming an issue elsewhere on the frame is alot to ask.... that would require more than just a patch job. You would probably need to fix everything on the frame and tub and park it for the winters in a salt free place.

 

For that price you can buy a solid frame from Daveys jeeps and do a complete frame swap. While it is apart clean the frame inside and out than spray the inside with eastwoods. I use chassis saver on the outside of the frame. You can cut the price in half and have a new frame.

 

If you have the time this is the route to go. This was my dd that's why I went with the safe t cap route . both are good options just what you would rather do

 

How does the rest of the jeep look? If that the only really bad spot I would fix it. That is about one of the easiest places to repair. I'm sure a fab shop with a good reputation could handle it. Just make sure they actually weld nuts into the frame. I have seen this repair done where they left loose nuts in the frame, nightmare... It will make life a lot easier when/if you have to remove the crossmember.

You don't weld nuts to the frame. You use nutserts.

 

A deposit is not unusual. He is going to buy the pieces and do the work. So many times if they don't get a deposit the owners end up not paying or taking forever to pay. And the shop ends up cash poor with a lien on the Jeep that they then have to store. BUT definitely get references !!

 

I don't think you realize how much more work and money is involved with doing a frame swap.
Get the thing welded up.
Then have a rustproofing company shoot the frame inside and out,then quit worring about it.
The main thing yo need to do is keep the frame washed out.

 

Your right i don't know, but i figured it would be much more despite what some people say. i have it at the shop getting the safety caps put on and getting the rest of the frame cleaned and the inside and out sprayed with ceramic undercoat. I don't know much about fixing things that's why i came here. I really appreciate your response! Once done i will keep it cleaned well!!

 

I was talking a few months ago to one of our forum members who had the same problem and he took his jeep to auto rust near you in Mass and they sand blasted the frame,cut out all the cancer,sprayed a weldable primer, welded in the new safe T caps (both sides) and undercoated all for $1900. And I thought that price was a little high considering the safe T caps are less than $400. When I read you were quoted a price close to $3500 for this type of repair I started thinking,
it seems like this shop may not be that interested in doing the job for a fair price. But, for $3400 they would be very interested. I bet you can get a very good frame from out west have it galvanized and shipped to your door and have someone do the frame swap for $3500 and never have to deal with a rusty frame again. If your interested in saving some money and your handy with a grinder you can do this job your self and here's how. Barrow or rent a car for a few days while your repairing your jeep (3 days $150)
Get the safe T caps , remove the cross member and cut out or grind the rust, spray inside the frame Eastwood's frame inhibitor, position the safe T cap and clamp. Call a professional mobile welding service that has "liability insurance" to come to your house to weld the safe T cap in place. The welders hourly charge is around $60 and I'm sure he or she will not be welding more than three hours. Buy 2 cans of undercoating or some por 15 and call it a day! This job is complete and done properly for under $1000.

 

I was talking a few months ago to one of our forum members who had the same problem and he took his jeep to auto rust near you in Mass and they sand blasted the frame,cut out all the cancer,sprayed a weldable primer, welded in the new safe T caps (both sides) and undercoated all for $1900. And I thought that price was a little high considering the safe T caps are less than $400. When I read you were quoted a price close to $3500 for this type of repair I started thinking,
it seems like this shop may not be that interested in doing the job for a fair price. But, for $3400 they would be very interested. I bet you can get a very good frame from out west have it galvanized and shipped to your door and have someone do the frame swap for $3500 and never have to deal with a rusty frame again. If your interested in saving some money and your handy with a grinder you can do this job your self and here's how. Barrow or rent a car for a few days while your repairing your jeep (3 days $150)
Get the safe T caps , remove the cross member and cut out or grind the rust, spray inside the frame Eastwood's frame inhibitor, position the safe T cap and clamp. Call a professional mobile welding service that has "liability insurance" to come to your house to weld the safe T cap in place. The welders hourly charge is around $60 and I'm sure he or she will not be welding more than three hours. Buy 2 cans of undercoating or some por 15 and call it a day! This job is complete and done properly for under $1000.

I see what your saying, but the frame pieces i need are 900 all together from autorust. The guy is then going to grind down everything under there, clean everything out, weld the caps on then spray the whole thing with ceramic undercoat. I got a quote from autorust them selves to fix and they quoted 2700-3200. So to keep my jeep close to home i chose to pay a,little more. There are so many options but this is my everyday driver and i dont have the tools necessary to do the work my self. Autorust quoted me 1000 just to sandblast the undercarriage. I figured with these prices, the guy i took it to is not scamming me. I wish i could replace the frame but it's not an option.

