I went to work on the shackle buckets, and I broke my socket and adapter :Wow1: so it looks like another week of PB Blaster soaking and a run to the parts store. First time Ive had any type of "hiccup" since I got the Jeep, so Im pretty happy actually.
So I moved on to another item I had on my to-do list. On my Wrangler I had a few years ago, I had removed its so called carpet and bedlined the floors. I loved it. Clean up was so easy. Just removed the rubber mats, vacuum and/or wipe/wash the floor and your done. Naturally I had to use my past Jeep knowledge on another Jeep. You always hear about horror stories of people removing theirs in a XJ and finding rust, holes, or both. Well.....here was mine:
Driver:
The driver side was pretty much perfect, couple of surface spots to scrub down and clean and it was good to go.
Passenger:
Now those with a keen eye or have done this before may notice something peculiar about my pass floor board (not the small rust spots). I cant remember if I ever mentioned this, but this XJ has a WA Rebuilt title. I was able to register/insure it under my name without any problems, but it obviously had something happen to it to where the state had to issue it. I dont have any other picture except for this one. This is after I cleaned up the rust and laid some primer down before the 'liner.
If you somehow cant see it or have never seen an XJ's floors, there is a crinkle in the sheet metal in the transmission hump that follows the channel and at the base going across the floor board.
Now I know it looks bad because of the lighting/shadows. When I first saw it, I immediately got under the Jeep and started inspecting the frame rail, motor/trans mounts, control arms/brackets, door jams, and under-hood cowling/firewall. I didnt find anything that seemed bent, patched, or re-welded.
My best guess?
Sometime in its life it took a hit in the right front fender or front corner and this is where the unitbody "gave way" along the factory floor pan channels.
At any rate, Im not too worried about it because:
-the front end is measuring true
-both frame rails are straight and solid
-all motor/trans/control arm mounts are solid/intact
-there is no other sign of damage
-its obviously been inspected to be able to receive a state registration approval
-a friend had the same thing happen to him with his old XJ in a similar spot
Moving on, so after the surface rust was removed, wiped down, then primed I started laying down bedliner. I wanted it to be textured but not super rough so I went with Duplicolor Truck Bed coating again. It took about 1 1/2 to 2 cans for multiple light coats. There were some spots that ran a little, but I think it turned out great since I didnt fully remove the interior.
Driver side:
The black makes the sheet metal crinkles look worse than they actually are
Passenger side:
After thoughts:
Extra road noise? None, although its a Jeep. If I wanted a quiet ride I would've bought a sedan.
Extra heat? I drove it for quite awhile after it dried and I didn't notice any difference what so ever. I think its because these would be thinner coats than if I would have used something like Herculiner or others.
Prep work? I didnt have the time/place to fully gut the interior and let it dry.
So for me the name of the game was masking. Also since I didnt have any rusted through spots or sheet metal to replace it went a lot faster.
Recommendations?
-Frog Tape. Amazing stuff. Period.
-A couple open boxes of A&H Baking Soda zapped the smell out of mine.
Ill be buying some HD floor mats for at least the front and back seats. Also I still have to do the cargo area and under the back seat, but I think the front came out great!
Still more plans in the works, so keep checking back if your interested!
