Advice on gettin a YJ thats been up north

snakester14

Active Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2006
Location
Greenville
Hey guys I am looking into buying a YJ off the board (fishgutz) thats mildy built. The body is semi rough but I think with some front Tubes and rear TJ flares I could clean it up a bit, but I will be buying it for wheeling not to look pretty in the mall parking lot.

My only concern is it is from New England and has some typical rust. I however have never owned anything with rust before and don't really know what to look for.

I have some pics from the undercarriage of it if you guys wouldn't mind commenting. Keep in mind I would be addressing the rust within the next year.

http://www.myphotos.yahoo.com/s/217scj50nff4gykeoss6

Fishgutz was nice enough to crawl all around and under the Jeep to get these pics for me. He has been very helpful and prompt on responding througout this whole process especially considering all of the questiongs I have asked. If everyone says the rust looks fixable I will be piciking the YJ up Wed. night.
 
I don't see anything I would be afraid of. I did notice it has military wrap springs with greaseable shackle pins. Is there any rust holes in the frame? It looked like a good wire brushin and some under coating would fix it right up. Good luck
 
Being from NY i'd pass. I don't care how good the pics look, it might be in 'good condition' for that area, but it would be in bad condition compared to something down here. There are TONs of YJs and even TJs on craigslist for pretty cheep.
 
Most of the rust looks negligible. In fact, that looks alot like most jeeps I've looked under that aren't from up north. Surface rust can be dealt with, but when metal starts flaking off, you really lose structural integrity. I didn't see any of that with a cursory look at the pictures. Make sure at the ends of the frame around the spring and shackle mounts don't have major rust, and it should be fine.
 
mmcj7 said:
I don't see anything I would be afraid of. I did notice it has military wrap springs with greaseable shackle pins. Is there any rust holes in the frame? It looked like a good wire brushin and some under coating would fix it right up. Good luck
Click to expand...
No Rust holes in frame

yager said:
Being from NY i'd pass. I don't care how good the pics look, it might be in 'good condition' for that area, but it would be in bad condition compared to something down here. There are TONs of YJs and even TJs on craigslist for pretty cheep.
Click to expand...

I would pass but I have been checking every section of Craigslist in NC all summer and can't find anything 3 to maybe 3500 with a 4.0/ax15/231. Considering the mods i think it might be worth it. Only thing Ive found comparable is a 99TJ 4.0/ax15/231 78k but has def. been wheeled hard, needs a front fender, needs doors, needs a top and plenty of other little things but hes asking 3500.

jeepinmatt said:
Most of the rust looks negligible. In fact, that looks alot like most jeeps I've looked under that aren't from up north. Surface rust can be dealt with, but when metal starts flaking off, you really lose structural integrity. I didn't see any of that with a cursory look at the pictures. Make sure at the ends of the frame around the spring and shackle mounts don't have major rust, and it should be fine.
Click to expand...

I was told the rear of the frame is a big rust area, and he says hes spent a lot of time taking springs on and off ect. in that area and claims its very solid.
 
Good thing I'm not a used car salesman. I don't hide warts.
It sure isn't going to win any beauty contests. But it will make for some fun times in Uwharrie. :D
 
fishgutz said:
Good thing I'm not a used car salesman. I don't hide warts.
It sure isn't going to win any beauty contests. But it will make for some fun times in Uwharrie. :D
Click to expand...

Haha yea I sure do appreciate you beings so helpful through the whole process. I'm taking my time getting my next Jeep b/c the last one I got, a Grand Cherokee I just jumped in and didn't look over well and it ended up being a piece.
 
Smart move. One lesson we usually learn from personal experience no matter how many "experts" tell us not to rush it.
 
Of course, selling goes a lot faster when someone just jumps in. :D
 
Crawl under there and hit it everywhere with a hammer. No way would I trust pics or opinions when I could do that.
 
an old Pa guy here...
it looks manageable..but if you don't attend to it, it's going to spread, then it will def be bad.
if your going to wheel it and you don't care how it looks, go for it...

if it was mine, i'd sandblast the crap out of it, rebuild it, then have fun....

good luck
 
I am from upstate NY and I bought my first YJ living up there so I have some first hand experience with this. I bought a low mileage 89 with the 4.2 ax15 and 231. I built it, wheeled the piss out of it and learned a lot from it. I didn't look over the body at all and bought it because it ran and drove good. Down the road I never regretted buying it.

Here's my take. One of the cool things about a jeep is they are modular. You can replace any part with new or used parts easily and cheaply. If the tub is rusted and you are planning on keeping the jeep long term then plan on replacing the tub in the future. Just assess the tub and see if it will last long enough for you to be able to get a replacement. Also if you plan on adding a body lift consider you may get into a major project as the bolts may not come out or the captured nuts may break loose and spin. I personally ran into this with mine. Frame wise look at the frame where the steering box, track bars, and springs mount. If there are cracks or heavy rust there then plan on a frame repair or replacement in the future. The frame can be fixed so its not a deal breaker just be prepared.

