As an owner of a 97 tj sport...thank you! Not all of us jeeples are made of money, and we enjoy wheeling as much as the $50k jlur rock crawler owners do, so yeah, thanks for the budget friendlier build.
I always drill a 3/8" hole just behind the front control arm mount and just ahead of the rear mount. Reasons being: I can easily use a Q-Tip to cover the bare metal with paint to prevent any rust issues. Also, as you show, a 3/8" hole provides no resistance to drainage. When I wash the frame out, using an air compressor easily blows any and all water out without anything left.
Great to hear and certainly something to keep in mind. Drilling inside the control arm mount like I did is likely overkill, but I spent a lot of time sourcing and installing a rust free frame under this jeep and didn’t want to risk forming a crack.
A great addition to this would be to spray Fluid Film oil with a soft 360 degree sprayer snake from end to end of the inside of the frame. Did this to an 88 4Runner and frame was perfect after 31 years, 18 of those being winter years with road salt.
I learned something new today from you . I just subscribed to your channel as I am really liking your content . Just watched your 8.8 rearend swap . I'm not going the 8.8 route yet on my TJ .I'm building the super 35 instead . I don't do any rock crawling or crazy stuff , just easy trails nowadays.
I'll tell you another rust so. Top of each front fender a few inches back from the light around where the hood latch is, centered. If you look there under the fender you will see something that looks like corragated metal on the underside of the fender. Debris collects there fast and created a concentrated rust spot that eventually rust thru the top of the fender. Takes about 10 years and you get nasty rust holes.
I’ve had that problem too. Unfortunately theres a layer of foam between the corrugated piece and the top piece, which can trap salt and moisture. Short of cutting out the corrugated piece and removing the foam, there doesn’t seem to be a good way of preventing rust in this spot.
You also need to consider after you coat the inside of the frame the hole will be smaller. There will be small rocks and debris that needs to be able to escape and if the hole is to small it will just get clogged and the debris will stay inside the frame.
Good point, depending on the coating you use on the inside of the frame. I use Fluid Film inside my vehicle frames, which as you mentioned in another video acts as an oxygen barrier, but stays soft and “fluid”-like so I think small debris escaping the hole could easily push any built up coating out of the way. I also found some rubber plugs on eBay that fit in the big round holes in the frame next to the tires, which should help keep debris out
if you drill under the body mount then it is easier to access and you will be able to see when the hole is clogged with debris. i did this to my truck and put drains in my rad support also. the factory drains cup upward which does not allow all the water out. i may do quick, easy grinder notches on my next frame.
How are these drain holes working for you over a year later? Any problems with integrity of your frame and are the holes draining all the water from those spots?
@@dironaa Im going to be doing this to my 05 TJ soon. There are a lot of flakes inside and I can feel where rust has eaten away at the spots where you drilled but I think there is still a lot of integrity left in the frame. Definitely not as bad as Ive seen other TJ wranglers.
Like the surface tension experiment. I’m not a scientist but I was thinking about the size of the container. The frame is wider and much longer than the cap. If it takes such a large hole to drain the cap could it take a larger hole to minimize tension in the frame? Thanks for the video because I never noticed there weren’t drain holes in my frame and I learned something new about water lol
Good thinking, but hole size purely has to do with the properties of water and for all practical purposes will not be affected by the size of the "container". Let's say you end up with an inch of water in the frame: the majority of that water would actually flow out through a smaller hole than shown in the video because the volume of water on top of the hole will give 'head pressure' to the water right at the hole. It's just the last little bit of water which is essentially flowing under no pressure that will need a hole this size. Thanks for watching!
Haha these just barely rub at full lock with the 31" Cooper Discoverers. Not a big fan of these wheels; after 20 years on the road the simulated rivets are starting to fall off...every so often I'll be driving down the road and hear a "PING" as one flys loose LOL
Wow. I live in the South. Alabama specially. One of the first things I will do when I get back from deployment is drill those drain holes. Keep up the good work.
Nice. Frame must still be nice a clean down there, the road salt destroys ours up north (especially with nowhere for the salt to drain..). Thank you for your service.
