50 years ago i installed a few front frame sections for g.m.vehicles..(anybody remember those?)i went to the factory(auto rust tech) in cranston r.i. and purchased the 131 rails for a 99 t.j...these did not fit just good.. they fit perfect!..if you line up the hole were the rear strut bolt goes into with the old one ,your good!best aftermarket part i ever used..heavy and good quality steel..prep correctly!
After my 4.0 swap is finished in the next few weeks, i will be doing SafeTcaps on my TJ. This is by far one of the best help videos for frame repair on RU-vid. Thanks guys!
@@BtwilliasGarage Do you have have any tips for setting the perfect alignment? so the control arms stay centered on both sides. do you just measure off of one of the body mounts?
@@Yeff_Yeep it will be really close no matter what due to the little slits that go where the body mount is. Ours actually seems still to be aligned well after this job, but we will likely get it aligned properly to be sure on a Hunter machine to help save the Michelins. I have heard that other competitors to Safe T Cap do not fit as well and require modification in most cases. Good call going with them. The owner Jerry is a veteran and really cool guy.
@@Yeff_Yeep you have ujoints not control arms. Its a solid axel not independent suspension/cv axel set up. You have tie rods and a pitman arm. You don't really have control arms. As far as alignment I think it's slightly simpler setting it than a independent front suspension.
I'll offer my .02 here. When I did my Jeep with the full length pieces I drilled a 1/2" hole every 10" so I could plug weld it to the frame (where the frame was still good) I am about to do another one and I think I will cut about a half inch off the length of the inside to make it easier to weld up next to the body. I can say this, they are a great product (I have no affiliation with them) and I think the frame was stronger than new when done. Used frames are getting harder and harder to find and they want crazy money for them now and it's a lot of work swapping everything over. Thanks for showing this job with a nicely done video. How do you like that plasma cutter?
That is a great idea on the plug welds. Ours is still holding up perfectly. We have driven it thousands of miles and taken it out on the beach sand, etc with zero issues. Oh and I still love the Primeweld plasma cutter! Amazing product for the price
Hell yea def add some plug welds.did you kit come stitch welded or was it welder throughout the length?once I get mine attached I'm gonna jump around and stitch a foot here and there
Awesome video! My wife and I are actually going to buy our daughter a 2001 wrangler with severe rust problems tomorrow. Ive got a friend who does welding, particularly rock crawlers, and he is going to repair the frame , while letting me help(so pumped about this!). Pretty high level stuff he does. So we really were able to buy someones project and turn it in to a jewel. I have zero clue what I should anticipate replacing while under the vehicle but since we will be doing so much, I feel like we should. Any chance you could let me know the things I should pro-actively buy and replace?
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What are the differences between the 2002 and 2003 frames? I have a 2003 that was built in July of 2002. I have been noticing that many of the connectors are of the older style, so I'm kind of wondering if I actually have a 2002 that was sold as an 03.
On the inside trail arm where the the upper control arm mount is located, how do you weld above it? There is not enough room. Do you just weld what you can reach in that area and just leave those two or three inches alone?
Are you asking to see an exterior frame weld shot of the inside of the frame? I can email one to you if I didn't cover that. Just send me a picture to btwillia8990@gmail.com of the spot you want to see and I'll show you
It seems to me that it would be a lot easier if a company just made the rear half of the frame. Make the replacement so it would slide into the existing frame like pipe exhaust. I realize it would cost more to purchase but the time savings would be tremendous. When you have to start cutting off brackets and welding 5' of the bottom half of frame in why not just replace it all. Just my 2 cents worth.
Well considering a whole frame cost around $2-3k you'd be looking at about $1-1.5k for the rear trailing arms which is what I'm sure your referring to.
We do not do work for the public, just for RU-vid and our own vehicles. However, SafeTCap has an approved vendor list on their website. Check them out. Good luck!
I have an '02 Wrangler with the same frame rot problems. Do you leave the gas tank in while making the repairs? Looks like its still in the Jeep in the video!
Thank you for the reply. I am getting ready to start doing my TJ and quadratic offer both kits but I wasn’t sure which one to get. I’ll go with safe t cap
Definitely in need of this done on my 01 jeep tj, can anyone recommend a shop that will do this kind of restoration in or near Chicago or Midwest area?
See my issue with the plug and patch set up is, will it last? 2. What happens in the event of an accident? 3 what if the frame continues to rust beyond the welds and they break?. All questions that I'm not willing to find out. What I would say is if your frame is bad. I would bite the bullet and just get a new frame. It will end up costing more if you total your jeep and god forbid your frame snaps when you go off roading.
Hey! We are in central NC, but are not open to the public. Just a father/son operation on nights and weekends. We are always so busy with our own projects it is hard to commit to paid jobs. However, we attempt to show people how to do them when we have time to film. I recommend that you check out the SafeTCap website for a local vendor in your area. Best of luck!
4k is entirely way to much! A new frame and install is a little less than that. This is why people opt for this process. $1800 is more in line for this even with a little more rust than this video shows.
I'm really not sure. Maybe $2k total? The parts alone are $700 and it's a heck of a job. I would guess at least 10 hours of labor to do it halfway correctly. You should get a local quote. The SafeTCap website has recommended installers for most states. Check it out and please let me know what you are quoted
@@BtwilliasGarage Yeah i cant weld at all. There is a lot of nice wranglers out there that can now be fixed. I live in Vermont and we use a lot of salt on the roads. We have one of the toughest inspection law in the Country.
Hate to say it, but this is not a repair. It’s like putting lipstick on a pig. It’s only prolonging the inevitable. Used this same kit on my tj less than 2 years ago. The repair parts did not rust out, but the rest of the frame rusted out around it. Now I am almost done building a completely new frame. Not to mention if you end up in my position the installed repair parts make it much harder to remove the problem areas. But I guess some people like the taste of hot sparks from the receiving end of cut off wheels and a plasma cutter. I did this repair on 2 diff tjs an both failed the same. Save your $ and do it right. Replace them rotted frames and stop putting lipstick on a pig. It isn’t worth the future problems you will encounter.
We took detailed steps to use a rust convertor, etc etc, so we shall see. I hope it last longer than that, but I guess time will tell. Hate to hear that happened to you. Fingers crossed
Would love to see a follow up video on how it looks today with a scope inside the frame rails. Gotti I think the issue here is that water goes between the old and new frame rails on the inside and anytime you trap water between two pieces of metal, it’s going to rust at some point. I think I’m looking at these videos some people have good results years later as they prep much bette then others, real quality self etching primer and following up with a4k primer after welding and soaking the welds and some have even take a frame wand and soaked the inside of the frame afterwards to try and get some 4K up between the old and new frame rails.
Yeah the frame on my jeep is shit. If I'm doing anything it's a complete frame off and a new frame. Everything on it is rusted to the point that even the top might not structurally hold the safety cap. So I don't want to start cutting an welding something that's not suitable. I'll drive it for a couple years until I can afford a complete frame and I'll remove the tub and the internal drive train components. As well as removing the axels and probably replacing the clutch while I'm there.