http://www.c2cfabrication.com
Shipping to Indiana is about $20, this is part of my next big project.

 

If your unibody cracks when you use a jack to lift it, its time to send the thing to the scrap heap. If yours looks like this, run far, run fast, just dont do it int eh jeep. This is mine, as it sits right now. No amount of paint will work, and there is not enough good metal to weld to (without starting a thermite reaction)

 

In my case the rust wasn't caused by the road salt. Mine was caused by a leak somewhere around the windshield that I still haven't pinned down (despite putting clear silcone on the wires going thru the firewall and doing some "caulking" around the the windshield with some black silicone). Water runs down behind the rug, soaking the rug & padding. Bottomside of floorboard (exposed to the road salt) is rust free but the topside under the wet rug was rusty. I recently pulled the rug up, cleaned the metal with a combination of wire wheels and a Harbor Freight "flapper" type of sanding disc on an angle grinder. Dust everywhere but a shiny finish! My can of POR-15 was hard so I just used some Rustoleum heavy rust primer and then some black gloss paint that I had from other projects. Several heavy brushed on coats and plenty of time to dry before putting the rug back down. Fingers crossed that I can keep the floorboard from rusting thru while I keep looking for the leak!
To the OP, assuming the rust is all on the inside like mine, I suggest you clean up your rust like I did, then patch with some sheet metal, then paint.
For a hole that size, the patch can just be some sheet metal screwed and/or pop riveted over the hole and then covered from below with roofing tar. I'm just now replacing "Rube Goldberg" patches like this on my '65 Mustang that I put there 35 years ago while in college! Welding in a remanufactured repair panel is better (as I'm now doing in my Mustang) but if you're on a low budget, this would probably work longer than you'll have the Jeep.

 

I just had the windshield replaced on my 95 and the old one was not attached on the drivers side and it let in a lot of water. The safelite guy told me that every old jeep he does has come undone on one side or the other. He thinks the bodies twist enough that it pop's the windows loose. The window that was replaced had been in there at least 10 years. He had some rust treatment that he put on it to stop future rust, luckily the metal was still there enough to put the window in again.

 

This the stuff?

http://www.amazon.com/3M-05910-Rocker-Panel-Spray/dp/B0006VSX3E

 

Already did. Before and after of the truck area

 

Your floors are way better than mine were

 

Gotta love those Michigan Jeeps! Hope you're saving it!

 

very nice!. No insult to you or your jeep intended, I watched your video a few times and for me, yes, it did give me hope for my jeep lol. If you had to you might actually enjoy replacing the rear leaf springs on the new jeep. Hope your're going to make a video of it.

 

No insult to you or your jeep intended,

No insult taken, at all. LOL. Glad it gave you some encouragement for your XJ, and yes, I will be making videos of all the repairs on the new one too... (I'm sure most of cruiser54's Renix tips will wind up on the videos).

I'm just happy when I see people fighting the rust on their XJ's rather than jsut scrapping it. I know it reaches a point where it can't be fixed, but with a little determination... ok, sometimes A LOT of determination... a good number of these older Jeeps can be saved for many more years of enjoyment!

 

Heap of Jeep, jeep should give any jeep owner hope lol. If you can't or don't feel comfortable welding, cut out all the really bad rust out (which is most) seal what's there in some form of "rust killer". BTW watch out underneath before cutting. Pop rivet new steel in, spray a few cans of rocker guard inside onto the new metal and surrounding areas. Rocker guard is thick enough to seal seams and will also dry. I sprayed lots of rocker guard outside too before adding lots of thick trowel on undercoating. Unless your showing the vehicle who gives a flock. Just make it safe from exhaust fumes or pulling a Flintstone.

 

Heap of Jeep, jeep should give any jeep owner hope lol.

I don't know if its hope, or if I'm just showing how to be stubborn... got real tired of people telling me I couldn't save it, or I should just take it to the scrap yard. My wife says, the more people tell me NOT to do something, the more likely I am to figure out a way to actually get it done, and I suspect this is another one of those times. LOL

To many Xj's are winding up in the scrap yard... so my hats off to anyone who's willing to try.

