xjwanted

Alrighty, well I took the Jeep to a collision repair center today and had a body expert look at the rust hole I have in the trunk area. According to him cutting and welding in a new piece of metal will be way out of my league, I have never welded or done body work before (well once I replaced the hood, grill and headlights on a toyota corolla that my brother hit a deer with). I inquired about how much a restoration shop might charge and he said it could cost up to $1000 maybe more. I figure thats not worth it at all. Don't slam me for this next statement if you have used it and it didn't work simply say so!!! He suggested using POR-15 and THAT BY DOING PROPER PREP WORK AND TAKING MY TIME!!! I can cost effectively repair the rusted area. I then plan to use POR-RESTOGRIP, which is in simple terms a bodyfiller of higher quality, to fill in the gaps and holes, which are not that big. DON'T TELL ME THAT I'M DOING A HALF-*** JOB, I have heard alot of good stuff about POR-15. There is no way in hell I am not going to spend $1000 on a 13 year old Jeep that's simply not going to happen. I have money tied up into it and my main objective is to make it last the next five years, then im probably going to sell it, so no I will not be lifting it or doing anything that is not absolutely necessary.

Pretty much out of that, I just want to ask you guys, what has your experience with POR-15 been? (If you didnt do porper prep please indicate so)

THANKS A BUNCH GUYS!!!

NOTE**I AM NOT TRYING TO CUT CORNERS BY USING THIS METHOD**

My375hp302

If you want to do it yourself and you don't want to weld your best bet is still to use some sheet metal to make the repair. Instead of cutting and welding, cut the new sheet metal to fit and then attack it using self drilling/taping screws. You will also want to clean up the rust as best you can and treat it with Rust Stop or something similar, then use a rust type primer and finally use some type a sealant like silicone or body puty before you lay down the new metal. It won't look as good as a cut and weld job, but it will be NEARLY as strong and it shouldn't cost you much.

TheNerd

Is your rust inside or outside? If it is inside, I recommend the POR-15 fiberglass like material for any holes. It works great, and is really easy to use. I have also used the 2-part compound of theers as well. It works well too, but it is a little harder to use. If it is exterior stuff, remember that POR-15 is not UV resistant, and you will need to top-coat it with something that is. Here are some examples of what I have fixed with the POR-15 trunk repair kit:

The interior cancer:
Before:

After:


And the exterior source:
before:

After...well... it got better from there...

My375hp302

My problem with the POR15 "reapir" is it's just cosmetic. I'm fairly certain I could knock a hole in that roof with my knuckle. In an area like a trunk where you are going to be throwing stuff in and stuff will be sliding around I just don't think it will hold up.

xjwanted

I don't have the time to spend to do all that, YES I know that I probably should cut it out and weld in a new piece but I haven't got the time. I dont want to cut anything up as i'm no body expert and I don't want to screw stuff up. I know that by putting more time into it I can achieve the best results, but as i'm a school going student I have to study I dont want to waste my time dealing with this problem. But as the body shop guy said, "deal with it quickly to prevent it from spreading and then move on with your life."

TheNerd

There is a lot more on the roof repair than what you are seeing. If you are going to knock a hole in it, it will be through the sheet metal before you get through that hunk of repair.

As for the interior, it depends on the size of the repair. The areas that have the POR-15 w/fiberglass stuff are stronger than the areas without, and exponentially stronger than it was before. Plus, the OP is only looking to get 5 more years out of the Jeep... POR-15 no problem!

xjwanted

Thanks for posting that picture, the one with you rust hole in particular, move that hole 6 inches forward and decrease its size by half and that what mine looks like, with some slight rust (mainly surface but it is pitted a little) around it, my plan is to Por-15 that area then use the Restogrip to seal it up and then sand that down a little then remove the carpet from the interior completely and bedline the interior with Herculiner.

xjwanted

alright well i talked it over with my dad and we decided that for now duct tape on the underside to keep water out will have to do until my oil change in a thousand miles the shop i go to does a little of everything and they offered to take a look at it and see what they can do., as i dont live in the north and i live in the piedmont region of nc, the rust is not going to grow exponentinally and if any it will take a long time. and i made a mistaek in my calculations, tonight my engineer of a dad pointed out to me that i can't count maintance as what i paid for teh car, i count waht i paid as how i spent when the jeep left the engine shop wth its new engine, which is $4000. My jeep cost me $4000 and NOT $7000 as originally thought. sorry for the confusion, i know that $7000 for a unlifted jeep is just messed up, most xjs go rof around about $4000. so i came out ahead except for the minor rust hole. there i fell behind. lol

MS Fowler

As I have posted elsewhere, POR 15 are good products. They do what they say.

