Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler YJ radiators

Rust bucket

Doncheva

Doncheva

New Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2024
Messages
8
Location
San Diego
Hello,

I recently inherited my father-in-law’s 95 Rio Grande. We live by the beach and don’t have a garage. I want to restore and maintain it as much as possible but don’t know what I’m doing.

The soft top plastic windows won’t clean
The bottom parts are rusting
Overall low miles for the age 130k with over 30k tow miles.

Please any suggestions. I want this thing to live forever I love it so much

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welcome to the forum. you are half on your way, do the fact that you want tp keep it. covers and window are easy purchased. you have very low mileage. the hose you have in your hand, is vent for diff, attaches to radiator by a clip or what ever, paint looks good from what i see, tires may have age ? , with the prices of other vehicles, you can afford to spend a little and you will have a good machine. pictures did not show much rust. with some help from the other guys on forum, who know more than me, i bet you can build a real good looking machine. good luck
 
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Jeeps are notorious for rotting frames. Before you get to ahead of yourself you should inspect the frame 100% INSIDE and outside. Look thru the holes in the frame where there are elongated holes. stick a flash light in there and check for flaking and rust. Spring hangers, the area between the frame and belly pan/skid plate. This is no joke and its no out of the question to replace a frame or have to weld on safety caps if its that bad.
 
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POR-15 is what you need for the frame and undercarriage. I'm restoring a 95 Rio Grande now and the POR-15 process is working great for me. Make sure you follow the steps with the degreaser and metal prep. Don't take any shortcuts. Good luck!
 
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dieselearl said:
welcome to the forum. you are half on your way, do the fact that you want tp keep it. covers and window are easy purchased. you have very low mileage. the hose you have in your hand, is vent for diff, attaches to radiator by a clip or what ever, paint looks good from what i see, tires may have age ? , with the prices of other vehicles, you can afford to spend a little and you will have a good machine. pictures did not show much rust. with some help from the other guys on forum, who know more than me, i bet you can build a real good looking machine. good luck
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The tires are brand new, just got BFGs, the old ones were cracked. Thank you for the words of encouragement. It does run really well. I love it so much and hope to do all I can to maintain it
 
Gilaguy23 said:
Jeeps are notorious for rotting frames. Before you get to ahead of yourself you should inspect the frame 100% INSIDE and outside. Look thru the holes in the frame where there are elongated holes. stick a flash light in there and check for flaking and rust. Spring hangers, the area between the frame and belly pan/skid plate. This is no joke and its no out of the question to replace a frame or have to weld on safety caps if its that bad.
Click to expand...

I did get a new radiator for it recently. The old one was melted. As far as the frame, it should be good. It has been maintained well, it’s just that I live coastal that I’m seeing more wear than what I believe is normal? But the integrity overall should still be pretty sound. I’m more worried about the rust I can see that is beginning to developed
 
As you live by the beach, salt is the enemy of steel. Fortunately, your pictures didn't show a lot of rust. The parts under the engine, that's just a bit of rusty patina, not to bad. The frame is what you want to ensure is in good condition, free of rust. Salt will make steel rust like nothing you've ever seen. So, I'd avoid getting the Jeep into the water along the beach if at all possible. It's fun to go dune hopping along the beach, but the salt kills the frame.
 
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For your safetys sake you and pupps ;) , really need to have the frame checked out. Nobodys knocking your jeep, its just a fact of jeepism the frames rust and can be very unsafe to use.
 
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Loach505 said:
As you live by the beach, salt is the enemy of steel. Fortunately, your pictures didn't show a lot of rust. The parts under the engine, that's just a bit of rusty patina, not to bad. The frame is what you want to ensure is in good condition, free of rust. Salt will make steel rust like nothing you've ever seen. So, I'd avoid getting the Jeep into the water along the beach if at all possible. It's fun to go dune hopping along the beach, but the salt kills the frame.
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I don’t drive it on the sand expect when I surf and there’s some sand in the parking lot. I’m glad to hear the rust isn’t that bad yet. I’m hoping to fix/prevent as much damage as possible. Before I inherited the Jeep it was stored a little more inland, thankfully
 
Gilaguy23 said:
For your safetys sake you and pupps ;) , really need to have the frame checked out. Nobodys knocking your jeep, its just a fact of jeepism the frames rust and can be very unsafe to use.
Click to expand...

Luckily, most of its life has been spent a little more inland, away from more salt. Is there anything I can do to help prevent rust on the frame
 
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