stinkity stoink
Well-known member
The detail is over the top !!
Rebuilding a rusty XJ
- Thread starter ed_
- Start date
Did some blasting on the driver door today. I ran out of media faster than expected but I think I was able to get the door to a good point.
Some pinholes in the bottom right corner due to rust. I'm gonna make a small patch here because the backside is rough.
Front corner looks good enough.
Everywhere I didn't blast was given a good sanding to prep for epoxy.
Primed.
My paint gun was feeling pretty off today while spraying. It felt like I hadn't opened up the fluid knob enough but I'm pretty certain it was where it should be (1/2 turn from full open) and I tried opening it more and also confirmed I hadn't bumped the air valve at the bottom but neither helped. Hopefully it's just got some gunk in it so I made sure to clean it extra once the door was done.
The backside still needs to be blasted some more before it's ready for epoxy so that'll be tomorrow's job.
My short term goal right now is to try and have all 4 doors done before the new year and with this being the last one I think I can do it.
Some pinholes in the bottom right corner due to rust. I'm gonna make a small patch here because the backside is rough.
Front corner looks good enough.
Everywhere I didn't blast was given a good sanding to prep for epoxy.
Primed.
My paint gun was feeling pretty off today while spraying. It felt like I hadn't opened up the fluid knob enough but I'm pretty certain it was where it should be (1/2 turn from full open) and I tried opening it more and also confirmed I hadn't bumped the air valve at the bottom but neither helped. Hopefully it's just got some gunk in it so I made sure to clean it extra once the door was done.
The backside still needs to be blasted some more before it's ready for epoxy so that'll be tomorrow's job.
My short term goal right now is to try and have all 4 doors done before the new year and with this being the last one I think I can do it.
Last edited:
Worked on the driver crash bar tonight.
I split apart the ends by using a carbide burr on the welds.
Then sandblasted everything. The bar was done in the open, and the small ends were done in my cabinet.
Ends were tacked back on and the bar was test fitted to make sure it would still fit.
Final welding
Primed. I went heavy on the primer because coverage is a higher concern than looks. That's pitting in the center from the rust.
I'm pretty happy with how this came out. The driver door is moving along smoothly.
I split apart the ends by using a carbide burr on the welds.
Then sandblasted everything. The bar was done in the open, and the small ends were done in my cabinet.
Ends were tacked back on and the bar was test fitted to make sure it would still fit.
Final welding
Primed. I went heavy on the primer because coverage is a higher concern than looks. That's pitting in the center from the rust.
I'm pretty happy with how this came out. The driver door is moving along smoothly.
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Awesome work. That shouldn't give you any more issues. Well done. 
cpttuna
Well-known member
I bet he uses 7P's: Proper prior planning prevents piss poor performance
I chopped out the last big piece of rust on the driver door tonight and welded in a patch.
Not a perfect seam but it looks better in person. I picked a bad location for the seam so it's kinda hard to grind some of it.
Other side for reference.
Just gotta make a patch in the top left to prep for the new lower door skin then the door will be on the home stretch!
Not a perfect seam but it looks better in person. I picked a bad location for the seam so it's kinda hard to grind some of it.
Other side for reference.
Just gotta make a patch in the top left to prep for the new lower door skin then the door will be on the home stretch!
Happy New Year! I got sidetracked upgrading my home network and setting up a new desktop over the past week but I'm back on the XJ now.
First up was welding in the little patch.
Very happy with how it came out.
Then I did some trimming to prep the door skin for the new lower patch.
After that I focused on the door hinge mount plates and the lower skin. One of the plates is actually from the passenger front door, I just never got around to blasting it so I figured I'd take care of it now.
Sandblasted.
Primed.
I put some primer on the back of the patch panel since it's gonna be a lot harder to paint it when the doors all welded up.
While I had the paint gun out I sprayed the final bare spot in the bottom right corner of the door.
I think the next step will be to paint the backside of the door and then weld the lower skin on.
First up was welding in the little patch.
Very happy with how it came out.
Then I did some trimming to prep the door skin for the new lower patch.
After that I focused on the door hinge mount plates and the lower skin. One of the plates is actually from the passenger front door, I just never got around to blasting it so I figured I'd take care of it now.
Sandblasted.
Primed.
I put some primer on the back of the patch panel since it's gonna be a lot harder to paint it when the doors all welded up.
While I had the paint gun out I sprayed the final bare spot in the bottom right corner of the door.
I think the next step will be to paint the backside of the door and then weld the lower skin on.
Let's get a streak going. Today's day 2.
I started off sanding the backside of the door to prep for primer.
