Is there a definitive guide to rocker panel replacement?

[DarrylD]

perfect.

[Zeke]

Yeah, you use the same propane torch to put the lead back on. That's a fun job. Ask me how I know. If you don't want to fill the planned and correct factory depressions using lead, may I suggest the fiber filled and metallic body fillers as a substitute? I still use lead, that's not for everyeone for a number of reasons.

[rennch]

Silly question...what's the best way to remove the door pins in the door?

[Zeke]

Already discussed. Search KevinP73 for the answer, but I use a punch on the small end to get them moving and then a fork like thingy and a hammer to bring them out by the button-top. Not tidy sometimes and downright dangerous around perfect paint.

The factory makes a tool for this. That's where Kevin comes in.

[rennch]

Resubscribing. Sorry. I clicked the deadly "unsubscribe from all threads" link.

[rennch]

Ok Milt et al.,

After months of cold, *****eful weather here in Colorado, I was finally able to get my wheels on and get the car out of the garage. Below are pics with what I'm facing. Here are my questions:

1. As you can see, I've bent the lip that the door molding goes into so I have access to the spot welds. Is this the right move?

2. I'm not exactly sure how to approach the rear of the rocker, in terms of removal. I've already blown through the leaded joint with my grinder. How do I remove the rear section? edit: I just read the thread above...propane torch. Duh. I should pay more attention.

3. On the same token, what do I do with the front section?

The good news is, the inner rocker looks pretty good. The jack mount looks *ok*, but I'm probably going to get another one so it's all shiny and brand new in there. It's a little rotted at the bottom.

[rennch]

Ok...I melted away some of the lead...sure is ugly in there!

I've photoshopped a photo of the end result. Should I cut the outer body so I can get the inside welded in?

[rennch]

I don't know that I can do more without removing the door, so that might be the end of the day. I gave up on drilling the spot welds, and hit it with my cutting wheel.

It looks a lot cleaner now though...

No idea what to do with the rear portion. Ugh.

[DarrylD]

I think you need to do some rust prospecting, which means spot sand blasting and probing for weak areas in that inner rocker panel sheetmetal. Judging from what I can see from your photos, you've got some rust issues to solve before worrying about cosmetic ones.



If it looks this bad from the outside, the insides of that longitudinal panel is going to really be ugly. You've got to have sound steel to weld that outer rockerpanel to or it will bust the welds at the first railroad track you cross.

[rennch]

Darryl,

Thanks for the reply. I think spot blasting is a good idea, though I don't have one. I was going to wire brush it first and see what that got me. It *looks* ok, but you might (unfortunately) be right. And yes, I was planning on replacing the jack post while I was in there.

Sigh. Good times.

[DarrylD]

Use a grinder, a wire brush will just polish the rust. I would prospect using a center punch and hammer in the worst looking area and hit it hard. If it shatters like a burned potato chip or dents like aluminum foil, your answer will be quick. Pretend it's somebody else's car for a minute, that combats the completely understandable denial one gets in these situations.

I think Milt would agree, that inner rocker panel looks pretty bad and the problem is that area rusts from the bottom up... right where you need good steel to weld that outer rocker panel on and it must endure a good bit of flex.

I'm assuming you want to do this right as a keeper and not to just flip this car onto some unsuspecting buyer, right?

[rennch]

Yes, absolutely. I want to fix it right. If I have to dig all the way down, I will.

[rennch]

I can get a portable sandblaster right?

[Kemo]

subscribing...

emptyo - thanks for posting. any updated photos of the rocker fix?

[rennch]

No kemo...not yet. I feel like I've reached an impasse with my skill level at the moment. Plus, I need to order some jack metal and I haven't done that yet. Maybe this weekend I'll get the doors off and the thing fully removed.

[rennch]

So, I'm hoping I might be able just cut out the bad section of the inner and patch in new material if it doesn't pass the grinder test. Thoughts?

[Zeke]

OK, I'll weigh in here. You can't weld to metal that isn't bight and silver or is too thin. And by "too thin" I mean uneven metal that has been cleaned up but shows a lot of etching due to rust. This usually means that more metal has to be cut out than you plan on at first to get to solid surrounding metal. In some circumstances, you could patch, but overlays are not recommended, only tolerated if done well and no rust is captured behind and steps have been taken to ensure no rust will form between the patch and the original portion.

I use a portable sandblaster shot through a rubber vacuum attachment with the vac running to contain and capture what I can. It's based on a machine developed many years ago called Vacublast. The name says it all.

These suckers are expensive but way cool: http://www.chamberlainsvacublast.com/products.html

[rennch]

I have access to a portable sandblaster. I'm also tempted to pay a pro to do this part for me, but money's tight at the moment.

[Zeke]

Originally posted by emptyo
I have access to a portable sandblaster. I'm also tempted to pay a pro to do this part for me, but money's tight at the moment.

Maybe not a bad idea. The car can and will change shape if you're not careful. The rear quarter reattachment is especially critical as is overall door/rocker alignment. The car can move around when welding if you let too much heat build up.

If you've ever been under or in a house being jacked, you've heard all the cracks and pops. Well, you should hear one of these cars as you go. They'll let you know if you're hurting them.

[Carrera Charlie]

I was lucky enough to stop by Darryl's shop one day - if you think his work is magnificent, you should see his workshop!

The reason I mention this is that he created his own sandblasting booth with vacuum system. If he checks back here, maybe he could post a few photos and explain the set-up. It was ingenious!

Regards,