'98 Sahara build: "Staying the Course"

A big "Thank you" to @Alex01 for the OEM body bolts he sent me. They arrived today, and the condition of them is so much better than what I removed from my project. Very nice! (y)
Glad they made it. They will be much more useful on your jeep than in my extra bolts box.
 
First time in a month that I've been able to get out to the garage. Been called into work two weekends in a row, then had a hand injury that left my hand immobile last weekend. Wife sustained a back injury (bad fall), and I thought I would be tending to her needs all weekend. However, she kicked me out to the garage, and had our daughter come help her out, instead. Good woman!
So, I got to spend about six hours out in the garage today. After cleaning up the tranny fluid that the Fordomatic behind my 292 Y-block decided to puke all over the floor, I got the body separated from the frame, following tips from @Mike_H and @mrblaine. What I found was not what I was hoping for, by any means. The torque boxes are rusted out at the middle and rear body mount locations. Well, at least that's what I found on the passenger side, and that was supposedly the good side. It's not as bad as it could be, as the rustbelt boys will likely attest to, but I'm sure the Southwest folks would be aghast at what I found. I'll let the pictures tell the story (pictures are of after I cleaned up the area a bit...).

Passenger rear:
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Passenger middle pic doesn't seem to want to load, but you get the idea. It's not pretty...
 
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Even though you found rust you didn't expect, I'm glad you were able to get some garage time with your Jeep.
Thanks, LR. My wife asked me why I wasn't upset with the latest discovery, and I told her that it was garage time. There's no such thing as a bad garage day. Setbacks just come with the territory. ;)

Now I need to decide if I want to just look at doing a Safe-T-Cap repair over the damaged area of the torque box, or actually consider replacing both torque boxes completely. The latter would be a lot more work, what with all the spot welds needing to be drilled out, and such. Plus, the front of the torque boxes appear to be in good shape at initial glance, though I would definitely need to confirm that. Anyway, it's becoming something of a journey of discovery with this thing. As disappointed as I guess I should be about the rust, I'm still so grateful that the frame seems to be solid. (y)
 
I'm glad you got to work on it. Hopefully we will see more photos of the progress sooner rather than later.
 
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Thanks, LR. My wife asked me why I wasn't upset with the latest discovery, and I told her that it was garage time. There's no such thing as a bad garage day. Setbacks just come with the territory. ;)

Now I need to decide if I want to just look at doing a Safe-T-Cap repair over the damaged area of the torque box, or actually consider replacing both torque boxes completely. The latter would be a lot more work, what with all the spot welds needing to be drilled out, and such. Plus, the front of the torque boxes appear to be in good shape at initial glance, though I would definitely need to confirm that. Anyway, it's becoming something of a journey of discovery with this thing. As disappointed as I guess I should be about the rust, I'm still so grateful that the frame seems to be solid. (y)

That’s pretty daunting at first glance, but as you said “It's not as bad as it could be”: Seems the Safety Caps are much simpler, what’s the downside to them?
 
That’s pretty daunting at first glance, but as you said “It's not as bad as it could be”: Seems the Safety Caps are much simpler, what’s the downside to them?
For the torque boxes, I'm not too sure there would be a downside to using 'em, as long as the prep was done properly. I wouldn't want to have to use them on a frame, but I'm thinking they might be acceptable for my needs on the torque boxes. I can cut out the rotted area easily enough, and treat the innards afterward. Still haven't made up my mind just yet on which direction I'll be going. Need to see the extent of the damage on the driver's side, first.
 
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For the torque boxes, I'm not too sure there would be a downside to using 'em, as long as the prep was done properly. I wouldn't want to have to use them on a frame, but I'm thinking they might be acceptable for my needs on the torque boxes. I can cut out the rotted area easily enough, and treat the innards afterward. Still haven't made up my mind just yet on which direction I'll be going. Need to see the extent of the damage on the driver's side, first.
For me it would be an easy decision, which ever method involves the least amount of overhead welding. I have enough scars already!:D
 
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On another note sorry to hear about your wife’s back injury, hope she has a speedy recovery, as well as you with your hand. We have to be careful as we get older. I finally came up with a good reason to have a stinger on my front bumper, It’s to pull myself up from and lower myself down on to my creeper. At least that’s what I use it for lately. :D
 
Precisely. I bought a brand new Millermatic 211 that I've yet to have a chance to use. I bought it when I realized that most of my project vehicles will involve some form of rust repair, and I'm too cheap to take 'em to a shop. ;)

I have a MillerMatic 190 that I really like, isn't the Miller 211 dual voltage?
 
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I have a MillerMatic 190 that I really like, isn't the Miller 211 dual voltage?
It is. There are over twenty Central Welding Supply stores in Washington state, and one in Portland, Oregon. No sales tax in Oregon, so while I was in that area visiting my eldest son, I picked one up. Saved some coin that way. (y)
 
Ah man, sorry to hear about the injuries, and the unexpected rust issues. ☹
Thanks, man. The wife is doing better today. She's been following the doctor's orders as far as heating the area, relaxing with legs elevated, and pain pills, as needed. My hand has mostly recovered, save for what appears to be nerve damage that affects feeling in my middle finger. It's numb, and yet there's a pretty terrible burning sensation in the skin, if that makes any sense. Also, what I can only describe as explosions of pain that shoot from that finger through the palm of my hand, almost in a straight line. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, perhaps? I'm not one to go to the doctor for anything less than a severe infection, so I'll give this a few weeks to see if it passes. I'm unwilling to give up my summer for having some kind of hand surgery, if it comes to that. Maybe this winter...maybe. ;)