Had to remove this sticker since it's got the wrong VIN.
All sanded. This took about ~90 minutes to prep.
I also sanded the door shims that I painted awhile ago so I could redo them. I noticed there was a lot of bare spots on the edges that I missed when spraying them the first time so I wanted to fix that.
Painted. Again lol.
Driver door backside all done. I know it kinda looks like I've been posting pictures of the same door over and over so having all 4 in one pic really shows the progress. I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch but I think the driver door could be done by Sunday.
By the way, I figured out why my paint gun was "clogging" up. The little breather hole on the cup lid was gummed up so the cup was building a vacuum. As soon as I cleaned it out it was good as new again. It's always the little things that get ya.
I started off sanding the backside of the door to prep for primer.
Had to remove this sticker since it's got the wrong VIN.
All sanded. This took about ~90 minutes to prep.
I also sanded the door shims that I painted awhile ago so I could redo them. I noticed there was a lot of bare spots on the edges that I missed when spraying them the first time so I wanted to fix that.
Painted. Again lol.
Driver door backside all done. I know it kinda looks like I've been posting pictures of the same door over and over so having all 4 in one pic really shows the progress. I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch but I think the driver door could be done by Sunday.
By the way, I figured out why my paint gun was "clogging" up. The little breather hole on the cup lid was gummed up so the cup was building a vacuum. As soon as I cleaned it out it was good as new again. It's always the little things that get ya.
XJSuperman
Well-known member
Used to run into that paint gun hole-plugging issue all the time. Especially when I was splashing the cup around a bit more than normal.
Great seeing the progress. I need to find a little more of that motivation you have.
Great seeing the progress. I need to find a little more of that motivation you have.
You ever try tricking yourself? On nights where I don't feel like doing much I'll break down a task into small steps and tell myself I just need to do the first step and I can stop. 70% of the time I'll keep going once the first step is done.
And I had to admit defeat for the night. I started welding in the lower skin and was working on flattening the lower lip but it's not coming out great and I just don't feel like I have the right tooling to do it.
I don't have a door skin hammer and none of the hammers I do have feel like they can reach the right angle to flatten the lip.
It's also bowing on the other side. I've done one lower door skin before this and didn't have as much trouble so I think I'm making a mistake.
I caved and ordered the Astro Pneumatic DS1000 door skin tool. I've had my eye on it for months but didn't think it'd be worth it but I get the hunch I'll find more use for it after this door. I'll shift focus to a different panel tomorrow while I wait for the tool to arrive.
stinkity stoink
Well-known member
You have way more ambition than me. I have no problem convincing myself not to start something When I feel a bit unmotivated..I usually get that feeling about 1/2 way through a project because I get bored and want to start something else.
great job and keep updating on progress !!!
great job and keep updating on progress !!!
I made a bunch of progress on the driver door today. I know I said I was going to leave it be for a bit but I wasn't happy with how I left it and I found out that Harbor Freight carries a door skin hammer so I picked one up. Having the proper hammer made it much easier to work the lip.
Hammer on left was what I was using last night (I was using the flat side, not the pointed side)
Using the proper hammer and more dolly this time I was able to get the lip all finished up. Unfortunately the backside got dinged to hell from yesterday but I'm still happy with how the front and edges came out.
Then I welded up the seam and ground it flush. I put a lot of time into making sure the seam edges lined up nicely. I tapped the high spots down with my hammer as well.
Some dings on the lower edges but nothing too bad.
Prepped the backside for some touch up primer.
Primed!
All the extra hammer work paid off, the bottom edge lines up with the door curve nicely now.
All that's left on the driver door now is to scuff and prime the exterior and brush some paint onto the backside of the weld.
I haven't fully decided what I'll do once the driver door is finished up. It'll either be the driver fender, or the hatch.
Hammer on left was what I was using last night (I was using the flat side, not the pointed side)
Using the proper hammer and more dolly this time I was able to get the lip all finished up. Unfortunately the backside got dinged to hell from yesterday but I'm still happy with how the front and edges came out.
Then I welded up the seam and ground it flush. I put a lot of time into making sure the seam edges lined up nicely. I tapped the high spots down with my hammer as well.
Some dings on the lower edges but nothing too bad.
Prepped the backside for some touch up primer.
Primed!
All the extra hammer work paid off, the bottom edge lines up with the door curve nicely now.
All that's left on the driver door now is to scuff and prime the exterior and brush some paint onto the backside of the weld.
