Jeep Cherokee XJ Drip Rail Corrosion Repair

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

Its been about four years since I last did any major work on the Drip Rail on the Jeep Cherokee XJ. My last attempt was made with a lack of better knowledge and the use of the wrong materials which has resulted in a revisited job. My drip rail has had an issue with corrosion in-between the seam for the entitle time i've owned the vehicle. This is normally the frist place for rust to start on older cars and its also the last place that can find it because its not visible until its too late. Four years back I stripped the roof back, wire wheeled any corrosion, welded in some new metal and U-channel and patted myself on the back. Well the rust has continued to grown in the seam because I couldn't get to it, so this time I'm cutting out the entire side of the roof, separating the drip rail seam and making a new seamless one from 2mm box section that's been cut to form a moulding. Its a hell of a job and I would consider it major surgery but its got to be done if I intend on carrying a roof rack and gear on it. Thanks for watching, Mike

[@officialWWM]

Your attention to detail is impressive. If my Jeep ever needed this kind of work done, you would be the man I want to do it!

[@GoatOffroad]

Wow Mike! That was quite the job! We have been very blessed with an essentially a rust free XJ. However, like I told you before we found a small spot on the bottom of the drivers door. The fortunate thing is it is in an area that we also have Raptor Liner. We feel much more confident tackling it knowing we it won’t have to be perfect. You always give us the motivation to take on a project ourselves!

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

It was a terrible job. That's really good that your jeep shell is in good shape. Keep it that way and you will avoid horror shows like this haha. Mine was in the UK for 20 years and its damp there. Hopefully this is the last of the major jobs but I have probably just cursed myself by writing that. Thanks for watching guys!

[@forreststrong797]

I'm glad to see someone taking such good care of their cherokee. I really enjoy your cherokee video's. I like to keep my cherokee in nice shape as well. It's really nice knowing there's no hidden surprises after digging in and finding everything. I've been working on my Cherokee nearly everyday for a couple months removing seam sealer and repairing rust. My cherokee really wasn't too rusty I replaced floor pans then I found little areas where the seam sealer failed and there was little rust areas I had no idea about so I decided to remove all the seam sealer to redo it and repair the little spots where it failed. Then I stitch welded a lot of the seams and fully welded some areas it took forever to do it nicely. Now I'm finally ready to install long arm mounts and frame stiffeners all around then afterwards I'll be going around and seam sealing. Just something to note that I wish someone would have told me, my experience with using bedliner has been terrible because I've had multiple issues with water getting in between the bedliner and metal I don't use bedliner on anything anymore. I'm very meticulous about my prep work too I've had issues with 3 different brands and I've seen problems with other people's bedlined vehicles it looks great but underneath it could be hiding a disaster that doesn't show for a very long time. After about 10 years my bedlined floor was destroyed and the bedliner started lifting and coming off in rusty sheets.

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

That sounds like a lot of work. Fiat play to you for tackling all of that and it sounds like you did a great job. I've hd a few surprises with seam sealer. It looks perfect with all its paint on and there was rust under it. It had gotten up through a seam in the rear wheel arch and just continued to creep under the seam sealer. I spent quite some months grinding off seam sealer, welding in new metal and getting things sorted. No end to surprises. I have had a similar experience with bedliner. Its tough but its actually bad for holding water when the surface is compromised. It then continues to rust underneath and spread. I've found the only way its worked for me is to use it over original paint that's just keyed. Or do the first coat of bedliner with a brush to make sure there are no pinholes. I've seen it fail on a few cars where its been sprayed and the haven't seen slight pin holes due to it looking so aggressive. I'm not saying that this is your issue, but I think its not as full proof as advertised.

[@forreststrong797]

@@WorkshoptoWilderness thanks for the reply, it's definitely a lot of work dealing with rust and removing seam sealer but it's worth it I think. Luckily I don't live in an area where vehicles have a lot of rust. I live in gold bar Washington USA. I had a bad floor pan from a leak I repair about 10 years or so ago when I got the vehicle I welded in new metal then I applied bedliner to the whole floor which was previously rust free then recently I've been redoing a lot of things and found my floor was horrible it took over 3 weeks working nearly everyday to replace both driver and passenger full length floor pans then another 3 or 4 weeks to patch around the gas filler neck in the hatch area and remove all the seam sealer around the wheel wells then around the hatch opening and down the drip rails. It feels very good to be done with the repairs. I just have everything primered right now as I want to install my long arm mounts then frame stiffeners then go through and seam seal and paint everything. I have the body sitting up on stands with everything removed. I got a bunch of cavity wax to apply as well after watching your videos I hadn't thought of that. My cherokee was setup very similar to yours suspension wise before I removed everything. It will still have the same rear suspension but I got a 4 link long arm kit for the front now. I'm hoping it will be worth it I was very happy with the drop kit and adjustable short arms but as things progress I think it's the right choice. I think you are spot on about the bedliner, I just wanted to mention something because I was completely unaware when I first started applying it to things I viewed it differently than I do now. I also run carpet I really like a clean cozy interior, I think the carpet over the bedlined floor didn't help. I have a full interior minus headliner I'm also installing a roll cage while it's apart and I got brand new carpet and new corbeau front seats I'm excited to get it done I have a lot of parts I've been saving up for it