Very nice under frame. I just picked up a 2000 tj and need to do some rust restoration so It won't get any worse. I was wondering what preventative rust products do you like to use for outside or inside the frame. Thanks!
Fluid Film. Coat the frame inside and out. If you live somewhere with road salt, reapply the fluid film every fall and give the undercarriage a good wash when spring rolls around.
@@Steve.Vaught If you live in a dryer climate without road salt and the outside of your frame is still in decent shape with original factory paint I'd recommend only Fluid Filming the inside of the frame and leave the outside original. Fluid Film works great for rust prevention but it can get a bit messy when working under your rig after applying it. If you do live in a region with road salt or if you drive on saltwater beaches, getting a little messy when under the jeep is more than worth it for how well the fluid film protects the steel
@@tedforddw77 any oil or diesel mix should work for internal cavities/ frame. I don't understand eastwood internal coating. Makes not sense how it works. Not realistic. I'd say stick with the oil because we know that works
The old timer farmers I knew used diesel or kerosene. Saturate the gear then go turn circles in the dust. Poor man's cosmoline. Worked well. I've seen em add a splash of diesel in the wash bucket while washing the car. Their vehicles always looked freshly waxed. Kroil products or fluid film when you want to get serious.
Umm, the proper way to do this is to get your rotisserie, mount your TJ to it, and spin it upside down. This way, it can be drilled downward. HA! Just kidding. Excellent information. After I weld in the repair sections on my rotten frame, I will absolutely drill some 3/8th drain holes so it doesn't happen again.
a lot of the jeeps are rusting , cheap steel , they want 40 or 50,000 for a jeep and their made with shit steel, my old cj was 30 years before it had significant rust.
Put POR-15 on the frame and tub the day I got my 06 TJ. Sold it after 12 years and the only rust I had was a spot on each front fender where I didn't think to apply it. CT winters, salt on roads,....if I was doing this, I'd fill the holes with The Right Stuff and call it a day.
I am a little late but my 2004 Jeep TJ frame has no rust issues on the outside but there is dirt on the inside of the frame and I would like to clean it out to apply the Eastwood internal frame coating and not drill holes in the frame. Has anyone tried using a shop vac and altering a 1 inch or so diameter flexible air pressure hose to it to run it inside those rear side frame holes suck the dirt out throughout the length of the frame, then power wash the inside, suck out the water, let it thoroughly dry then apply the internal frame coating. Would that be a possibility to work or am I fooling myself?
I have done that exact same thing (except used a 5' section of garden hose duct taped to the shop vac hose to get in the frame). Long story short, once the inside of the frame has dirt or rust, it's near impossible to remove it all to properly prep for paint application on the inside. The internal frame coating ended up falling off in sheets for me and IMO made the corrosion process even faster because water would get trapped under the sheets. If you are 100% against drilling drain holes my recommendation would be to vacuum and power wash inside the frame then apply Fluid Film to the inside once it's dry. I would also recommend buying plugs to cover the big round holes on the outside of the frame just behind each tire (4 holes total) as this is where most dirt and debris gets into the frame.
@@dironaa Actually, I am getting ready to heavily saturate the insides with cosmoline and chain lube in an attempt to slow down the progress. No way to get all the rust flakes out.
+Dirona -- You might be interested in this video, the guy is an excellent welder, here he inspects a Jeep's frame and later repairs th mess. I'm not capable of this type of repair, I wish I was. th-cam.com/video/SFe9dKnkKEc/w-d-xo.html
First of all, there’s no holes in the bottom, because that is the strength and if you heat that frame or drill you will weaken the metal !! them frames are treated after they are made for high tempered steel. I like to pretend like I’m hoping if I ever weld certain metals and spray it with PB blaster as it is cooling.
You are correct, drilling into the bottom chord of the frame will technically weaken it, as the section of the frame between the front and rear coil springs puts the fiber of greatest tension on the very bottom of the frame. However, the way I see it, there was going to be a hole in the bottom of the frame whether I drilled one or not. By drilling a hole I have theoretically chosen where and how large the hole is, rather than letting the frame rust through on its own, in a location I didn’t choose, due to trapped water.