I haven't fully decided what I'll do once the driver door is finished up. It'll either be the driver fender, or the hatch.
e-tek
Well-known member
Just went through this thread. Epic work on the rust and jig. Reminds me of a rotisserie I built for a 240Z project. Will be a regular follower now.
larry4406
Well-known member
Nice work!
I see that you are almost done with your doors, but I found some pictures of a door holding fixture and thought of you. I took these at a metal shaping event called Gator Meet on 5/3/14 in Maryland. Not sure who to credit for the design but I thought it was clever.
I see that you are almost done with your doors, but I found some pictures of a door holding fixture and thought of you. I took these at a metal shaping event called Gator Meet on 5/3/14 in Maryland. Not sure who to credit for the design but I thought it was clever.
cpttuna
Well-known member
I have worked on my door seams several times. This last time I coated them with fiberglass resin using a plumber paint brushI chopped out the last big piece of rust on the driver door tonight and welded in a patch.
Not a perfect seam but it looks better in person. I picked a bad location for the seam so it's kinda hard to grind some of it.
Other side for reference.
Just gotta make a patch in the top left to prep for the new lower door skin then the door will be on the home stretch!
Ooh that's neat! If I was just starting on my doors I'd totally steal that idea. You could even take a HF engine stand and make the door mount bracket attach to that for portability / cheap.Nice work!
I see that you are almost done with your doors, but I found some pictures of a door holding fixture and thought of you. I took these at a metal shaping event called Gator Meet on 5/3/14 in Maryland. Not sure who to credit for the design but I thought it was clever.
Did you use the fiberglass resin to hide work marks like hammer dings? Or was that for rust repair?
cpttuna
Well-known member
Lost my streak but I was able to scuff and prime the outside of the driver door tonight. I broke out my new mini 3" sander to try out around the window frame.
It's an Astro Pneumatic 330 (no affiliation I just like them for mid grade air tools). I had been wanting one of these ever since I sanded my Civic's engine bay by hand so I asked for one for Xmas from my wife.
Sanded.
And primed!
That means all 4 doors are officially done (for now) and I can start on something new.
Plenty of next steps to choose from. I'll probably just start on whatever I feel like tomorrow.
It's an Astro Pneumatic 330 (no affiliation I just like them for mid grade air tools). I had been wanting one of these ever since I sanded my Civic's engine bay by hand so I asked for one for Xmas from my wife.
Sanded.
And primed!
That means all 4 doors are officially done (for now) and I can start on something new.
Plenty of next steps to choose from. I'll probably just start on whatever I feel like tomorrow.
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I have the same little Astro mini-sander, it works great for sanding in doorjambs as well as engine bay, trunk areas and other smaller areas. I don't use mine a lot, but it has its place for sure.
Driver doors are mounted up. The only thing that was blocking me was that the backside of the b pillar needed some primer so I gave that a quick scuff and spray.
Driver side is getting close!
(Door alignment needs tweaking. This was more of a test fit than final install)
All that's left on the driver side now is:
- front fender
- rear inner wheel wheel
- roof drip rail
Driver side is getting close!
(Door alignment needs tweaking. This was more of a test fit than final install)
All that's left on the driver side now is:
- front fender
- rear inner wheel wheel
- roof drip rail
I ended up settling on the driver fender as the next mini project to focus on. It's not as bad as the passenger fender was so I estimate it'll take 4 evenings to fix up. (I actually started on it yesterday so only 2 more evenings to go)
One final before pic.
The fender was original to the Jeep, the paint on it was not.
The backside wasn't too bad but I found a ton of tiny rust spots that had gotten underneath the paint and would only show once you started to sand through the original coating.
I didn't feel comfortable painting over that so using my DA followed by some blasting I took the backside down to metal.
Down in the front lower corner of the fender there's some rust I can't get to between the inner brace and fender so I left that as is and I'm gonna do a quick patch there. I had to patch the passenger fender in the same spot and that side required a larger, more complicated patch so this should be easy.
Two coats of primer later.
One final before pic.
The fender was original to the Jeep, the paint on it was not.
The backside wasn't too bad but I found a ton of tiny rust spots that had gotten underneath the paint and would only show once you started to sand through the original coating.
I didn't feel comfortable painting over that so using my DA followed by some blasting I took the backside down to metal.
Down in the front lower corner of the fender there's some rust I can't get to between the inner brace and fender so I left that as is and I'm gonna do a quick patch there. I had to patch the passenger fender in the same spot and that side required a larger, more complicated patch so this should be easy.
Two coats of primer later.
Made some progress on the driver fender. I started off by chopping off the front lower corner.
Then I started investigating how much body filler was on the fender. There was a lot more than I expected.
