Request: Pics of 2DR lower rear quarter to help fab rust repair patches

[bwryan]

Hi all. I'm a fairly new owner of a '94 2DR Sport and am currently working on some rust repair. Work on the rockers is going pretty well, but the worst areas are at the front of the rear quarter panels, between the door and the rear wheel well. It's completely rusted out on the bottom six inches or so on both sides, and I don't know what exactly it should look like. I haven't found any source for replacement panels for the 2DR, so I'm hoping there's one of you who has a rust-free one who wouldn't mind taking some close-up photos of those areas from all sides, to help me figure out how to fab some patch panels.

Appreciate any help, or suggestions if you think there's a better approach. I can post pictures of my rusted panels if that would help clarify my request.

Thanks!
Brian

 

[joney]

Hi all. I'm a fairly new owner of a '94 2DR Sport and am currently working on some rust repair. Work on the rockers is going pretty well, but the worst areas are at the front of the rear quarter panels, between the door and the rear wheel well. It's completely rusted out on the bottom six inches or so on both sides, and I don't know what exactly it should look like. I haven't found any source for replacement panels for the 2DR, so I'm hoping there's one of you who has a rust-free one who wouldn't mind taking some close-up photos of those areas from all sides, to help me figure out how to fab some patch panels.

Appreciate any help, or suggestions if you think there's a better approach. I can post pictures of my rusted panels if that would help clarify my request.

Thanks!
Brian

Welcome! I'm no help with a 98 4 door however!

 

[Mbrooks420]

I’d just buy a new set of rockers and doglegs, they’re surprisingly cheap, and still available for the 2 doors, last I checked.

 

[Mbrooks420]

1992 Ford Explorer Rocker Panels | Mill Supply, Inc.

1992 Ford Explorer Rocker Panels available at low prices! We have a huge selection of high quality rust repair and auto body panels including rockers, cab corners, wheel arches, fenders, and more! Get your 1992 Ford Explorer Rocker Panels today! Most orders shipped same day!

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For the prices, it’s hard to justify the labor of building your own.

 

[bwryan]

1992 Ford Explorer Rocker Panels | Mill Supply, Inc.

1992 Ford Explorer Rocker Panels available at low prices! We have a huge selection of high quality rust repair and auto body panels including rockers, cab corners, wheel arches, fenders, and more! Get your 1992 Ford Explorer Rocker Panels today! Most orders shipped same day!

www.millsupply.com

For the prices, it’s hard to justify the labor of building your own.

Yes for the outer rockers -- I already have patch panels for those. I was even able to find an OEM inner rocker reinforcement panel, at least for the driver side. But I've not found any 2DR doglegs (are they the same as the 4DR?), and where I really need the help is for the panel betwen the dogleg and the rear wheel well. There's not an equivalent panel on the 4DR. Believe me, if I could find replacement panels I wouldn't try to fab them myself.

Thanks,
Brian

 

[spinnn]

Hi Brian. I am putting my Sport up on stands later to swap tires, I'll try to get whatever pictures I can.

 

[bwryan]

Cool -- thanks. I'm not after perfection (I've done this sort of rust repair exactly once before) but I'd like some idea of what it's supposed to look like. I'm hoping the plastic moulding's mostly going to hide it, anyway.

 

[spinnn]

 

[spinnn]

 

[spinnn]

 

[spinnn]

 

[spinnn]

 

[spinnn]

 

[spinnn]

Cool -- thanks. I'm not after perfection (I've done this sort of rust repair exactly once before) but I'd like some idea of what it's supposed to look like. I'm hoping the plastic moulding's mostly going to hide it, anyway.

So imagine my shock when the molding hid all my rust lol. i had no idea it had gotten to this point, so I guess I am going to be doing what you're doing, in the near future.

Let me know if you need any particular vantage point...the truck will be on stands for a day or 2. It's kind of tough to get a decent POV on a lot of it, and my phone camera isn't the greatest.

 

[bwryan]

Crunchy! On mine the lower half of the rocker was chewed completely away about half its length, but again, those panels are readily available. And thanks. I can see here that the body line just follows the lines of the door, pretty much like you'd expect. One thing I can't quite tell, and it may also be rusted away on yours, is whether the bottom weld seam runs all the way to the wheel well, or stops a little short of it. I also can't tell for sure if the lower body line (what the molding is attached to) just follows the line of the rocker all the way back. I'm guessing it does.