[@lastmanstanding1954]

great job,,,,,,,,,,,what kind of work are you doing these days,,,,,,,,,,you would make a great shop teacher.

[@williamellis3961]

That is a helll of a job. Nice workmanship..

[@dropshot5948]

Good to hear you and family are feeling better. Excellent content. Take care.

[@mtate02]

I wish we could watch you pimp out a canoe with such exceptional effort as you do your jeep mate. That'd be awesome!

[@theSvrh]

I search a lot of videos on what people are doing to build their xj for camping/wheeling. I really love and respect the amount of work you put into your jeeps "restoration & body work" I am about 2 weeks from starting the first stage of restoration/bodywork for my jeep. I am really curious about your experience with the hood vents in the snow; it is something I am really unsure about investing in considering my jeep is in heavy snow 6 months straight with no garage. But I mostly just want to say i love the build and will be looking to your videos a lot when I make build decisions on mine.

[@GoatOffroad]

Love hearing about another person restoring and building an XJ! I love my XJ and we have had a blast building it. Ours started relatively stock and now is quite capable! Hope it turns out awesome for you!

[@christerjohansson9184]

That went out like new mate! Awesome job you have done man! Like all your videos it’s interesting. Nice to hear that your family is healthy. Will come by some day and have a look 👀

[@ls66]

Great work! Patience is the key. I had to replace a section of my roof on my xj at the top of the windshield which started a complete restoration so I completely understand what you've done. There isn't much I could tell you to change. You did an excellent job. I would use a legit respirator though for the grinding and sanding. Ive been doing these kind of things since I was 18. I'm 59 now. So I have some experience in this. 👍🏻

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

I appreciate the comment, I will pick up a respirator online. The garage is small and I don't like opening the doors in winter so i think i need one. Glad the job looked good, nice to hear. I'm looking forward to getting the paint on and the rack back on. Thanks for watching.

[@jcricket-vr5xr]

Looks awesome mike your welding skills are truly incredible

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

Thanks! I cant say i'm brilliant but I try my best and its always a learning curve!

[@dantheman7719]

That was a mission and a half mate....bloody ell....awesome job..... hope you and family are feeling better now... take care as always..

[@GrizzlyPath]

Quite the undertaking that’s for sure, I think you did a good job showing the extensive effort and passage of time. The rails look great and I bet it’s nice to know they’re beefed up for years to come!

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

Its a good feeling having it done, just glad its over. for now. Thanks mate, its hard to film this kind of thing. Hopefully this can last for many years if the paints good.

[@jamesa7506]

My only suggestion would be to hold fast, stand strong, and enjoy the ride! Such is the life of owning a working, driving project vehicle! Ain't it GREAT!!

[@djb341]

Lead loading could be a better solution. I always enjoy your videos.

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

Is that the lead filler?

[@iamepimethus]

Looks great! That’s a solid upgrade.

[@11BGARAGE]

Amazing work once again both on the XJ and the video… Keep it up…. Gotta do some body work on my ZJ your video have me the confidence to tackle it…

[@christinadbmarie609]

Great work, your Jeep is lucky.

[@051biohaz]

Hell of job man, that is a huge project...thanks for the upload..:)

[@JaffaGaffa]

Snyggt jobbat Mike! Mer videos tack :)

[@adamtedder700]

I think you done a great job on it well done

[@bryanthompson24]

Love the work you did and the video is very detailed thank you. I was wondering if the rail could be deleted or does it serve a purpose for keeping water off the tops of the doors? I have the same rust problem and don’t plan to have a roof rack so my thought was to cut the rail off and weld in a piece of flag metal to fill the gap.

