But I'll still be around, because I bought this for $1,200:



The frame is rusty, and it needs plenty of other work. I guess I'm not happy if I don't have a project to work on. Obviously, anything power train related I'll still come here for. Looking for a good Wrangler forum, and if any of you have suggestions I'm all ears. I've owned three TJs previously, but they were all bought new so not much wrenching to be done for someone that prefers these vehicles stock.

 

Jeepforum and Wranglerforum. I am not a member with either one, but those are the two i keep running into looking up Jeep stuff.

 

I'll have to check them out. I joined wranglertjforum, but they haven't been around very long, and their archive is kind of small. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

Nooooooo, cant sell a Cherokee for a Wrongler. Will wish you good luck on it though and it looks pretty decent too

 

You should see the frame! The rest of it is in decent shape and should turn out really well with minimal investment. We'll see. If nothing else I love a challenge.

 

Yeah, I had a TJ... Bought new and driven long past the point where the frame was all original... I'm shocked at how badly the frame holds up on the TJ - you'd think it seemed pretty beefy and solid but the sheet metal on the XJ unibody seems to be more durable than the rails on the TJ.

You won't find a good Wrangler forum for the stock technical sort of information like you get here for the XJs. Fortunately the parts are pretty much the same for the most part on the TJ with a 4.0 as a 97+ XJ with a 4.0, so all the engine/tranny/axles stuff is the same, most of the electronics are generally the same, really just the body stuff is wholly different.

 

The frame issue should have been rectified by Chrysler a long time ago and is obviously a defect. I'm not afraid of it though, and I know I can make this TJ last a long time. I

 

Here's something XJ owners may have dealt with too. A rusty spring perch up front:



Bought some generic perches and am fabricating them to fit:



This hobby would be so much more fun without rust.

 

Jeepforum is pretty busy and has an extensive archive of information.

 

I feel your pain on the rusty wrangler frame. I just picked up a 99 for 1k that has some issues. From the front of the belly pan forward the frame is fine. From there back is a nightmare. Plus the track bar/control arm bracket is broke off the rear axle lol

I've always ended up on wranglerforum fairly often looking for 4.0/ax15/np231 info. It seems decent.

If you start a build thread there you could mirror it here I love to see people saving old rusted out vehicles the DIY way

 

Well, after way too long and lots of frame/rust work, my TJ is one the ground. I'm waiting for better weather to paint the fenders and some hot weather to try to put a new top on it, but it's looking good sitting in my driveway. I capped all of the lower frame that included both of the lower control arm mounts on the driver's side and about 75% on the passenger side. Strangely enough, the rear passenger side lower control arm mount frame section was fine, and it seems to be the most problematic for frame issues on TJs. I guess it could have been how it was mostly parked. I'm going to hand buff the entire paint job, but the paint is mostly good for a 23 year old Jeep.



For a $1,200 TJ, the interior is in pretty good shape. That and no body rust made this a nice project. The frame was a different story of course, but I learned a lot along the way. All new suspension and brakes with the lines included.