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Auto body work

plk1998

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Chicago
Where can you take a Jeep to get underbody rust repaired? New floor pans, unibody rails cleaned up/ sealed, ext... I have a solid Jeep otherwise. Located in Chicago.
 
The cost for rust repairs at a shop will likely exceed the value of the Cherokee. If you can swing a hammer and run a grinder, nearly all of the rust repairs can be done by you. There are plenty of threads on the topic and videos you can watch.
 
Which floor pans, front, middle, or rear ? Either way, something similar to a Miller 140 wire feed with shielding gas would work. TIG would work better.

I prefer to use unibody adhesive for my front and middle floor pans. It is faster, easier, and less expensive.
 
Where can you take a Jeep to get underbody rust repaired? New floor pans, unibody rails cleaned up/ sealed, ext... I have a solid Jeep otherwise. Located in Chicago.

Since the XJ is unibody saying the floor pans and uni body is rusty but the rest uis solid is akin to saying I have a solid boat, just the hull is bad.
 
Where can you take a Jeep to get underbody rust repaired? New floor pans, unibody rails cleaned up/ sealed, ext... I have a solid Jeep otherwise. Located in Chicago.

Since the XJ is unibody saying the floor pans and uni body is rusty but the rest is solid is akin to saying I have a solid boat, just the hull is bad.
 
Take your good parts off and find a jeep without rust. Seriously you're going to spend more time money and effort trying to fix it than selling it and getting a rust free XJ. Body work on a unibody is a B.
 
Take your good parts off and find a jeep without rust. Seriously you're going to spend more time money and effort trying to fix it than selling it and getting a rust free XJ. Body work on a unibody is a B.

Good advice.
Not sure where he is going to find a rust free XJ in the Chicago area.
 
That job is really labor-intensive. You also have to take up the cargo area carpet and look. To see the inner part of the rear fender well from underneath is almost impossible unless you jack up the body instead of the axles to get some space. I'd be willing to bet you have a lot more rot than you think you do.

The last time I welded up a seriously rusted XJ it took sixty hours.
 
Since the XJ is unibody saying the floor pans and uni body is rusty but the rest uis solid is akin to saying I have a solid boat, just the hull is bad.

Haha basically my floor pans are shot like the majority of xjs in the Midwest. My rockers are actually not rusted out at all, surprisingly! Just a little surface rust I want to grind and seal before it grows.
 
That job is really labor-intensive. You also have to take up the cargo area carpet and look. To see the inner part of the rear fender well from underneath is almost impossible unless you jack up the body instead of the axles to get some space. I'd be willing to bet you have a lot more rot than you think you do.

The last time I welded up a seriously rusted XJ it took sixty hours.

I think you’re right and sixty hours jeeze. This isn’t a job I’m looking to under take but I’m 50-50 at the moment. This was my moms first new car so I pretty much grew up in it. Anyways would you be willing to share a tip or two, maybe some tool recommendations that would make the job easier outside of the obvious grinder, cut off wheels, ext?

Thank you for the advice thus far.
 
LMAO....my thoughts exactly🤣🤣🤣


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Just to clarify by the Jeep is solid otherwise I mean it’s mechanically golden. It’s been owned by my immediate family since new (96) and has 130 on it. My father did all the maintenance work on the car so I trust that it’s been properly serviced.

Yes, this leaves open the possibility to swap the engine, transmission, and transfer case onto a doner vehicle. I just want to explore all options.
 
How about posting some pictures showing the problem areas, and the subframe. It would be easier to recommend to-do items with a clear set of pictures.

I say this because my 99 needed some floor work, a little rocker work, but wasn’t bad at all....and it was still a serious time investment (to do it right).

Take a look at my build thread (linked in my sig), you’ll see how far I had to take it with the rust I had to deal with.


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I picked up a (nearly) rust free 2000 in South Bend, Indiana in November. Non rust buckets can be found in the midwest, but you can't just toss "Cherokee" into marketplace and find 30 of them for 1300 bucks like you can in the south.

Never done frame work on a unibody, but even my old YJ was a huge pita. Eventually I just traded it to a farmer for an old FJ he had sitting around. That said, the investment in some welding equipment will pay for itself within the first year unless you go nuts.
 
Just to clarify by the Jeep is solid otherwise I mean it’s mechanically golden. It’s been owned by my immediate family since new (96) and has 130 on it. My father did all the maintenance work on the car so I trust that it’s been properly serviced.



Yes, this leaves open the possibility to swap the engine, transmission, and transfer case onto a doner vehicle. I just want to explore all options.
Post pictures of the rust.

To clarify, replacing floor pans is not a job for someone who doesn't know what tools are required. It requires metal fabrication skill and a very good working knowledge of welding. If you're not that person, this not a job to undertake yourself. You will make the car much worse.

2001 XJ sport (mine), 1999 XJ Sport (sons)
 
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