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Rust on pass side rear - Take a look

8K views 8 replies 8 participants last post by  jpoutlaw 
#1 ·
Never tackled rust before, but its starting to look a little concerning.



Pass Rear Near the Rollbar



Pass Side Tail Light Bubble



Tailgate

I've seen several posts referencing POR-15, Grinding, Sanding, Etc. Need a handymans guide to restoring/stopping the spread.

How can I tell if the rust is all the way through the sheetmetal?

Also, what paint matches my particular Red (99 TJ) the best and is most durable from say a Pep Boys or Autozone.

THANKS for your help!!!
 
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#3 ·
you should be able to find the color code on the side of your driver's door. you can then match that paint number up at Autozone or any of those places. You don't know how far in that bubble goes until you get in there- so get dirty- check the damage and then hit Autozone to get supplies. Both areas of interest do not look too bad. My guess is you will grind off the paint and find some runt underneath but not through the sheetmetal. You might have to apply a small amount of Bondo to smooth out the affected areas after sanding off the rust. The rest is easy, sand, prime, sand paint.

As for the rust on the rear tailgate hinges- don't even try to fix them. not too expensive to just replace.
 
#4 ·
the rust spots don't look too bad, but they will continue to get worse if it is not taken care of. not to sound morbid, but rust is a lot like cancer b/c if it is not treated properly and early it can spread. as everyone mentioned, sand down all of the spots and remove all of the rust then prime the area and paint it. use this site: PaintScratch Touch-Up Paint (rs), Spray Cans, Spray Paint, Paint Pens, Car Paint, Automotive Paint to get the color matched paint you need. i have used paintscratch.com before and they perfectly match the colors.
 
#5 ·
The hinges are know to oxidise and can be sandblasted and repainted for very little money. I sandblasted, primered and repainted mine this winter using krylon primer and paint....looks good now and only cost me $10.

As far as the rust under the bottom hinge, that is a very common spot for rust on the early years of the TJs. Pull your plastic wheel liner out and you can view the back side of that area to see if it is rusting through. If not I would color match your paint, sand, primer and repaint.
 
#7 ·
Hey Guys - Bad News - Rust has eaten thru the metal. Here are some pics




My questions now are what are my next steps:
Do i need new panels (inner pass rear wheel well and pass rear panel)
Where do i look for quality replacements?
Good places to start cutting?
Any Writeup done on replacement/fix?
 
#8 ·
paintscratch.com seems like an awesome site. I have a whole bunch of nicks on my door and such that I have really been wanting to cover but my strange Inca Gold Metallic paint was making me wait.

alfman you are making me feel nervous about what is waiting for me under my carpets, I am going to go look at it as soon as it gets bright outside.

My suggestions is to cut out the offending pieces in nice straight lines and weld some patches on. Was a sailor(US Navy) so I have spent my time chipping, sanding, priming, and painting, looks like you have more hiding under your tailgate hinges. Also it takes less than a day for fresh metal to get surface rust on it, so cover it fast.

It looks like they are in difficult spots too. Might have to lift the body off the frame to really do it right.
 
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