Hey, first time post, long time lurker here! I have moved onto my third XJ i've owned in life and have been slowly working on getting this beast up to snuff. It is a 96 2 door XJ. I ordered new rocker panels from C2C, and got the backing plates from Mopar. I am starting on the passenger side and cut out all of the outer rocker and things were really going smoothly. Now with the outer rocker removed I've reached a standstill because I am unsure how to remove the existing backing plate. I would have just left it but the end is totally rusted out and I'd like to get new ones in there, but I have no idea how to remove the sucker. There are the 2 obvious bolts that you can see from the outside- one closest to the rear is a standard bolt, and the one a foot or so to the right is a square bolt. Other than that what do I need to do to get them out? The top of the new panel is curved and needs to slide all the way up in there and around, but I'm generally unsure how the heck to get the existing one out? I really don't want to start cutting/destroying the door pillar and sill plate... I need some input from the XJ guru's on how to properly proceed!

 

I dont know how to remove that as i have never done it, but the part you are holding up in the 2nd pic doesnt match whats on the vehicle. That small hole next to the oval is in a different location, and the square plate and nut tacked to the panel is the wrong orientation.

 

Left versus right?

 

And upside down.

 

I am totally holding the drivers side piece on the passenger you guys got me! I didn't even realize when I took that pic!

I do appreciate I had the orientation of the piece wrong in the pic, but that aside, my issue is the top of that piece Im holding slides up and underneath the inner door, which looks like is fused and meets under the door seal? The exsiting inner backing plate I have pictured seems totally fused to whatever its affixed to. Looks like I have to pull the seal around the bottom of the door sill because the top of that piece slides underneath the existing body? Not to mention there are welds all over the thing. Is it safe to drill these out? Never performed surgery like this on an XJ. This thing is stuck to the unibody or whatever its bolted to

 

Everyting is held together with spot welds. You will need a spot weld cutter, and a good drill. Buy an extra bit, or two, for the cutter. I used a 3/8 spot weld cutter from Harbor Freight a couple years ago. Has a spring loaded tip, and came with an extra bit. Worked good. Center punch the spot weld as the cutter will walk all over the place otherwise. Cutters take practice to get right to cut thru just the top panel and not all the way thru both, which can happen. Ive done that plenty. Please wear eye protection.

Some areas can be two panels thick. Others more than that. Sometimes you have to peel away one to get to another. And some spot welds are hard to see. To help seperate panels, a seam buster or a prybar will help.

I never took a rocker off an XJ, so i can only guess those studs are the seatbelt anchors? The one with the plate behind it, anyway. Should be a torx bolt. What size i dont know.

 

Thanks man this was very helpful. I gotta pick up that spot welder cutter and get to it the project is at a standstill