TonyPa

The 1995 XJ that I bought yesterday runs great..no rust on the body. But I see now why he sold it. There is frame rot! I see they used sheet metal and screws to hide it. The floor has a hole that was poorly patched. I can make that right. But the frame looks screwy. I would like to know who put the new inspection stickers on it...unreal.
Is there anyone that makes frame rails? Or am I stuck fabricating my own? I see near the rear leaf they did terrible welding. It holds but looks ugly. But the rail running back...about mid section has sheet metal with screws. I will have to get under it again. But I have some work to do. Body is great. Drivetrain great even the interior is great....just the frame....

Radi

Yes- these guys make rust repair frame rails. You'll have to look or call to see if they are available for XJ's.
http://autorust.com/store/jeep?zenid...ouvqq3t1olmtn4

That said, if the damage is more than a small hole here and there, I'd give some serious thought to the project you will be undertaking. Generally what you see is only the tip of the iceberg, once you start blasting you'll find areas that looked solid are paper-thin.
Not that it can't be repaired, but you may be dollars ahead by finding another XJ with a solid undercarriage and blown drivetrain to swap into.

The person who sold you this- frame damage concealed with sheetmetal and screws- is a jackass.

Turbo X_J

"But I see now why he sold it."

Just wondering why you didn't inspect it before you paid for it?
Caveat Emptor, especially on an 18 year old vehicle known for rust.

TonyPa

Thanks. I will try them and see if they make anything for the xj. If not. I will start fabricating.
I did look underneath. But it was hidden with undercoat. I noticed it today. Bad for me. I dont have the cash to buy another. So I will have no choice but make it right. Trust me. I feel like a complete idiot.

TonyPa

I went into the garage and got under it again. Are these a unibody? I checked the front and rear frame rails...shackles..etc. They are fine. Its that long body rail going back. A few sections of it. And of course some floor pan work. Is that frame rails running front to back? They seem only to be thick as floor pan metal?

Radi

Its a 'uniframe', a combination unibody and frame. Both are structural.

TonyPa

Ohhh ok. I see. Well it seems it may be a little easier to fix then. I checked the actual front and rear frames. They are fine. Its more towards the center of the truck. I think I can handle doing that. Its in a few spots. I may buy new floor pans and just redo it all. It seems worth it since the body is nice and runs well. It has 122k on it. I was told then run for a while.

Radi

It's still a baby. Good luck with the project!

Cnwxj

Just put new pans in, then you'll know what you have.

DFlintstone

For what it's worth....we have them here, pretty much rust free. Bruce at AAA auto wreckers in CC Ca. (95531) has 1/2 a dozen...at least. Or A1 ...

TonyPa

Oh, I didn't know that was low miles on a Jeep. I hear a slight lifter tick. Not bad. Just slight.

Yes, for sure. I have a very solid body, good drivetrain, and good interior. Its worth the effort. Drives a bit different than my wifes mall hopper. Nissan Xterra. My Jeep seems to feel strange. Hard to explain. Kind like it wanders in the front and back. Probably normal, its not real bad.

Oh damn! Can I order the frame rails. I guess their called the uni body mid frame rails? I don't know what to refer to them as.
I would prefer to put nicer ones in than patch the ones I have. Let me know. Thanks very much!

Radi

Typical when they get some miles on them. It's common and harmless as long as it isn't caused by low oil pressure. Some folks have cleared it up with various additives like MMO, others just ignore. It'll run 300K miles easy, ticking away for the last 200K. Think tractor motor, lol. Rugged but not entirely refined.

The front suspension isn't like any other car or SUV on the road, it's a straight axle with a locating bar, the front axle and u-joints turn full-time and it's old-fashioned recirculating ball/drag link steering with lots of sidewall on the tires. More like a HD truck than anything else. It was built for ruggedness but that's at the expense of some accuracy.
There is a slight bit of wander to them, I haven't driven one yet that hasn't been that way. It shouldn't be anything more than minor. If you have to work to keep it centered or have to keep chasing the steering, something's worn out.

DFlintstone

I PM'd Tony. No Idea if my local wrecker could/would ship.

Hey Chuck. A genital. persistent pull to the right, no unusual tire wear. Linkage and box are tight. Bearings and ball joints might be OK...any thoughts?

Radi

When's the last time the alignment was checked? A minor tie-rod error can do that without being severe enough to show up as tire wear. Then again so can about 20 other things, bad tire (does it change if you rotate them?) bent rim, minor shift in axle position, rear axle or spring shift... If you measure from center of front rim to center of back rim on each side, are the measurements equal?
(and no I'm not commenting on a genital persistently pulled to the right ha ha)

DFlintstone

Cool, I'll do some checken', thanks! I'm not sure it's ever been aligned. (tre's have held up through years of washboard and potholes).

Ha^. Yea, I'd be lost without spell-check, and am with it sometimes too!