LD50 1st gen Rusty rocker panel bodywork - rockerpanel replacement

[ld50]

5 year update?

If I didn't see the post date I wouldn't believe it, this December will be 5 years since I completed the body work.
I just had a good close look and it still looks great. I have a bit of worn paint and surface rust where the tires throw stuff up under the wheel well but overall the repair has held up perfectly.
I should preface the photos with a reminder that My Ex is always garage kept and has not been insured through the winter since '07-'08, so it does not spend alot of time exposed to the elements.
Anyway I just gave her a quick wipe with a wet rag and took a few pics...

 

[BlkSquad]

Nice, glad to see it's held up so well. As you stated earlier, finding the doglegs for a sport is... shall we say torture? I've found the other parts and have access to the tools. If only the doglegs were readily available. If I find them anywhere I'll try to remember to come back and post a link. I'm sure I will when I get around to doing this fix, because I will be using this excellent how-to.

 

[tobybul]

Thanks

id50, I was getting discouraged with my rocker panel replacement project but after reading this thread I'm inspired again. I'll have more time after this week since I'll be fully retired.

I have replacement outer panels that go from front to back and rear dog legs from Raybuck. After starting to cut the old stuff I realized I had the inner panels to deal with.

I think I'll do what you did with the inner panels. Although I wanted to replace the outers straight thru about 2 inches above the floor rahter than just sections.

 

[cruisin_n_style]

Finished my repair

I also, inspired by this thread, just now completed my rocker repair on a 1993 Explorer Limited. For many years now we have known that we could not step on the factory running boards when getting into the Explorer. I eventually got sick of warning people not to step on them and decided to make them functional again....boy was I getting myself into a larger repair than I had hoped, haha! After taking the running boards off....well...errrr...they pretty much fell off without tools, I realized that the rockers were literally GONE, as well as the lower portion of the dog legs, and the fenders, AND the metal lip that the rockers and running boards connect to was rusted away. So ALL of that had to be fabricated or replaced.

Let me know if I should post pictures on this thread, or if I should just make my own. But it was this thread that inspired me and helped me along the way. Thanks!

 

[jwrezz]

BOTH! I can't wait to see. If you post your own thread, link to it here!

 

[ld50]

Hey, that's awesome that my thread helped and inspired you. You are of course very welcome. Why don't you make another thread and post the link here? I can move it to my first post on page one of this thread so that anyone looking at this one can go and see yours if they want (I am sure they will). That way it won't get buried in here.
-cheers

 

[cruisin_n_style]

Link to my thread, photos are on photobucket here

 

[ld50]

Looks good, dude you gotta sign up for elite and post all that in sequence!

 

[Rmalko777]

Is the Explorer woth repairing?

Hi, I have read the post about repairing the rust around wheel well and rocker panels. Is this repair worth it? I was told by a body shop guy that it will look good for about 6 months then the rust will start to come through again. I just want to do a little repair to look good for another 2 yrs. I know this is an old thread but it still serves a purpose and has good info.

 

[ld50]

I didn't leave any rust to "come through again", now it has been 8 yrs. sure I have a little surface rust here and there on the sharp lip under the rocker from wear coming from the terrain (rocks and grit being thrown around) but it is not rusting from the inside out. Maybe your body shop guy didn't understand what I did here?
I have kept an eye on the forward rocker where there was some visible rust I could not quite get at and in the thread I applied rust converter liberally, but I see no issues there yet.
8 years man, I am very happy.

 

[Rmalko777]

Thanks

Thank you for the update Jim. I will not give up on fixing my Explorer just yet!

 

[MONMIX]

Fact of the matter is, a successful, proper rust repair on ANY car is difficult. Some more than others, these Explorers are in the category of more than others.
Its not impossible, but there is no quick and easy.

8 years on a 93 is super impressive. Clearly a job done right.

 

[cklinejr]

Is this the same kind of Rust reformer that you guys have been using?

 

[ld50]

I didn't use that, I used Plasti-coat rust converter. There is a photo of the product in the thread. I am posting on my phone now so it's a drag to link back.
I do not know if that product is just as good, just that I haven't tried it. I like the rust converter because of the brush application method so I could really get it in there, worked for me!

Cheers

 

[jrm347]

Quick question for original poster or anyone else

First off, great job on the rocker panels and the write up/pics. This is exactly what I was looking for. I am trying to replace my rocker panels with basically the exact piece you used. Is is possible to do this repair without cutting out the old rocker or welding it? My plan was just to trim up the panel so it fit nicely over the existing metal and then rivet it in. I will worry about bondo and the seams later. It doesn't have to look great. My explorer is a 99 and will be used strictly for winter driving for my wife. I just bought it and want to learn some auto body skills while it is in the driveway before winter. I want to make it solid, seal it, and then coat it with herculiner. Hopefully you still check out this thread every so often. Thanks for any help!!!

 

[ld50]

That's an interesting question. Rivets eh? I guess if I were to do it (not crazy about the idea right now, lol). I would avoid rivets made of aluminum, you want steel on steel or you would set yourself up for a galvanic reaction where dissimilar metals are touching; causing bubbling paint, causing rust to start quickly at every rivet, even stainless steel and body panel steel are dissimilar.
I would get rid of any rust, and the easiest way is to cut. I would try to install each rocker so it looked even side for side.
I would drill my rivet holes as even and uniformly spaced as humanly possible. You would see them, might as well embrace the design.
Before assembly I would prime all surfaces and hit all the contact and rivet areas with a quality, paintable seam sealer, then push that rocker on and pop those rivets as fast as I could, smoothing off the oozing seam sealer afterwards.
I wouldn't bondo anything, probably wouldn't make it look better anyway. Then after I would probably just spray bomb some rocker panel paint on the whole area, some stuff that goes on thick with some texture to it.
Yes, very interesting, good luck.

 

[ld50]

Oh, was thinking, if the rivet idea was used, I would not put seem sealer on the underside (bottom) lip. You need to allow for any water that might get in there to drain out, and a rivet seal would allow for that...
Still a crazy scheme!

 

[posco]

1st post !

I own a 98 Ford Explorer Sport that has rusty rocker panels. Looking at LMC they only have 2 door Rocker panels for both sides, but they don't have or describe "inner" and "outer" like they do for 4 door models.
Am I missing a separate description or would the 2 door models not have both?

 

[ld50]

Hey Posco, welcome to the site.
I am not sure about the two door stuff, up to now I had always heard they didn't have two door rockers. I did not purchase "inner" rockers, so I may not be much help. I just used a generic flat metal..umm without looking back through the post I think it was doorskin metal of some sort. Since the inners are not molded it worked for me pretty good.

cheers

 

[posco]

thanks for the feedback. Lucky for me I live in the KCK area and can go down to LMC and talk to them.

magazine where I realized something was different. #6 is the only part listed for rocker panels on a 2 door. that and the slip on.