Projectile Dart
Well-Known Member
Quick backstory. I was thinking about getting an aftermarket roof rack for my daily driver 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee and I noticed some of the bolts that hold my stock roof rails onto my roof were completely rusted. I was able to extract all of them without damaging the roof nutserts and I have since placed temporary hardware with some sealant to cover the holes while I do this needed repair. The one fastener I wasn't able to extract was completely stuck and the metal surrounding it had thinned enough to the point that when I put enough torque onto it, it kind of caved in.
Now the issue of fixing it. I know the only proper way will be to get some donor sheet metal from a junkyard and cut/weld this area to eliminate the rust. My question is if anyone has any ideas of an alternative fix where I don't need to pull down my headliner on my daily driver and cut into the roof and weld it. I had thought of maybe sanding around the area to find all the rust and hit it with some rust converter and then put a nice cap of jb weld or similar epoxy over the whole area, sand it kind of flush, paint it and call it a day. I am not too concerned with how it will look considering it will be covered by a roof rack. More than anything I just want to seal out the elements from the cabin.
Do you have any alternatives or creative ideas?
The main point here is that I can't afford to be without my DD for days while I get it fixed the "right" way
Now the issue of fixing it. I know the only proper way will be to get some donor sheet metal from a junkyard and cut/weld this area to eliminate the rust. My question is if anyone has any ideas of an alternative fix where I don't need to pull down my headliner on my daily driver and cut into the roof and weld it. I had thought of maybe sanding around the area to find all the rust and hit it with some rust converter and then put a nice cap of jb weld or similar epoxy over the whole area, sand it kind of flush, paint it and call it a day. I am not too concerned with how it will look considering it will be covered by a roof rack. More than anything I just want to seal out the elements from the cabin.
Do you have any alternatives or creative ideas?
The main point here is that I can't afford to be without my DD for days while I get it fixed the "right" way