Since you are not doing anything immediately, and since we are approaching Spring, try to get to an auto flea market. You don't say where you are located, but Spring Carlisle is a month away. That is a LARGE auto flea market (82 acres!!)
Here is a link: http://www.carlisleevents.com/ce/about/

Several POR 15 vendors are usually there, and they have demonstrations about their products, and some examples that you can handle. Google POR 15 for product info and local vendors, especially if you can't get to an event. Vendors typically have "show specials" that are priced lower, and you don't pay shipping.

Another good company ( that comes to Carlisle) is Eastwood. Google them for a link. They specialize in auto restoration tools and materials. They travel with a large display and do live demonstrations of many of their products.

Cutting out the old sheetmetal is still the "best" repair. But there are alternatives, and if you think through exactly what you want to accomplish, and how long the repair has to last ( or this particular Jeep, for that matter), you should be able to find a repair that works for you.

( If you post your location, people might volunteer to come help, if you are close.)

xjwanted

Alright, well here's the deal, me and my dad talked it over and decided that when it's time for an oil change we will see what the shop says (though I already got no as an answer for them doing body work). After that we will see about POR-15 and RESTOGRIP. I hate to say it but my Jeep has only a short while (3 years, possibly) left to live due to this rust hole (it's not that big , but time wise i'm guesstimating). I figure that either I fork over the $400-$1000 to get the area fixed with new sheet metal or POR-15 it in a few weeks (this is a possibility). This whole Jeep experience has been great, but as I am a junior in highschool, with the SAT's approaching and college applications and what not, it's time to tune back my mind to what I should be doing, studying. This whole mechanic phase has taught me three things:

1. Patience is a virtue
2. Listen to your parents when they tell you something
3. If you make a mistake, learn from it, pick up the pieces and move on with your life

I'm going to leave the jeep in the shape it's in, all mechanicals are working fine, i'm not going to be spending any money on it unless its for an oil change. I'll just drive it for as long as I can (it's main use is for getting to school, carrying my bikes and kayak). Just want to say thanks for everything guys, but it's time for me to leave and return to school life where I belong. Who know's maybe I will get another jeep somewhere down the road.....

superj

por 15 is great and used tons in the bmw world.

cut out the old, por 15 it, fill the hole with filler, sand down and paint. it'll last way longer then your 3-5 year time frame and the jeep should be great for a high school/college vehicle. my brother used an 89 for that and it last well past the school years.

scavengerj

IMO the POR15 will do exactly what you want to do. Check out their products and get what you need to do the job. Follow the directions to the letter and you'll have a repair that will last. If there is a little more then just light rust/pitting, I'd grab some metal and do as has been suggested...prep the area, patch, and use some self tapping screws. Then finish the job.

A poster was correct in that POR15 is UV sensitive, all this pretty much will do is darken it - read what they say on their web site. But since it will be on the inside of the vehicle, and possibly the underside, I don't think your going to have to worry about any UV damage. If it is a concern they do have a protective paint that can be applied to it. I have also read where others have applied the POR15 and waited until it almost set-up, then lightly sanded it and then painted it with some rattle can.

MS Fowler

If you have truly learned those three lessons and you are only a junior in HS, I'd say, your Jeep experience has been very worthwhile.

saleen9973

I just repaired the rust on my floors inside the jeep. I took a wire wheel to the rust then cut out the real bad spots then cleaned everything and por-15ed it. Then riveted in some galvanized steel to cover the holes and then used self etching primer on that then rhino lined it. looks great.

xjwanted

Yes, I do truly believe that I have learned those lessons. A few monthes after I bought the Jeep I started regretting it because I was hitting a bunch of setbacks. I talked to my dad and we have decided on two options:

1. At the next oil change, which is in 700 miles, we will have the shop I originally had complete the engine swap take a look at it and see if he can reccommend to us an independent body shop that may do it for cheap, or if he himself can do it (he straightened the frame on our minivan after the rear bumper got hit).

2. I will talk to the shop owner and ask him if I should use POR-15 and their fiberglass sheets called POWERMESH, if he says that will do then I will take that route and just fix it and bedline the interior.

I have decided to focus more on school as I last stated, but that doesn't mean that I will not fix things if they go wrong, my father told me that I should learn how to fix things so I don't have to pay lot's of money if something goes wrong. I will attempt to fix it only if I can find the time. I figure that since I like to take things apart and figure out how they work then reassemble them, I have been thinking about becoming an engineer, which is what my entire family is (oldest brother goes to John Hopkins but is a biomedical engineer, dad is a computer engineer working for IBM). I have already learned how to completely rebuild a mountain bike, I was constantly breaking parts in mud, got tired of spending money on repairs, so I took lessons at R.E.I. and learned how to fix bikes of any sort. Anyway thats just a little story line for you guys.