I realize this has been done 1,000 times... so here's 1,001.

From a distance the rockers and lower doors didn't look too bad but up close they were a little sketchy. In particular, the rubber pieces had been reglued several times and some were coming off again.


And then came the rust removal. It was mostly in the floorboards as documented here, but once I was through with the passenger rear quarter panel here is what it looked like.




So here it is after after my sad attempt at body work. Thankfully most of the boogered up part will be behind the fender flare.


I used Rustoleum "Professional Grade" Truck Bed Coating (not sure what makes it professional grade...). It was however a few bucks more than the regular grade coating so I knew it must be better... It was very easy to apply. I shook the can for days (not literally) to make sure it was well mixed. I applied three light to medium coats, and I removed the spray nozzle and soaked it in paint thinner in between coats.



I also added a 1/4 inch black pinstripe at the top edge to hide my less than perfect paint lines.






Rust issues aside, painting the lowers was a pretty satisfying and inexpensive project (under $50 for the whole car including paint, tape, sand paper, pinstripe) I am not sure about the durability or longevity of the paint; I hope someone will chime in with firsthand experience. Regardless if it goes get scraped up it should be easy and cheap to repair...

 

That pin stripe really cleans up the lines. Big time. The black looks awesome.

Red could have been cool, too, mimicking the plastic molding.

 

Looks great. I just did that to my 99 last month but the rust is showing back though the black now. I sanded it clean and primed the metal so i am not sure why it is coming back.

 

I think you are right; red would have been a nice accent. Darn it; where were you when I needed you?

Last month and rust is coming thru? That sucks. There must have been some rust hiding in there somewhere. I am still working on my driver side rocker panel. I thought I had gotten all the rust and then found one more soft spot. I think I am going to buy a couple cans of this and treat the inside of that rocker panel and the inside of my frame rails; I hate rust...

 

I finally got the driver side done and put the fender flares back on. I did end up buying a couple cans of the internal frame coating and using it to spray the inside of the rocker panel before sealing it up. Here are a few pics of the finished product:

 

Really good job, soooo much better than the original trim!

 

Nicely done. That looks clean and ready to run. What's next?

 

Thanks guys. Suspension/steering and tires are the immediate needs. I put a 2in Rubicon Express lift on it and I am in the process of replacing ALL bushings, ball joints, tie rods, etc.

I also have a 73K mile motor on a stand and a transmission torn down for rebuild.

All this so i can hand it over to my 18yo son... I want to keep it.

 

Turned out good! Plus I'm a sucker for those "snowflake" wheels. Good looking Jeep!

You could just get rid of the lower rear quarters and do a cut and fold! Personally it's what I would do if mine was rusted like that.

KEEP IT!!! Make your son buy and build his own! HAHAHA!

 

rockers rust from the inside out. sad to say but expect a hole shortly when trying to remove the rust again. I used a wire wheel very gently to remove the paint and when I arrive to a quarter inch wide/tall rust spot it simply went through the metal and left me with a hole when I grinded it.

i think it happens to virtually all cherokees, no matter where you are. as soon as rust start from the inside, there is no way to clean it or prep it for rust, it's only a matter of time before it hits. luckily on cherokees it's really easy to fix, get some metal tubing and it takes a weekend to repair.