Rusted frame

[JEEPD]

I just bought this 86 CJ7 for $2500. Runs and drives good and had the options I was looking for (auto trans and Dana 44 axle) I knew there was some rust to the tub, and part of the frame, but after I crawled under it and looked more closely the damage was more that I thought at first.
There is significant rust damage to the frame where the front of the rear leaf springs connect. The previous owner bolted in a pair of 2x6 pieces of wood inside the frame to strengthen it, and bolted the spring hanger to it?!
I do have a brother who is a welder by trade and going to have him look at it. Just looking for opinions on how severe of an issue this is, or issues with fixing it.
So far I am not to upset with my purchase, I knew I was going to have to do a good amount of work to it, just as long as there is not to many more big surprises. Kind of ticked at myself I missed something this noticeable.

Any input / opinions are appreciated.

 

[gr8dain]

Wow. Wood? Crazy. I thought my frame rust was bad. I am looking to replace mine in the upcoming year. I hope that you are not driving this around a lot at this point. I would be afraid for the suspension giving up on you.

 

[PaRenegade]

You may not want to hear this, but... you asked. My frame was not as bad as yours and ... I bought a new one. Being that your brother is a good thing and I was going to suggest plating all the bad areas. however after looking at the pics, I wouldn't trust any of it. There are places that look paper thin. How many of those places exist that you just can't see yet. You may put some time and money into it only to have more areas collapse in a year or two. I would start to look for a replacement frame. A new one will run about $1900 but you can find a good used one for around $500, depending on your location.

 

[Hedgehog]

ohh that is in a bad spot, no question about it. I'm sorry, but you need a new/another frame. How is the body?

 

[JEEPD]

Yeah I was afraid of that. Most of the rust on the body is around the rear of the vehicle (same area). The floor boards in the back are pretty rusty. Aside from where the frame looks terrible the rest looks pretty good, minimal surface rust. The Jeep does not look to be offroaded or beaten up, just been outside its whole life.
No not driving it yet, it was going to be a winter project.

 

[Old Dog]

Wow. Wood? Crazy. I thought my frame rust was bad. I am looking to replace mine in the upcoming year. I hope that you are not driving this around a lot at this point. I would be afraid for the suspension giving up on you.

You may not want to hear this, but... you asked. My frame was not as bad as yours and ... I bought a new one. Being that your brother is a good thing and I was going to suggest plating all the bad areas. however after looking at the pics, I wouldn't trust any of it. There are places that look paper thin. How many of those places exist that you just can't see yet. You may put some time and money into it only to have more areas collapse in a year or two. I would start to look for a replacement frame. A new one will run about $1900 but you can find a good used one for around $500, depending on your location.

^^ what they said^^

 

[JEEPD]

Thanks for the honesty. Weighing my options what do you think about these ?

Frame Repair Sections - Quadratec

If the rest of the frame does not have issues

 

[Hedgehog]

Do they extend far enough to clear the rusted areas? I thought about those, but was under the impression that they were only for the very rear end of the frame, now I see they include the section you are worried about. It does look like they are open on top.

To do this right you probably need to remove the body from the frame. Make sure large plates are used to marry or splice in the new sections.

 

[Peanut Butter]

If it were me, I'd go with another frame. I've seen several on eBay lately and I'm sure some of the Jeep specific used parts shops would have something. That being said, it's going to cost you, but a lot less work with no headaches. Rod

 

[TexasBlues]

I have to agree with all of the above suggestions..

make that jeep a vegas show girl... strip her down, and take a L O N G look at it...

i speak from experience... i had a frame that i spent about 3-4 months on and several hundred dollars trying to get right... after i did a bunch of fab work and painting, i took an air hammer to it... just because i had this 'feeling'...

glad i did too... hammer punched through a couple spots like a pin thru skin...

got rid of it (gave it away for scrap) and FINALLY found a great one for an even better than great deal... rock solid and after treating, ZERO rust...

in case you havent noticed... JEEP is scandanavian for patience...

BEST of wishes for your quest! and stick with it!!!