 

I used the Autorust frame caps on my TJ and they worked out real well. Also did the Eastwood internal frame coating and Por15 on the outside of the frame.

 

Nicely done my friend!
Too bad we don't live closer to the op. Would of been nice to be able to give him a hand and save a bunch of money.

 

I found my passenger frame rail rotting out between the control arms right after I bought my tj. There is a local 4X4 shop here in Hickory NC. They helped me source a passenger frame rail from a junk yard in good condition. You can used a damaged frame as long as the side you want is good. I paid $125 for the frame rail and $600 for the 4X4 shop to replace the rotted section. Very pleased and looks as good as new.

I could have gotten a used undamaged frame for $400-$500, but the labor to do the swap would have been alot. 4X4 shop said it should be fine with just the passenger section replaced as the rest of the frame, tub, etc was very clean.

The 4X4 shop guy said it is common on northeastern jeeps where there is alot of snow and/or jeep is on the coast. He said the passenger side was the most common because the salty water collects on the side of the road and the passenger side is getting more exposure.

 

Nice to know their are shops still in the USA that charge a fair price for quality workmanship.

 

Nicely done, XTryan.
It would of been great if chrylsler put in the Jeep TJ owners manual "Caution,if you live in an area where the dot uses salt on the roads to combat snow and ice be sure to wash out the inside of the frame Because the salt and slush will build up inside the frame do to the fact that chrylser
engineers did not realize the big 1.5" holes in the side of the jeep TJ frame that are like big funnels for junk to get in and no holes were made on the bottom of the frame for the salt water to get out"! Yes,it would of helped a ton of people. I think a lot of this frame rot could of been avoided "not all" with some rubber plugs installed in the frame at the dealership prior to purchase and a few holes drilled at the factory in the bottom of the frame in a few key areas where the water pools inside.
It stinks that a lot of people have to spend a lot of hard earned money on Chrylser's engineering disaster that could of been prevented with $1.50 worth of rubber plugs and a drill bit!

 

Nicely done, XTryan.
It would of been great if chrylsler put in the Jeep TJ owners manual "Caution,if you live in an area where the dot uses salt on the roads to combat snow and ice be sure to wash out the inside of the frame Because the salt and slush will build up inside the frame do to the fact that chrylser
engineers did not realize the big oval holes in the side of the jeep TJ frame that the truckers use to tie the jeep down during transport form the factory to the dealerships are like big funnels for junk to get in and no holes were made on the bottom of the frame for the salt water to get out"! Yes,it would of helped a ton of people. I think a lot of this frame rot could of been avoided "not all" with some rubber plugs installed in the frame at the dealership prior to purchase and a few holes drilled at the factory in the bottom of the frame in a few key areas where the water pools inside.
It stinks that a lot of people have to spend a lot of hard earned money on Chrylser's engineering disaster that could of been prevented with $1.50 worth of rubber plugs and a drill bit!

One problem is the FSM states not to drill within 1" of the bottom of the frame otherwise you undermine the structural integrity of the frame. Also just plugging those holes (which are not for the trucks but used as part of the assembly process btw) would not make it watertight in any way. If you look at the front there are 3 holes intentionally drilled into the frame as part of the crumple zone. Can't remove them otherwise vehicle wouldn't pass the safety requirements. There is a reason they put those holes there and it isn't because it is an "engineering disaster"

 

I agree with you what the FSM says about WE should not drill holes on the bottom of the frames because it will undermine the structural integrity of the frame. THEY, the factory, should of done that! But, It was OK when they drilled 6 holes on the bottom of the frame to mount the cross member. I think the factory could of put a few more holes in the frame to let some crap out!
Also, you are correct, the oval holes in the frame are used mainly for the assembly process but not only for assembly. My uncle was a car carrier driver and was told by chrylser to lock down the TJs for transport in the oblong holes.
I understand the TJ frame is a opened boxed frame with a number of holes in it for different reasons and I am also saying that the big 1.5" holes on the side of the frame seem to have been placed in a bad area on the frame. When your tire rotates in slush, snow and mud all that junk shoots right into the big holes and that's why we get rust inside our frames. These frames rust from the inside out and that's nothing but the truth. I know most of this problem could have been avoided with some better engineering and good old common sense.

 

I just had this done at AutoRust Technicians. I am VERY happy with the work they did. Take a peek at this post and the post following it, with pics.

I am particularly impressed with the full sandblast, prime, and rust proofing. Alone this is about $1000 worth of work.

Good Luck. :cheers2:

 

I bought a NOS frame in 2010 to replace my rusted frame. First thing I did was drilled (4) 9/16" holes (one at each control arm mount) in the bottom of the frame. I used a die grinder to smooth out the edges. No problems in 4 years and I don't anticipate any either. On my old frame I did the same thing however it was too late in the game.

When ever I wash the Jeep, I flush out the frame until the water comes clean. During the winter, I use Fluid Film on my Jeep as well as my son's.

 

I bought a NOS frame in 2010 to replace my rusted frame. First thing I did was drilled (4) 9/16" holes (one at each control arm mount) in the bottom of the frame. I used a die grinder to smooth out the edges. No problems in 4 years and I don't anticipate any either. On my old frame I did the same thing however it was too late in the game.

When ever I wash the Jeep, I flush out the frame until the water comes clean. During the winter, I use Fluid Film on my Jeep as well as my son's.

1000% agree with this and I do/did the exact same things with my '06.... IMO, holes in the frame bottom at the control arm mount points will not cause any issues. Flush it clean and fluid film in the winter. Done.

 

Buy a beater to drive in the winter!
Save the jeep and some money!

 

Men,You should of given your frame maintenance schedule to chrylser in 1997 to be put in the owners manual and we all would of been so happy! Also, for added protection in the winter you can cover the holes on the side of the frame with pieces of magnetic sign material to keep the salt and slush out. (I'm not sure the magnet will stick to the thick under coating but sticks great to paint)
Keep up the good maintenance men.

 

Probably a great idea to minimize stuff getting in but doesn't take into account the holes at the front of the frame where the crossmember attaches. Granted for road salt that is probably not an issue but if you submerge your front in dirty water it gets in there nice and quick.

 

I have an '06 dodge truck. Was under it last week replacing control arms and noticed there are several large holes into the body panels that they covered with black looking duct tape. It's starting to peal and expose the holes. So now my truck is a mix of pealing black tape and shiny silver duct tape.

 

incredible... 9 years old, in Nevada.

 

Just wondering if any other automobile frame rust from the inside out "faster" than jeeps.

 

datsun... toyota...

 

incredible... 9 years old, in Nevada.

Perhaps, that truck was originally from the north east.

No sorry for the confusion, the frame and body isn't rusting, just thought I'd mention that Dodge uses tape to plug big holes from the elements. Bought my truck new here in NV, but am surprised at the way certain things are completely covered in rust. The rear diff cover is completely orange, the control arm bushing sleeves rusted away till there was no longer enough material to have a press fit in the arms. The knuckles are mostly covered in rust and some other odds and ends around the truck are rusting way fast compared to other vehicles I've had. It's like the ran it through some sort of salt spray test before selling it new. Crazy Chrysler.

 

WOW, That's insane.

 

I think I'll be drilling drain holes just above the lower control arms. I figure the three sided bracket welded to the frame will provide additional rigidity around a small 1/2" hole, and will also shield water and debris from entering in through the hole. That also seems to be where the worst concentration of rust forms and rots the frame out.

I am curious why some discussions say that installing a bolt in a frame hole can prevent stress cracks. If that's the case, a hollowed short carriage bolt would work.

 

I think I'll be drilling drain holes just above the lower control arms. I figure the three sided bracket welded to the frame will provide additional rigidity around a small 1/2" hole, and will also shield water and debris from entering in through the hole. That also seems to be where the worst concentration of rust forms and rots the frame out.

Heres a video where I look at the standing water in the frame -

 

After seeing the holes in the bad frames at the front of the rear lower control arms I figured a small hole between that mount mentioned above would be fine. Seeing the guys still driving and wheeling theirs till the bitter end made me feel okay about drilling so I did then sprayed the inside with the Eastwoods stuff. Makes me sleep a little better even though I don't live in the salt belt and probably had no worries to begin with being in the desert, although they do salt the roads here.

 

I think that's a good plan.