ROCKER PANEL RUSTED OUT - 97 expl

[tobybul]

I cut most of my inner rocker out and replaced it as well. I bought a sheet of decently heavy gauged galvanized steel and cut it to fit and used it. Then again, I had to because I had almost no inner rocker left.

Mine is the same way.... the amount of inner rocker eaten by rust is as much as the outer..... makes me wonder now if I should have undertaken this work.

 

[sport97]

I had zero experience, my dad had done one or 2 cars before but nothing as bad as mine. when we did it. Here are the pics from my project: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=342936

It took me a good bit of time so i drove it around with stuff chopped up, bondoed, trim missing, but in the end its still holding up. Bondo takes some time to get perfect. What a pro could do in 3 or 4 coats of bondo takes me 8 or 9 times because i am not that good at it.

 

[tobybul]

I had zero experience, my dad had done one or 2 cars before but nothing as bad as mine. when we did it. Here are the pics from my project: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=342936

It took me a good bit of time so i drove it around with stuff chopped up, bondoed, trim missing, but in the end its still holding up. Bondo takes some time to get perfect. What a pro could do in 3 or 4 coats of bondo takes me 8 or 9 times because i am not that good at it.

Thanks for the pics. You see, I ordered the outer rockers which go from front to back on a 4 door. Ideally, the old stuff needs to be cut straight thru about 2-3 inches from the floor level. Thats also how tall the replacement rockers are. Hence cutting across the C-pillar.

I wish I can take pictures. The battery on my camera is dead and I can't find the darn charger.

 

[Dave98XLT]

Its amazing how much rust there was. Hardly anything left on the metal. Was this a defect on Ford's part?

Not really a defect, it just looks like salt water gets inside the rocker through the trim holes and can't drain out since there are no drain holes. Since the trim hides the rocker you don't see the rust until it is pretty major.

I thought I had a rust free truck until this little rust stain appeared above the trim. Removed the trim and found a rust hole the size of my hand.

You could drill drain holes in the bottom of the rocker so rain would get in there and flush out road salt and then drain out.