skasner

Hi all. I'm seeking your advice regarding how to deal with a rust/rot issue I found while prepping to install a class III hitch on my 2000 XJ Sport. My reasons for wanting the hitch are for a tow-out point, a bike rack, and maybe to tow a jet ski or a small ski boat.



Since I don't have a factory hitch or a gas tank skid plate I needed a nutstrip for the driver side rail. I purchased a nice set from JCR Offroad and proceeded to remove my factory bumper which had seen its fair share of hardships during its life. After MUCH pain and suffering (bolts/nuts were severely corroded) the bumper and its mounting brackets were removed to reveal the unibody openings and install new nutstrips. While cleaning the hole in the unibody I discovered a rust area between it and the rear of the body where the bumper mounts.







It looks like the driver side has already been patched before. I think it may have been done years ago the first time I had my rear leaf springs replaced at a local franchise shop that does mufflers/suspension/brakes that starts with an M. (I don't wanna mention store name just in case that breaks any rules.)





My Jeep has been to many shops over the years and nobody has ever said a word about this to me. They always talk about the great condition it is in (for the NE Ohio rust-belt) so maybe I don't need to panic about this?

What sort of shop would be best suited to reinforce this without charging me a fortune? I am also interested in having the rear quarter panels cut-and-folded/patched since those are rusting out where the plastic bumper caps catch road salt and debris.

I live in Ohio where all XJ's eventually die of cancer so I need to be realistic when it comes to repairing rust. I've got a good chunk of time and money invested in upgrading and maintaining my Jeep so I'd like have it for a few more years of fun. It is not my primary vehicle, but it is special to me and I like that it is a bit rough so I don't have to feel bad when I use it for mild trails, kayak/bike hauling, camping, and winter driving.

Thank you for any advice you have to give.

-Sam

Rogue4x4

I weld/fab for a living. I'll do my best to be gentle.

SHE'S DONE




It has been patched on one side already. The point at where it's patched, and the point of where the other rot is, is extremely important to structural integrity. Can you patch it? Probably, but it isn't gonna be easy, and in other words, NOT cheap.

The other thing to remember is, with rust, it isn't what you see...it's what you DON'T see. If it looks that bad there, think about the areas not visible.

If you're looking at keeping it low cost, remember this: YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

My suggestion is to find another rust free shell and transfer over the parts you have already invested in. My other advice is DO NOT TRY TO PUT A HITCH ON OR TOW ANYTHING WITH IT LIKE THIS.

Or, learn to weld/fabricate, and keep it as a project vehicle.

Just my .02

93XJeeper

Not a whole lot you can do, you can't really weld to rust. If you put a hitch on it, there's no telling how strong it will be considered what it will be mounted to, if it were me, I would ignore that little rust spot, put the hitch on, but only use it for OffRoad such as a recovery point. I don't think it's rusted out to the point in which the jeep is scrap. Then again, how does the rest of the uniframe look? Poke around with a screw driver, if it looks like this everywhere, then don't bother. Also kept in mind, like the other guy said, with rust, it's not what you can see, it's what you can't see.

andrewmp6

Take a screwdriver or body hammer with the pointed end and poke at your frame rails.Even tho it can look ok it could be paper thin and punch throught.

skasner

That was the gentle version? I'm not so sure I should listen to a Californian's advice about rust. j/k

I live in an apartment with a small garage that I can barely fit my Jeep half-way into, so I would basically have to pay a shop to do all of this proposed labor.

I have the following upgrades...

* Rough Country 3.5" Lift w/ Full Leafs
* Rough Country adjustable trackbar / panhard bar
* Rough Country fixed-length LCA's
* Rough Country dual steering stabilizer
* Rough County extended brake lines
* Superlift transfer-case drop kit
* JKS Quicker Disconnects
* Brown Dog motor mounts
* CSF 3-row radiator
* Black Rock Dune 15x7 wheels
* Mastercraft Courser MT 31x10.5 tires
* Optima yellow top battery
* Truck Lite LED headlamps
* Quadratec floor/cargo liners
* LED interior lighting
* Yakima Sweetroll kayak rack

I have also recently had the following work done:

* replaced ball-joints (Spicer/Dana)
* replaced u-joints (Spider/Dana HD)
* replaced transmission mount
* serviced transmission
* replaced bad power steering line
* replaced alternator
* replaced front brake calipers
* replaced headliner
* full alignment

So yeah... I've dumped a good chuck of cash into this thing over the past couple of years turning it into a toy and using it as a winter DD.

Do you mean use the hitch only for offroad, or keep the entire vehicle off the road? I could live with the limitation of not being able to tow a trailer but I do want to be able to daily-drive it during the winter when I keep my car (the GTI next to the XJ in my first photo) in the garage away from road salt and pot holes.

I already have the hitch, wiring kit, and nutstrips/hardware so I might as well use it. It would be quite a pain to return the hitch and nutstrips and it would be nice to have a decent recovery point for pull-outs since I clearly don't want to pull on that bumper mount area. What about a bicycle rack with 1 or 2 bikes?

Next time I have time to check it out I'll get rough with a hammer/punch and see if I can find any holes further down along the rail that aren't supposed to exist. Visually they look OK except on the rear ends where all the winter road grime tends to splash and collect.

Rogue4x4

LOL...I see plenty of rust at work, as I repair garbage trucks...most other vehicles out here are rust free, though, haha!

After your post, my advice is do the hammer/punch and find any other areas of concern. I still stand firm on the hitch, I would not use it to tow at all...or use it for recovery. Bike rack? Maybe okay, just don't put any kind of load on it.

Other than that, drive it 'til it drops, and then get another donor, or different jeep.

Rogue4x4

On a side note, get one of these:



Makes short work of rust and scale, beats using a hammer and chisel for sure.

Jeepin'_Aint_EZ

Wow, thats a lot of rust my friend. I'm sure there's some more that you're not seeing too. I wouldn't even bother putting a hitch on to be honest. The only cheap way I see out of this is to try cleaning everything as best as possible and coating it to prevent further cancer. Other than that, i'd be searching for a donor vehicle to swap parts over to.