First off I have a 2003 ruby, I bought it with rust and now I'm ready to attempt to fix it. I have a buddy that is currently in school for welding, and his instructor said I could bring my jeep in and he could weld in new floor panels for extra credit. neither of us have any experience with working on vehicles. So here is my question how would you guys go about doing this? I'm or ordering new floor panels through quadratec. How would you guys cut out the old floor would you sand it down first basically looking to you guys for instruction. I apologize for my cluelessness. Any comments/ suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Here is what the floors look like currently.i only plan on replacing driver and passenger side floor panels
Rusty floor boards
- Thread starter MattMayTJ
- Start date
Catoctin Jeep
Official Vendor
First question is. Is it rusted all the way through, or is just on the surface? If its not all the way through you can remove the rust down to clean metal and use a product like POR-15 to seal it.
I'm no body man, but I have done several pannels on my CJ. If I leave anything out I hope others will chime in. Take the seats out (all of 'em) so you don't burn holes in 'em. Also cover the windshield and any other glass with something to keep the sparks off of it, (nope cardboard won't work) I have big pieces of leather I use. Lay the new pan in the floorboard, take a sharpie and draw a line around the edge. You will want to cut below this line, you can always take a bit more off with a grinder. If you cut too much out, it will look pretty crappy when you have to add a strip. Look under the pannel to see what you may run into while cutting and plan for it. If you don't have a plasma cutter cut the old pan out with a sawzall and or a metal cutting disk (AKA a zizz wheel) on a grinder. If you do have a plasma, you'll want to clean it up the best you can where your going to cut with a grinder, they don't like rusty or painted metal. If you used a grinder with a zizz wheel be carefull, they'll remove fingers as well as metal. After you have it cut out, keep test fitting and doctoring the cut area utill it fits perfect. A perfect fit would NOT be butted up all the way around, just enough gap that can be joined with the welder. If you butt it all the way around it will swell and won't be right. Have a piece of brass handy, if you have a large gap you can lay the brass in behind the weld to fill in the gap. The weld will be just a constant series of tacks working your way around it. If you try to weld too much, the heat will distort the pannels. Just keep going from corner to corner allowing time to cool every now and then. Gas/mig combo will be the ticket, keep the heat low. Do not try to do this with flux core wire, as it will rust out soon after.
I'm sure I left out some stuff, it's hard to go step by step right off the top of your head. I know I left out taking the top off, It'll be quite a bit better to do with it off. Also they make these small pannel gap clips most people use on quarter pannels that may make it easier. I just recently bought a set but haven't tried them, people tell me they're the shizzle. May want to check 'em out. Also, if the pan don't fit the floor really good when you drop it in to draw the line that means there will be alot of added work. If it ain't even close send it back and get anthor brand.
greg92jeepxj
Official Supporter
Pardon my intrusion , didn't want to just start posting especially when flatle46 has given some excellent tips to get the job done , definately look for those clips he spoke of , Eastwood should have them . They hold the panels together like a third hand and at the right space perfect for a butt weld , the preferred body panel weld . That's the fastest. Just wanted to say that's a sweet jeep and it deserves to be repaired the best you can , I agree . Everyone has their favorite method to get rusty nuts and bolts out , but its no ones favorite job . It's time consuming as it is a schedule breaker. It sets you back . Takes a minute or less to unscrew a nut or bolt but longer to much longer to get a resty or frozen one off. Well , get on a good pair of eye protection and a dust mask too and on a grinder , you can mount a wire wheel and start cleaning the rust. You can use a wire wheel mounted on a drill too but the grinder just works harder and faster. Now soak it with your favorite penetrating oil and give it PLENTY of time to soak in. Multiple applications will be necessary by the look of things in your photos ! Those bolts most likely penetrate the floor on a captured nut ( welded in place ) so you may try to squirt the thread from below too . If you got impact sockets , put one on it and rap,it with a ball peen hammer to shock it. Now try to turn it with a ratchet but use restraint as you can snap it if you don't strip it. Try to work it back and forth , tighten and loosen , but not too much force. Develop a feel for the bolt. You can tell if it is twisting and will sheer off. It will suddenly get too easy and fool you by thinking its loose. If you do snap it or there is no hope because its too corroded and frozen , the head will snap and a stud will be left. You can continue to try to lube it with penetrating oil and if there is enough stud left to double nut it ( one nut tightened against the other ) and work it off with the lower nut.