It seems like there are four or five panels that all come together in that rusted out area, the outer rocker, inner rocker, inner rocker reinforcement, and a panel or two that run up inside. From underneath I can look straight up and see the back of the passenger speaker. There's also some sound deadener foam stuff that on mine was all that was holding the rust together. I'll have to decide if I should weld in some sort of reinforcement inside those panels before I start welding things closed. Or maybe just some expanding foam... A bit more complicated than on my old truck!

Appreciate it,
Brian

 

[vroomzoomboom]

what i did with mine (granted its a 98, but everything is the same for your 94 bodywise) was i found a 4 door truck that was rust free. i chopped the outter and inner rockers off of it by cutting on the floor, a, b, and c pillars that way it came out in one shot, then drilled the spot welds. i used the dog leg from the 4 door and cut it up high enough that i had extra in the wheel well. i then took the lower back part of the rear door from the 4 door and welded it onto the dog leg. the reason why i did that was at the time (and i think nothing has changed) they didnt make 2 door dog legs. by using the a portion of the rear doors, and the dog leg from the 4 door all the body lines matched. 4 door trucks are also the same in that arear from 91-01 so there are plenty out there. i have some pictures that hopefully will help you from when i did my truck 14 something years ago, and almost to the day!
also, if you are welding, get rid of the little panel that is bonded in there with foam. put it back in if you like when your done welding, i never did with mine, and DO NOT put expanding foam in. it holds moisture, and will rot you new panels fast.

passengers side

 

[bwryan]

Thanks, those are very helpful. On mine the rear panel rust goes up another couple of inches. Your driver side outer rocker was cut almost exactly like I've had to with mine, but I've also had to cut the bottom inch or two off the inner rocker. I already pulled out the foam with the panel, as it was nothing but rust. I'd assumed it was welded to something else but in its condition it was impossible to tell. And thanks for the warning about the expanding foam. I'd like to put something back in there so it's not completely open down to the rocker, but I'll do a bit more research on that. Problem for me in finding donor parts is there are very few junkyards in my area, just one or two within a couple hours. I've contacted them, but I only asked about 2dr models. I'll give them another call.

Brian

 

[spinnn]

Crunchy! On mine the lower half of the rocker was chewed completely away about half its length, but again, those panels are readily available. And thanks. I can see here that the body line just follows the lines of the door, pretty much like you'd expect. One thing I can't quite tell, and it may also be rusted away on yours, is whether the bottom weld seam runs all the way to the wheel well, or stops a little short of it. I also can't tell for sure if the lower body line (what the molding is attached to) just follows the line of the rocker all the way back. I'm guessing it does.

It seems like there are four or five panels that all come together in that rusted out area, the outer rocker, inner rocker, inner rocker reinforcement, and a panel or two that run up inside. From underneath I can look straight up and see the back of the passenger speaker. There's also some sound deadener foam stuff that on mine was all that was holding the rust together. I'll have to decide if I should weld in some sort of reinforcement inside those panels before I start welding things closed. Or maybe just some expanding foam... A bit more complicated than on my old truck!

Appreciate it,
Brian

no prob. IIrc the bottom pinch weld ends probably about an inch forward of where the wheelwell curve starts, and it kind of leaves a bit of a gap that one would fill with seam sealer. I think the first spot weld going up the inside of the wheelwell (outer body panel to inner wheelwell panel) is just above the point of reverse curvature; where the lowest curve of the outer panel transitions to the curve that is the radius of the actual wheelwell.

I think when I am going to do mine, I am going to just cut everything off below the edge of the rocker panel outboard of the sill plate, and weld in a big honking piece of rectangular tube to act as a rock slider. It should simplify everything, esp. as I am going to do away with the plastic flare moldings (I'm not too concerned with restoring the factory appearance on this one)

 

[spinnn]

what i did with mine (granted its a 98, but everything is the same for your 94 bodywise) was i found a 4 door truck that was rust free. i chopped the outter and inner rockers off of it by cutting on the floor, a, b, and c pillars that way it came out in one shot, then drilled the spot welds. i used the dog leg from the 4 door and cut it up high enough that i had extra in the wheel well. i then took the lower back part of the rear door from the 4 door and welded it onto the dog leg. the reason why i did that was at the time (and i think nothing has changed) they didnt make 2 door dog legs. by using the a portion of the rear doors, and the dog leg from the 4 door all the body lines matched. 4 door trucks are also the same in that arear from 91-01 so there are plenty out there. i have some pictures that hopefully will help you from when i did my truck 14 something years ago, and almost to the day!
also, if you are welding, get rid of the little panel that is bonded in there with foam. put it back in if you like when your done welding, i never did with mine, and DO NOT put expanding foam in. it holds moisture, and will rot you new panels fast.

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passengers side

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Nice work!!! This gets me fired up to start fooling around with mine!