On thursday Im buying a 1989 Jeep Cherokee. Its got the normal Jeep tub rust, here are some pictures.

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/2447/dsc04888zk6.jpg

http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/3282/dsc04889xh7.jpg

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/3261/dsc04890kn9.jpg

http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/7915/dsc04891bn7.jpg

http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/368/dsc04892xn6.jpg

http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/5702/dsc04893jd0.jpg

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http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/3605/dsc04895hd1.jpg

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/1828/dsc04896ke9.jpg

looks good! lots of miles left in that thing!

Yup my brother in-law has owned over 10 in the past. (all at diff times) and hes had some up to 300,000 there great running cars. I always wanted a Wrangler but when this Cherokee came my way. I bought (buying) it.

i love the 2 door manuals! and those wheels with the holes look good too!

Later down the road I want to switch the tub over to a 4 door tub. How hard would that be? I no switching the Wrangler tubs arn't that hard. Are Cherokee's about the same?

it will be a nightmare since the cherokees are unibody (no frame and tub). i would just patch your floor boards before they get worse and drive the snot out of it!

it will be a nightmare since the cherokees are unibody (no frame and tub). i would just patch your floor boards before they get worse and drive the snot out of it!

So the Cherokee's don't have tubs? There just like normal car with frames. Hmmmmmmm.........Never would have guessed that. I went out and looked it over again and heard it run, it sounds great NICE rumble, and I noticed one more rust sport, its under the drivers side rear wheel well this spot is in the frame not the "tub" so thats the first thing that will get patched then the floor board, then the passenger door.

alot of people weld their floor pans in but i form a template then cut out the old and pop rivet in new metal alond with treating the rust so it won't come back. i don't know how to weld! mike

Thats what I planned on doing, cutting out the old floor, getting sheet metal cuting a piece to size. Rivit it in, use body filer to make it smoth, then spray that part with underliner coating. To help keep the rust from coming back.

Cherokee's aren't like normal cars or wranglers. They are a unibody design which means that the body and frame are welded together as one unit. For living in Penn. that little bit of rust is pretty good, the floor pans won't be to hard to repair the part that will be hard is the rust on the frame rails on the driver side you mentioned as the frame for a cherokee is effectively a box frame to repair it right you would have to clean the area to see where the rust has affected and then cut that small part of the fram out then weld in a new piece to seal it off then prime it and spray either undercoating on it or rust proof paint. If it was me I would not buy it as when there's rust in a few places there's rust elsewhere and will only continue to cause problems and use money. The best area to get a used jeep with no rust is down here in the south where we don't have the harsh winters with salt slush on the roads every year.

I went over the whole under body of the Jeep, and only noticed the rust in the frame in that one spot, then on the drivers side floor. I plan on sanding the whole under body of the Cherokee and patching any rust spots I find then getting spray on undercoat or brush on undercoat. Also I was messing with the 4x4 (it was a little rough to get into 4x4 since it hasn't been used since last winter) but after I got it unstuck. I went through all the gears, and they all work like they should. Then I noticed on my dash the "Part Time" light is on, which means the 4x4 is on right? So I went through the 4x4 gears over and over, and checked and Im in 2 wheel drive. But the "Part Time" light is still on. Why is this?

Vacuum actuator problem.

Try this:
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=745956

Ok so the floor board was worse then I thought, the rust is only on the drivers side, but the WHOLE drivers side floor board is rusted out. So I took a drill and a wire brush and wire brushed the whole underside where the rust was. Cleaned all the rust off. Cleaned the frame, (which wasnt to afected by the rust so Im happy there). After that I went out to wal-mart and got a can of the Rust - Primer stuff. And a can of spray on bed liner. (it keeps water, weather, rust, ect ect from coming in) so later In going to spray the whole underside where the rust was, clean it again then spray it with the truck bed liner. I will have pictures up tomorrow more then likly. I also went out and got sheet metal cut pieces for inside the Jeep and under neather drilled holes in the sheet metal so I can run rivets into it. Its looking really good. But like I said I will have pictures up tomorrow.

I will have pictures up tomorrow.
great! i will look forward to it!

Not really the best of pictures. But this are what I got. Also Im not finished with it yet, I have to get filler to smooth it all out, then spray the truck bed liner again. I have to do this for inside and underneath the Jeep. I think its looking good so far.

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/7740/dsc05035bd2.jpg

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/5166/dsc05036vx4.jpg

http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/5986/dsc05038pk9.jpg

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http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/8227/dsc05046mk0.jpg

http://img454.imageshack.us/img454/4729/dsc05047in1.jpg

You're going to continue having problems out of that area since you didn't get rid of all the rust looks like you just covered it up. So under the bedliner coating that you put and that panel that you riveted under the jeep the rust will continue to eat away the metal and continue to spread until you stop it the right way. There's only 2 real ways to stop rust, 1 cut out the rusted metal and weld in replacement panel pieces then prime and paint with rust proof paint or if the metal is thick enough 2 use a grinder as wire wheels don't get all of it and grind or sand away all the rust until the area is smooth and then prime and paint or use bedliner. Just simply using a wire wheel to brush away the rust and then just putting a cover panel over the bottom will not fix it that's just making it look pretty but not actually doing anything.

How long will it last? A few months a few years?

were forgetting he is not getting the car ready for a concours de elegance car show! looks like it will get you thru. just keep an eye on it for spread and attack any future issues. mike

Well I thought about what he said. And I went out and got sanding disk for my drill, and later Im going to sand all the rust out and make more plates to cover the rust up. I have another can of the truck bed liner, I also have duroglass (which is bondo, im sure everyone new that) I have water prof calk (the paintable stuff). So Im going to sand everything that I can, spray it with the truck bed liner again. Cover it with the panels I made, calk all the cracks to keep weather from coming in. Then lay duroglass over all of the panels to make it smooth and flowing. Then spary the duro glass with the bed liner.

So :p I think that will keep the weather out. What you think? :screwy:

Got the Jeep duro glassed and sealed. So it should keep weather out, and well I was waiting I got bored and took a 7" dvd screen I had laying around and decided to do this.

http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/7457/dsc05058ro6.jpg

http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/2418/dsc05059un8.jpg

The bondo looks bad but its soild. I'll let it dry over night then sand it smooth and do any touch ups that are needed.