Dan91

So earlier today I noticed some mud/dirt flying inside my car in the rear... Figured I'd pull the trim and carpet to have a look. Not to my surprise I found huge holes where the rear floor pan meets the wheel wells. I should've figured this to be the case when i had to use Great Stuff foam to fill up gaps where water was spraying back into my tail light sockets. Tomorrow I'm gonna clean it up and put some new steel in, or if it isn't too horrible, I'll fiber glass it. Maybe i'll mix and match depending on the severity of each hole...Any suggestions for doing this? I'll get pics tomorrow when I do it.

Updated: Pics
(Sort of unrelated to thread)Really bad pic of front end damage that occurred early last winter.


Nice and new again, in process of repairing. Now onto rust repair!

The rust...


The worst of it in my opinion

AWOL

You could check my build thread https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f46/pr...my-97xj-24253/ I just fixed mine but also raised my corners up for clearance. Just an option. Either way it isn't too hard.

Dan91

Thanks, AWOL! That looks really nice, but after seeing how bad mine is, I'm unsure of how much work I really want to put into it. I think i might just pop rivet in some galvanized sheet, seal it, and call it good. Hopefully I'll be finding a cheap one with a nicer body soon. Is mine as bad as I think it is? Anyone had worse? Oh and the foam stuff is Great stuff that I used to seal up my taillight housing area(water was spraying all over it and I couldn't figure out why...at least i know now.

AWOL

Wow! That does suck! You didnt have the pics yesterday. That is pretty bad... There was another post on here from a guy who was in about the same spot as you. He just started laying in more steel. Best of luck to you! Let us know how it goes!

Dan91

Yeah I just updated the post with pics today. I'll keep my progress posted. I shouldn't have much trouble, it looks simple enough. I'm just not sure if I should remove the old steel or not. And if I should, how would you go about doing that, since it's right above the gas tank? Also instead of putting the carpet back in I'm thinking of laying a sheet of plywood over the new steel and putting a layer of fine weave fiberglass over it. I could even paint it gray to match the interior.


P.S. How can I select an avatar?

COSXJFAN

You will have to get all of the cancer out of there for a long term fix. I know people have used P.O.R., (paint over rust) which converts rust to primer via a chemical reaction, but I have never used it, and can't speak to how well it works. With rust in the deck area that bad, before you put anymore time/money into, I'd look the entire Jeep over from top to bottom, because I'm sure that there is more rust somewhere!! You may want to look for a good unibody, and start over if it's too bad!! Sorry, HTH!!

Dan91

Yeah, I'm aware that a long term fix would involve removing as much of the rust as possible, but like I said, I do intend to find one in a better condition, but probably not til after winter. As for checking the rest of it out for rust, I know its going to be horrible. I can tear pieces of the floor off from the underside on the passenger rear floor pan. The other 3, however, have a little life left in them despite being covered in rust. I'm just looking into a cheap fix that will last 1-2 years. The main reason I'm doing this is to stop the water and mud from flinging inside my car. Just trying to do the best with what I've got.
P.S. Not meaning to hijack my own thread, but I uploaded a picture of the front end damage it had after I hit a tree with it. First winter driving, bad luck, slid off road, down a hill and into a tree. Hit at about 15mph.

Dan91

Well, ended up using some marine grade plywood and sealing it in with fiberglass. The bottom of the plywood was coated in shellac so give it a little more resistance to water. I'm thinking about putting a sheet of fiberglass down on top to increase its strength, but it is supported fairly well by the remnants of the old floor. I understand fully that this is not a permanent or reliable fix. Just something to seal it up for a year or two when I can get another Cherokee in better shape.

Here it is


More


That big hole was a ***** to do...


With the added thickness of the plywood its a tight fit for the trim to go back in. I may not replace the carpet. The wood dampened the sound about as much as the carpet did. Overall I am quite happy with the results.