Looking good, Baconfat. Thanks for posting the pictures.

 

Finished fabbing the crossmembers for the seats, and got them welded in. Seats line up perfect. Also patched the holes in the tunnel.

(the first picture is showing the inside of the crossmember where we welded the flange nuts)

 

Wow, shows everything goes better with Bacon.
A1 work, very nice. 16ga a very good choice, workable yet tough.
Been down a similar path.
It's a lot of work but really stiffins the rig.
Cut your way in, weld your way out.
I'd paint only, you can always weld thru paint again in the future.
Caution to all, don't apply an ashphalt undercoating, no future in it.
Thanks for sharing!

 

So you don't think Herculiner is a good choice?

 

Started seam sealing today. Went through an entire tube of seam sealer just doing the inside of the cargo area! At $15/tube this is gonna get expensive. Is there a cheaper way? Can I just use silicone from Home Depot or something? Or could I get a quantity discount somehow? At this rate I'm gonna probably go through 6-8 tubes, maybe more.

Also, got my Rugged Ridge floor mats today, test fitted them just for fun:

 

question. What is the name of the seam sealer and how do you use it properly? Just weld, put in sealer, paint over it? Or paint first? I've got to do my quarter panels

 

I just got 3M 550 Seam Sealer from Autozone. It comes in a caulk tube. I don't know the official way to do it, but I basically caulked it in (before paint) just like you would do caulk for any construction project, filling in all the seams and gaps. Then I smoothed it out with my fingers. After I'm done seam sealing I'm just going to bedline everything.

Disclaimer: I don't actually know what I'm doing, just making things up as I go along. Fake it till you make it lol!

 

Will paint and/or bedliner adhear to the seam sealer?

 

Yes, Seam-Sealer is specifically designed for automotive use and is designed to be painted, but you do need to make sure it is fully-cured before painting.

 

So I'm having second thoughts about using the Herculiner. For one, I'm not sure if it's meant to be used on bare steel, or if you need to paint first. Also I heard some horror stories that herculiner as undercoat can actually trap water and cause it to rust out even faster. And it's pretty thick so it would probably make it impossible to remove fasteners in the future.

So then I was looking into Por15, which people seem to worship. But that's made for rust, and I don't have any rust anymore. It's just plain steel.

So now I'm thinking, why not just do it like how it comes from the factory, and just use paint. I think I'm gonna buy some rustoleum primer and paint, and send the herculiner back. Maybe spray on a coat of rubberized undercoating on top of the paint, for a little extra protection. What do you guys think?

Oh yeah, I got done most of the seam sealing. The whole inside and half the outside are done. I've gone through four 12oz tubes. It has been a pretty nasty job, mostly because I'm putting it on HEAVY and I'm not wearing gloves. But I'm pretty sure everything is water tight now.

 

Here are some pictures of the seam sealed interior:







And after 2 coats of etching primer:

 

Looks awesome. You did a lot in a short period of time. Thanks for posting the pictures, they will help other members that have to do the same.

 

Got two coats of duplicolor on there:



That's when the paint was still wet, it looks better after it dried.

I noticed that I'm getting some water inside the cab, on the drivers and passengers floor pans. It has to be from rain because the jeep hasn't even been started for 2 weeks. What's the most likely culprit, the windshield? I noticed the rubber around the windshield can be pulled away, is it supposed to be like that? Is there an easy fix? Or is it more likely to be the weather stripping around the doors?

I guess I'll have to spray it with a hose and just see where the water is coming in.

The last thing I want is to spend all this effort fixing the floors, only to have it rust out again because of a windshield leak!

 

Yes, the rubber strip around the windshield is supposed to be pliable. DO NOT pull it off the windshield because you will not be able to put it back on. It is placed on the windshield at installation.

Aside from your guesses, also check the cowl

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/wat...ng-cowl-34969/

 

Thanks, I would have had no idea to check there. I'll check it out.