Roberts280Z Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 I bought a Tabco rocker panel, thinking originally that I would just replace the whole thing. But now I'm thinking I'll have less work, and do a better job, if I just replace the sections that need it (sill area), using the Tabco part as donor. Thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rturbo 930 Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 Is that all the rust there is, just on the top? Have you checked other areas inside the rocker to see if there is other rust? If that's all there is, I would just bend up some sheet metal to patch with and sell the rocker. The top of mine is kinda wavy, really not a great piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberts280Z Posted June 3, 2018 Author Share Posted June 3, 2018 Thanks for that. Yeah, the rocker bottom looks good. If I hadn't already bought the panel, I would just make some patches like you say. I'm new to this kind of work, and sometimes the obvious isn't so obvious to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim.d Posted June 3, 2018 Share Posted June 3, 2018 I thought about doing the same to mine..until I dug deeper. Ended up doing waaayyy more than just the outter rocker panel. See photos: https://imgur.com/a/SkwkJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rturbo 930 Posted June 3, 2018 Share Posted June 3, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, Roberts280Z said: Thanks for that. Yeah, the rocker bottom looks good. If I hadn't already bought the panel, I would just make some patches like you say. I'm new to this kind of work, and sometimes the obvious isn't so obvious to me. Do you have welding and fab experience? I wouldn't consider replacing the rocker to be easy, probably not a good first job, but doable if you're smart. Look really hard at the inside of the rocker, especially at the front and rear, you might find something that is not visible from the outside, or from a quick inspection. Additionally, if you do go through with a full rocker replacement, be aware that the replacement panel, due to how it is formed and what I imagine is a less than perfect die, tends to have a split at the crease in the rocker where the front fender meets the rocker, and this will need to be welded up. Tabco panels aren't very good, so as a general rule of thumb, if you don't need to use it, don't. Edited June 3, 2018 by rturbo 930 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberts280Z Posted June 3, 2018 Author Share Posted June 3, 2018 Ha! My welding and fab experience has been gained solely from this Datsun! So far I've fab'ed and welded in patches for the top fronts of both front fenders, and a couple of other places, and welded in the driver's side floor and rail. I think I'll just continue with the passenger side floor while I ponder more on the rocker. I'm not in any big hurry - I've been at it on this car for over a year, and I just retired totally a couple of months ago so I have even more time now. This Z might not be worth restoring, but I bought it new in '76, and feel guilty about letting it turn to crap. It is a bit concerning that the tim.d photos don't show much worse damage in the rocker sill area than mine. I'll cut away more of the sill with the initial thought that I can just patch that area, which will also give me a better look at what's beneath. But so far what I see looks good. BTW thanks tim.d for those photos - I've seen plenty of floor pan videos and photos, but hadn't seen your rocker photos before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jughead Posted October 19, 2018 Share Posted October 19, 2018 Robert280Z: Keep us posted with pics! - I'm about to embark on my rockers too and am dreading what I'l find. So far I've done my Slam Panel (using a Tabco replacement panel) and replaced my spare tire well with a donor part. I'll be watching/contributing to this thread I go too. Hoping to get & provide moral support from my fellow Z freaks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jughead Posted October 19, 2018 Share Posted October 19, 2018 BTW - I Spoke with Tabco about the defective rocker parts. The Technician assured me that the issue was reported and corrected some time ago... As always though, best to inspect before installing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberts280Z Posted October 19, 2018 Author Share Posted October 19, 2018 Thanks for the interest, Jughead. This is where I am now. I cut out the green-outlined section from the Tabco rocker and welded in. I fabricated the blue-outlined 'armpit' section and welded in. Then I covered the rear, pink-outlined, section with the lower part of a Tabco patch panel. I've spent the last few weeks on another car, but will come back to this after I get another bottle of shielding gas. I've still got the door bottoms and tailgate bottom to do, plus join up the floor bottom frame rails to the remaining front frame rails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jughead Posted February 15, 2019 Share Posted February 15, 2019 @Roberts280z: Here's what I found when I removed mine. You see alot like this, and more a lot worse. Suggestion: Buy an Endoscope. They're about $35 on Amazon. You can feed it through the inside. It will light up the insife and lt you see everything. It might help you decide upon your strategy. I'm few steps ahead of you. I'm almost done with the repairs and have trial fit the panels a few times. Keep me posted and I'll do the same. I've taken lots of pics which might be helpful to you. Let me know what you need to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberts280Z Posted February 15, 2019 Author Share Posted February 15, 2019 Fortunately, mine wasn't nearly that bad. Yours looks a lot like the photos from tim.d, mentioned in his earlier post. I've moved on to my doors and liftgate, which are rusted in their lower areas. I'll be starting another thread concerning how best to fix the rusted lip surrounding the liftgate opening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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