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what is the best way to repair my wheel well / floor rust
i'd like to get your opinion on this repair i'm about to do. the area over my leaf spring hanger bracket under the rear seats is rusting out. i'm pretty sure i can save it by cutting all the rust out and welding some new sheet metal, but i'm not sure if I should look into aftermarket floor pans or save some money and do it on my own.
here's the worst of it. the floor pan above the bracket is gone and it's rusting along the seam where the wheel well and floor pan meets.
suggestions appreciated thanks! below are a pic of the current damage and another one of the floor pan i'm thinking might work (but i'd need only a 1/3 of, maybe even less...)
The right way to do it is buying complete replacement panels, drilling out all the spot welds, cleaning up the seam sealer/body panel adhesive. Then use weld through primer, panel adhesive and spot weld the new panels back in then seam seal.
Its a lot of work, but thats your best bet. I know a lot of people will make their own sheet metal which is also an option, just be very careful when it comes to structural components like your leaf spring hangers.
The right way to do it is buying complete replacement panels, drilling out all the spot welds, cleaning up the seam sealer/body panel adhesive. Then use weld through primer, panel adhesive and spot weld the new panels back in then seam seal.
Its a lot of work, but thats your best bet. I know a lot of people will make their own sheet metal which is also an option, just be very careful when it comes to structural components like your leaf spring hangers.
i was thinking that at first, but the hanger itself is solid. the issue is the floor pan that is over it and which is not structual. replaced the leafs last summer and so i had plenty of time to look around and assess the situation. the floor is rotting but the bracket is fine.
by looking at floor pans, it looks like the only part that might be useful is the whole cargo floor, which includes the areas i need. at this point wouldn't it be cheaper to do it myself with 16ga sheet metal and bend it myself?
Ah, good to know about your hangers. As long as you aren't worried about any structural components, you should be able to get away with fabbing up your own sheet metal "patches". Would definitely be more cost effective.
The only issue I see is where your seatbelt mount is. Make sure that area is properly reinforced when you do the replacement, for safety reasons of course.
The majority of the time once you start stripping paint and getting into rust repair, the cancerous area transfers on a lot further than it looks initially. I think you're on the right track.
about the seat belt mounting bolt, i already "deleted" the rear seats and don't think of going back. i'm already considered "that friend" that only has 1 seat, and even if i decided to add the rear seat, with my WJ seat now nobody can sit behind me because it's so thick, there's no more leg room.
if it's in the way i'll probably cut it. impact cannot go further than a 1/4 turn and i tried using a breaker bar but it started stripping the torx head.
i'm expecting a little more rust when i start grinding, but i think i have a pretty good idea of what's going to happen. i'll try to think of posting about it here
Another option is to find a part out or JY donor, cut out what you need, and use that...no need to buy a full panel like that for a small area. The bonus is no bending or shaping to do, there's some tight contours in there. Just cut your donor panel larger than you need and overlap where you can, weld where you can't. Just a thought.
problem is, most junkyards that i go to don't allow tools that produce sparks, i'd take my chances and smuggle it in but my angle grinder is powered by air, not battery
they rent a sawzall, but i don't see how i can use it to cut floor, that is if the jeeps there are not more rusted than mine already.
i was thinking that at first, but the hanger itself is solid. the issue is the floor pan that is over it and which is not structual. replaced the leafs last summer and so i had plenty of time to look around and assess the situation. the floor is rotting but the bracket is fine.
by looking at floor pans, it looks like the only part that might be useful is the whole cargo floor, which includes the areas i need. at this point wouldn't it be cheaper to do it myself with 16ga sheet metal and bend it myself?
4-500$ for this...
What supplier is offering that floor pan? I didn't think they were available (for a 2 dr. anyway). Thanks.
Seriously though. I had the same problem with some minor holes on the bottom. I took a wire wheel and got all the rust out and cleaned it up. Layed down JB Weld until it filled the holes and was flush with the floor pan and sanded it down to 180 Grit. A welder was unavailable to me to replace the entire pan like i probably should have. Best of luck.
Seriously though. I had the same problem with some minor holes on the bottom. I took a wire wheel and got all the rust out and cleaned it up. Layed down JB Weld until it filled the holes and was flush with the floor pan and sanded it down to 180 Grit. A welder was unavailable to me to replace the entire pan like i probably should have. Best of luck.
Yes perfectly fine for some small holes. But looking at the picture, it looks like it's a decent sized area. You would need a couple tubes of jb weld it seems hahah. Better to fix it and make it a little more sturdy.
01-16-2017, 12:20 PM
what is the best way to repair my wheel well / floor rust