If too short , cut it flush and center punch it and prepare to drill a hole for an e-z out . There are studs extractors that grab a stud like a drill bit and spin them out , but you got to use judgement to decide what will work versus what you got on hand. Since you got plenty of time before the day you jump all over this job , spray the bolts often and maybe enough rust will dissolve and give up the fight and you will win ! I got a fitting off an intake manifold on a 4.3 v6 Chevy s-10 for the heater core hose and we sprayed it almost every day for days or weeks until we got to the job as other things were to be done too , like a timing chain and water pump . They are notorious for snapping and must be extracted but we gave it time with plenty of lube and the fitting came out like butter ! Those bolts are rusty but not too scary looking looking . Clean them well and soak them good , I think with a little patience , you'll get them out. If you manage to break one or two , we'll probably all give our favorite method of broken and frozen bolt/nut removal recipes like attaching jumper cables to both sides of the bolt for a second to get it hot and then quickly attemp to unthread it . Don't do this though , that's an act of desperation . A torch works well but were trying to get the bolts out without burning the paint or light the jeep up ! Don't do that either ! Just start soaking them and you got a very good chance of clean removal but patience will prevail . If you rush it , just more work for you . Try your hardest to SAFELY get them out CAREFULLY and "feel " if the bolt is turning or not . It's how we all learn. Like I said , we could start a whole thread on our favorite methods ( I could , lol ) but give it a shot and let us know how it works out . Best of luck to ya ! Greg
oh yeah , as previously mentioned , if the rust cleans up well , POR 15 is a great idea if it works out that way . But one section of floor pan has got me guessing .
Might have to cut . The die grinder/ wire wheel will tell , wear good gloves too !
if e-z outs aren't your thing , you can progressively dril from smallest to biggest drill bit to just under the stud size and retap the thread afterwards . Like I said there's many ways to deal with rusty nuts and bolts !
If too short , cut it flush and center punch it and prepare to drill a hole for an e-z out . There are studs extractors that grab a stud like a drill bit and spin them out , but you got to use judgement to decide what will work versus what you got on hand. Since you got plenty of time before the day you jump all over this job , spray the bolts often and maybe enough rust will dissolve and give up the fight and you will win ! I got a fitting off an intake manifold on a 4.3 v6 Chevy s-10 for the heater core hose and we sprayed it almost every day for days or weeks until we got to the job as other things were to be done too , like a timing chain and water pump . They are notorious for snapping and must be extracted but we gave it time with plenty of lube and the fitting came out like butter ! Those bolts are rusty but not too scary looking looking . Clean them well and soak them good , I think with a little patience , you'll get them out. If you manage to break one or two , we'll probably all give our favorite method of broken and frozen bolt/nut removal recipes like attaching jumper cables to both sides of the bolt for a second to get it hot and then quickly attemp to unthread it . Don't do this though , that's an act of desperation . A torch works well but were trying to get the bolts out without burning the paint or light the jeep up ! Don't do that either ! Just start soaking them and you got a very good chance of clean removal but patience will prevail . If you rush it , just more work for you . Try your hardest to SAFELY get them out CAREFULLY and "feel " if the bolt is turning or not . It's how we all learn. Like I said , we could start a whole thread on our favorite methods ( I could , lol ) but give it a shot and let us know how it works out . Best of luck to ya ! Greg
oh yeah , as previously mentioned , if the rust cleans up well , POR 15 is a great idea if it works out that way . But one section of floor pan has got me guessing .
Might have to cut . The die grinder/ wire wheel will tell , wear good gloves too !
if e-z outs aren't your thing , you can progressively dril from smallest to biggest drill bit to just under the stud size and retap the thread afterwards . Like I said there's many ways to deal with rusty nuts and bolts !
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richgilbert81
New member
Stuck/rusted bolt removal. I'm a big fan of pbr for a few weeks. Then if need be heat with torch and throw cold water on it- then heat again and try removing it. All bolts on my seat broke off on me. I just drilled them out after and used longer bolts right through the old nut you drilled out and then nuts on the bottom of the bolts. Only down fall is the wife had to come hold the tops for me so I could tighten them back up. Can't be on top of jeep and under all at once!! Good luck. And follow there awesome advice on the floor boards and you will be in good shape. I have done all floors in mine, body mounts, rockers, and built front tube fenders. And I knew nothing about auto body when I started
quadretac had the best panels I have ever used on a jeep...
quadretac had the best panels I have ever used on a jeep...