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

You could bubble the roof which many people do to classic cars in the UK. The cut the drip rail off and just weld it smooth. In my case I want a tough rail for the roof rack plus it keeps rain off the door seals and sends it front and back which is quite nice.

[@hondaman4423]

You do it right because you to it twice. lol. Just like literally everything I do in the garage.

[@BSF628]

I appreciate you making this video, how many hours roughly would you say you have in this project?

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

I can't be sure on hours but its been roughly 6 weeks from doing this work to paint and finished. I spent many evenings on it and tried to take my time as I didn't need to use the jeep. Its come out really nice but honestly it wasn't enjoyable. Appreciate you watching

[@GOE-MORC]

Awesome! Another job well done.

[@eyeofthetiger4184]

G'day Mike, very well explained once again, you've always been a great educator mate. Yeah just about every vehicle I've ever owned has had weakness in the drip rail area, (or modern equivalent). Partly just normal rain, clogged with crap and partly living close to sea air. Throw in roof racks of any description, even worse. And yeah not a simple fix !!! I have trained with wire feed, some years ago, (but cant justify the expense right now). Point is, no matter the welding method, the finer the gauge, the more challenging it is. Yes some great metal fillers these days, but yep you still gotta bring em back to the contour, so well done with the hard graft mate. Hope the end result is as sound as expected. Sorry if I missed it; are you gonna do your own paint ? Cheers Duke.

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

Hey Duke, thanks for watching! It wasn't the most enjoyable jon haha but I am glad its all over and ready for paint. My trust in filler is minimal so just enough in some pits is all I want, at least that way its got a good chance of staying there. I'm going to do the pint myself but its raptor liner. I've hung plastic sheeting in the garage and made a paint shop. I just need a good respirator though. Thanks again mate!

[@2S1L3NT]

I actually felt your emotional disappointment when you dug into that. I have some rust in my drip edge and I've been too scared to dig into it. I guess I'll take a look tomorrow. Need to raptor line my roof like you did too.

[@adamcarty8970]

I havnt touched my drip rails yet but I havnt noticed surface rust starting to form inside the crease between the roof and the gutter tempted sand down and raptor the whole roof I do have a safari rack but they seem to be solid and I’m Not carrying heavy gear like you probably nothing on it 9 times out of 10 lol

[@monicakeet1632]

How is the roof rack attached to the drip rail? I’ve seen many where it is simply held on with brackets and set screws in many areas. These screws would eventually wear thru even the toughest materials right down to metal and you would be starting all over again. What’s your plan there?

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

It clamps the drip rail with six jaws. I out rubber strips under them and on the jaw and clamp the very tight so they don't crack the paint or vibrate. Its not full proof and I am looking at building an alternative.

[@jayfromtexas6718]

Great job! English tenacity!😊

[@ChuckUnderFire]

I have a 2016 Cherokee Trailhawk. 2” lift, gobi roof rack, rocky road outfitter rock sliders. The rock sliders I had to drill a seem in a number of spots. I painted the holes before mounting the sliders up. But you have me thinking that wasn’t enough. Also I keep wondering (because I plan to drive this until the wheels fall off) is there something I should be doing now to avoid running into these issues in 15 years. Or 5 years.

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

Its always a tough one when drilling seams. You basically compromise the inside where there isn't much paint to begin with. Although it's always better on never vehicles. I would use some fluid wax or some kind of wax that creeps. Fire it inside the seam to try and mask it. It might be enough though that you painted it.

[@davidchase7166]

It may not be possible as I don't fully understand the layout to get to the back of the weld and I'm sure you may have considered this if it was possible but to get to the back of the weld could you drill a few little holes in order to get the straw of the Dinitrol in to the back of the welds. Thinking as it's able to creep you wouldn't have to drill that many. Just a thought

[@north.by.northeast]

Although you've had to revisit this task - and it's major surgery as you say - please don't look too unkindly on 'Mike 2017' as 'he' did what he thought was right at the the time. Every new task we do is experience banked (and quite often funny/happy anecdotes) regardles of how we view the outcome with 'older eyes.' I say that pat on the back you gave yourself was earned just as one is now... and (unlikely as it seems) future Mike may even revisit a job you have done recently so if he does then I hope he'll look back to this time with a smile too :) Sorry mate, sounds like the plot of an awful sci-fi! :D As for filler/bodge, in my very amateur body repairs I only ever used it on non-load bearing places like the bottom of doors/panels & wheel arches and I agree with you it's not worth the risk in areas subject to torque/twist/flex etc. though more skilled and experienced body repairers likely know a lot more than I do. Another great vid :)

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

That sounds like a fantastic concept for a video. If I can get the jeep to remain structurally sound at 88mph I might be able to get back in time to December 2017 and tell past Mike to stop plastering everything with filler! It would make a very interesting video hahaha! You are right though, I did the best job I could at the time, much like now. Hopefully the small amount of filler in the weld pits will not be enough to cause any issues going forward. I hope!! Thanks for watching and the comment mate.