I was curious why there was so much filler so I sanded the majority of it off but I didn't really find anything other than some small dings. Not gonna complain about that.
Started welding in a new patch.
All done.
With the front corner good to go I switched focus to the lower back one and welded on the custom lower bracket and tapped a hole for a bolt.
The driver side fender is pretty much ready for primer. I'd just like to make a small inner brace for the front lower corner to replicate the OEM setup first.
Then I started investigating how much body filler was on the fender. There was a lot more than I expected.
I was curious why there was so much filler so I sanded the majority of it off but I didn't really find anything other than some small dings. Not gonna complain about that.
Started welding in a new patch.
All done.
With the front corner good to go I switched focus to the lower back one and welded on the custom lower bracket and tapped a hole for a bolt.
The driver side fender is pretty much ready for primer. I'd just like to make a small inner brace for the front lower corner to replicate the OEM setup first.
Driver fender is all done! First up was making a inner brace for the front corner.
After that I sanded the majority of the remaining filler off the outside and prepped it for primer.
Primer is wet so it'll look better tomorrow.
Tomorrow I need to backtrack and fix an issue with the passenger fender lower bracket being welded in the wrong spot (and a few extra things on it)
After that I sanded the majority of the remaining filler off the outside and prepped it for primer.
Primer is wet so it'll look better tomorrow.
Tomorrow I need to backtrack and fix an issue with the passenger fender lower bracket being welded in the wrong spot (and a few extra things on it)
Last edited:
Check it out it looks like an XJ.
I finally got around to welding the extra brace into the pass fender.
And started working on repositioning the lower bracket.
This front brace needs to be bent and welded in before I know where to position the fender bracket though
So that'll be next.
I finally got around to welding the extra brace into the pass fender.
And started working on repositioning the lower bracket.
This front brace needs to be bent and welded in before I know where to position the fender bracket though
So that'll be next.
Welded in the brace.
Then I welded the lower fender brace back on. I don't feel great about this fender because I think the bottom edge is a little higher than it should be but I can't check without the doors on the XJ so it's good enough for now!
Painted.
I'm probably gonna switch focus to the passenger side. There's a lot of final touches to finish up on this side like replacing the front door hinge pins, getting the entire jamb area in primer, and touching up the edges of the quarter panel patch seams.
Then I welded the lower fender brace back on. I don't feel great about this fender because I think the bottom edge is a little higher than it should be but I can't check without the doors on the XJ so it's good enough for now!
Painted.
I'm probably gonna switch focus to the passenger side. There's a lot of final touches to finish up on this side like replacing the front door hinge pins, getting the entire jamb area in primer, and touching up the edges of the quarter panel patch seams.
Made a nice accomplishment tonight as I was able to get the last 3 door hinges (both front pass, and upper rear pass) blasted and painted.
They weren't horrible but still needed to be addressed.
The pins are rusty so I started by chopping them in half with a carbide burr
Then hammered out the pins with a punch.
After that all the hinges were blasted.
The upper rear hinge was blasted too. It was a NOS unit so it was already in mint shape but I felt a quick blast would be the fastest way to prep the welds for primer.
Two coats of primer later.
I'll prob clean up and paint the passenger door jamb area next. It's the last big step before the pass doors can go back on.
They weren't horrible but still needed to be addressed.
The pins are rusty so I started by chopping them in half with a carbide burr
Then hammered out the pins with a punch.
After that all the hinges were blasted.
The upper rear hinge was blasted too. It was a NOS unit so it was already in mint shape but I felt a quick blast would be the fastest way to prep the welds for primer.
Two coats of primer later.
I'll prob clean up and paint the passenger door jamb area next. It's the last big step before the pass doors can go back on.
larry4406
Well-known member
Very odd to see that the pillar side of the door hinges are welded vs bolted. What a PIA.
Nice work and steady progress. Kudo's to you.
Nice work and steady progress. Kudo's to you.
brockmub
Well-known member
Keep up the good work! Every update reminds me of the fun I had in my XJ.
Waiting on a door pin to arrive so I've been doing some smaller work in the mean time.
My current little project is to try and get the entire passenger door jamb area in primer so I started cleaning up some of my old welds that were never fully grinded.
But I got side tracked on that because the seam where the patch panel was welded into the quarter has been bugging me with how it messes up the panel gap.
Getting creative I made a slice with the angle grinder and tapped the edge until it was nice and straight.
Good enough! (The backside was cleaned and fresh epoxy was brushed on afterwards)
My current little project is to try and get the entire passenger door jamb area in primer so I started cleaning up some of my old welds that were never fully grinded.
