While working under my XJ the other day, I took a look at the my driver's side floor pan and saw some rust. I pushed on it and it gives a little, and I'm guessing the underbody coating is the only thing that's making my Jeep watertight (more or less). I have no welding skills so if I were to get it replaced I'd have to have a body shop do it or enlist the help of someone who knows how to weld. If it's the former, does anyone have a rough idea of what I'd have to spend to get it replaced?

 

Labor figure $90+ / hour.

 

I've got the same issue, Quadratec has floor pans for $100.00 & I assumed labor for a local guy to be around another $100 or so.

 

That doesn't sound too terrible. I'll be fine having it done so long as it's under $400 or so.

 

I got my floor pans from ROCK AUTO. $59 each plus rocker panels at $29 each. I did mine with help from a freind and I started out with only driver's side floor pan but ended up with all 4 needing replaced and a trunk pan. The parts are cheap, but the welding knowledge comes with a price. Make sure you grind away all of the rust and undercoat it as soon as possible. The bare metal rusts quickly where you weld. I hope you only need floor pans, but if it's a solid Cherokee, you'll be happy when you're done. These old Cherokees aren't exactly as thick on the ground as they used to be, and the 4.0 will last forever.

 

I had the whole Jeep inspected a little over a year ago at an offroad shop that specializes in Jeeps. The guy there brought me out onto the shop floor and showed me all the stuff that would need attention in the next few years and one of the things was the driver side floor pan. Everything else was solid according to him, so once I get it replaced I think she'll be in good shape.

 

I have a 99 cherokee sport 4x4 with the same issue with the rust.. I am gonna grind it all down to the bare metal, Ruff it up and lay fiberglass, It will last for years and it worked great last time I did same thing to another jeep I had, Then I will spray a bed liner kit inside and out.. I do not know how to weld but am pretty good wit da glass..

Ant...

 

This not might be a very popular option, but get a welder and learn how to weld. It might be expensive and learning to weld might be tedious, but it is a life skill you will always have. And hell, who dosent want to be able to make metal add-ons to their jeep by themselves?

 

I agree. Its what I did. The money I spent on a welder was a fraction of what the local body shops were quoting me. I had a tiny advantage in that my grandfather taught me the basics when I was kid, but that was 35 years ago. Basically started from scratch and retaught myself, watched a lot of youtube, read a lot of books, and if I had time, I would say take a class at local collage or something.

Took me three weekends... maybe a total of 15-20 hours, just building things with whatever scrap I could find around the house... Trying different settings, using different thicknesses of steel, and a lot of cursing.

But even with just the videos and knowledge on the web, it didn't take long before I felt comfortable enough to start working on the jeep. My welds aren't always pretty... ok, they're almost never pretty... but they are solid, and once they're covered with the undercoating, the ugliness is pretty well hidden.

And after some pointers from some guys at work that know a lot more about welding than me, I'm feeling pretty comfortable, and will be fabricating my own bumpers at some point this summer.

I agree that it is a great skill to have... not just for the jeep. Came in very handy in fixing the snowblower a few weeks ago too.

 

I have considered doing that before and welding is something I want to learn how to do eventually! If (and this is big "if") I were to get myself a welder, which type would be best for a beginner who is going to basically teach himself? TIG, MIG, or stick?

 

Each one has its pros and cons, but I ended up getting a flux wire mig welder from Harbor Freight. Not fancy, but for $100 it got me a set up to teach myself, and can handle just about anything I'd ever need to do on the jeep. Might not be the best if I ever have to do anything structural on the frame, but for the floor pans and a bumper build, I thinks its a decent little welder to learn on. Add another $50-$75 bucks for a good helmet, gloves, chipping hammer, and better wire.

Or, if you think its something that you'll really enjoy and will be giving your welder a lot of use, skip the really cheap stuff, and go for a Lincoln or Hobart. double to triple the cost, but from what I hear, the quality will keep that machine going longer than the little cheap ones... but for me, after I get done with the jeep stuff... this thing will probably see very little use, so it was perfect for my needs and budget.