br1anstorm
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- United Kingdom
My XJ 4.0 is 25 years old. The engine runs well. But the body is beginning to show its age. Not for the first time, I have been attacking the rust problem.
This time it's the rear loadspace floor panel (again). Five years ago I had to re-do the edges, where the floor meets the rear wheel arches, and the spaces below the rear seat cushion - where the jack is stored - where the floor had rotted because rust had crept in at the welded seams.
The warning sign was a damp carpet in the rear loadspace. Or to be more specific, the underlay which is bonded to the rubberised carpet-backing was pretty wet. That stuff is like a sponge!
So I stripped it all out. Most of the floorpan was sound, with only surface rust-stains. The challenge was to find out how the underlay had got wet. To cut a long story short, there were two - possibly three - sources of incoming water. I'm posting this thread to encourage other XJ owners to check their vehicles....
First (and most serious) there were rust-holes in the panel - it's actually a box-section - that runs across the bottom of the hatch-opening. This is concealed by the plastic trim-strip (which I had never previously bothered to remove as you have to unbolt the catch-fitting too). Under that plastic trim were two rust-holes, one by the catch, the other partway along the opening. The reason is that road-spray gets in through the small gaps in the seams that join the panels together to make a very shallow box-section. I cut away the rust, sanded and treated the metal, and patched the holes with JBWeld.
The other similar vulnerable point is where the metal support for the spare wheel is anchored to the floor (beside the fuel-filler pipe). Why Jeep used self-tapping screws there is incomprehensible, because the holes they make are an obvious point for rust-attack. Same treatment required.
The third - possible - source of moisture in my Jeep was I think from the rubber seal around the hatch opening, which was not watertight. I replaced it with a newer sealing strip from a scrapped vehicle.
After the repairs and priming/repainting, I decided not to reinstate the original carpet and underlay. Instead I used some rubber cell matting (I think it is normally used as flooring in horseboxes!) on the metal floor, and then cut a piece of 'artificial grass' carpet-type material to put on top. The rubber mat won't absorb any moisture - and it keeps the carpet-type material off the metal floor.
I'm hoping that will keep the load area dry and the floor-pan rust free for a few more years. As always, catching the rust before it spreads is crucial.
I have posted up a series of photos here for anyone who is interested. Happy to answer any questions from others facing a similar problem....
This time it's the rear loadspace floor panel (again). Five years ago I had to re-do the edges, where the floor meets the rear wheel arches, and the spaces below the rear seat cushion - where the jack is stored - where the floor had rotted because rust had crept in at the welded seams.
The warning sign was a damp carpet in the rear loadspace. Or to be more specific, the underlay which is bonded to the rubberised carpet-backing was pretty wet. That stuff is like a sponge!
So I stripped it all out. Most of the floorpan was sound, with only surface rust-stains. The challenge was to find out how the underlay had got wet. To cut a long story short, there were two - possibly three - sources of incoming water. I'm posting this thread to encourage other XJ owners to check their vehicles....
First (and most serious) there were rust-holes in the panel - it's actually a box-section - that runs across the bottom of the hatch-opening. This is concealed by the plastic trim-strip (which I had never previously bothered to remove as you have to unbolt the catch-fitting too). Under that plastic trim were two rust-holes, one by the catch, the other partway along the opening. The reason is that road-spray gets in through the small gaps in the seams that join the panels together to make a very shallow box-section. I cut away the rust, sanded and treated the metal, and patched the holes with JBWeld.
The other similar vulnerable point is where the metal support for the spare wheel is anchored to the floor (beside the fuel-filler pipe). Why Jeep used self-tapping screws there is incomprehensible, because the holes they make are an obvious point for rust-attack. Same treatment required.
The third - possible - source of moisture in my Jeep was I think from the rubber seal around the hatch opening, which was not watertight. I replaced it with a newer sealing strip from a scrapped vehicle.
After the repairs and priming/repainting, I decided not to reinstate the original carpet and underlay. Instead I used some rubber cell matting (I think it is normally used as flooring in horseboxes!) on the metal floor, and then cut a piece of 'artificial grass' carpet-type material to put on top. The rubber mat won't absorb any moisture - and it keeps the carpet-type material off the metal floor.
I'm hoping that will keep the load area dry and the floor-pan rust free for a few more years. As always, catching the rust before it spreads is crucial.
I have posted up a series of photos here for anyone who is interested. Happy to answer any questions from others facing a similar problem....
