My rocker repair/replacement

I welded in the quarter panel patch at the belt line. It was hours of single tacks, blowing each one cool with compressed air and then moving a few inches away. There was a small amount of warping so it will need a smidge of filler.

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You can see the front fender patch is in as well, that was a lot easier. A shorter distance to weld and the metal seems a little thicker.

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Onto the bottom of the quarter panel patch. What a nightmare....thin metal that had been sanded before, lots of warping while I welded. I chose to lap weld this joint, holding it with sheet metal screws.

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Some of the gaps on the new door skin are a little off, so some small tacks with the MIG then ground down fixes it.

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I recently bought a borescope camera and started poking around the drivers side rocker to see how bad it was.

Great news, very clean at the rear and only slight damage at the very front.

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Once inside it wasn't too bad....
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I removed a portion of the A pillar support, patched the inner rocker and intermediate, then put the fender patch in.
 
I've been using SEM Rust Shield for this work, applying liberally to the backsides of the pieces, then again once welded. I've also used POR15 and I like the SEM better, very tough once dry.

I'm also using a lot of Eastwood "Internal Frame Coating" spray, it's a got a 24" wand that you can poke into closed areas and protect the metal. I suspect it also seaps into seams well because it's so thin.
 
Next step is to blend in the paint. Yes, a full respray would be nice but I'm opting to get it back on the road looking good, having fun as opposed to pursuing perfection.

I talked to a few shops that had no interest, so screw it, I bought a decent gun and some paint and I'm gonna try it.

Stripped the door today to bare metal, a little filler and some primer. Not done but was good to try out my new tools.

My goal is by fall to be back on the road taking my boys to their games and activities.

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Great updates. Happy to be back at it I read.
I get the 'missing-the-driving' aspect. (Im suffering it too).
Good choice to finish it up yourself and enjoy. Much less anxiety in a parking lot then when it had a 10k paintjob.
 
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