Hello All,

I am new here and also to formal body work. I have been forced to make crude sheet metal repairs in the past but, I need better methods to keep my Xj going for many years to come. I'll deal with this methodically to assist the reader. I should be able to add some photos tomorrow.

Floor Pan Repairs Above Front Leaf Spring Mount:
The primary issue with my 4-door is the floor pan area above the front leaf spring mount for the rear axle has begun rusting from the undercarriage such that this area must be opened and the rusted metal removed and replaced with new sheet metal of the appropriate gauge and welded in properly for strength. I have talked to independent body repair facilities and individuals that practice this from their residence. So far, I have not found anyone willing the perform the work correctly and I may be forced to learn this as I perform the repairs myself. I have some fabrication skills but, these are largely with machining rather than sheet metal. I have never welded but, own a repairable MIG (and possibly an older TIG). The knowledge I gain here may also help me select (or run away) from a given repair facility.

For those of you not familiar with the Cherokee this region of the unibody is complex as it features the unibody channel, the front leaf spring mounting enclosure and directly above these in the cabin, the rear seat forward (lower) support. I suspect it better to approach this repair from the interior because this allows one the possibility to leave the leaf spring mount alone if it can be determined it need not be involved in the repair work.

Rear Wheelhouse Seams:
Some of my rear inner wheelhouse seams also concern me because, I can see rust extending beyond the caulk boundary away from the joints. I removed a small corner section of caulk today in the rear cargo area and learned its "corner" was not in contact with the wheel house. Their is moderate surface rust here on the cargo floor pan so, I continued removing caulk for 2" further forward. I found the same trend. Moderate (or worse...) surface rust on the cargo floor sheet metal but none on the mating inner wheelhouse.

I need to know how you might approach these concerns on such an old vehicle. Note, I am referring to implementing genuine solutions that offer longevity. Otherwise, I cannot regard the effort as a solution.

I have been using POR-15 and Chassis Saver on various aspects of the car to some level of success but, not everywhere I apply these treatments. Nonetheless, I recently worked on the car aggressively in an attempt to keep the "rust-belt" impact at bay for a greater length of time.

Your insight and advice will be appreciated.

Rick

Rick in general POR-15 is not a solution - you need to cut out or drill out the welds on the rusted panels, get yourself replacement panels (there must be a few places that sell replacement body panels for those vehicles) - and weld in the new parts.

If you are set on the idea of fabricating these parts then I admire that but it's going to be a lot of work with not as high probability of having it come out right. If you went to shop and asked them to please fabricate replacement floor plans, I'm not surprised they declined the job.