I'm not sure if this is the right section, but I didnt think it belonged in the fab section so feel free to move it wherever it belongs.

I, like quite a few other jeep owners, have been plagued by rust. I've done some half assed patching on the floors to keep the snow out in the winter as well as replaced the cargo area metal to seal that up nice. 90% of the visible rust is on the rocker panels, both sides. I read up about plasti-dip and tried it on my fender flares and it turned out great so I thought I'd do a nice stripe on the bottom 2" or so to give it a "shorter" look as well as camouflage the rust holes. Let me know what you guys think!

Before


After




I really like the small stripe between the rear wheel and the rear bumper as well as the really small section in front of the front tire. I have cut fenders and I think this gives it a much more "finished" look instead of just a gnarly cut.

Not the best after picture in the world, but I'll get some better ones in a few days. Plasti-dip is a great way to "try out" different paint schemes because it comes off cleanly and doesnt damage the paint underneath. I havent had it on for long so I cant really say how well it holds up, but I like it so much I'll definitely be using some heavy duty rubberized undercoating on it if it comes off. I also have another project car that I'm thinking about trying spraying the whole car with it. It goes on very clean and dries really nice and even. I used about a can and a half on my fender flares (4-6 coats on each flare), 1 can for my rear bumper, and a little less than a whole can to do the stripe.

 

Nice look. Sorry to ask, but i thought Plasti-Dip was something that came in a tube like container that you dipped your tools in. I'd like to try this but i don't understand i guess. I am rusted through on the bottom step part underneath my doors like yours was and instead of welding a piece up there, this may be an option.

 

 

It does come in a cylinder for dipping tools, but also comes in a spray can. They are around $6 at home depot and around $9 at ace hardware. They also come in a few different colors too.

I'm planning on removing it, welding in some better metal so there are no holes and give it another thick coat to cover my terrible welds . I think it will look a whole lot better than pretending I know how to paint "real" paint haha

Either way, it looks a lot better than it did before. Good luck. I used the lowest body line as an edge. I also havent quite worked out how to get a crisp clean line when removing the tape.... If you wait until it dries you'll pull a very small amount (barely noticeable) from the rest. The problem with taking the tape off while it's still wet is you need quite a few layers for it to be thick and strong with drying time in between coats. Seems like a chicken and egg thing to me. When I pulled it off (after it dried) I just pushed down the small parts that pulled up and it seems to be holding up so far, but it's only been a week or so. I'll keep the thread posted as far as durability is concerned

 

Looks great, but then I'm partial as I also have a red 2 door.

 

Just an idea, but it's worked on other projects, proceed at your own risk.

To get a clean line when removing tape after painting, score along the edge of the tape with a razor before removing the tape. Not enough to damage the paint underneath, just light enough to "help" the over spray on the tape break cleanly from the line you intended to stay.

Also, when removing the tape, it might help to not pull away from the body, but to fold the tape over onto itself and slide it along the tape still attached to the vehicle. This helps the tape break cleanly.

 

Hard to tell what you actually did.

 

Good ideas! I tried using my pocket knife because I didnt have any razor blades, but I'm sure that would work better. Folding it over might work... but it a rubberized spray so it's supposed to be a little flexible. Cant hurt?

My goal was to make the rust less noticeable. I'm a big fan of small subtleties (the bumpers were on it when I bought it) so I wasnt trying to make it stand out or bring attention to it. Just something small that you probably woudnt notice unless you were looking for it. Might be one of those things like "it looks a little different from other jeeps but I cant put my finger on what it is"

 

And the pictures arent the best. The shadows do kind of hide it. I'll take some better ones tomorrow