Mikel's Pics

When I bought my jeep, it seemed to be in very good shape and very much rust free, except for a few spots. I found a few paint bubbles in the rockers, which turned into holes when I sanded them. Much to my surprise, the entire inside of the rockers was rusty, and some areas were getting very thin, including the cab corners. I got new panels from jeepanelsplus.com and I started cutting and drilling spotwelds. I wanted to replace the entire panels, not just cut out the rusted areas. Before doing any cutting, I welded some bracing in order to keep the cab from shifting. I cut out many drain holes in the inner rocker panel, which I then welded in. I cut, bent and rewelded the rear end of the outer rocker, in order to recreate the contour of the cab corner. This was later welded to the cab when the outer rocker panel was put in place. Using the holes left by drilling the spot welds, I rewelded the new panels into the body, after everything had been coated with POR-15, to prevent future rust. The floor was a bit tricky to fit, because it was such a large panel. I haven't finished welding it in, and by the time I'm done welding and grinding, the welds should be invisible under a coat of paint.

All this work might look a bit intimidating, but I have to say that it's the first time I've tried such a thing, and I'm even learning to weld as I go. If I can do it, anyone with a little patience can!

Mikel