Fixing Frame Rot (1 Viewer)

[LibbyBites]

Hi all, I just bought an '01 LX470. I've been a Jeep guy for years, so this is new territory for me.

Because of Covid I couldn't travel to a rust free state and so i bought one in New Jersey.

The rig is sweet but there is definitely rust.

I found a company in Rhode Island called Auto Rust Technicians. They fix frames. It's all they do. They fabricate new steel sleeves that they say are as strong or stronger than the original frame.

Their reviews make it sound great.

Has anyone ever heard of them? or of this process?

I'm sure it will look awesome. but will it be strong to withstand off road? accidents?

Would love any thoughts on this?

Here is a link to a few videos of the rust taken by Meineke. and some photos below.

I just moved to the east coast from southern california, so i've never really seen rust before. This is all new to me.

 

[2020 Rocks]

Hi all, I just bought an '01 LX470. I've been a Jeep guy for years, so this is new territory for me.

Because of Covid I couldn't travel to a rust free state and so i bought one in New Jersey.

The rig is sweet but there is definitely rust.

I found a company in Rhode Island called Auto Rust Technicians. They fix frames. It's all they do. They fabricate new steel sleeves that they say are as strong or stronger than the original frame.

Their reviews make it sound great.

Has anyone ever heard of them? or of this process?

I'm sure it will look awesome. but will it be strong to withstand off road? accidents?

Would love any thoughts on this?

I just moved to the east coast from southern california, so i've never really seen rust before. This is all new to me.

Post some pics of the affected areas and what needs to be fixed. They can be fixed within reason, but if they do it right, it will not be cheap.

 

[LibbyBites]

Post some pics of the affected areas and what needs to be fixed. They can be fixed within reason, but if they do it right, it will not be cheap.

thanks Rocks. I just added them.

 

[2020 Rocks]

Hi all, I just bought an '01 LX470. I've been a Jeep guy for years, so this is new territory for me.

Because of Covid I couldn't travel to a rust free state and so i bought one in New Jersey.

The rig is sweet but there is definitely rust.

I found a company in Rhode Island called Auto Rust Technicians. They fix frames. It's all they do. They fabricate new steel sleeves that they say are as strong or stronger than the original frame.

Their reviews make it sound great.

Has anyone ever heard of them? or of this process?

I'm sure it will look awesome. but will it be strong to withstand off road? accidents?

Would love any thoughts on this?

Here is a link to a few videos of the rust taken by Meineke. and some photos below.

I just moved to the east coast from southern california, so i've never really seen rust before. This is all new to me.

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Your first pick, that rust I assume is on the passenger side of the vehicle. Just above there the AC drain drops water from above, rusting that section of sway bar and your frame. That appears to all be fixable, if they cut that out and weld in c-channel steel. There could be more rust though based on those photos at the rear of the vehicle. You should have the entire belly spare tire region inspected along with the rear frame support by the bumper. To repair the rust shown I would expect the bill to be upwards of a thousand or more. Another concern would be the state of your brake lines towards the rear. Hope it’s all isolated to just the are you showed in the pictures shared.

 

[LibbyBites]

Your first pick, that rust I assume is on the passenger side of the vehicle. Just above there the AC drain drops water from above, rusting that section of sway bar and your frame. That appears to all be fixable, if they cut that out and weld in c-channel steel. There could be more rust though based on those photos at the rear of the vehicle. You should have the entire belly spare tire region inspected along with the rear frame support by the bumper. To repair the rust shown I would expect the bill to be upwards of a thousand or more. Another concern would be the state of your brake lines towards the rear. Hope it’s all isolated to just the are you showed in the pictures shared.

thanks rocks. I'll get it back up on a lift and take some more pics, i asked the guys at Meninke to photograph everything they saw that was bad, and that's all they sent. did you get a chance to see the videos in the link in my post?

 

[2020 Rocks]

thanks rocks. I'll get it back up on a lift and take some more pics, i asked the guys at Meninke to photograph everything they saw that was bad, and that's all they sent. did you get a chance to see the videos in the link in my post?

The brake lines going back towards the gas tank don’t look bad, rear cross member looks decent as well. You may be okay just having that front section repaired. One thing to think about is the frame can rust out from the inside, the outer wall of the steel as shown in the video looks decent, but the inside is a different story. I would take it to the place you mentioned and get a quote and have them do a complete inspection, inside of frame rails included. You may want to ask for and check up on references, yelp, etc.

 

[MJK]

I watched the video...

I think it would help to know your intentions for the truck. Is this a 'I need a commuter for a couple years' car, or 'I want to go to Moab and hand it down to my kids'?

Rust is evil. Next time buy in SoCal and THEN move.

 

[Somebodyelse5]

I watched the video...

I think it would help to know your intentions for the truck. Is this a 'I need a commuter for a couple years' car, or 'I want to go to Moab and hand it down to my kids'?

