Tube frame

[Mudrig150]

I need to replace the frame on my 88... It's gonna take so much repairing and it's so thin that I don't feel like it would survive for long road driving. It's not going crazy offroading, it's just gonna be doing normal driving and occasionally pulling garden tractors on trailers. I was gonna do either 2x4 or 3x6 box tube, but that's gonna be in a while.
Anyone have experience with full frame replacement?

[Pete M]

pics of what you're dealing with? 

[Mudrig150]

The whole frame is about as rough as this except above and behind the rear tires.

[Pete M]

ouch.  that's pretty rough.  

[Mudrig150]

Yeah. It needs a lot of frame repair.

[jeff351]

 May I make a couple of suggestions (not intended to offend you, just lessons I learned over the years myself.)

-Be realistic with your fabrication skills. 

-Make a budget, then at a bare minimum double it. You'll be buying a lot of parts and materials to rebuild this one. 

-Do you have a TON of free time? This isn't going to be a quick and easy project. 

 

Add up the cost of materials, tools, all the extras (driveline, body, electrical) and you might just be better off buying a different truck. 

 

 

 

[Smokeyyank]

Might be best to part it out. Amount of work involved is doable but not exactly easy or cheap. 

 

To give you an idea.

https://www.jeepforum.com/threads/xj-with-a-frame-build.741237/

[Mudrig150]

44 minutes ago, Smokeyyank said:

Might be best to part it out. Amount of work involved is doable but not exactly easy or cheap. 

 

To give you an idea.

https://www.jeepforum.com/threads/xj-with-a-frame-build.741237/

It's a shame, there isn't even much that's in a shape that most would consider usable or much that people would even want. It would probably just be engine, the taillights, and rear window getting sold then the rest getting scrapped. If it ends in scrapping then it'll be joining the large amount I've seen in salvage and scrap yards over the years, because no one around here likes them.

[Mudrig150]

49 minutes ago, jeff351 said:

 May I make a couple of suggestions (not intended to offend you, just lessons I learned over the years myself.)

-Be realistic with your fabrication skills. 

-Make a budget, then at a bare minimum double it. You'll be buying a lot of parts and materials to rebuild this one. 

-Do you have a TON of free time? This isn't going to be a quick and easy project. 

 

Add up the cost of materials, tools, all the extras (driveline, body, electrical) and you might just be better off buying a different truck. 

 

 

 

Most of the MJs around here are about the same if not worse, this one is just being honest and actually showing its rust. Nobody around here cares to fix it right and almost every one I've seen has had the old rivet patch job done to hide the rust while it spreads out of control underneath.

[zomeizter]

11 hours ago, Smokeyyank said:

Might be best to part it out. Amount of work involved is doable but not exactly easy or cheap. 

 

To give you an idea.

https://www.jeepforum.com/threads/xj-with-a-frame-build.741237/

I bought a rusty 01 XJ (from Cleveland, OH) to do the 97+ swap on my MJ with similar damage such as on your truck, but I have decided to tackle all involved in repairing it performing a complete unibody "frame" upgrade as I go...long project ahead.