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Stock XJ Cherokee Tech. All XJ Non-modified/stock questions go hereXJ (84-01)
All OEM related XJ specific tech. Examples, no start, general maintenance or anything that's stock.
Hello CF! And thank you again for all this great knowledge. I would be nowhere w/out you and I do plan on starting my own build (re-build?) thread someday.
But, for now I've torn out all the carpet and the damage was even worse than I could see from the underside. I did some reading about a week ago where someone
did in fact wish they'd gone w/ the more expensive Mopar style.... but, I was hoping a few more people would ring in on the issue. Mainly due to the large difference in cost. I found all four of the cheap pans for $189 whereas anything else would put me above $500.
I don't have a lot of metal work experience and in fact just got my first angle grinder. The plus side, I do have a lot of welder friends!
Could I maybe here from some more people either way who have experienced this? Did it take hours and hours of more tedious time w/ the cheap pans? Is it work the difference for the expensive ones? Do they fit that much better?
Very timely question for me! I am in the same boat right now with my 94 Cherokee.
I am actually old school and have made many floor pans from old refrigerator and dryer side panels, stop signs, etc. I have bought pre-formed panels for my ****** restorations and found them to be a poor fit that required a lot of "tweaking." I too was shocked at he price of the "OEM" Cherokee panels. For that price, I do believe I will be making my own from an old refrigerator that is taking up space behind my shop!
When I did mine I bought Key Parts pans and at the time they were about $67 each as I did all 4 and had to also order the seat mounting brackets as mine was rusted up. When I started it was 90 degrees outside and when I got done was 42 degrees outside..lol. Think it was about 4 months in all just working a couple hours a day. It wasn't as bad as doing the evap core but I also have a welder and some welding skills I'm not perfect but good enough and welded mine in using plug weld method. Just take your time and if plan on welding them just practice and use a good helmet and welder...if possible as they are costly.
I found out best to have 2-3 grinders one for cutting, one for grinding and one with a wire wheel instead of keep switching back and forth. If you see rust take care of it. Also I used weld thru primer since it adds zinc and helps protection against rust in the weld area. I used the cheap harbor freight metal nibbler and hole puncher and actually it worked pretty dang god. I primed and painted using enamel tractor paint and good seam sealer around all seams. Also don't forget about the floor pan plugs as I recall having issues finding the right ones. I got more advice if needed, Also included some pics of mine before and after. Didn't noticed I put in small pics but if you go to my albums you can see them bigger and more.
Very timely question for me! I am in the same boat right now with my 94 Cherokee.
I am actually old school and have made many floor pans from old refrigerator and dryer side panels, stop signs, etc. I have bought pre-formed panels for my ****** restorations and found them to be a poor fit that required a lot of "tweaking." I too was shocked at he price of the "OEM" Cherokee panels. For that price, I do believe I will be making my own from an old refrigerator that is taking up space behind my shop!
Seabee
thanks Seabee, if could ask, when you did use the preformed pans, were they cheap or Mopar?
When I did mine I bought Key Parts pans and at the time they were about $67 each as I did all 4 and had to also order the seat mounting brackets as mine was rusted up. When I started it was 90 degrees outside and when I got done was 42 degrees outside..lol. Think it was about 4 months in all just working a couple hours a day. It wasn't as bad as doing the evap core but I also have a welder and some welding skills I'm not perfect but good enough and welded mine in using plug weld method. Just take your time and if plan on welding them just practice and use a good helmet and welder...if possible as they are costly.
I found out best to have 2-3 grinders one for cutting, one for grinding and one with a wire wheel instead of keep switching back and forth. If you see rust take care of it. Also I used weld thru primer since it adds zinc and helps protection against rust in the weld area. I used the cheap harbor freight metal nibbler and hole puncher and actually it worked pretty dang god. I primed and painted using enamel tractor paint and good seam sealer around all seams. Also don't forget about the floor pan plugs as I recall having issues finding the right ones. I got more advice if needed, Also included some pics of mine before and after. Didn't noticed I put in small pics but if you go to my albums you can see them bigger and more.
oh man...I hope it does not take me 4 months!! How was the fit on the key part pans, think the Mopar would have saved you time?
I've replaced floor plans in 1 XJ, 2 TJs and more MGBs, MG Midgets and Triumphs than I can remember. I've never used OEM parts and have never had a problem.
oh man...I hope it does not take me 4 months!! How was the fit on the key part pans, think the Mopar would have saved you time?
They fit perfect but did have to cut them a little shorter. I didn't want a overlap more than think it was around 1/2" that's why I cut shorter. What I like about these was that they have the factory ribs and all and aren't thin like some of the other pans.
If you have a compressor, an air nibbler is fantastic for cutting the sheet metal instead of a grinder. Less chance of hitting something important underneath too, like the fuel line. I picked up the harbor freight one on sale for $25. I had big holes, but didn't need a full pan. I used some 14-gauge metal I had on hand, and a big dead blown mallet to do the little amount of shaping I needed around the transmission tunnel. I coated the floor with the cheap HarborFreight/Duplicolor bedliner.
I guess it depends on what you want for a finished product and how much effort you want to put into it. For me, if I was going to do that much work to replace the metal on my XJ, I'd either want OE or pans that are virtually indistinguishable from OE. But I would be doing my darndest to make it look like it has the original metal when I am done. That means good welds smoothed out so you can't tell it was welded and proper ribs, holes, etc to match the OEM.
$300 extra is a lot of money, but after the pain of opening up your wallet that much subsides, years down the road, possibly you will be glad you went the extra mile.
Then again, if you are building an off-roader that you are going to beat to death, buy cheap!
That's some very good insight! 'Old Man' - thanks! Since I have to or already have fixed everything I've come across on this XJ, I'll probably treat well for hopefully many years to come. I have a small lift and some big tires but nothing else. My main concern is not getting stuck - I don't plan on being a big rock climber or anything. I'll probably go w/ the nice pans. For anyone reading this, JEGS is currently beating Quadratec on the full pans by about $50.
I guess it depends on what you want for a finished product and how much effort you want to put into it. For me, if I was going to do that much work to replace the metal on my XJ, I'd either want OE or pans that are virtually indistinguishable from OE. But I would be doing my darndest to make it look like it has the original metal when I am done. That means good welds smoothed out so you can't tell it was welded and proper ribs, holes, etc to match the OEM.
$300 extra is a lot of money, but after the pain of opening up your wallet that much subsides, years down the road, possibly you will be glad you went the extra mile.
Then again, if you are building an off-roader that you are going to beat to death, buy cheap!
If I was restoring a valuable historic collector vehicle, I would absolutely agree! Given the fact that millions of XJ's were made, and it's doubtful they will ever be collector vehicles, I will opt for a cheaper but properly performing option. I always use the same or heavier gauge metal when doing repairs like this. The main goal is to restore structure and seal up the interior. It doesn't hurt that I like to make my own parts.
08-02-2022, 03:53 PM
Floor pans: Cheap vs. Mopar
