ORANGEV8Z Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 I saw some bubbling on my rocker panels. I took a screwdriver and tapped it through one of the spots making a 1/8" hole. I took a disc sander and the panel on both sides looks good except for maybe 2 small holes and some very small pin holes. On a problem like this is it ok to cut out the rusty area and patch or should I replace the whole panel? I want to replace as much as possible to prevent more rust, but I'm afraid of dealing with the over lap with the other panels surrounding it. Is replacing this panel as hard as it looks? Maybe I could get the panel and just cut right before the joints and butt weld at that point? I'm new to this kind of work but I want to learn. I also want to repair this the right way! Thanks, Nathan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORANGEV8Z Posted February 10, 2012 Author Share Posted February 10, 2012 Also the rocker panel I'm referring to is the end panel in front of the rear wheel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsglaab Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Just cut out the rusted area and butt weld in a new panel. here is some pics of a repair I did on a inner fender in my car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zgeezer Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Also the rocker panel I'm referring to is the end panel in front of the rear wheel. If this is a learning experience and you have the time, then the better repair would be to buy the dogleg panel, cut out the entire original dogleg and reskin. The problem is that when you find a "little" rust in the outside, you will have a lot more inside. The class act is inspect the inside of the rocker panel: dentist's mirrors, strong light, enter from inside under the sill cover (there are a number of 2 inch or so holes that will allow you to use a flexible light and mirrors) and replace what must be replaced. There is a thread on this site that addresses that replacement using 3M panel cement... yep, they glue'em together these days. I have the same issue: small rust pinhole on the middle of the rocker panel about 8 inches north of the left rear fender flare. I expect to cut into the rocker panel from the inside across from the rusted area and open the sill. I expect to sandblast the rust from the inside and then use POR and a woven fiberglass mat from the inside as the cure. Sounds a bit shadetree (and probably is), but it has worked for others. POR recommends this as a cure for pin holes and other rusted out areas up to about a 25 cent piece in size. You can look here to see comments from another forum. G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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