rusted... fix? or replace?

[abe]

i have a 97 TJ and the body mount has rusted through the tub not the mount on the frame. is there a way i can fix it with plate or am i looking at replacing the tub? any help would b nice. thankx

 

[bobcat481]

I would think plating would be a good fix. I would make it plenty bigger than the rust hole, and place it under the tub if possible. That way the weight from the tub is sitting on the plate, not hanging from it. You're probably gonna have to thru-bolt it, and if possible, a little mig welding. I myself would rather see both. If one fails, the other is back-up. I don't think I would rely soley on welding though. The thin steel of the tub will be hard to weld if you don't have experiance, and the weld could always crack. Cut a clean square/circle in the rust spot, and get the largest plate (within reason) that you can fit in the area. You might be able to fill in the top area (inside the cab) with fiberglass filler after all is done to give it a clean finish. Just thoughts...later

 

[Weylyn]

The way I would repair is like above, but I would cut the rust till you have nice clean metal. Next cut 2 larger pieces to cover the hole. Weld in 1 piece above the hole and 1 below the hole so you make a sandwich of it. This will give you some strength. Drill hole for mount. Primer and paint install mount. Sounds simple and it can be. Don't know how good you are with a tig or wire feed but watch your temps. If you want to practice, use some scrap and play with the welding, adjust to see that you are not burning a hole in the metal or having the wire just stick but not flow. one is too hot and the other is not hot enough. I play with my settings so I do lots of scrap welding just to fine tune.

 

[Team Twisted Off Road]

Befor you make a sandwich of it clean and primer the cut part of the metal so it will not rust as easy.

 

[abe]

thank u guys for the info. i will whenever i get time and money... like we all have alot of that right?????

 

[buckshot500]

See if you can find a local scrap yard that sells odd pieces of steel.

Get some 16 gauge sheet metal & go to town. It's not gonna be that expensive unless you have to hire someone to weld it.

 

[black87yj]

arent most of the body mounts located in the tub with some channel ? its not just a flat area you dealing with. perhaps a little fab work to recreate the channel that was created by welding the floor to the channel at the factory would help . when u cut out the rust you will see the mount for the body is a loose fitting chunk of threaded steel (b4 rust welds em )sitting in a indentation within the "channel" we had room to insert a pc of rectangle steel into the channel and secure it before we sandwitched the floor and the underside together. be sure to use rust inhibitor ! hope this helps

 

[abe]

yes it did help i worked on it a lil thurs and now sun i will get back on it. thank u all for ur help, and input.

 

[abe]

i was told by a friend that there might be a part made that fits over the old channel and can b welded directly over the old tub mounting rail. is this true? if so where do i get it ? it would save me fabricating everything. although i already made one..

 

[bobcat481]

JC Whitney maybe? I know they carry alot of tub repair pieces.

 

[abe]

thx bobcat i will keep lookin