Well I just got this 1996 XJ and it needs new floor pans. Here's how it looked when I first ripped out the carpets:







After cutting out most of the driver side floor pan:






I ordered new full-length floor pans, plus the cargo floor pan, from Classic 2 Current. They showed up today and I started fitting in the driver side:



I'm gonna have to patch that hole in the tunnel. Anyone know what that is with the 4 bolts on the tunnel?

Anyway I have a guy coming on saturday to weld everything in, so I have to get everything prepped between now and then. He told me I don't have to bother dropping the gas tank to weld the pans in. My only concern is that I won't have access to the underside of the cargo floor pan to coat it in some sort of rust preventer, after it's welded in. My original plan was to use herculiner. Can I just coat the bottom of the cargo pan with herculiner before its installed, and then just weld it around the perimeter? Or should I suck it up and drop the gas tank so I can coat everything afterwards? Anyone have a link for how to drop the gas tank?

 

I would drop the gas tank for welding. It is a PITA but will show you other stuff you can fix. I dropped my tank to change fuel pump assembly, so if you do drop it, you may want to take advantage of inspecting the fuel pump and assembly. Also check/treat the gas tank for rust.

The J bolts that hold the straps were rusted hard so I had to PB blast them for a few days to loosen them. Also gives you a chance to change the gas tank hoses (mine where cracking). Anyway, hope your tank is near empty as is makes it easier to drop. I lifted the rear, used two jack stands on the axle tubes and used lots of blocks to hold the weight of the tank as it drops. Get eye protection as all types of dirt falls off, and a small jar to catch the gasoline from the fuel filter and the rubber line when you disconnect them.

On a side note, if you want to change your leaf springs, this is a great time to get at those shackle bolt nuts that are welded into the frame. ArmyGuy member has been doing a lot of welding work on his Jeep and his thread shows a lot of good stuff on welding stuff to the frame.

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f46/ar...141854/index2/

check out the plate reinforcement that he uses on top of the leaf spring shackles.

Good luck.

I gotta do the same on mine.

 

Thanks for the link to that thread! Lots of good info in there.

As for dropping the gas tank, I think you are right. So I dropped it today. Wasn't too bad, except that I couldn't get the hose clamps off for the fuel fill, so I had to cut the hoses.

I was able to remove the passenger side seat crossmember by cutting off the flanges and drilling out all the spot welds. Tomorrow morning I'm taking it to a sheet metal shop to see if they can quickly bend me up a 40" long piece of steel with the same profile, that I can make into 2 new crossmembers. I figure it will be cheaper/faster for them to just bend one long piece, and I'll take care of everything else (cutting them down, bending the end tabs, drilling holes and adding weld nuts).

I'm still planning to get everything welded on Saturday, so I have two days to remove the passenger side floor pan, the cargo pan, clean everything up, and get the new crossmembers made. I work full time so that really equates to about 6 hours of working time left. Wish me luck.

 

Also make sure to give the inside of the frame rails a good coating of rust inhibitor paint (POR15, Rust-Bullet, Chassis-Saver, etc.) while you have floor pans off and good access to the inside of the rail, I'd probably hit the flanges on the rail that weld to the floor pans with some weld-through primer as well (wouldn't hurt to hit the part of the floor pan that will be over the rail as well since you won't have good access to it after it is welded up).


Once everything is welded in don't skimp with the seam-sealer and give everything a good coating of rust-inhibitor paint (at least 2 coats, 3-4 is better, a top coat or two of hard enamel paint, epoxy paint, or bed liner can also help with durability/chip resistance).


This should keep the rust from coming back for a long time.

 

I was planning to mask off the flange of the frame rail, and hit the inside with some rust converter, then a few top coats of rustoleum.

As for the flanges and the inside of the floor pans (the part that will be unaccessible after welding), I have a can of CRC Zinc-it cold galvanize. Apparently it prevents rust and is weldable. I'm pretty sure it's basically the same thing as weld-through primer, they are both almost entirely made of zinc.

Once that's done, the whole thing is getting two coats of Hercurliner, inside and out.

 

Just went to the sheetmetal place, they said there is no way they can help me out by saturday.

But they were able to give me a piece of 16 gauge so I could make them myself.

 

Since the sheetmetal place couldn't bend these brackets for me, I took them to by buddy's shop who has a brake. Turns out his brake couldn't handle 16 guage steel, so I had to form them into shape with a vice and a hammer. Turned out, well, functional:



Not the prettiest thing in the world, but they should get the job done.

 

Nice work. You sure are doing a lot in a short period of time. Good luck.

 

Yeah, I don't have much of a choice. I'd rather take my time on projects like this, but this one just has to get done. I need the jeep fully functional before the first snow.

To give a little back story, this Jeep is actually for my girlfriend. She was stupid and traded in her Dodge Stratus (which she got $300 for) for a $19,000 Ford Taurus at a 21% interest rate. Now she has a $450/month payment for 6 years, and expensive insurance. Now she has buyers remorse, and wants to go back to having a car with no payment. So we bought this jeep together for $1000, and we are splitting the cost of repairs. Once it's road worthy, she's gonna sell her Taurus. After that, we're gonna pool our resources together again, and buy me a Jeep too.

Anyway, yesterday I got the passenger side floor pan out. No pics because it was after dark by the time it was done. I also bought some Rustoleum rusty metal primer, two tubes of 3M seam sealer, some aircraft remover, and a Herculiner kit.

I'm still scheduled to get the floor pans welded on Saturday, so I have tonight and tomorrow morning to remove the cargo floor pan, clean everything up for the welds, and finish making those crossmembers. It's getting real close.

 

Where'd you get the seam sealer from & what'd it cost. I'm following your progress as I gotta do floor pans next summer. Haven't even started to pull the carpets.... Don't wanna see how bad it is till I can fix it.

 

I got the seam sealer from Autozone, $15 a tube. You might be able to find it cheaper if you shop around.

 

im in the same boat as you

 

Got the floor pans welded in today!

 

Thanks for taking pictures along the way. Looking forward to see the finished product.

 

By the way, I used aircraft remover and a wire wheel to remove the old seam sealer and paint. It worked like magic. I painted the inside of the frame rails with Rustoleum Rusty metal primer. Just one thick coat, I figure it's better than nothing. I also painted the bottom of the floor pans with CRC cold galvanize.

All that's left is to weld in the crossmembers for the seats, patch the hole in the tunnel, and Herculine everything inside and out.