It’s already been fixed once,and they painted the black strip.mine was into the floor,I cut it out and welded new metal,undercoat it and installed some rock sliders.dunzo
Small body rust, can I fix it myself?
- Thread starter Meli
- Start date
It’s already been fixed once,and they painted the black strip.mine was into the floor,I cut it out and welded new metal,undercoat it and installed some rock sliders.dunzo
I can see what looks like could be bondo from a previous "repair". I'm about to cut a piece of my rocker panel off as well. I'm gonna cover it up with some plastic rocker covers. Grinding it down like the ChrisFix method, in my opinion, just isn't enough if you want it to really last more than a few years. The ChrisFix video is great for rust belt states with bumper to bumper inspections and you're short on cash, but slapping bondo onto pitted and corroded steel without cutting and welding just isn't worth the effort IMHO.
I heard rocker armor that bolts into the body mounts are pretty meh. Rubicon rocker armor maybe?
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I'm all for learning how to do things, but that's likely for the best here. Keep in mind, this is not an area to bargain-basement shop. If I was you, I'd get a couple estimates from different shops, including a Jeep dealer. Be ready for a little sticker shock. Not knowing your local rates, I'd guess that repair to cost $1-2K from a good shop. Avoid "bondo Billy" at all cost. If someone tells you they can fix that for $500 or anything near it, run, run fast because they will fuck your Jeep up, and it will cost you $5,000 to fix what they did.
OP
This is good information to know, thank you! I was hoping for a little less, maybe 800 but now I know I need to manage my expectations. Especially in Nashville, where everything costs an arm and a leg.
Something else you could try...
You can get cheap little chinese mig welders off of amazon for 200, give or take, that run off 110v. They're not for professional or industrial welding by any means, but theyre great for little projects.
Cut a square larger than the rusted out area and cut some sheet steel that fits in place. Then just weld it in place (pretty much have to zap zap zap otherwise it'll burn right through the metal). Flux core wire is probably your best bet because it's a little cheaper than getting a gas tank and supplies. Once done, just grind it nice and flat, and if youre really worried about looks, bondo it perfectly flat.
You can get little cans of touch up paint and primer for a decent price at some stores that are colour matched. I personally use dupli-colour.
Look up videos on painting and welding in patches and what not and practice a couple welds before working on the jeep. If you do it right, you should be able to keep it under 800$ pretty easily and you'd have a little welder you can use as a bonus.
That’s the route I’m taking! What’s the point of a Jeep if not to justify acquiring new tools and skills?! 
OP
@Meli You have plenty of body shops in and around Nashville. Pick out a handful on google with good reviews and go ask for a repair estimate. Don't be afraid to ask questions, especially about how they will deal with the rust. I suggest avoiding "collision centers" as they tend to be production oriented and will pump out sub quality work, not all, but in general. If this is a Jeep that will 100% be staying around long term, check in with a "restoration" shop, but those can be hard to shake out if you don't know what to look for.
If you want to go down to Franklin, Kiwi Classic & Customs is a shop on the 'tube that appears to do good rust repair. Check out some of his stuff if you want to see what happens with rust and how it is repaired.
https://www.kiwiclassicsandcustoms.com/
If you want to go down to Franklin, Kiwi Classic & Customs is a shop on the 'tube that appears to do good rust repair. Check out some of his stuff if you want to see what happens with rust and how it is repaired.
https://www.kiwiclassicsandcustoms.com/
OP
Thanks! This is super helpful! I plan to keep it for a long while so I want to take care of it.