Rust is evil. Next time buy in SoCal and THEN move.

if it's gonna just die a rusty death anyways... leave our rust free rigs in the south west to live long, happy, dry lives...

 

[LXKevin]

That is the most common area to rust out on a 100 series. Get it cut out and welded by the professional you listed. Then you need to get the rest of the surface rust wire wheeled and treated with a rust preventative film. This is the best around today : RP-342 "HEAVY" Military-Grade Rust Preventive Spray - https://www.cosmolinedirect.com/cosmoline-rp-342-heavy-spray-military-grade-rust-preventive/

Glad you saved some rich pricks winter beater from the crusher and left the dry ones where they belong in the South and the West. Welcome to Mud and Good Luck

 

[LibbyBites]

That is the most common area to rust out on a 100 series. Get it cut out and welded by the professional you listed. Then you need to get the rest of the surface rust wire wheeled and treated with a rust preventative film. This is the best around today : RP-342 "HEAVY" Military-Grade Rust Preventive Spray - https://www.cosmolinedirect.com/cosmoline-rp-342-heavy-spray-military-grade-rust-preventive/

Glad you saved some rich pricks winter beater from the crusher and left the dry ones where they belong in the South and the West. Welcome to Mud and Good Luck

thank you Kevin! i'll keep you guys posted.

 

[LibbyBites]

if it's gonna just die a rusty death anyways... leave our rust free rigs in the south west to live long, happy, dry lives...

Thanks MJK. my 1st goal is to make sure the car is safe. the one wont' make it to moab, i'll keep my socal jeep for that. but it will see a lot of snow and some dirt trails. mostly though i want to make sure i don't die on the highway.

 

[LibbyBites]

I watched the video...

I think it would help to know your intentions for the truck. Is this a 'I need a commuter for a couple years' car, or 'I want to go to Moab and hand it down to my kids'?

Rust is evil. Next time buy in SoCal and THEN move.

Thanks MJK. my 1st goal is to make sure the car is safe. the one wont' make it to moab, i'll keep my socal jeep for that. but it will see a lot of snow and some dirt trails. mostly though i want to make sure i don't die on the highway.

 

[MJK]

Understood.

In that case, I think I'd get the worst of the structure fixed, get some sort of oil coating to slow the growth in the winter, and enjoy it!

 

[rally roo]

Judging by those pictures, the front sway bar mount has already rusted and broken off and was replaced. The welds look like trash and it appears they attempted to coat it with rust proofing, but clearly left some soft spots.

It "should" look like this: (not crusty, but the shape of the bracket is different)

 

[marshcat]

I spent about $1500 at Auto Rust Technicians in June of 2017. I was not particularly impressed by their work on body and suspension rust. Perhaps they do a better job with frames, but I would not go out of my way to bring them more business.

Now I drive a truck from the south that gets oil undercoated every year. Much better way to go.

 

[LibbyBites]

I spent about $1500 at Auto Rust Technicians in June of 2017. I was not particularly impressed by their work on body and suspension rust. Perhaps they do a better job with frames, but I would not go out of my way to bring them more business.

Now I drive a truck from the south that gets oil undercoated every year. Much better way to go.

thank you Marshcat, that's super helpful.

 

[LC CT]

I spent about $1500 at Auto Rust Technicians in June of 2017. I was not particularly impressed by their work on body and suspension rust. Perhaps they do a better job with frames, but I would not go out of my way to bring them more business.

Now I drive a truck from the south that gets oil undercoated every year. Much better way to go.

What state are you in and what oil coating do you use? I’m in CT and bought a rust free LX. Don’t really plan on driving it in the snow/rain/salt season as it’s a spare truck but probably will have to treat it anyway for next season. Used fluid film in the past on a very rusty rig. Seemed decent.

 

[marshcat]

What state are you in and what oil coating do you use? I’m in CT and bought a rust free LX. Don’t really plan on driving it in the snow/rain/salt season as it’s a spare truck but probably will have to treat it anyway for next season. Used fluid film in the past on a very rusty rig. Seemed decent.

I use Krown. It's $140 for an application. They do a much more thorough job than just spraying on fluid film. They spray the oil inside the door panels, inside the fenders and rockers, inside the tailgate hatch. It's a great service. You can find the closest Krown dealer to you on their website. This past year I went to Gilly's Garage in Lebanon, NH and they were great. It's about a 2 hour drive from me in Boston but very worth the trouble.

 

[LC CT]

I use Krown. It's $140 for an application. They do a much more thorough job than just spraying on fluid film. They spray the oil inside the door panels, inside the fenders and rockers, inside the tailgate hatch. It's a great service. You can find the closest Krown dealer to you on their website. This past year I went to Gilly's Garage in Lebanon, NH and they were great. It's about a 2 hour drive from me in Boston but very worth the trouble.

Very cool and definitely reasonable. Thanks for the info.