[@lastmanstanding1954]

great job,,,,,,,,,,what kind of work are you doing these days ? you should be a shop teacher. you have a lot to teach.

[@supertr3mp]

Do you have another car beside Meg's Jeep? Because during all that time, your Jeep wasn't ready for driving..

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

Yeah we have a second car. Meg sold her zj a while back and we just have a normal family car.

[@djb341]

Yes, using hot lead. Maybe there’s lead free equivalent these days?

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

They still use that stuff at work so I assume you can still get it. I will check it out. Thanks again

[@2S1L3NT]

I'm actually pretty damn worried about moisture getting trapped in between my frame stiffeners too. I painted everything with weld through primer, but I didn't completely weld around every panel either... Been thinking about stealing all around it with urethane windshield adhesive or something. Not sure what to use... Don't want it to rust the frame out though!

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

I'm actually in the same boat completely. I sealed around mine with seam sealer and a wax under coat about four years back. I also originally used weld through primer. I stripped back some seam sealer and undercoat some time ago near the bottom edge where it tucks under the frame and noticed a little bit of rust forming around one of the welds. It was damp also. I basically ground back all of the seam sealer and undercoat after that and blasted thinned down dinatrol 3135 in there. I I think the best rout to go down is to seal around the top and sides but leave the bottom open. What I wish I had done when I originally did the job and it was all warm from welding was blasted dinitrol from the top down under high pressure. I think this would have possibly coated the inside with a think layer of cavity wax. I think fame stifferners are awesome bu your basically creating a rust sandwich

[@2S1L3NT]

@@WorkshoptoWilderness Oh man, now I'm even more worried! I just installed mine a few months back, and haven't driven it in any type of water yet. It's only rained several times while parked and I didn't drive it until roads were dry. I think you're right though. I'm thinking I should seal along the top and leave the bottom open. Well as open as it is anyway. I kinda stitch welded small spots along the bottom. I shouldn't stress myself out about it, but when you're investing so much time and money into something you want it to last. And the last thing you want to discover, is something you did made things worse! Love your videos, you're one crafty SOB. Take care!

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

I think what you have done sounds good though. You also still have time. You could get a couple of cans of dinitrol 3125 and heat them up and spray it from the top down. That stuff really stops rust and creaps everywhere. Then just seal the top and leave it open at the bottom. I know the feeling though, it's not just financial investments but blood sweat and tears you put into these huge jobs. Revisiting them like my drip rails is the worst feeling ever.

[@2S1L3NT]

@@WorkshoptoWilderness I can't find that stuff around here. I did find some on eBay, but it's $38 + $200 shipping 🤣 I did find Dinitrol 4941 underbody waterproofing wax... Have you seen that one? Assuming it's pretty similar, I might grab a couple cans of that. It's only $27 a can. Small price to pay, if it works.

[@2S1L3NT]

@@WorkshoptoWilderness Yeah, watching what you had to do in this video was painful to watch. You did one hell of a job though. And that's definitely one thing you won't have to worry about for a VERY long time.

[@fredjones1238]

what is the name of the product you use for filler its hard to here on vid

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

Its called Hagmans Chemical Metal. Its basically a water proof filler for repairing gas tanks and stuff. It's very hard and a pain in the ass to sand.

[@johnskwira34]

Looks good to me

[@blainealvey3618]

Can I ask what you do for a living

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

Yeah sure, I'm self employed and I work a range of different jobs under a sole tradership which is basically a one man band kind of thing. I work as a mechanic (when required) although i am mostly just on a long term restoration of an old car. I also earn some money from my KZbin channels although its not much sadly. I do graphic design work also for a couple of companies which in all honestly pays the best. Sounds a bit odd but I live in a small town with little job prospects and I enjoy the variation of work as it keeps things interesting.

[@blainealvey3618]

@@WorkshoptoWilderness thank you, you are so inspiring

[@WorkshoptoWilderness]

Thats very kind! I feel like a total looser when I look at my bank account hahaha. Trying my best, thanks for watching.

[@English.Andy1]

Trade it in & get a Toyota hi lux 🤔😉