Rocker panel rust repair advice for '88 ?

einreb · 11-01-2005, 10:11 AM

I spotted this little rust spot a while back and am now ready to face the music and deal with it. I've marked in red what I'm assuming (hoping) to be the cut lines back to clean metal. Fortunately this will all be under the rocker panel covers, so it doesnt have to be too pretty. I just want to stop the rust.

Has anyone done a similar repair? The pictures on restoration design's site are too small and I cant tell if the part they sell at the rocker will cover this. (of course they havnt answered when I called or returned any call) Any extra advice or suggestions?

Thanks,

Bernie

dweymer · dweymer's Garage

Bernie,

I've got a set, not sure if they are resto-design or not, in the garage; I will check for you.

jpnovak · 11-01-2005, 11:01 AM

Bernie, Teh RD rocker will not cover that section, just part of it. the rusty area to the right of the picture (inside red box) is right where the quarter panel overlaps the rocker panel. this is a leaded joint from the factory. As the lead gets exposed to the elements it oxidizes just like steel. The problem lies in the fact that lead oxide is acidic and will eat its surrounding metal. This means its feasting on the joint.

The way to properly repair it is to cut it out. you can replace it with a section of QP from a donor car or just fab it up with sheet metal. you can roll the lower curve by bending the sheet metal over a section of 4" pipe. Cast iron drain pipes work great for this. Check your local construction site for a donor section.

dweymer · dweymer's Garage

Mine stop right past the jack tube, so no dice. No ID on them.

After looking at resto's site that area is part of the flare:

http://www.restoration-design.com/scripts/shopplus.cgi?DN=restoration-design.com&CARTID=%cartid%&ACTION=action&FILE=shopcart/sh911page2.htm

Item # 25

Ron.G · 11-01-2005, 11:08 AM

If you send parts Heaven a photo of the area you need, they will cut of a section for you and send it off.
I don't think that would cost that much for that part.

good luck with your project. I'm next.

jhladousa · 11-01-2005, 11:26 AM

I am in the process of doing my 1975 right now and had rust in virtually the same spot. The orignial suggestion from the body shop was to use a product like POR-15, then fill it with an product called all-metal.

After reviewing it with them, I directed them to instead cut the pieces out and fabricating new pieces to go in in additon to using the POR-15 type product. It's really the best (and only) way to rid the car of the rust and have a high degree of confidence it won't come back.

einreb · 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jpnovak
The way to properly repair it is to cut it out. you can replace it with a section of QP from a donor car or just fab it up with sheet metal. you can roll the lower curve by bending the sheet metal over a section of 4" pipe. Cast iron drain pipes work great for this. Check your local construction site for a donor section.

Herr Streit is going to help me out with this. Restoration Design doesnt appear to need customers so I'm becoming hell bent on just bending some metal (unless somebody comes up with a match)

The up side is that this will all be covered up with the panel covers. i've poked at it a good bit, but I'm concerned that the rust extends somewhere that will be tough to fix. I supose that until I start actually cutting away at it, I wont know the full extent.

Thanks for the responses. I'm actually a little excited about the metalwork aspect of this. I'm just hoping that its been caught in time.

Quote:

Originally posted by dweymer
Mine stop right past the jack tube, so no dice.

I'm thinking that it may still work for me. Assuming the 'section' profile is similar, I'd just cut a peice out of it as a doner and slide it over to the spot.

drop me an email with a pic and a price if you want to get rid of it. i'm working on one other lead too. bmhosey1 at yahoo dot com

-bernie

jpnovak · 11-01-2005, 11:52 AM

Bernie,

I just found this picture from a similar repair. you can see where the rocker ends and angles back to hit the "kidney" inner wheel support. The rear door latch panel and the QP all meet at the leaded joint.

I could make that patch panel in about an hour. Let me know if you want one. you must grind back the paint and then use a torch to melt out all the lead. Then go back with a grinder and get rid of the lead "tin" layer that remains. It will be thin. Then slowly cut back until you find where the rust stops. This is where you start welding back clean metal.

RSREE · 11-01-2005, 11:56 AM

Quote:

this is a leaded joint from the factory. As the lead gets exposed to the elements it oxidizes just like steel. The problem lies in the fact that lead oxide is acidic and will eat its surrounding metal. This means its feasting on the joint.

I'm not so sure I buy the lead oxide bit. Lead is used in a number of places to smooth out joints on the 911, and not causing any rust. I think the primary cause of the 911 frequently rusting out in that spot is the fact that crud builds up very easily in that location - in the narrow gap between the rear stricker panel and the wheelhouse support - and can sit there for years, and if the car has been out east there will be salt in it which will eventually do its destructive work. It is important, therefore, to get the hose in there whenever you wash the car to make sure there is no build-up.

Check out this also:Rust repair: lower latch panel.

You can see my complete rust repair project at this URL. (Be patient as the site may be slow as it is hosted my a PC under my desk at home!)

einreb · 11-01-2005, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RSREE
I'm not so sure I buy the lead oxide bit. Lead is used in a number of places to smooth out joints on the 911, and not causing any rust. I think the primary cause of the 911 frequently rusting out in that spot is the fact that crud builds up very easily in that location - in the narrow gap between the rear stricker panel and the wheelhouse support - and can sit there for years, and if the car has been out east there will be salt in it which will eventually do its destructive work.

I agree. Mine had a 'dam' of dirt, rocks and I suspect salt in that 'slot' . I found the amount of material amusing as I cleaned it out with a screwdriver... until I noticed the rust.

wcc · 11-01-2005, 03:03 PM

I had a rust spot on the drivers side door sill. I cut it out, welded in a piece of sheetmetal, ground all the welds flat, used a little filler to make it really flat, primed, painted, clear coat, blended it, polished it, then waxed it. What was nice about it was it was mostly flat. Just the one bend. I bent it with a hammer around a 2X4. But in curved areas that I've done before you can shape the metal as you tack weld it. Then weld it up.

Keep in mind that I didn't care about making it perfect cause my car has over 200,000 miles on it. It was the only rust spot on the whole car. When I get another one that is nicer I will make this one a track car eventually.

Check out the pics.