But I got side tracked on that because the seam where the patch panel was welded into the quarter has been bugging me with how it messes up the panel gap.
Getting creative I made a slice with the angle grinder and tapped the edge until it was nice and straight.
Good enough! (The backside was cleaned and fresh epoxy was brushed on afterwards)
Ohmthis
Well-known member
This is top level attention to detail. 90% would be ok with it originally. They would have added a little filler or just lived with it. Nice job going through it and making it look good. There is a certain level of pride in your work that is easy to see.Waiting on a door pin to arrive so I've been doing some smaller work in the mean time.
My current little project is to try and get the entire passenger door jamb area in primer so I started cleaning up some of my old welds that were never fully grinded.
But I got side tracked on that because the seam where the patch panel was welded into the quarter has been bugging me with how it messes up the panel gap.
Getting creative I made a slice with the angle grinder and tapped the edge until it was nice and straight.
Good enough! (The backside was cleaned and fresh epoxy was brushed on afterwards)
Nice project, I'd hate to drive this thing after all that work.
Thanks!
It'll definitely never see snow again (hopefully) but it's going to be my 3 season daily. I love getting to drive my projects.Nice project, I'd hate to drive this thing after all that work.
And progress wise not much to report due to some not good life stuff going on right now. I spent a little time on it tonight drilling and tapping the lower fender mount on the pass side.
Fender gap looks good. The fender body lines look a little high but once I get closer to bodywork I'll address that.
The last spot I want to work on some more is this gap. It's just a little off around that seam on the quarter panel.
Once that's good I'll prime the quarter panel, jams, and pillars and the passenger side metal work will be all done.
larry4406
Well-known member
Nice work!
Maybe I missed it, but is this your first body work / metal fab project or are you a veteran at this? You certainly have the skills to my eyes!
Maybe I missed it, but is this your first body work / metal fab project or are you a veteran at this? You certainly have the skills to my eyes!
Thanks! And this is my 3rd project but it's also my biggest project so far. I'd say 2/3s of my experience has been from working on this XJ.
rust in the eye
Well-known member
Very much enjoying watching your project. Several XJs served me quite well through a decade or so buying them second hand and running the $#!^ out of them. I'm quite fond of them still and would, in a heartbeat, have another but sadly most have melted away much more than yours.
What are your plans for the interior? After all this meticulous metalwork I assume your body/paint work will be to same standard so the original cheesy upholstery will look like a booger in comparison. A bunch of sound deadening, improving the seat cushions and some nice cow hides would do all your work justice.
Carry on, sir!
What are your plans for the interior? After all this meticulous metalwork I assume your body/paint work will be to same standard so the original cheesy upholstery will look like a booger in comparison. A bunch of sound deadening, improving the seat cushions and some nice cow hides would do all your work justice.
Carry on, sir!
Thanks! And yup you're correct that the interior is gonna get some love. The old front seats and carpets were smoked so I tossed them awhile back. The headliner was already redone in black suede so I'll likely go black carpet to match that and I haven't fully decided on seats yet but I'm very fond of the Corbeau sport seats.
I ordered a few small parts for the XJ this week including a nice pair of hood hinges that came all the way from Texas (aka no rust).
The current hinges aren't terrible but I figured $30 bucks was worth saving me ~3 hours of work.
I was looking at the driver door and noticed the curve of the door wasn't lining up with the fender very good.
Some taps with the hammer / dolly got it back in line.
I also took care of that seam on the pass quarter panel. Here's how it started:
Chopped out.
All done.
That was the last blocker preventing me from spraying the passenger door jambs so I'm hoping to sand everything down and prime the quarter / jambs this weekend.
Pulled some panels off to get started on the passenger side.
And I was gonna get started on the passenger quarter panel but I noticed there was still a good bit of factory seam sealer that needed to be removed from the top of the hatch area so I got to work on that.
Lots of sanding later.
And primed.
Maybe I'll do the quarter panel next lol.
And I was gonna get started on the passenger quarter panel but I noticed there was still a good bit of factory seam sealer that needed to be removed from the top of the hatch area so I got to work on that.
Lots of sanding later.
And primed.
Maybe I'll do the quarter panel next lol.
SMOKEYBEAR
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2016
- Messages
- 428
Looks as if the project is moving along nicely. Lots of work "for a Jeep" and will need a proper engine to match the body/ paint work.. When does the 392 6.4 Hemi get delivered?
A 6.4? Sheeesh lol that'd be nuts. The XJ is gonna get a 5.3 LS (iron block) which I've got sitting on a stand. I don't wanna build a suicide jeep
Last edited: