I have tried to search for this but haven't seen too much on it. I took off my rear fenders to patch a small hole. Well as I was taking it off the rust hole turned into a waaaaay bigger problem then it looked like and now im lost. How should I fix this? Can I rivet in new sheet metal? I dont know how to weld and don't know anyone that does. (Its only the rear right fender the other side is fine)

 

Rivets and unibody don't mix over time with the body flex they will pop loose.Take it to a few body shops and get some quotes for it.The options are do it right the first time or a bad repair that will cost you more to fix right later.

 

X2


That area has spot welds that hold the inner fender on and it a semi structural area. You want to get that fixed right. Sooner the better as I wouldn't be surprised that when its rainy, the inside near there is a but soggy or so after a good drive in the rain lol

 

How much would it cost do you think? I've never had any welding done so I don't want to get over charged for it

 

I got quotes 4 to 5 thousand today to fix this. Does that sound right?

 

You should be able to find a new one with a rustless body for that price...

 

5k is ridiculously high. You could get the entire Jeep fixed and painted for less. Like said, you could also find a rust-free Cherokee in that price range.

 

Im not looking to spend that much at all, schools more important at the moment. If this was like a 600 to 1000 dollar job I would consider it. I think im going to buy a welder and practice for a couple months, I want to learn anyway.

 

You can sometimes find a rust free xj for that price, just got to look for the ones with either dead engines or transmissions. It's kinda rare but you can find them. I'd do that then swap whatever you have in your jeep into the new one.

 

Chris where are you from ?Nothern states will be harder to find a rust free jeep.

 

Chicago area. Im going to try to learn how to weld (I want to eventually try to build bumpers, roof rack, new floors, etc. For now im going to try to cover this with something temporarily I dont have time or money for a body swap.

 

Doesn't look like that door handle will be there for much longer either. Don't put any money in to this thing, I think it's time to start looking for a safer ride.

 

Chris, invest in a very top end quality roll of duct tape. Clean the area well, apply a couple layers of duct tape. Mask the area and spray bomb the tape lightly with a colour match or close enough, paint. Will last a couple of years.
Take the balance of your money and finish school. Once your out of school, consider buying a welder or a fresher XJ, your choice at that time. Anything can be fixed, just a matter of what your plan will be.

 

The door handle im not worried about thats a very easy fix and the rest of the jeep is solid those are the only two spots with rot

 

that was my plan. It sucks because I had higher hopes for this Cherokee. Ill still put money into it but only things ill be able to transfer im a year or 2 like bumpers and what not. Thanks for the help everyone