Hey Everybody,
So i've had my 1998 Jeep Cherokee Classic 4x4 for almost a year now, and I have to say its been a blast to drive. Since the day I have owned it I have known about a rust hole in the trunk that is about the size of three quarters. It has been raining alot here in N.C., and today I pulled up the carpet really quick becasue while crawlng in the trunk, I heard a pop noise, turned out to be nothing. But I became aware of a little water under the carpet, and I mean very little, as it was only slightly damp. To sum up a long story what is the best way to take care of this rust hole. I have a few ideas myself and want to run them by everybody:

1. remove all rusted metal, clean with grinder and patch with bondo
2. remove all rusted metal, get a piece of patch metal and weld it into place

Those are my two ideas, please let me know of any others you guys have and how I can go about this repair. I want my jeep to last a long time becasue I just dropped a completely new drivetrain in it, and I dont want to lose it to a tiny rust hole. Otherwise this jeep has only slight surface rust on the axles, that I can deal with.
Thanks, Bobby

*Sorry for such a long post for a single question.

 

weld in some sheet metal

 

cut n weld new sheet metal

 

if you dont have a welder I like to drill and rivet it in placed....than put a nice layer of fiberglass around the edges to make it weather proof.

 

Bondo is only for fixing slight imperfections in metal and should never be used to fix a hole as it would only be temperary. The sheet metal is definateley the way to go. I would also recomend checking the rest of the floor as well, especialy above the cateletyc converter.

 

Okay so I crawled under the Jeep today as it was nice and sunny outside. I looked the underside over, as I have done many times in the past, and for a jeep that spent 6 monthes in Ohio and the other 6 monthes of the year in North Carolina, this pattern proceeding for 3 years, the undeside is in great shape with no rust not even surface rust, this tells me the previous owner was taking good care of the jeep, by either garaging it or washing it thorughly. My friend told me that since I dont have access to a welder I should get my hands on some JB Dry Weld and use that to patch in a piece of metal. I have heard alot of good stuff about this dry welding method, what do you guys think?

Oh and I checked above the catalyic converter, no rust up there. This jeep is in mint condition except for some slight surface rust on the axles. I aslo pulled back the carpet, and found the floorboards to be rust free.

 

me and bunch of other people here have enough experience to guide you through welding it all up professionally even with a 110 cheap welder. pm me with specifics and i'll guide you through it.

 

sheet metal and bedliner!