any body know where I can order a set of rocker panels for the regal? Had no luck at the junkyard, lol
rocker panels
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If you mean the bright aluminum pieces that your shoes drag across as you get in, there are GM authorized repro units on ebay, listed under diff gbody names....something like 90 plus shipping last time i saw them. Theyre very nice and 100% correct.
srercrcr said:
Those are the sill plates. Is that per pair, and with the Fisher Body logo on them?
As for rockers, there are companies that do salvage in Hemmings Motor News which specialize in rust-free sheetmetal cut from western cars. I forget the name of it right now, but there is one that Car Craft showcases from time to time which should be able to help. Either that, or try "Sherman and Associates", or US body source for possible reproductions. If you do this yourself, be sure to brace the body and remove the door before you do any cutting. I would also measure the length of the door opening and mark where you measure from, then do a car width measurement at the same time. Make sure it stays the same and that the body does not get knocked out of alignment before you weld in the new panel! My neighbor did that when we were doing a Beetle's lower quarters and heater channels. He welded it on the one day I was not there to double check it, and needless to say, the door did not like it's new home very much...
i just got done with my drivers side and ready to do the passenger side as soon as i fix my high end "snap on" broken welder. i bought them on ebay for under 100 for the pair and surpisingly they were very close to matching the factory ones but not absolutly perfect, they were made in canada and i was told they have better metal there and they were also coted in that aulimized stuff. they have been sitting in the garage for months and no rust has shown up at all. i had to make my own baking plates which was the hardest part and i made those from some 16 bauge and used a rubber mallet and a 2x6 to bend the lower groove into them to match factory. as far as bracing i did not do that to mine, on a g body they are not really structural and the fact that if you are replaceing them they are likely rusted as bad as mine and they were likely not supporting a thing. if it was anything else i would say brace it but in this case i do not think it is needed. i would not do it your self unless you have at least welded before and are using a mig or tig welder with gas not flux but thats my opionion i guess. the ones on gbodyparts.com are WAY over priced! i will look in a bit and see if i can find the ones i bought, i was happy with them and shipping was very fair. i think 97 total for both shipped.
I would also add that you should rustproof the back sides after welding with a waxy spray in rust proofing like the factory used. I just did my whole car with the stuff ( I cleaned out the doors, quarters, etc. then ground out any rust, painted it with Rustoleum, and then this stuff). I think I paid $25 at the paint supply store for a big spray can of it, but it was worth it. I even did the roof where I had just patched it to keep the moisture out. Remember that if you don't treat the back side of a repair, it will rust again. Welding burns off paint and rustproofing and it needs to be replaced or it will rot out again fairly quickly..
good call! i forgot about that part. i used zinc primer on everything, por 15ed everything i could get a brush to that i was not welding on and i plan to get into that panel where the seat belt attaches and coat it through there. i even thought about drilling hole in the top of the rocker under the sill plate and dumping something like oil or tar down there to help stop rust. i have heard of many people using oil to prevent rust and it sounds like it works well, just a though i guess
Well, this stuff ( I forget the name, but I posted it somewhere) sticks like glue but is liquid enough to run into all the cracks and crevices. I believe it is called Waxoyl in Great Brittan, and they use it to treat the undercarriage of their cars. Our cars got very spotty rustproofing, depending on the plant, shift, and general mood of whoever was doing the work that day. Some cars were done well, others are horrible. Even still, after 20-30 years, all of the body caulk, waxy stuff, etc. has long since dried out and stopped being effective. It needs to be redone to preserve the car. I like to clean out the body plugs and crevices once in a while. You would not believe how much dirt and debris gets in the quarters from the vent in the door pillar! It must have been an inch thick in places. That area is also open to the rockers, and really needs to be vacuumed out then flushed when you have the car apart. Otherwise, the dirt takes a long time to dry out after it gets wet and will rot out the quarters. If it is clean, the water does not sit to long and the car will stay rust free longer.
Also, remove all of the rubber plugs in the bottoms of the doors and leave them out. It helps them to drain better and will preserve the seams. Another little tip: How your car sits will affect it's ability to drain water. If it is too high in the rear or front water will puddle and sit for days as the drains were designed to work with the car sitting almost perfectly level.
Also, remove all of the rubber plugs in the bottoms of the doors and leave them out. It helps them to drain better and will preserve the seams. Another little tip: How your car sits will affect it's ability to drain water. If it is too high in the rear or front water will puddle and sit for days as the drains were designed to work with the car sitting almost perfectly level.
i totally agree, almost all g bodies rust from the inside out, rockers and quarters get dirt in them and collect moisture and then rust, floor boards usually rot under the drivers front where you feet sit and people in wintery areas know this more then anyone, that water sits in the sound deadener crap and rots right through, also happens with leaky windows and t tops. so that stuff is like a glue? does it dry hard or soft?
It dries soft, kind of like a sticky upholstery cement. It does dry out eventually, but it takes a long time to do so. My Nissan is done with that stuff from the factory, and it seems to work pretty well. It is basically what they use when you pay to have a car rustproofed by a professional. It's available in a spray can, or a gun spray mix, but the gun spray stuff requires a special, expensive gun, so I just do spray cans. Mine I think was from 3M. Your local Finishmaster, or whatever you have in your area, should have the stuff or be able to order it. It may also be available from Eastwood.
One other thing I plan on doing with my car, is after it is "dried in" ( windows, weatherstripping, etc.) installed, I plan to sit in it during a rainstorm and watch for any water before I put in the carpet and sound deadening. This way, I can see if there are any leaks and fix them before it goes together. I like butyl acetate strip caulk for this as it lets me seal up any firewall leaks pretty easily. Commonly, the car will leak at the A/C box, steering column, and wiring bulkhead connector and grommets. I also did the (hated) fiberglass resin and mat coating of the floors. My floors were not that bad, and I couldn't afford POR 15, so I went this route to waterproof them and the rust repairs I had made to them. I did top and bottom ( 'glassing upside down is a b*tch!) so as to seal them as well as I could and add a bit of structural reinforcement where the floor had pinholes. I would have preferred new pans, but I feel this will last for many years if the car is watertight. Besides, I don't have the time to do it right right now.
One other thing I plan on doing with my car, is after it is "dried in" ( windows, weatherstripping, etc.) installed, I plan to sit in it during a rainstorm and watch for any water before I put in the carpet and sound deadening. This way, I can see if there are any leaks and fix them before it goes together. I like butyl acetate strip caulk for this as it lets me seal up any firewall leaks pretty easily. Commonly, the car will leak at the A/C box, steering column, and wiring bulkhead connector and grommets. I also did the (hated) fiberglass resin and mat coating of the floors. My floors were not that bad, and I couldn't afford POR 15, so I went this route to waterproof them and the rust repairs I had made to them. I did top and bottom ( 'glassing upside down is a b*tch!) so as to seal them as well as I could and add a bit of structural reinforcement where the floor had pinholes. I would have preferred new pans, but I feel this will last for many years if the car is watertight. Besides, I don't have the time to do it right right now.
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