Hi,
Its winter time which means winter fixin time. Im looking for some insight on repairing minor rocker rust. I know there is quite a few postings/youtube videos and what not on replacing rocker panels with new or replacing with rock sliders. These are usually on rocker panels that are completely rusted out and basically gone. Mine arent there yet. Just trying to stop the cancer...

Im not a body guy. Take a look at the pics. any recommendations on how to best go about fixing this? is the rust coming from inside the rocker and working its way out or is it the opposite? Can I just sand it down and paint? or do I need to cut it out and fill with body filler? Let me know if there's any write ups on this.

 

You won't know the extent of the rust until you start removing the paint and rust. Be prepared for some perforation. If the holes are small, basic fiberglass repair can be successful. But you will need some basic body skills to make it look right. Good news..... Rockers are the place where if it isn't perfect, it's hard to tell. Do some research and learn your techniques here. It's an art.

 

I almost want to say somebody has done some work already. Is that overspray on the pinch weld? I never really did any bodywork over the years. Had some surface rust issues on a '00 that I picked up cheap. Orlo is right about it being an art. Tried to do things right. Did some research. Watched some videos. Was using rattle cans. Bottom line is I sucked at it. My friend says that I am not allowed to touch rattle cans anymore. Probably have it professionally done in the spring. Doesn't mean you can't though.

 

Sand it down and figure what you need to do next.

 

when you sand it down, you are gonna find some holes.
you can either patch it and not worry about it, or if you want it to look like it hasn't been repaired, you will need to cut out the rusted metal and bend up a patch the exact size the hole is. best to cut a nice square sided hole.
then you will need to weld the new patch in. bending it to fit isn't that hard to do. just takes some skill and patience. you just want to replicate the existing bends. you can use a vise and some angle iron to make a makeshift metal brake to make your bends.
you will need to weld in your patch, grind the welds and smooth some filler over the seams.
then prime and paint till you're satisfied.

i wouldn't use fiberglass.

or you can take it to a body shop and pay them to do it.

 

Strip that paint off first and see what's already here.

 

Thanks for the input guys. Im going to sand it down to see the extent of it and go from there.

 

The only way to stop rust is to cut away the affected metal. Weld in a patch and refinsh, as stated above.

Fiberglass or plastic body filler seem to accelerate rust.

 

Bondo and fiberglass are not for filling holes,Over time they both will pop loose and fall off leaving you back to square one.

 

Minor on the outside probably means major on the inside, especially if it rusted from the inside out.

I take patching to the extremes.

Strip it down to find out how bad it is ....... measure the length of the bad area and add 8".

Get a battery operated sawzall, go to the junkyard and find another XJ hopefully not rusted in the same area. Cut out an area from the junkyard XJ larger than you need.

Use that as a 'patch' and weld it in place if you can.

 

Looking at his pics, no need to sand it down to find holes ..... the holes are smiling at you in the pics.

 

Somewhere I recall a write-up on using square or rectangular steel tubing after cutting out the entire rocker ........ but that's pretty severs, though the end results did look good.

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f67/ru...panels-111562/

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/roc...romise-100422/

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/roc...cement-171695/

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/199...-repair-81135/

 

JMO but if I were going to repair that problem I would not. I would go with rock sliders instead and have a real upgrade to your XJ a good one at that.


Either that or live with that till it becomes more unsightly.

 

If opting not to repair it, I would at the very least but out the rust .... clean it up real good, then seal up any exposed metal to retard rust startup.

I use some " Chassis Saver " paint over rust for quick fixes.

I did one quick fix about 4 years ago, and never had to touch it after that.

Ain't pretty ..... but it sure ain't RUSTED !!!

 

That's good advice but his appears to be coming from the inside out and that makes it very hard to do. None the less a great idea for surface rust and that stuff does work.