greg92jeepxj
Official Supporter
Stuck/rusted bolt removal. I'm a big fan of pbr for a few weeks. Then if need be heat with torch and throw cold water on it- then heat again and try removing it. All bolts on my seat broke off on me. I just drilled them out after and used longer bolts right through the old nut you drilled out and then nuts on the bottom of the bolts. Only down fall is the wife had to come hold the tops for me so I could tighten them back up. Can't be on top of jeep and under all at once!! Good luck. And follow there awesome advice on the floor boards and you will be in good shape. I have done all floors in mine, body mounts, rockers, and built front tube fenders. And I knew nothing about auto body when I started
OPPS ! Forgot to mention the torch and cold water trick to 'em which works like a charm if he's not shy with a torch around the paint . Thanks . Torches are not just for exhaust manifolds anymore ! Lol. POR 15 rocks , used it on someone's car but did not do my jeep yet as I want to get into my rockers first before that . Time and money , the enemy. Yeah , QUADRATECH panels look like a great deal and I believe their quality will definately be superior for fit and gauge strength . Price too ! Thanks ! Greg
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greg92jeepxj
Official Supporter
Well , Theres always more but I think we should follow your progress and help out where you may have a question or two but let us know where you plan to begin with any step you may question before you start if you feel unsure and want to ask first. That's always safe. But once your seats are out ( all of them as suggested) you will work more comfortably and figure out better what stays and what goes. Best of luck and safety first . Greg
Like Greg said, there's alota different ways of tackling that bolt. If it were me, I'd do like he said and wire brush it really well, then start the soaking process, ( I love a product called Aerokroil).
If you could get to the nut side and heat it to expand the nut it would help but I don't think you can. If you just heated the bolt good and hot then let it cool all the way down it would probably help it alot. If you do this, be sure to wait till it's cold befor trying to turn it. Because like I said, your heating the bolt and expanding it in the nut, it would be less likely to turn while hot.
If the head pops off, pull the seat and get a nut that will fit over whats left and weld it to the broken bolt. Let it cool all the way down then try to remove it again.
If you could get to the nut side and heat it to expand the nut it would help but I don't think you can. If you just heated the bolt good and hot then let it cool all the way down it would probably help it alot. If you do this, be sure to wait till it's cold befor trying to turn it. Because like I said, your heating the bolt and expanding it in the nut, it would be less likely to turn while hot.
If the head pops off, pull the seat and get a nut that will fit over whats left and weld it to the broken bolt. Let it cool all the way down then try to remove it again.
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For surface rust, bead blast it to remove the rust, or scrape the loose stuff and cover with one of the rust conversion products. Then paint with a good coat of primer and paint.
Where it has rusted through, panel replacement is the way to go. Cutting and fitting a replacement panel is tricky, but its a Jeep, so give it a try. Most mistakes can be fixed with a little welding and a piece of sheet metal. And messy welding can be covered with a floor mat.
Look for fuel lines and wires before you start the cutting wheel or plasma cutter. Tack new panel in place with tacks spread apart and allow them to cool. Then slowly weld in between the tacks. Slower the better to avoid warped panels.
Where it has rusted through, panel replacement is the way to go. Cutting and fitting a replacement panel is tricky, but its a Jeep, so give it a try. Most mistakes can be fixed with a little welding and a piece of sheet metal. And messy welding can be covered with a floor mat.
Look for fuel lines and wires before you start the cutting wheel or plasma cutter. Tack new panel in place with tacks spread apart and allow them to cool. Then slowly weld in between the tacks. Slower the better to avoid warped panels.
greg92jeepxj
Official Supporter
Aerokroil ! That stuff is the bomb ! If there is any prayer of getting an exhaust manifold threaded stud out , that will do it . It penetrates so well , it will even work its way up threads against gravity . That comes in handy under a car (or jeep !) .
Welding a nut to the stud of a broken bolt is a great way to extract (forgot , that's in CHILTON books ) as your making a new head to wrench with and heating it all in one shot. Thanks for mentioning that . It takes an experienced jeep owner to know .
After all , some of these jeeps have been around as long as some of us ! That's pretty scary because I'm 50 and nobody probably thought that these jeeps would still be on the road THAT long ! Lol
You said for surface rust bead blast? I have very limited tools seeing as most of this will be done in my driveway the welding will be done at my buddy's school, so would you consider just sanding? Like I said before sorry for being so clueless
Hand sanding will work but it's tough - it will turn a one day sand job into a week. You can use a flap disc with your angle grinder to make quick work of it, like this:
Amazon.com: 20 Angle Grinder Flap Discs 4-1/2" Flat 80 Grit 7/8": Home Improvement
If you don't have an angle grinder then you should pick one up - you can get them for $15 here, and it is great for cutting out metal, etc.
Amazon.com: 20 Angle Grinder Flap Discs 4-1/2" Flat 80 Grit 7/8": Home Improvement
If you don't have an angle grinder then you should pick one up - you can get them for $15 here, and it is great for cutting out metal, etc.
Gennybro
Active member
Great choice those flap discs are great!
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