unhappy in the extreme

[JeepcoMJ]

So today I finally decided to take the rear flares off of the 3800. needed to do this because the driver's side was junk from the accident, and the passenger side had a rust bubble beginning under the paint. usually by that point, it's pretty bad and so I knew it needed attention.

 

for reference, here's some pics of the damage and one with the rust bubble.

damage;

rust bubble;

 

well, to say the least, it's very bad. the driver's side is actually wrecked worse than I thought... the impact DID crush the inner wheel well. it's not rusty though, just paint is all cracked off and obviously dented.

 

however, the driver's side leaves me utterly speechless. in the spring of 2005, I payed $1800 in body work to have the rear wheel well fixed (firmly stated to replace the rusted metal, no bondo/smoother to be used in excess of 1/16"), the hood stripped, and the truck smoothed sanded and painted (specifically agreed on two-step clear-coat paint job in an off eggshell white). He agreed to give me a job worth more and in trade I would bring him more business from friends (which I DID do), so he cut around $1000 off of what the final price would have been

 

I didn't get any of my money's worth. the cab corners have rusted out because they shoved their scrap sanding equipment in them from behind (I had the interior out), paint is chipping all over, rust is on the seams of the back of the cab and the seams of the gutters on the roof, and the passenger side wheel well was rebuilt WITH FIBERGLASS and absolutely ZERO rusted metal was replaced.

I spent 20 minutes cracking fiberglass off underneath to find the inner wheel well rusted out to around 3" in from the bedside, and haven't gone so far as to scrape down where the rust should no longer be (i.e. where they supposedly replaced bad metal).

 

wtf?

 

I'm going to have to strip the truck down to bare metal now for peace of mind, because who knows what else got glassed in (it wasn't too terribly rusty, just some surface stuff that needed to be blasted and smoothed).

 

I'll put up pics of it tomorrow if I get a chance, but what do you guys think you'd do in this case? is there anything I can do regarding the autobody "repair" shop? or am I just going to have to take this with a grain of salt and teach myself to do bodywork because no one can be trusted?

[BLHTAZ]

:mad: That truly sux!! I don't know if there is anything that can be done unless your agreement was in writing about the metal replacement and everything that was to be done. I would at least have a "talk" with whom ever this is and see if he is will to honor at least some type of "gentlemens" agreement and work with you.

 

I know one thing...I would be incredibly pissed off and have to wait a few days before facing him so I could be composed and not just blow a cork.

[Worlds Fastest Comanche]

Sent PM

[Eagle]

In your state, are body shops licensed as auto repair shops like dealerships and repair shops? If so, report the shop both to the Better Business Bureau and to the state agency that handles the licensing. If there's no license, you can still report them to the BBB.

 

I think your best bet, especially since you seem to have as many MJs as I do, is to learn to do body work. For a lot less than you paid for that job, you could have purchased a high quality gas/wire welder that would enable you to do your own repairs and know that the rust was repaired with metal.

[mvusse]

A buddy of mine took an auto body shop course, and more and more often they glue patch panels in instead of welding. As a demonstration the teacher took two identical pieces of sheet metal, with the same square hole stamped out, and cut two identical fill pieces. One he welded in, one he glued in. The next day (so the glue would have fully cured) he hooked each "fixed body panel" up to a frame straightener. The welded one ripped on the welds. The glued one eventually ripped the original sheet metal (not the patch piece), but not anywhere near the glue seems.

 

Welders are nice, but if you can find out what kind of glue they use...

[JeepcoMJ]

glue deteriorates easier and faster over time when compared to metal (so long as the vehicle is washed properly)

[jbhill]

plus the glued line will show on very hot days as the 2 panels shrink and enlarge at different rates. just weld in a patch panel.

[69CamaroSS]

That really sucks man. sorry to hear about that. I say this is a job for judge judy!

[DirtyComanche]

It's unfortunate, but typical. It's so much easier to wedge some bondo and glass mat in there and paint over it.

 

 

And as Eagle stated, you should just learn yourself, as it is definatly a worthwhile skill and will save you much money in the long run. I wish I was better at it myself...

 

 

You might consider getting the truck acid dipped. I don't know what that costs (I can't even get it done here), but it will remove everything, and will definatly leaves you with a clean starting point.

[maddzz1]

If he doesnt want to work out a deal when you talk to him I would remind him that the number of people you can make sure don't come to his shop is alot larger than the number of people you did send to him.

[chicofuentes0224]

In my best yuppie voice.

 

Pat: "Dude, I'm drinking a Caramel Frappe the other day when I notice this rust bubble.............

 

Guy:" Listen yuppie, it's a 20 year old truck. DEAL WITH IT!"

 

Pat: "Forget this. I've got a ten pound pipe wrench with your head's name on it. :thwak: "

[DirtyComanche]

So, any pics of what is under that fender flare?

[JeepcoMJ]

So, any pics of what is under that fender flare?

 

no. i couldn't even look at it today i'm so angry.

 

he won't do anything for me...when i brought up the rusty rockers last time I stopped in, he told me it would cost $600 to have them redone with some patch-panel glue and bondo. i brought up the sandpaper and he told me he had no proof thus far that his guys would do anything of the sort, and couldn't do anything about it without hard evidence.

 

today I just wired up the new LED lights on the 40 foot flatbed, and put a semi truck air toggle switch in the 87 MJ to replace the factory vacuum switch to operate the CAD (it works a TON better).

[Worlds Fastest Comanche]

I have been in a similar situation with cars, not getting ripped off, but having to deal with tons of rust. allot of times you are better off looking for a different body. I have some J trucks i bought in Oregon, and they have no rust. Oregon seems to be better than Texas or Arazona, because the sun is not so intense. I just bought a MJ on ebay for the Bonneville project, it has 275000 miles and was a little beat up, but it cost me $900.00 and about $400.00 to drive it home. it has a 4.0 2wd AX15 with a D44 rear end. Has air and power steering. Here is a link to the Ebay listing http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT&viewitem=&item=330272004324

 

My general rule, don't buy a car from a state wher they have snow and salt the roads. It may look great, but you have no idea what's underneath. I bought a truck from PA, looked great, but it was pretty rusty once you got all the bondo off.

 

You have to look at the cost of repairing the rust VS finding a good body and swapping you parts into it. I think you can find a good body in the 1-2k range, if you have it shipped figure about a buck a mile. Best is if you can get a cheap ticket and drive it home, big risk if it breaks down though.

 

If i had shipped my truck back form Texas it would have cost $1000. My son was in texas on business so we had no cost to fly down, it cost about $350.00 for gas, and $80.00 for 1 night in a hotel. He had a bad ujoint, so he had to stop to fix that. So it was probably $500 to drive it back VS $1000 to ship it.

 

So even if it had 2k in it , it think it would be money better spent that patching the old body.

[JeepcoMJ]

sentimentality. my father and I built the truck from the ground up, it's powered by a 3800 camaro engine and is actually a very nice jeep (the bed is even better than most).

 

my options are to fix the bed, replace the bed, or extend the cab and replace the bed with a shortbed.

[ejndssn]

sentimentality. my father and I built the truck from the ground up, it's powered by a 3800 camaro engine and is actually a very nice jeep (the bed is even better than most).

 

my options are to fix the bed, replace the bed, or extend the cab and replace the bed with a shortbed.

I would vote for the extend version of this jeep. :cheers:

[mvusse]

X2, if you have the time to do something like that.

[JeepcoMJ]

X2, if you have the time to do something like that.

 

unfortunately, I don't. but, I do have all of the parts for a project like that except for 2dr xj doors.

 

if done, it would be a simple cab extension by 9" and 2dr xj doors. non-functional rear cab which would just be storage not seating, fold-down center armrest with 3rd seat, 97+ interior and probably the 2500 front clip with the shortbed. this would leave a 2" gap between the cab and the bed, so the bed would have to move forward 1.15" to put it back to stock, and the axle would also need to move forward that much (this would require redrilling the spring mounts forward by the same dimension, and doing the same with the shackles...). I would also have to chop some off of the rear of the frame.

 

it would be simple to cut the cab properly while keeping the MJ on the factory frame rails and not extending them at all, plus it would retain the factory unibody integrity and actually be stronger by the time it's done. I would probably remove the cab vents and put in 2dr xj vent windows, or 4dr xj rear door slab-windows with the cab vent in place. split rear window would have to be automatic, all power accessories as well.

 

I just don't know if I want to cut this truck up that much.

[Worlds Fastest Comanche]

Did you see the bed for sale in Classifieds? St Louis area, you could probably pick it up.

[JeepcoMJ]

Did you see the bed for sale in Classifieds? St Louis area, you could probably pick it up.

 

yea. too far though...not worth the trip. although, I do have to head to that area next month for my great uncle's wake (he passed just this past month, but wanted us to wait a month before getting together after it happened, so we would remember good things instead of mourn over bad. no, he's not on a cold plate or anything...cremated).

[JeepcoMJ]

here are the pics