 

[JEEPD]

When I bought this I was planning on doing a good deal of work to it, but having the space and ability to swap frames is a bit more than I might be able to do. Not sure how the wife would like me taking over the entire garage for several months .
I have been looking to get a CJ for years and wanting one longer so don't want to give up on her just yet. My brother looked at it and he said he can patch it, there is still enough good metal to work with. The rest of the frame looks really good. But I don't want to half *** anything, or just to have to more problems down the road. But in my situation would be easier than a frame off job.
If I do keep her I am looking for a 84-86 wide track CJ7 frame.. correct ? Its a 1986 with Dana 44 rear end.

 

[007]

Not that this really needs any further, but one other perspective if I may...

It would appear you will have to remove the tub to repair this frame given the length of the damage, and as noted you may find even more once you do. But even if you were to repair this you will most likely be replacing sections as opposed to strengthening them. When you do this you introduce opportunities to have geometric problems when it comes to axles, shocks, tub, etc.

As crappy as it sounds, I really believe you will be time and money ahead to find a donor frame, even if you have to fix a bit on it too. The downside being that during this whole process you'll find countless ways to spend money replacing this, that and the other as you uncover other issues.

 

[Petescj]

Do you get through Pa any time? I've made mistakes like this myself. I have a frame from an 83 that needs minor work by the rear shackle. My Christmas gift to you. Pm me if interested.

 

[certifiablejeep]

Again, not that you want to hear it, but you need to...

I am in the process right now of swapping the tub on the latest project.
I climbed all over it and poked and prodded, I knew a couple body mounts on the frame were bad and I would have to replace them.

What I am into now, fast forward.

All 11 body mounts are getting attention of some sort. 6 are replaced now, 5 to go.
New Tub
New gas lines
New brake lines both steel and rubber
New body mount kit

That frame is in tough shape, I have fixed them before, but if you are going to do off roading, driving in rain/weather/snow/salt, etc it will just eat through it in a matter of time.

I would suggest a west coat or southern frame or go new with TDK.

Fixes are great, but that is what they are, fixes and usually patches unless it is taken apart and done right... remember, you have to drive this... how important is your safety?

Also, I know it is your brother and I know he wants to help, but as the hours tick by, he will become less enthused.

As for "a couple months"... figure "a couple years" potentially as the average rebuild time always takes a VERY LONG time... it is just the nature of the rigs.

My current frame and it still needs 5 of the body mounts worked and then the suspension taken off, flipped and work on the same area you have issues with.



This is what you can see with a small screwdriver poking it... it will end up being a much larger repair to get to good metal



Good luck with what you decide to do.

cb

 

[JEEPD]

Thanks for all the replies. As of now I am going to take it to a body shop to get a professional opinion that I would be able to take to the seller and either get my money back or go to court.
My ego is saying that I should have caught this, but as a seller I feel it should have been pointed out due to it being a pretty serious safety concern. His add mentioned "typical Jeep rust in the rear" which I took as the rust to the tub and a couple body mounts. Which I was fine with because fixing that was in the realm of what I can do.
What's annoying is the I like everything else about the Jeep, but have to be realistic.

 

[jammer1]

You should be able to take to court to get you're money back. If you were to take the jeep to your states inspection center they would state that it is unsafe to drive on the road. You purchased the vehicle to drive on the road and it's hard for the owner to claim he knew nothing about the wood in the frame. If you were to strip the frame to do a good repair you probably would find the same problem on both sides. Also where the skid plate bolts to the frame is probably rotten also. Everyone's correct on a donor frame. The rest will be rotted out in two or three winters. I bought a CJ8 on ebay and was more rotten then the owner stated. Donor frame later and still going. Good luck with the owner and let us know what happens.

 

[TexasBlues]

FWIW, these are some people that I, along with MANY others deal with locally (NoGA)... they are ALWAYS into parts and often have several donors and various parts to choose from... in addition, they WILL keep an eye out for what youre specifically looking for if you ask them to...

they are some of the finest, and most honest people i know, true CJers in the best sense of the word, and im sure there are others on here that know them...

they have day jobs and do CJs as a hobby/2nd job... they have several of their own that they have built... take a look and please contact them... from time to time (and you probably DONT want to read this) they will sell a CJ complete...

take a look... you might find something that you can use... at the very least, maybe they can help you in your search

Parting out 83 Jeep CJ7 project

hope this helps, and as someone else wrote... keep us posted!!