As an owner of a 97 tj sport...thank you! Not all of us jeeples are made of money, and we enjoy wheeling as much as the $50k jlur rock crawler owners do, so yeah, thanks for the budget friendlier build.
I think we might enjoy wheeling even more than a $50k JL...I'd much worse about scratching a new JL than scratching a 20 year old TJ on the trail.
I love this channel! I've never met such a wise and industrious pair of gloves in my life.
Lol they impress me more and more every day!
I always drill a 3/8" hole just behind the front control arm mount and just ahead of the rear mount. Reasons being: I can easily use a Q-Tip to cover the bare metal with paint to prevent any rust issues.
Also, as you show, a 3/8" hole provides no resistance to drainage. When I wash the frame out, using an air compressor easily blows any and all water out without anything left.
Great to hear and certainly something to keep in mind. Drilling inside the control arm mount like I did is likely overkill, but I spent a lot of time sourcing and installing a rust free frame under this jeep and didn’t want to risk forming a crack.
A great addition to this would be to spray Fluid Film oil with a soft 360 degree sprayer snake from end to end of the inside of the frame. Did this to an 88 4Runner and frame was perfect after 31 years, 18 of those being winter years with road salt.
100% agree
Thank you. I just drilled mine out today. Same place. And same size. Will touch up the holes with paint in the morning.
Great!
How can such a massive design flaw be over looked when the thing is literally made to go through mud and water?
Freakin engineers....
planned obsolescence. they only care if lasts the five year warranty period.
It wasn't overlooked
Because chrystler sucks. Still does.
Excellent idea to make that jeep last longer than others.
It sure is!
I learned something new today from you . I just subscribed to your channel as I am really liking your content . Just watched your 8.8 rearend swap . I'm not going the 8.8 route yet on my TJ .I'm building the super 35 instead . I don't do any rock crawling or crazy stuff , just easy trails nowadays.
Awesome, thank you! The super 35 kit is a good middle ground between the stock 35 and a new axle
FYI when you're drilling in that position you definitely want to use some really good eye protection.
Absolutely. I always wear a face shield when drilling overhead.
Maybe wear a condom
@@Trohawkk
😂
I'll tell you another rust so. Top of each front fender a few inches back from the light around where the hood latch is, centered. If you look there under the fender you will see something that looks like corragated metal on the underside of the fender. Debris collects there fast and created a concentrated rust spot that eventually rust thru the top of the fender. Takes about 10 years and you get nasty rust holes.
I’ve had that problem too. Unfortunately theres a layer of foam between the corrugated piece and the top piece, which can trap salt and moisture. Short of cutting out the corrugated piece and removing the foam, there doesn’t seem to be a good way of preventing rust in this spot.
Good point about surface tension. I Didn’t think of that.
Have to love science lol
You also need to consider after you coat the inside of the frame the hole will be smaller. There will be small rocks and debris that needs to be able to escape and if the hole is to small it will just get clogged and the debris will stay inside the frame.
Good point, depending on the coating you use on the inside of the frame. I use Fluid Film inside my vehicle frames, which as you mentioned in another video acts as an oxygen barrier, but stays soft and “fluid”-like so I think small debris escaping the hole could easily push any built up coating out of the way. I also found some rubber plugs on eBay that fit in the big round holes in the frame next to the tires, which should help keep debris out
if you drill under the body mount then it is easier to access and you will be able to see when the hole is clogged with debris. i did this to my truck and put drains in my rad support also. the factory drains cup upward which does not allow all the water out. i may do quick, easy grinder notches on my next frame.
True. A drilled hole is better than a rusted hole!
Plastic burrs were holding it back at a 1/4. Some debris will collect. I like 3/8. It’s what I was thinking in the beginning
How has this stood over time? Has the holes clogged? any issues?
Still working well, no clogged holes yet!
A mechanic friend told me the problem is Hyundai made a lot of those frames and the steel used was not treated properly
Eh, the frames in the southern half of the country are still mint. The problem is road salt. That crap should be outlawed.
How are these drain holes working for you over a year later? Any problems with integrity of your frame and are the holes draining all the water from those spots?
Working great so far!
@@dironaa Im going to be doing this to my 05 TJ soon. There are a lot of flakes inside and I can feel where rust has eaten away at the spots where you drilled but I think there is still a lot of integrity left in the frame. Definitely not as bad as Ive seen other TJ wranglers.
Like the surface tension experiment. I’m not a scientist but I was thinking about the size of the container. The frame is wider and much longer than the cap. If it takes such a large hole to drain the cap could it take a larger hole to minimize tension in the frame? Thanks for the video because I never noticed there weren’t drain holes in my frame and I learned something new about water lol
Good thinking, but hole size purely has to do with the properties of water and for all practical purposes will not be affected by the size of the "container". Let's say you end up with an inch of water in the frame: the majority of that water would actually flow out through a smaller hole than shown in the video because the volume of water on top of the hole will give 'head pressure' to the water right at the hole. It's just the last little bit of water which is essentially flowing under no pressure that will need a hole this size. Thanks for watching!
Hey those are the same Ravine aluminum wheels I have. I made a comment on your budget crawler 33” tire episode 4.
Haha these just barely rub at full lock with the 31" Cooper Discoverers. Not a big fan of these wheels; after 20 years on the road the simulated rivets are starting to fall off...every so often I'll be driving down the road and hear a "PING" as one flys loose LOL
Wow. I live in the South. Alabama specially. One of the first things I will do when I get back from deployment is drill those drain holes. Keep up the good work.
Nice. Frame must still be nice a clean down there, the road salt destroys ours up north (especially with nowhere for the salt to drain..). Thank you for your service.
Very nice under frame. I just picked up a 2000 tj and need to do some rust restoration so It won't get any worse. I was wondering what preventative rust products do you like to use for outside or inside the frame. Thanks!
Fluid Film. Coat the frame inside and out. If you live somewhere with road salt, reapply the fluid film every fall and give the undercarriage a good wash when spring rolls around.
@@dironaa I just thought about what I should use and the I saw the reply. Thanks!
@@Steve.Vaught If you live in a dryer climate without road salt and the outside of your frame is still in decent shape with original factory paint I'd recommend only Fluid Filming the inside of the frame and leave the outside original. Fluid Film works great for rust prevention but it can get a bit messy when working under your rig after applying it. If you do live in a region with road salt or if you drive on saltwater beaches, getting a little messy when under the jeep is more than worth it for how well the fluid film protects the steel
@Dirona have any experience with Eastwoods internal frame coating? Torn between this and Fluid film. Obvious benefit is not reapplying every year.
@@tedforddw77 any oil or diesel mix should work for internal cavities/ frame. I don't understand eastwood internal coating. Makes not sense how it works. Not realistic. I'd say stick with the oil because we know that works
All Wranglers..and most trucks..after that squirt in some ATF trans oil in frame once a year.
I used Fluid Film on my last few jeeps and it has worked quite well, although more expensive than used ATF
Use Fluid Film bro
The old timer farmers I knew used diesel or kerosene. Saturate the gear then go turn circles in the dust. Poor man's cosmoline. Worked well. I've seen em add a splash of diesel in the wash bucket while washing the car. Their vehicles always looked freshly waxed.
Kroil products or fluid film when you want to get serious.
Umm, the proper way to do this is to get your rotisserie, mount your TJ to it, and spin it upside down. This way, it can be drilled downward.
HA! Just kidding. Excellent information. After I weld in the repair sections on my rotten frame, I will absolutely drill some 3/8th drain holes so it doesn't happen again.
Oops, I’ll have to throw this jeep away and get another to start over with! Glad you caught my mistake! LOL
a lot of the jeeps are rusting , cheap steel , they want 40 or 50,000 for a jeep and their made with shit steel, my old cj was 30 years before it had significant rust.
Sadly we live in the era of disposable cars...
Put POR-15 on the frame and tub the day I got my 06 TJ. Sold it after 12 years and the only rust I had was a spot on each front fender where I didn't think to apply it. CT winters, salt on roads,....if I was doing this, I'd fill the holes with The Right Stuff and call it a day.
It ain't just the frame. Look for plugged body drains. Like the ones in the lower pinch welds.
