Frame has had it

So I found a frame semi local, the advertised it as a "Perfect" 3rd gen frame. The pics he sent could be a little clearer but what do you guys think? He says "the color is all surface rust"

I will probably go look at it, but it seems like calling it perfect is a big stretch, and he is asking $1k.

You guys think its worth a look?

Thanks

A couple of hundred tops. And, that's after ensuring there's no bad rust or damage.
 
Can't tell much from the pics. A link to the original would be better--the one posted is very small. Yours looks more like the one I threw away than the one I paid for. As I said, I just paid $500 for one in nicer shape and with both control arms in place in front and a perfect hitch in back. I will say the surface rust on mine--there was less of it--cleaned up very nicely and looks perfect after POR15-ing the whole thing.

The key thing you want to check is how solid it is on the bottom of the rail inside the big control arm bracket in the back. This is hard to check with the frame on the ground, but it is worth jacking it up a foot or so and then banging right there with a hammer and big screwdriver or rod up through the center of the bracket. They rust from the inside out, if mine is typical, so just a look can be deceiving. I would not pay a dime without doing this test. Mine was on the body still when I bought it, on blocks with no diff, so it was easy for me to do this.

My frame had sat there since 2011, so they don't move that fast, at least in NJ. Offer him 5 bills cash and watch him take it.
 
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Yeah- he is definitely asking too much. However, good frames are a little harder to come by up here in New England so anything is probably going to be a little pricier. Thank you for the advice about where to bang and poke. I think I will give it a looking over, and like you say $500 tops. It will cost me probably around $150 to get it home and then another $200 or so in POR-15 and paint, and that assumes its even worth using.

Best wishes all
 
It doesn't look "terrible" but far.....far from perfect. No way I would spend more then a couple hundred bucks on it and that is only if it was structurally sound.
 
Somebody needs to make a business of getting frames from the Southwest and bringing them to the Northeast... You can probably get truly rust free frames around here all day for $100... (the frame on my parts truck was perfect until I hacked off the trans crossmember - and I got the whole truck minus an engine for $300)

-Charlie
 
Somebody needs to make a business of getting frames from the Southwest and bringing them to the Northeast... You can probably get truly rust free frames around here all day for $100... (the frame on my parts truck was perfect until I hacked off the trans crossmember - and I got the whole truck minus an engine for $300)

-Charlie

It's all because of shipping costs and demand. The only good reason to buy a frame is rust-out. If you are in a place with no rust-outs, there is no demand for loose frames, so the price is scrap value plus a margin. Shipping on these things is a bear. I had to pay $100 just to deliver it locally (about 20 miles.)

I hate to think what it would cost to ship one from the SW, even if you did 10 or 20 at a time.
 
Definitely check the inside of the frame on both sides in front of where they rise up over the rear axle. That were the dirt & moisture gets hung up. I've also drilled and extra 1/2" drain hole right under that spot on both sides. I've been hitting the inside of my frame with the pressure washer every few weeks since May & I'm still getting rust flakes out. Now that the Summer humidity is almost gone for good I'll be hitting it with Eastwoods Internal Frame Coating soon.
 
Many thanks to Crowcifier6 for checking out the frame for me and getting some better pics before I make the four and a half hour drive to see this thing. He took the pic I have attached/inserted here. I was wondering if anybody could help me with what I am seeing there on top of where the driver's side front strut would attach to the frame. Is that like 1/8" of rusted frame peeling off the top of that or is that the remains of a gasket or bushing or something? It kind of looks like something a little more consequential than surface rust to me. What do you guys think?

-Thanks
 

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If you would be willing to drive a little & help me put the rear end back on, I have good frame I would let go for a couple hundred. Just bring a tow bar & lights. These frames are big & HEAVY. This way you should be able to get one home for less than 5 or 6 hundred.
 
Many thanks to Crowcifier6 for checking out the frame for me and getting some better pics before I make the four and a half hour drive to see this thing. He took the pic I have attached/inserted here. I was wondering if anybody could help me with what I am seeing there on top of where the driver's side front strut would attach to the frame. Is that like 1/8" of rusted frame peeling off the top of that or is that the remains of a gasket or bushing or something? It kind of looks like something a little more consequential than surface rust to me. What do you guys think?

-Thanks

I know what that is. It's the bracket for the ABS wire that is clipped to the strut tower. It's a steel plate. If the pic was better you could see the front edge, but the rust all blends together. Take a look at my old frame and you can see it:



6zF2OA6Ywlflss-6fqRgh3u_yW1mw5bHQl18Q1_MqaTxyiU_mUvy-zI-e013zqXT6w5ohfv5ujlOFP0NwdSFrZRMZsawCAQ8-_a8YywAShOXWxUs4jq3C9nckp74-y3I2sHLEp46RJledSuIWI9SCjdSLgMA8DFJtUtIXC8mEvskMohks9dultug_8IneebRezr7LfVuIHPgN3itzSeMmQcB1CpKkaoXDLrdZJk-tEZwuxD0zXI3-aFEAeKRssdbSjuxP1AmOXTOh3-hsAgpH5sldP2ICJk2v7PgBiLWgo-vbDZwlGA15W4mMjYU31nCG8-DdhuSEVPWIPd0BKA43DjwpBZGH-vTLyj-KRMZqTYYNIZK9w5QpHOPeaxEk4ozLKXKWxZxXSV-qeAjpdEguZPblglgBtlXZfyg2ekxZY46l10SaRRoeP-JVzf4lu_UH22rpReVsMkyEzfuWRPthMWVd7WRjPJZXGIiPaS5X5OEfRuP_B93V3ij9iBNwBJ2AsSIv-egtzXVtGkfeTby63LyPIQgp0Us30O5epEnw-zt89sPTIqx7iQqe4SG_RfwlVV7BBYgVUG859Q6wx-8XRK0ZawSMk3C3tJtNALIJipzQRvJ=w1260-h945-no


So I'd say it's probably ok. You're gonna have fun cleaning that one up. The key is that area under the control arm brackets. Good luck. I'm here to help if you need it (over the web). I was only in the NEK once, but I had a great time. My college roommate was from Hardwick, VT and they had a hunting camp up there. Too bad it's so far from NJ.
 
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What do you guys think?

TheDurk nailed it, it's just a bracket. I'd be slightly more concerned about the fact that TheDurk's old frame looks better than this, though.

But the real test is the rear lower control arm bracket area on the frame. How do they look (both sides)?
 
Didn't really go over the whole thing with a fine tooth comb when I checked it out for him... to me it looked workable, don't know OP's expectations... I am no expert.

Thanks to NEKExplorer for the gift package for scoping out the frame....that was fast.
 

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