How To Repair Rusted Rocker Panels

Rust is the plague that infects everyone in the classic car hobby. Nosotros all talk about avoiding rusty cars, but allow's face reality: If no 1 was willing to fix any corrosion, there wouldn't be many cars left to restore.

And where does this metallic cancer tend to strike? The rocker panels. Trapped moisture loves to breed in night confines until it bursts gratuitous–and leaves a giant hole in its wake.

Merely about all makes and models are affected, simply fortunately the market has responded. Replacement outer rocker panels for our 1973 Triumph Spitfire, for example, toll just a hundred dollars per side from Victoria British. The labor to install them isn't also specialized, and we had the entire job handled in a day.

1.This is what we're trying to fix: common outer rocker panel rust. Fortunately, our inner rockers were in good shape.

2. The first pace is to remove the seats, carpet and anything else that may exist damaged past welding estrus or spatter. The job is much easier if the doors are removed, too.

3.To properly expose the spot welds that demand to be drilled out, remove any paint and body filler in the area. Almost whatsoever sanding or grinding disc mounted to an air tool volition practise the task.

4.Side by side, drill out the spot welds. While a standard drill bit volition piece of work, a spot-weld cutter makes this job much easier.

five.Nosotros have too busted spot welds with a bootleg metallic machete-type tool. All it takes is a solid whack with a hammer.

half-dozen.The forepart of our Spitfire'south rocker panels were welded in place, and then we cutting them off. We then footing the onetime welds shine.

7.The old, rotten rocker console is now free. We've braced the door gap to keep the body straight and true while the rocker is away.

eight.After removing the old rocker panel and grinding down the spot welds, the inner rocker should look something like this. Now it's time to begin reassembly.

9.All of that banging and drilling will bend the rocker panel tabs and edges. Use a dolly and hammer to smooth and straighten everything before examination-plumbing fixtures the new rocker console.

10.To foreclose future rust problems, coat the inner rocker with some type of rust inhibitor. We used 3M Mar-Hyde One-Step Rust Converter on this task. This stuff is nasty, so accept advisable measures to protect your skin, lungs and shop floor.

eleven.To protect the now-bare metal, nosotros sprayed the entire repair area with Wurth Copper Weld Thru Primer.

12.Time to prep the replacement rocker panel. Offset, we removed any pigment to ensure a clean, strong weld.

xiii.We so test-fitted the new panel, using a hammer to make adjustments. When at this stage, brand certain the door nonetheless opens and closes properly.

fourteen.Sometimes additional panels need to exist removed to assistance adjust and fit the new rocker panel. Tom Prescott, owner of The Trunk Werks, recommended that we remove and and so refit this small piece ahead of the rocker panel. Guess what? He was right.

fifteen.A commercial spot-welder is an amazing tool that volition let you to brand a perfect repair. Assuming y'all don't take this $x,000 piece of equipment in your shop, plug welds with a MIG or TIG welder volition do an adequate chore.

16.We used a MIG welder to spot-weld a patch console on the rear quarter console. This technique works on the rocker too, where the spot welder won't accomplish.

17.Now nosotros're in the domicile stretch. Once the rocker console was welded in place, we went to work with a grinder to smooth out any welds that needed attention.

18. Voilà, our rocker panel repair is consummate and ready for priming and painting. We completed both sides in less than a twenty-four hours.

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