texmedic49

As much as I have searched, I cannot find anything related to my specific issue: roof rust. The roof is rusting under the stock "strips" that run 3/4 of the length of the roof. I currently have duck tape to keep the rain out, but want to fix it right so I don't have to keep messing with it.

My plan of attack consists of:

1. Take off all of the strips to assess the rust damage.
2. Hit all of the rust with a wire wheel on an angle grinder.
3. Use naval jelly or something similar to stop further damage.
4. Remove headliner and repeat process inside, assuming I can get to the damage from underneath.

The part where all of this falls apart is just what exactly should I patch these spots with? I know that I have at least 2 holes that will need patching, and there will probably be more. My options at this point are fiberglass and bondo, I currently do not have welding capabilities.

I plan on doing the above, spraying the entire roof with bed liner, and buying a roof rack for carrying stuff. I don't think I'd trust the roof to hold weight again after doing all of that. Has someone here had the same problem with their roof?

CodeXJ

Bondo will work fine for that, as long as the holes aren't really big.

MyNameIsNick

Are the holes all the way through? I have a couple rust bumbles on my roof that I'm just going to wire wheel off all the surface rust and lay some body filler over and respray. If they're not all the way through you should be fine. Also you can get some rust converter and some rust encapsulator from Eastwood from Jegs. Supposed to work really well too, plan on using this stuff on my floor when I fix my rust there.

http://www.jegs.com/i/Eastwood/352/16060Z/10002/-1

http://www.jegs.com/i/Eastwood/352/51483Z/10002/-1

mlockhart

If you have rust through. Rent a 110V mig, practice a little or find a friend who does weld. Mark your holes for luggage rack off to the side 3 or 4 inches at right angles so you can replace them later. Grind out to good steel. You can probably pick up a ruined fender at a local body shop for practice and mettle for plugs. Cut a plug to fit in the hole you made in your roof. Welding this way is like many spot welds keep moving around to keep heat and warpage down. Check the library or that friend we mentioned for welding hints or check powerblock tv web sight. Spot weld untill your think your done then grind down and see what you have missed. I don't trust bando. fix it right the first time. when you've killed the rust and repaired your holes and painted you can reinstall the factory roof rack.

carfleet mntc

Go to a boat shop (or online) and get a good 2 part laminating epoxy. If you want to do a pretty job start on the inside laminating glass cloth to the inside. Then fill the cavity with Bondo after the epoxy fully cures. Sand smooth and coat the outside withe the epoxy. Because the molecules of epoxy are so short they more completely block oxygen greatly enhancing rust prevention.

texmedic49

Alright, so I have gotten as far as cutting out all of the rust, and it was quite a bit. I wish I had pics, but my camera is in Ohio with SWMBO.

I took out the headliner, and after reading many posts on here, I was quite startled to find that mine did not have any "backing" at all. It simply flopped out when I removed the trim panels. It is backed with some kind of mesh, and is not at all rigid. I was hoping to do the "shop vac away the foam and paint it" thing. Has anyone else encountered such a thing in a 1996 XJ, or is this some after market crap someone had the stock headliner replaced with? Also, does anyone know if there is headliner compatibility between years?

mlockhart

Most headliners since the 80's have been a fiber board (generic term) with the correct color fabric glued to it. Had this been wet? If you have a good headliner the old fabric can be removed and easily replaced. There are probably only minor changes in headliners from 86 to 01 but I'm just guessing (I worked @ a Jeep Dealer untill '87) This body style had very few changes while in production. (grilles, body trim)
Are you going to do this welding? How many and how large are the repair points. Remember to spot and move when doing this so you don't warp the roof panel. And obviosly protecting the interior is something to plan for. Your local welding supply store may be helpful here. There's a paper used for protecting from splatter from welding. A tig welder may be a better choice if you have a lot of holes. (no splatter, less heat) but this is more difficult welding untill your used to it.
Whats the plan for repainting? Is this a color you can match with a spray can if so take your time and practice. I agree about the epoxy primer being a good sealant/rust preventitive.
Good Luck and get to work.

CAEMI

If the holes aren't too big, bondo. Otherwise, I'd fiberglass it. Quicker and easier if you don't know how to weld. Actually, it's quicker and easier if you DO know how to weld.

superj

i used bondo on the 10 little holes where the screws went through my racks rubber strips. i ground, treated, and then filled with bondo and sprayed with rubberized undercoating after painting with primer

notop46

I would not recommend using bondo to plug holes. Bondo is for filling solid surfaces. It is pourous and if mosture can be absorbed from any surface, it will soak in and cause swelling and further rust. I can'y tell you how many pounds of bubbled up Bondo I pulled out of my Chevelle.

Remove as much rust as you can by wire wheel, grinding, or cutting. If the holes are bigger than a quarter, weld in patches. If smaller use fiberglass resin or better yet POR-15 with fiberglass cloth. Make sure that you cover both sides of the base metal with resin and cloth. Do not drill and mount anything to the fiberglass patches when it is done.

If you have small holes and clean surfaces, you can use JB Weld. This stuff dries rock hard.

Once done, smooth everything out with Bondo, primer and spot putty.

Hope the suggestions help.

96_xj

if they are just on the "ridges" in the roof. I would pop down your head liner, Get some strips of 16 ga steel and throw them on the underside. tack them up make them nice and solid. Then seal them from the inside. Paint them on the inside then on the outside fill them in with fiberglass or bondo, sand smooth to where noone will ever know you did it, grab some metal sealer, seal it, prime it, paint it and your done. You can not just leave primer on it since primer is porous just like the bondo.

Normally i would recommend filling in the little bit of gap with a nice few beads of weld, but with how thin the roof is you will warp it like non other. so even doing the tack welds be carefull

nismo300zr2

I would not use some heavy bedliner spray.



THIS

AND THIS

TheNerd

POR-15 all the way baby! I used that with the fiberglass filler, and some of their 2-part clay-like filler to patch my small (till I cleaned it) hole. It was a bit bigger than a quarter, but I can't weld....

carfleet mntc

Bondo is a filler not a sealer as such it is designed to absorb liquid.(water ,paint etc.) When using to fill holes it must be coated as soon as it is cured and shaped. At the boatyard I worked at any one caught using it below the waterline would be SHOT.

texmedic49

So I have everything cut out and wire-wheeled down to bare metal. I am going to hit it with naval jelly (sp?) and fiberglass over it, followed by Herculiner rolled onto the entire roof. I found out, by accident while poking at the underside of one of the ribs, that a small wooden paint stirrer is the exact width and height as the rib is from the underside. So I guess I'm going to tape those up and fiberglass over them to maintain the continuity of the lines, not that it is all that important, but I at least have to try.

For the "weld-it-up" crowd...thanks for the advice, I do value it. At this time, it just isn't possible to do that. I have neither the equipment, nor the skill, required to complete this project by going down that road. Maybe in the future, but not right now. I know how to fiberglass, and have done so in other XJs, mainly on the floor pan. Please don't think of this as a snub. I do have plans to buy a MIG box from Northern Tool in the not too distant future so that I can weld up a single-tier brew stand for home brewing. I think large steel tubing and thicker steel will be quite a bit more forgiving than sheet metal as my first project. I am really looking forward to doing that!

On another note, does anyone know off hand in what year Jeep quit backing headliners with fiberglass? I am planning on trolling the JYs in the next week or so to try and find one to mod, just would like a year-range to start with.

Thanks to all who have replied!