Sorry......forgot to flip the pics. The last pic is the rail under the driver's feet. This is the section I have concern over. Thanks

 

Sorry forgot to flip the pictures. The last pic is the one of the rail below the driver's feet. This is the one section I have concern over. It's lasted all these years, but............

 

I hate to be the one to tell you, especially given the circumstances, but I would not trust an XJ in that condition to transport my family.

However, you may be able to find a welder who would be willing to box those frame rails for a reasonable price. Combined with the new pans, I think you would be safe provided that is the only portion of the frame that's been compromised.

 

Some plate should fix that rail, the rail doesn't look too bad but definitely don't leave it go, especially if you're going through the effort of replacing the floor pans. Make sure to use plenty of good rust inhibitor paint (POR15, RustBullet, or Chassis Saver) inside of the rails (at least 2 coats) before putting the new floor pans in, having the floors out gives you better access to the inside of the rails than you will ever get otherwise. For the passenger seat cross member you will likely have to fab one up (with C-channel or box-section) or get one from a junkyard (if you can fine one that is rust-free) as Chrysler discontinued this part and I'm not aware of any aftermarket supplier of these.

Once you get the new floors in make sure to use plenty of rust inhibitor paint and seam sealer so you don't run into the same problem again. Some people also coat the pans, rails, etc. in bed-liner after the rust inhibitor for greater chip/scratch resistance.

In the end it depends on how much work you want to put into it, it is allot of labor but if you can do the work yourself (or have a friend, etc.), the pans themselves don't cost much and will cost much less than a rust-free vehicle with similar mileage. There have been several others that have taken on this task with good results, though many just junk it and get another vehicle at that stage.

If you get the rust fixed and get everything well sealed and coated in rust inhibitor you shouldn't have any problems for many years.

Remember, to maintain the structural integrity of the vehicle the pans and rail-patch must be welded, rivets, self-taping screws, adhesives, etc. work fine for small repairs in non-structural areas but not something on this scale. the rails and floor must be solidly tied together to maintain their strength.

 

OK, I went and got my sheet metal today. Unfortunately I got talked into getting 20 guage instead of the 18 guage for patching the floors. They said the 18 guage would be to hard to work with and others actually use 22 guage. When I looked at the floor pans they sent me (C2C) they were probably 20 guage as well. If it's good for them, why wouldn't the 20 guage be good for the rest of the floor patches? It's certainly a little easier to work with and I can imagine I would be struggling a bit more with the 18 guage just doing the bit of repairs I've already done. And I know it's thinner to weld, but it's going to be the same as welding the floor pans they sent me. Has anyone else ever patched with 20 guage? I know most were suggesting I use the 18 guage. Thanks

 

Never worked on the floors since I don't have any rust but 20 sure will be hard to weld.

 

Then why do they make the pans in that thin a material????

 

I believe 20 ga. (maybe even 22 ga.) is what the factory floor pans are made of. The replacements will be made to "factory specs" so they are the same thickness of the original pans (remember the Jeep was originally assembled with robots and computerized welding equipment which can handle thin metal without issue). From a structural perspective 20 ga. or even 22ga is fine, it is just harder to weld (especially with a cheap welder, it isn't too bad with a good MIG) than 18 ga. which is why most recommend 18 ga. for patching.