I have a question. I know the for sale area is for people with 25+ posts. Obviously new to forum, I have a 99 4-door. Original owner was a Fire district. They left the front windows slightly opened while they had it parked for a few years. driver side floor pan is destroyed along with “frame” that supports it, but passenger side is fine. It’s needed a starter for the last few years so it’s been sitting. Also needs O2 for emissions, a battery and probably a number of other things. It had the death wobble but a few hundred into that doesn’t bother me as much as the guy that came by today.

This is literally the last thing I have of my mom (besides pictures) who bought it around 2007 as the second owner. It needed work then as it sat for a few years, she got it for $600. She passed away in 2010 and my Uncle said she owed him $6500 so we gave it to him to clear that up. It stayed in the family and I’m “technically” the 4th owner. Purchased with 56k, now has about 150k. My uncle used it well, but gave it to me basically out of pity because my car was breaking down (CB7 Accord 89-93). A guy came buy and offered $400 today which is almost scrap value which is crazy. I know there is a lot of life left but with covid, I don’t have the money and she’s been sitting for a few years now.

I’m basically I’m asking ideas of what I should do. KBB says poor condition in my area is $1400-2900 which I can agree is what condition it’s in. If I put the $1k-$1,500 of work into it, it will be well worth it if I can manage to keep my license long enough to drive it.

Being a “fire truck” it had all the lights/sirens and whatnot pulled out when we bought it. It doesn’t fit into the “SE” “Sport” or “Classic” designations. No carpet, plastic floors, it’s a utility version. From parts I’ve had to buy, I think it’s somewhere between sport and classic but I have no idea. Any advice will help. Since he came, I’ve thought about selling it but can’t bear the thought of not having a vehicle at all and having to start all over again. I will gladly post some pictures tomorrow when there is light out again.

 

These are the most current pictures I have, these are from when it was parked when I lost my license and around the time it needed the starter. It’s still on the jack because I’ve been too lazy to take it off. But any advice is welcomed.

 

That unibody rust pictures would scare the hell out of me. Don't know if it can be saved, safely. Will stand down and let some others chime in.

 

I know the pictures look scary. The parts online are a few hundred for the rail and floor board. I know the sentimental value to me is more than a few hundred dollars though. And I am willing to put money into it to keep it alive. There isn’t any other severe rust anywhere on it, just where the window was left down by original owner(what is in pictures)..

 

If the parts can be had at a reasonable cost you still need to have the cancered sections cut away and the new sections welded in. I would find a local frame shop and ask what their labor would be to R&R the structural pieces, if they accept the job at all. Or, maybe there's a welder who would take it on. If it were me I'd take it on just for the fun of it. If you're handy you could cut away the bad sections, fit the new sections in place and temporarily secure them with bolted on doublers and straps to make it weld-ready. The doublers and straps could be a permanent part of the repair. It wouldn't be road worthy until the welding is done.

 

As anyone who owns a jeep knows - they get expensive fast... This one depends on what you want to get out of it. Jeeps are well known for being drivable with just about everything not working. With this being said - the frame issue is serious from what can be seen - and probably even more serious with what can't be seen. There's also the question of how much more is it going to take to get it running and driving. Additionally, I know it's convenient to be able to reach through the floor board when you lock your keys in the car - but you'll also probably want to re-weld some floor paneling in there as well. I'm not trying to discourage you - I just went through a similar Jeep restoration and came out being an awesome rig. Good luck!!

 

It all depends. As others have mentioned, if you have some skills and do some of your own work, it might be worth it. If you are a mechanical novice, have a local mechanic or someone take a look at it and give you a quote. That is quite a bit of SERIOUS rust.

 

Just off the cuff, I'd guess it would cost you around $1000 to get it welded up with new or fabricated parts if a shop did it. Just a guess, mind you. I know all about sentimental value so it's your call. All the damage seems to be in critically structural areas like the front control arm and transmission crossmember.

 

I know welders that are willing to take the job on. I found the parts online for about $300. To get it running is nothing for me but I dont know how to weld or have a welder myself or I would have tried already. With 156k I know there is plenty of life left, but to get rid of what rust exists and to keep anything else at bay is my goal.

The floor pan was $68 and the frame piece was $200 or so it’s not so much out of reach. And besides stupid rusty body panels (which there is only one so can be patched easily), it’s in good shape otherwise. The rust scared me and I figured I’d ask some people experienced with it first. The sentimental value to me is at least $2k so it’s not going anywhere. Once this is fixed properly, the starter, O2, and battery were the issues when parked. That minor stuff is nothing to do, it’s going to need another exhaust as well which can be done while getting welded.

I wanted to thank you guys for the advice because in my heart I was probably looking for the backing of someone who knows that it can be saved. Even if I need some sheet steel to fix the body panel, it will be good once welded. I understand the severity of the rust but because of my mom, this is what I’m going to save as long as I can. So thanks to everyone who put their 2 cents in.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Happy Thanksgiving! and Good Luck to you and your XJ!

 

Cool. I would think that you can hang out with your prospective welder during the work and get to where you can do a passable job with their help. Just stay away from welding on submarines and rockets and you'll be fine.