Did you see water come out of any of the holes you drilled?
I did not. But it had been a while since I washed this jeep or drove it in the rain
Do 2007+ Wranglers have better drain holes?
I'm not sure but I do know the frames on the JKs were significantly beefier than the TJ frames
Mine has no rot and never had work done on it. I'll keep ot that way.
A little preventative maintenance goes a long way!
@@dironaa yes. It keeps small problems from turning into big ones.
I am a little late but my 2004 Jeep TJ frame has no rust issues on the outside but there is dirt on the inside of the frame and I would like to clean it out to apply the Eastwood internal frame coating and not drill holes in the frame. Has anyone tried using a shop vac and altering a 1 inch or so diameter flexible air pressure hose to it to run it inside those rear side frame holes suck the dirt out throughout the length of the frame, then power wash the inside, suck out the water, let it thoroughly dry then apply the internal frame coating. Would that be a possibility to work or am I fooling myself?
I have done that exact same thing (except used a 5' section of garden hose duct taped to the shop vac hose to get in the frame). Long story short, once the inside of the frame has dirt or rust, it's near impossible to remove it all to properly prep for paint application on the inside. The internal frame coating ended up falling off in sheets for me and IMO made the corrosion process even faster because water would get trapped under the sheets. If you are 100% against drilling drain holes my recommendation would be to vacuum and power wash inside the frame then apply Fluid Film to the inside once it's dry. I would also recommend buying plugs to cover the big round holes on the outside of the frame just behind each tire (4 holes total) as this is where most dirt and debris gets into the frame.
@@dironaa Good to know. Thanks!
Needs to be 3/4in to 1in hole due to clogging
The size in this video has worked well for me for the past few years without any clogging issues
Same problem on my 99 4runner, This self corrected by the rust itself as it created a hole in the bottom on its own.
LOL that’s one way to fix it
@@dironaa Actually, I am getting ready to heavily saturate the insides with cosmoline and chain lube in an attempt to slow down the progress. No way to get all the rust flakes out.
@@kf3en for what it’s worth I’ve had good luck coating with Fluid Film
how does water even get in the frame if there are no holes...?
The sidewalls of the frame have plenty of holes for water to get in, but there are no holes on the bottom side of the frame for the water to get out.
I was thinking the same thing . How about drilling those holes like you did and then plugging all the holes up where it can get in ?
Is it a major issue if there are 4-8 holes on bottom side of the frame?
Sure would be nice to deburr the top of the hole with something like a back chamfer tool.
Agreed. Did the best I could with a die grinder bit, but either way it's far better than factory
Maybe use an old hex key wrench, cut the head down and a put side bevel with a sharp edge?
Interesting idea. I just may give it a try.
That’s my club
It’s a great club!
Thank you !
Mine has become rust proof from all the oil leaks ...
LOL. The joys of owning a jeep..
+Dirona -- You might be interested in this video, the guy is an excellent welder, here he inspects a Jeep's frame and later repairs th mess. I'm not capable of this type of repair, I wish I was.
th-cam.com/video/SFe9dKnkKEc/w-d-xo.html
Too late.
A sad case for many Jeeps
First of all, there’s no holes in the bottom, because that is the strength and if you heat that frame or drill you will weaken the metal !! them frames are treated after they are made for high tempered steel. I like to pretend like I’m hoping if I ever weld certain metals and spray it with PB blaster as it is cooling.
You are correct, drilling into the bottom chord of the frame will technically weaken it, as the section of the frame between the front and rear coil springs puts the fiber of greatest tension on the very bottom of the frame. However, the way I see it, there was going to be a hole in the bottom of the frame whether I drilled one or not. By drilling a hole I have theoretically chosen where and how large the hole is, rather than letting the frame rust through on its own, in a location I didn’t choose, due to trapped water.
DUDE ,,,,,,,,,,,,, WHAT A WASTE OF TIME ,,,,, YOU DIDNT EVEN DRILL THE LOWEST PART OF THE FRAME
LOL. Where do you think the lowest part of the frame is?
@@dironaa behind the front lower control arm and in front of the rear lower arm ,,,,drill 1/2 hole is perfect