engrboy5

Hey all...jeep noob here. Just recently picked up a 97 Country with 157K on it. I know there are a lot of threads on here about rusted floorboards, and most of the ones I have seen are really bad...compared to what I am dealing with. I've got about a 8" x 4" section of scaly rust just inside the door sill. This is the nasty, agressive rust...I poked it a few times with my finger and made a small hole thru.

It appears the water has been coming in around the lower forward corner of the passenger side door opening. It's getting by the weatherstripping that is compressed and worn out.

So I have two questions:

1. How would you "experts" fix this? I've contemplated welding on a patch or laying up a fiberglass patch after i've cleaned everything up...what do you guys/gals say?

2. Is there anything I can do to stop the leak short of replacing the weatherstrip around the door?

Thanks in advance for your help!

91 limited owner

1. How would you "experts" fix this? I've contemplated welding on a patch or laying up a fiberglass patch after i've cleaned everything up...what do you guys/gals say? I my self would cut out the rusted area, and weld in a new floor board. or it will just keep rusting.

2. Is there anything I can do to stop the leak short of replacing the weatherstrip around the door? Replace the weather strip. http://www.jeep4x4center.com/jeep-do...therstrips.htm

engrboy5

Thx for the quick reply!

I wouldn't need to replace the whole floorboard for a patch that small would I? Could I just go to lowes and get some sheetmetal? If so what thickness? And do I cut the patch oversize and then weld or try to cut it exactly to match the hole and do a butt weld?

As far as the weatherstrip...Sheesh, almost $100 for that!! That's crazy. I just can't see dropping $100 on a peice of rubber...I've been reading another forum (a FORD 4x4 forum...I know, I know) where one of the members pushed some vinyl tubing into the weatherstrip to help restore some of the "spring" or cushion to it. Anyone here ever tried that with your XJ?

91 limited owner

I wouldn't need to replace the whole floorboard for a patch that small would I? Could I just go to lowes and get some sheetmetal? If so what thickness? And do I cut the patch oversize and then weld or try to cut it exactly to match the hole and do a butt weld? If you can get a piece of cheap sheetmetal approx. the same thickness. Great! I would do a butt weld. Cut a squire around the hole. easier to match, use the cutout piece as a template.

As far as the weatherstrip...Sheesh, almost $100 for that!! That's crazy. I just can't see dropping $100 on a peice of rubber...I've been reading another forum (a FORD 4x4 forum...I know, I know) where one of the members pushed some vinyl tubing into the weatherstrip to help restore some of the "spring" or cushion to it. Anyone here ever tried that with your XJ? That was just an example, do a internet search for other possible providers. I remember seeing it on a site, in rolls. You just cut to lenght as it's applied.

Wonka1981

I just had to attack my driverside floor board issue, as it was pretty rusty, I looked into a full floor pan replacement, but opted to fiberglass the floor. I grinded the loose rust as best I could, covered the issue areas with POR15 paint. Then I laid down 2 layers of fiberglass mesh and a whole bunch of fiberglass. It is as solid as a rock. A new floor pan might be a better long term option, but I dont weld, and it was going to cost about 100$ to have someone else weld it in. So far what I did is a great option.

engrboy5

Thanks WONKA...I'm beginning to lean towards the fiberglass option, since I don't weld either. And I'm dealing with such a small spot. What did you use to back the fiberglass/epoxy underneath where there were holes?

Wonka1981

Doing the fiberglass option was the recommendation of my friend's dad. The floor pans are welded to the unibody and would be a bigger pain than I had originally thought.

I had some holes in the floor after cleaning/grinding it up. Once I painted the floor with rust-inhibiting paint, I laid the mesh directly over top of the floor with the holes. He said it would help pull everything together. Onve that layer had partially dried, I layed a second layer of mesh and epoxy down. I was going to do a third, but he said that would be overkill.

Although it sets pretty quickly, it was still tacky for a full day or so. It was also hard to drive it home because the fumes were making me think I was driving in a video game. When I got home, I made sure to spray a new good coat of undercoat on the area from below. The fiberglass epoxy and mesh only cost about $40. As opposed to a new pan~ $80 plus the welding costs.

Also bought a new carpet kit after, as the old was all rusty underneath.

Here is a pic of the finished product.

Radi

Personally I'd do a nice thick sheet metal patch, even if you have to use body panel adhesive and a bunch of rivets. If something were to come up and punch the floor pan (drive off road much?), it can break through the fiberglass much easier than proper sheet metal. A fiberglass/sheet metal/fiberglass sandwich might be an interesting idea.
Of course either is better than rust.