When do you give up on a 2nd gen due to rust
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My first YJ, the frame snapped behind the front passenger shackle due to rust. I care a whole lot more about my Ram than my YJ. When I first bought my Ram, I knew I was going to have to do rear wheel openings and the bottom door skins. After driving this winter, I have to pretty much do the whole body. Cab corners and everything. Luckily someone had replaced the rocker's in the past.
The floors can have holes, as long as the body mounts aren't rusted through. I figure once the body sag's, then it's about time to consider getting rid of it.
Come the spring I'm replacing a lot of body parts and re-doing the underside. Best is to grind everything down and coat it all in gravel guard or bed liner... then come winter get an under spray. I love my truck too much to let the rust get the best of it.
The floors can have holes, as long as the body mounts aren't rusted through. I figure once the body sag's, then it's about time to consider getting rid of it.
Come the spring I'm replacing a lot of body parts and re-doing the underside. Best is to grind everything down and coat it all in gravel guard or bed liner... then come winter get an under spray. I love my truck too much to let the rust get the best of it.
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Trust me from years of experience, simply undercoating OVER rust doesn't help. If anything it accelerates the problem. It traps moisture and salt in the rusty scale and holds it against the metal. You gotta scrape, wire brush and if you can, blast the rust first, getting it as bare as possible. Then chemically treat the rusted metal, something even as simple as a vinegar soaked rag wrapped around the rusted area works great. Wire brush again, then it's ready for undercoating. Not using that cheap $6.00/can garbage, but a good high oil content/ high flexibility undercoating.
Agreed with body advice however. Keep weep holes clear, spray key inside areas with something like LPS-3 just before winter each year or white lithium grease because of it's initial penetrating qualities. My 1984 Chevy Caprice Classic still has it's original body and it's rust free! That's unheard of up in NY here unless you don't drive a vehicle in the winter.
My truck's body was rotted before I got it so I gave up on that. I'm just gonna replace the body panels and start from scratch instead of fighting it. The frame however is great! I do my best to keep it that way too.
Agreed with body advice however. Keep weep holes clear, spray key inside areas with something like LPS-3 just before winter each year or white lithium grease because of it's initial penetrating qualities. My 1984 Chevy Caprice Classic still has it's original body and it's rust free! That's unheard of up in NY here unless you don't drive a vehicle in the winter.
My truck's body was rotted before I got it so I gave up on that. I'm just gonna replace the body panels and start from scratch instead of fighting it. The frame however is great! I do my best to keep it that way too.