The drivetrain and mods are easily transplanted onto a replacement body/frame and really aren't effected by the northern rust. If the jeep runs and drives good, you are happy with the way it feels, and the purchase price works for you then buy it. Just don't rush and look at the problem areas. You can get a lot of life and fun out of a rusted northern YJ. I sure did.

Good luck.

Bob
 
I finally made it home and got to see the pics on the big screen. Its not bad at all. I actually looked up the for sale post. I was surprised on the specs. My YJ had the same rear end, the same front end, the same BDS 3.5" suspension, the same shackles. Mine worked great and I was really happy with it. If you buy it get some sway bar disconnects and ditch the track bar. You will be much happier with it and it will do very well off road. I had extra weight in the back of mine with a hard top so I added an extra rear leaf (suggested by BDS). Being a 93 it may have the internal slave throwout bearing but otherwise thats a great drivetrain. I was really happy with mine and I miss it.

Bob
 
@Billybob, I went with the 5 leaf pack in the back after the 4 leaf got droopy.
It does have sway bar disconnects from BDS. But the are all the way off right now. Uwharrie bit off the end on the spring plate. Same thing happened to a friend who was a YJ. I have been driving it for a year with the sway bar disconnected. And you are right. It doesn't effect road manners. But lifted TJ can tilt quite a bit on turns without it.
Still has the internal slave.
It has been very good to me. Also provided excuses for upgrades too. The list is long.
 
Run don't walk away.

Do you really want to spend time and money on repairing rust. I used to work at a body shop. You never get it all or stop it all. Get a rust free one.
 
I'm also from the north and my friend up there has a YJ that the frame looks great on. Problem is that it's entirely rusted from the inside out. He didn't realize it until he started wheeling it pretty hard. Since then, the steering box has all but torn out of the frame as well as the front hangars for the shackles. I just wouldnt trust it if it were me.
 
my sister bought a grand cheroke from new jersey,she ask me to see where it was leaking oil from. the oil pan had oil dripping from it,when i wipped it off my finger almost went through it. the damn oil pan had rusted through. after that i would never buy anything from up north.
 
I owned a 95 YJ from Indiana for a few years that was mostly garage kept and still had some frame and body rust. Sold then bought a southern kept YJ that was also a 95 with ZERO rust. IMO stick away from northern kept vehicles unless they have been meticulusly cared for.

Good Luck, Scott
 
just a fyi i live in ny state.
there is a ton of jeeps with rusty frames and a lot are polished :poop:
so watch your purchase if you get it.
 
Looks like we both ended up withe the same setup. I broke the stock BDS discos the first time I ran the YJ on the rocks without disconnecting them. I ended up replacing them with a different set that were easier to reconnect. I took that Jeep to uwharrie once before I sold it and ran the daniel trail from the lot to the tee and then back down and it did great. I was happy with the setup and I didn't break anything. Mine was flatfendered int he front and had trimmed TJ flares in the rear with 35" MTRs. I sold it to a member on here but he got hit head on by a drunk a month later.

Snakester14,

If you buy the YJ just think about the fact that you can wheel it and not worry about the body damage. If it gets crunched you can just replace the tub down the road sometime.

Good Luck

Bob
 
billybob535 said:
Looks like we both ended up withe the same setup. I broke the stock BDS discos the first time I ran the YJ on the rocks without disconnecting them. I ended up replacing them with a different set that were easier to reconnect. I took that Jeep to uwharrie once before I sold it and ran the daniel trail from the lot to the tee and then back down and it did great. I was happy with the setup and I didn't break anything. Mine was flatfendered int he front and had trimmed TJ flares in the rear with 35" MTRs. I sold it to a member on here but he got hit head on by a drunk a month later.
Snakester14,
If you buy the YJ just think about the fact that you can wheel it and not worry about the body damage. If it gets crunched you can just replace the tub down the road sometime.
Good Luck
Bob
Click to expand...

Thanks Bob, I would much rather have this rig that I can jump in and wheel any day, compard to a stock "clean" one I have to mod for 2 years to get even close to as capiable.

As for trail damage I'm not worried about the paint or dents. I do however want to clean up the fenders because IMO that is what kills the looks of it. I was planning on TJ rear flares and ordering up Tubes when funds arived.

Any pics of your old setup by chance Bob? Thanks
 
Poison Spyder is back in business. Metal Cloak has some sweet looking tubers as well.
Had I not been told by my "boss" I could buy a new Jeep, I do believe I would have done the Metal Cloak. They have them coming soon for the JK too.
 
fishgutz said:
Poison Spyder is back in business. Metal Cloak has some sweet looking tubers as well.
Had I not been told by my "boss" I could buy a new Jeep, I do believe I would have done the Metal Cloak. They have them coming soon for the JK too.
Click to expand...

Yea once i let my money tree grow back some I will start looking around for what type tubes I wanna run. MIght just have a buddy weld some up but not sure yet.
 
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