SnookDaddy

I recently purchased a 2001 XJ in decent shape off of eBay, but when it arrived I found myself dealing with a number of undisclosed issues: non-working A/C, much-crappier-than-described paint, missing hood latch, torn seats, etc. So far the seller has seemed fair/receptive to compensating me for the big stuff, but one item that troubles me is a 2.5 inch section of bubbly rust found on the lower section of the driver's door. I realize that some of you scoff at nicks, scratches, etc. but the rest of the body is relatively rust-free (unless you count stone chips) so I'd like to fix this spot.

So, my question: if it was your XJ and you were intent on fixing the rust would you 1) look for a rust-free, junkyard-special door that is color-matched, 2) attempt to fix the spot yourself with bondo/primer/topcoat/clearcoat, 3) pay a body shop to handle the repair or 4) run in circles and then have a good cry? The door does have auto lock and window controls fwiw.

I'm thinking seriously about #4, btw.

Martlor13

You bought a vehicle off ebay? Brave. Where was the jeep from? Have you looked elsewhere for rust? Look underneath the jeep. Pull the interior carpet up a bit and look at the floorboards. Before you figure out what to do with that one spot, make sure there's not more.

nujeepguy

rust starts on the inside so you must attack it there first.while i was replacing my floor pans and using "rust bullet" i pulled all door panels and vacumed, then mopped in a bunch of rust bullet.
i have a little rust on the back corners of front doors only.
next year ill report on rust bullet!!

a good body shop can fix that but you must get inside to stop it.

SnookDaddy

Thanks for the replies.

nujeepguy, is rustbullet anything like POR-15? An old dude I know who restores old muscle cars speaks highly of that stuff.

Martlor wrote: "You bought a vehicle off ebay? Brave. Where was the jeep from? Have you looked elsewhere for rust? Look underneath the jeep. Pull the interior carpet up a bit and look at the floorboards. Before you figure out what to do with that one spot, make sure there's not more.."

Either "brave" or "not to bright", as the case may be. I think the Jeep is in pretty good condition overall but I'm afraid I did pay too much. So far the seller has agreed to help, though -- says he's going to pay for a complete new A/C system, send a kit to fix the torn seats, fix the windshield crack, etc.

So it's said, the owner assured me that "there is no rust on this Jeep" before purchase. I knew it was a bit of a gamble. It's a Virginia truck, and I'm told VA is a "borderline" state that does not salt its roads as much as states above it do. Evidently some cars there develop rust, others do not -- depending on location within the state, use during winter months, etc. There is considerable surface rust on components like exhaust, springs, brakes, etc. but I'm sure that's pretty normal for an older off-road vehicle. It's caked with red dirt underneath which makes the rust tougher to make out but I don't see much if any on the frame -- certainly nothing that would affect the integrity of the frame. I may snap a few photos underneath and post them to get the opinion of the resident experts. I'll also peel back some carpet tonight to have a look.

Back to the "fixing the rust on the door" question: which route would you folks go?

caged

i would hit it with a sanding disc on a grinder to remove everything down to bare metal. there is definitely a hole there, or possibly gonna lose a chunk of the lower door. you will have to weld in some metal as most of that will be gone. you can tell just by the crack.

so if you cannot weld in some metal, then i wouldn't attempt it. get someone with proper skills, material and equipment to do it.

or you can simply just find a rust free junkyard door in the same colour to replace it with.

good luck

nujeepguy

i hear about a lot of good stuff. i tried r b and it looks good,VERY STICKY!! i dont know one from another!
i am sure you gotta get inside to treat it even if you cut out the bad stuff.

Turbo X_J

A refund.

Fred/N0AZZ

2 things mentioned above would be my either or choices first REFUND then if you have no other issues ( Like RUST) a hefty discount for items not working. I am worried about rust in other places you don't see as well.


Like what the cost is to fix what he said was ok if that goes well then go to a salvage yard and find a good rust free door and replace what you have. While it's off is the time to paint it inside and out to match, that cost also.

SnookDaddy

Great advice, thank you.

So I looked for rust on floorboards and I see nothing evident -- they look and feel solid -- and other than the spot low on the driver's door I see no other significant rust on the body. I did, however, snap some photos of the undercarriage which I've added below -- I'd REALLY appreciate the opinions of resident experts. (As I noted above a good percentage of the rust-colored stuff is actually red dirt, but rust is also clearly present in spots; in the 2nd photo you can see my finger pointing to a spot where I rubbed away the dirt to expose clean metal). As you can see the frame is solid but many components have a fair to middlin' (and sometimes a crapload) of rust present. I assume such rust is common on components like exhaust, brake assembly, brake lines, driveshaft, etc. on older off-road vehicles. So...I'd appreciate answers to these two questions:

1. Do you consider this level of rust bad, average or not so bad?
2. What would you look to replace or repair soon given what you see?

I do plan to clean the underside this weekend to get an even better look at things -- and gosh don't I look forward to that job...lying under the thing and scrubbing while dirt and rust fall on my face. Should be awesome.

I still have the option of returning the Jeep but I'm leaning toward keeping it. Your input will help me decide and I thank you for it.

LACK

Looks like an average amount depending where you live. I'd definitely start doing something to neutralize it and keep it from getting any worse if you decide to keep it. Have you pulled up the carpet to check the floor pans??

Martlor13

Most of it looks like rust and not red dirt. Depending on much you paid, I would consider sending it back instead of spending so much on rust maintenance.

SnookDaddy

Thanks, LACK. You wrote: What's your favored approach? I've looked through related threads and there seems to be a big difference of opinion on prep and preferred chemicals

I crawled underneath to look up at floorboard area (which look fairly clean) but did not pull carpet yet. The carpet is in good shape all around -- is there a way to pull it back without screwing things up? Never stripped back an interior before.

Martlor wrote: I can understand how you'd think that but the red dirt/clay can be deceiving. For instance, almost everything in this image will clean up fine with soap and water.



But, admittedly, much of this is legit rust:




Like I say, most of the rust seems to be attached to "removable" items such as brakes, lines, leaf springs, driveshaft, etc. I'm assuming that's not only more common but also far more acceptable than frame rust...correct?

My apologies for this discussion expanding beyond the original question but I didn't want to start a separate thread.

Martlor13

Where are you located?

SnookDaddy

In SW Florida but Jeep was purchased from a guy near Richmond, VA and shipped to me.

nujeepguy

i pulled seats to get at screws on bottom door trim and kick panels. mine looked ok underneath. with carpet up the pans were total rust.you can see my pix and floor pan replacement. water gets in,,,period and floors rot. im still fighting it a month later . not putting pass seat in till i figure the leaks. read some other posts about rust.
im ready to pull carpet and leave it out. pointless to let it soak up water again...

any owner not lifting carpet is imo in denial!! dont want to know how bad it is. i cant be the only one,AND the rest of mine is solid,rust free..