Today got off to a fairly good start.
Here is what I started with on the passenger side.
After the rust neutralizer that EcoMike recommended (Loctite).
Mid paint, I had some exact match Duplicolor.
And done, there was no rust under the sound mat (I checked), so I left it.
Then things went sideways from there. My new heater core did not fit. The one of the tubes was brazed about 1/4" further out so the core bottomed out in the box and both tubes are also no bent enough, so they did not fit in the channel.
Stock
New
The tubes were the correct length but no where near the right angle. I am going to break down and get the Mopar one.
I was almost just going to slap the old core back in there and call it good but then we pulled out the driver seat and carpet. Stuff like this just drives me nuts. This is a Colorado Jeep and the underside is solid and not rusty. This is from someone dunking the Jeep or spilling a lot of water and just letting it set for years.
So needless to say I need a patch panel for that side, you can see the driveway through the floor. This is how we left it for the day. Trent is headed to Moab for the week so it will be a few weeks before anything happens on this.
P.S. Dutch, now I'm really jealous of your new rig.