Rocker Rust

[Bronco_bill]

Pull out the inside and start cutting and welding. Seems like the perfect project to learn how. I used a $120 gasless mig from Sears and bought the new door legs, and used some scrap sheet metal. A little expandable foam primer and they look great. Its been about 3 years since I first replaced mine and they are holding up well even though though I never painted them.

 

[F14CRAZY]

I had mine done last winter on my Limited. But just the "dog leg" because everything else was still solid. But the dude that I had paint it can't paint for sheit. Rust is already peeking through . I'm thinking of sanding, coating a few times with Rustoleum Rusty Metal primer, then Loctite cold galvinizing compound, then duplicolor "professional" paintable undercoat, then rustoleum painters touch grey primer, then rustoleum industrial duty gloss white, then spray duplicolor or plasticote to get it halfway color matched, then clear coating (rustoleum, what else?) You guys think this will hold up? I want to be able to coat them myself with readily available stuff and not have to bring the truck to someone (and pay). Same for the wheel wells and door bottoms.

 

[have2goski]

its not that hard to actually do the metal work ( given you have access to the tools) and if you have a buddy that can weld it up for you, even better. The hardest part is painting after.

if you look though the pics in my sig you might see a little of what you are in for

let me know if you think you are going to do this and I can tell you a few things to watch out for

 

[adam45356]

That lookes great i like the one color tone over my tan and dark blue

 

[adam45356]

one other thing there is a bushing behind the rocker looks like it connects the body to the frame any way thats rusted and it lookes inportant its still solid where the bushing is but not closest to the rocker
[img=http://img271.echo.cx/img271/4464/p62700713ip.th.jpg]

 

[Longjohn119]

I hate to say it Adam but I think it may be too far gone to effectively repair ....

Now what you could do is find a 1st gen that's got a better body but mechanical problems (blown engine, bad tranny, drivetrain shot, whatever) and swap parts from your current Explorer ...

 

[adam45356]

i looked only one of those busings is like that the others are solid but i am looking into a 1994 x perfect body bad trans but i whould rather keep myine is the dangeris whith one of those things like that evereyone i asked said it whould be fine becase where the bushing is up in there is two layers of thicker mettal i dont know any one had that much damage that rest lokes ok the back half or the rocker that connets near the bushing is sill mostly there and the right side rocker isnt bad at all not even all the way past the passenger side door o well any more suggestion. my father knows the guy who ownes the local body shop i will ask him about the bushing

 

[adam45356]

that things i think called a cheassie mount they said i can get new ones but i think they have to be welded on anyways i found a 1994 eb the body is perfect paints like brand new but has 185,000 mile but for 2800 good or bad deal i thougt good but the point is i relly dont have much money now and im goint to keep mine for now

 

[OVERKILL700HP]

Any updates?

 

[adam45356]

havent worked on it the rocker panels almost gawin looks better whitout it i sill like to fix my xploder is its possble whith the amount of damage to the rocker panel i mean i looked at others there all rustefd here in ohio

 

[F14CRAZY]

About a month ago I sanded the little bit of rust developing on my new dog legs and rockers and refinished it all (and round the wheel wells). Been good so far with all the snow and salt we've been having here.

I sanded down the good stuff and used a rust wheel on a drill on the bad stuff. Then cleaned that and used Rust O Leum "rust reformer". Then rustoleum "rusty metal primer." Then Rustoleum industrial gloss white. Then some duplicolor spray Oxford White (little cans from Advance auto parts). Then a tiny bit of sanding, then finally a little shot of rustoleum Clearcoat. From the outside of the truck you really can't see any of this. On the inside of the wheel wells, on the rockers (normally hidden by the Limited running boards) under the doors, hood tailgate, and inside the doors and tailgate (removed the door panels for this) I used some rust preventing stuff my dad swears by. He's had it for years in a 5 gallon "jerry" can. I'd describe it as like 200 weight oil. It flows but is really really slow. Like grease. Actually more like BBQ sauce but a little thicker. I applied it with a paint brush.

I did the same thing for the backside of the rocker panels. I hope all this will keep it looking good for a long while yet. I can get pix if you guys ask, no big deal.

I do have a little spot that's had some rust before. I treated it with the above except for the grease stuff. It's on the driver's side near the fuel door but a bit forward. i hope this won't be a problem again. I wish I could treat it from the inside but it looks impossible.

 

[adam45356]

yea yours dosent sound as bad as mine i mean its afull as shown in the pics on the first page, but i dont want to get a new explorer sence the engine and tranny are good and the interiors like new expept for the drivers seat the rest where rarely used and well tooken care of, and its kinda a setamental thing, i have no body work experice at all, my last car i tried to do body work on looked horrible how much whould a body shop charge to fix the rocker panel, and the body mount things- (which is the thing that worrys me the most) a rough estamate

 

[F14CRAZY]

Probably too much, seriously. I mean you've got a lot of rust. I can assume that you're also having problems with rust under the doors, hood, tailgate, bottom of the front fenders, around the wheel wells...

Then all your hardware underneath is crusty, crusty brake and fuel lines, etc. And like with your body mount, the integrity of the entire structure is compromised. It's true though that with these vehicles, the drivetrain can outlast the body.

Maybe someday my Explorer GT will go up in value. Check car fax: its been in Texas most of its life And currently has a bad A/C compressor

 

[F14CRAZY]

I got the dog legs redone on my Limited because I thought that the rest of the truck was fine and that only the dog legs are a weak spot (which is true, to a point). I found out mine were bad when I removed the running boards to inspect them, and found that I was able to cut into them with a knife. I saved the piece that was cut out and you can see through it cuz it has lots of little holes.

I think I got the stuff from rustrepair.com or something. The new dog leg pieces and rocker panels (the entire length ) were about $130. I bought the rockers just in case but they turned out fine and didn't need to be replaced. I still have them and can get pix if you're interested. They're not doing me any good.

 

[adam45356]

other than the rocker panel and the far left side of that one body mount the rest of my explorer is solid the wheel wells compared to most of the explorers in my town are great the doors are surface rustted a little on the bottom and same whith the back door slightly
hoods perfect and the rest of the cars nice the frame is perfect, can you replace those body mounts becase the rest of the bottom is in pretty good shape

 

[cculter]

I was told from a guy that works out of his house that for some reason ford took that drain in front of the windshield and made it empty into the rockers. They rust from the inside out is what I was told.

 

[adam45356]

yea i can see the little tubes for can be gay about the little common sence things bare metal+sealed water in small space= major rust

 

[F14CRAZY]

If the windshield drain thing is true, why do the dog legs rust out before the front of the rockers? Don't know about you guys' trucks but both my Explorers sit up in the rear slightly on level ground

 

[adam45356]

i know that the little tubes leak water or somthing not sure about that though

 

[have2goski]

i think that hose may actually be the drain for a sunroof. Seems like it comes down the B-pillar on my ride