That said.... I just picked up a 1990 XJ for my wife to drive. Its almost rust free, from Florida, and I can't wait to wrench on that one. Rust prevention... no rust repair.... gonna be nice!!

 

Rust begets other rust. Remove the cancer, install new metal. You could rivet and then coat with epoxy, but this is a unibody, and it does get some strength from the floor.

 

This is going to be fun... Where the H do you get a welder to borrow!?

In the name of rust prevention I tore off my fender flares and also trimmed off some of the rusted out body next to the wheel well with an angle grinder. It actualy looks pretty good ( pic coming soon)

Instead of welding has any one ever thought of using apoxy or roof cement to adhere a piece of steel to the floor board?

 

If the guy in the video can save his jeep, then it is possible to keep a jeep going forever! I'm sure glad they don't use salt in Idaho!

 

If you can deal without it, it seems like it would be more logical to go without it. Easier for the floor to dry, and easier to see any potential problems before they really have a chance to get bad. After you get your repairs done, get a good rust preventive, like Por 15, and then something like a bed liner to help protect it and give you a little sound barrier. It will be quite a bit louder without the carpet and padding in there

 

That was a good video. It gives me hope for my 99 xj .

Do you guys think I should take my carpet off to prevent moisture from building up or being trapped ??

 

http://www.jrn.com/newschannel5/new...annel5/news/Experts-Warn-of-Rust-from-Salt-Brine-Road-Treatments-294112521.html

It mists everywhere, and starts to rot away when the air hits 20 or so % moisture. The more they use it, the more you will see these older vehicles just falling apart. And they love their tax money that comes from the sale of new vehicles.

 

If its just that spot, then just cut and weld. I ran into a similar issue with my unibody rails having some rot spots on my freshly purchased XJ and was able to get the spots cut and welded, the rest of the frame sandblasted and undercoated for around $700 by a local 4x4 shop. IMO much more worthwhile then going through the trouble of buying another vehicle.

 

As long as the frame is good. Replacing the floors don't bother me that much

 

I too found the same issue under my 92... Up until 2 years ago, I would pressure wash, dry, use rust block and about 6 cans of rubberized undercoating every fall on the pans and such.. They were in great shape too.

The amount of rot is crazy now. My fairly newish exhaust rotted off and my gas tank sprung a rust leak. Had to get a new tank. I drove to Northern Minnesota a few times in the spring so I blame whatever they used on the roads in 2011/12.

The underside was always in good shape too. All my pans looked great. Not any more.. Can see carpeting. ugh.

It's very dis-heartening. My plan was to find a rust-free 98/99 and transfer my lift/tires/goodies over from the 92. But for some reason the prices on good clean fairly low-mileage XJs are CRAZY now.

I suggest pulling the carpet, cutting out the rust and rebuilding with new sheet metal. Either pre-made pans or start bending new steel. I had an '84 with SEVERE floor rot and was able to repair that one very nicely.

Don't get discouraged. Get some POR-15 and some new sheet metal and try to enjoy a week long project.

 

I used scrap metal wherever I could find it, reinforced the frame channels, had to fabricate new seat brackets from scrap... did it all with very limited knowledge and a cheap Harbor Freight welder. I've got a bunch of videos about my struggles with it... it was a challenge, but it saved me XJ from the scrap heap.

 

Usually, no matter what you do, rust will come back.

If it helps, we carry repair panels here -
http://www.jeep4x4center.com/jeep-body-parts/cherokee-xj.htm

all the way near the bottom of the page

...

 

I ended up getting metal from alro steel and making my own floor pans

 

I can only assume that you have an older XJ. It all depends on if you got clean metal, or if the rot is everywhere. how good are the unibody channels?

Mine started to rust do bad, and its not worth the time and cost to weld, adding in that on mine, I cant find good metal to weld to. they use that magnesium brine crap on your roads?