My 95 Jeep has a rotted rocker panel (passanger side rear). Is this expensive to repair? Looks like the replacement needs to be welded in and I am not equiped to do this. I don't want to aprt with this Jeep. 97,000 miles but rusty.

 

I've done some rust repair on XJs before and it's not too hard really.
Since you said you can't take the welding route, you can take plan B.


Get these tools/materials

• Tin Snips
• Rivet Puller Gun Ball Peen Hammer
• Grinder with Cutoff Wheels
• Drill
• Sanding Discs
• 60 Grit Sandpaper
• 800 Grit Sandpaper
• 1000 Grit Sandpaper
• Rivets
• Sheet Metal (can either be aluminum or steel; aluminum is perferred)
• A Small tub of Bondo
• Paint to match rocker panel
• Clear Coat
• Rustoleum Automotive Primer

Here's what you gotta do

1. Use the Grinder to cut away all of the bad/rusty metal
2. Measure out the exact peice of metal you will need to fill in the cut away area on the rocker panel.
3. Cut the measured sheet metal/aluminum with tin snips
4. Lay the peice of sheet metal over the rocker panel and form it to shape using the ball peen hammer
5. Drill pilot holes through the sheet metal and the rocker for the rivets
6. Spray the Automotive Primer on the exposed metal on the rocker (where the cuts were, and where holes were drilled to keep it from rusting)
7. Once the primer areas dry, rivet the sheet metal to the rocker
8. Take the 60 grit sandpaper and rough up both the rocker and the sheet metal
9. Apply bondo over the seams of the sheet metal and the rocker to smooth it out
10. Apply bondo over the rivets
11. Let bondo dry overnight
12. Sand bondo using the sanding discs on your drill, 60 grit will get the most done, then move up to 800 grit to make it smooth.
13. Spray the Automotive Primer over the bondo
14. After the primer dries, sand it a little with the 800 grit
15. Spray your matching Automotive paint over the primer and use about 3-5 coats
16. Let the paint dry for 12 hours, then wetsand it with the 1000 grit to smooth it out and feather it in
17. Let the wetsanded paint sit overnight, then apply 4 coats of clear and you're done!

It only cost me roughly $75 to do the rust repair, and I took the expensive route using OEM paint, and sheet aluminum!

 

aluminum causes more rust.


if you can't weld it, cut it out, prep the pieces to fit, rivet the new rocker panel in with a few rivets, and take it to a body shop to have them spot weld it in for you.

 

Thanks for the help here. Is it worth the money to buy a small arc welder from Home Depot? notjust for this job, but I'll bet it would come in handy for other things.

 

no. you're better off getting a 120 mig welder from harbor freight.

or look for a working 120 mig off craigslist.


just be aware they can't weld anything too thick. they're better for sheet metal and tac-welding larger things.

 

Aluminum doesn't rust at all.

I'm giving him directions based on what I did with my '92 XJ. It was the same concept, only I did it on the lower quarter and not the rocker panel. It has held up past my expectations, You can't tell the body work was ever done to it, and it hasn't rusted at all. I'd go with a welder if I had one, but if he's trying to do the bodywork on a budget without the equipment, that's the best way to do it.

 

no *****, Sherlock.


last time I checked, XJ's are made of sheet steel...the surface between the aluminum and the sheet steel will become rusty, as aluminum against steel promotes corrosion.



using aluminum is a stupid idea. get some proper gauged sheet metal, or a pre-formed rocker panel. and use steel rivets if you must rivet it...because aluminum rivets will cause the steel they're riveted into to rust.

 

When the seams, exposed metal, and drill holes are protected by a couple coats of rustproofing primer, you should be fine.
Calm down, we're both trying to help a fellow XJ owner out. We clearly have opposing opinions but that does not mean we need to argue.

 

I'm on the side where redneck repairs are nothing more than garbage. Using aluminum will cause the rust to come back, worse than before. It may not be visible for a year , maybe two....but it will confer back worse than before and by the time you see it it is to late.

 

I think your right about aluminum on steel causing more rust.
I also saw those welders on that web site that someone mentioned. Looks like a must have new toy that I need (and deserve). I haven't welded anything in about 40 years. I took a welding course at Wentworth when I was a kid and didn't do very well with electric arc welding. You need protective eyewhere and gloves, right? Not sure where I would get that stuff... maybe home depot?

 

HomeDepot sells a Lincoln Mig welder that would be great for sheet metal and up to 1/8" steel. However it comes with fluxcore wire, nice for outside, dirty work. For sheetmetal work you need shielding gas. The Lincoln can use gas but you need to buy it. I recommend tank of C-20 (80% argon /20% CO2) from your local welding supply store. Also an auto-dark helmet is really nice.
Lincoln welder ~$400
Shielding gas cost depends on where you buy ~100
Auto-dark helmet ~$100
Cart for welder $0 - $75 (Many build thier own cart)
Wire brushes, angle grinders, sheet metal cutters, clamps....
~$700 so far, I love my little mig welder (Clarke 130e) but like anything, you gotta pay to play.

 

Dissimilar metals in contact with each other will certainly cause a situation in which corrosion is likely to appear regardless of how you prep the surfaces. Aluminum does not rust, but it does corrode. Trust me, I've had to treat plenty of it.

OP: Buy a wire fed welder and patch panel and learn away. I taught myself to weld. It's not that hard. The key is to really clean/cut away all the rusty metal that you can.