My rocker repair/replacement

'69 2800cs

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My starting point was shiny paint and a seemingly perfect quarter panel. The cosmetic rocker cover was in excellent condition. But....there was a small fiberglass patch in front of the passenger rear wheel.

Time to find out whats going on inside that rocker!

I took the door off and reinforced-
reinforcement.JPG
 

'69 2800cs

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progress.JPG
Peeling off the outer rocker...exposing the intermediate rocker and A and B pillar reinforcements.

The intermediate was actually in decent shape up here but had turned to dust behind the B pillar.
 

'69 2800cs

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I decided to go all the way to the inner rocker, but not remove it as then there would be no structure left...plus, I have seen the inner successfully patched in the past. I ordered up a replacement inner to use as a patch but flat stock would have worked just as well.

Here's the final result....both the inner and the outer wheelhouse are rusted...inner rocker is rusted....you start to wonder what point you will start from!

rust.JPG
 
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'69 2800cs

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quarter panel.JPG
Conundrum....quarter panel took a very slight side swipe at some point...was bondo'd over and quarter panel character line is gone.

I don't want to do the whole quarter...I'd like to think I can use the W&N patch panel at the bottom and patch the character line from another panel.
 
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'69 2800cs

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9k4ex9t.jpg
Here's something I will need to fab-picture is from someone else's car. its the triangle shaped reinforcement that comes down from the inner wheelhouse. Once that's in I can put in the new intermediate rocker, then the A and B pillar reinforcements.

The other parts of the inner wheelhouse I will fab from flat stock. The outer wheel house I ordered from W&N and will patch in what I need.
 

'69 2800cs

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test fit.JPG
I replicated the triangle reinforcement with 16 gauge steel today and welded it in....I'm now test fitting the intermediate rocker.

For those of you who have been here-does the intermediate rocker tie in to this triangle piece at all? Seems like it should, as it would then reinforce the jack receiver below?
 

Marc-M

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Hello - its odd that your car is no way as rotten as mine , but the triangle section on mine is in better shape than yours..... mine will need a bit of new steel letting in..

anyhow - the section is only welded to the inner inner rocker and the wheel arch - but when I get to mine, and if its in contact with the middle sill section - I will plug weld it to it ..

regards
Marc
 

eriknetherlands

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Todd, Marc is pointing it out correctly.
For further pics check the posts I made in my resto thread " fixing that little rustspot" . It is described in ( too much ?) detail
Erik.

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Markos

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Hello - its odd that your car is no way as rotten as mine , but the triangle section on mine is in better shape than yours.....

Most cars have signature rust patterns. I can't for the life of me determine the patterns for e9's. The only theory I have is that e9's that were driven in the rain rust much differently than e9's that sat in the rain.

Particularly confusing areas for me are the tops of the doors, and the top of the nose. I'm anxious to pull the rockers off my parts car to see if there is any good metal in there.
 

Kizilsakal

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Most cars have signature rust patterns. I can't for the life of me determine the patterns for e9's. The only theory I have is that e9's that were driven in the rain rust much differently than e9's that sat in the rain.

Particularly confusing areas for me are the tops of the doors, and the top of the nose. I'm anxious to pull the rockers off my parts car to see if there is any good metal in there.

also, if you play music to your e9 it rusts less. but no trash metal.
 

'69 2800cs

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Thanks guys...my theory is the splash from the rear wheel did the damage...left side is yet to be explored but there is no damage in the wheel well on that side.
 

Marc-M

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As long as you have saved the top curved bit, you should be able to make something that does the job...I guess it does not need to look the same - that is unless you are going to live in the rocker! oh it looks like its made from 1.5 / 1.7 mm steel - I will check tonight as im cutting the rot out of it and making good
 

Marc-M

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View attachment 26053 I replicated the triangle reinforcement with 16 gauge steel today and welded it in....I'm now test fitting the intermediate rocker.

For those of you who have been here-does the intermediate rocker tie in to this triangle piece at all? Seems like it should, as it would then reinforce the jack receiver below?
going to weld mine where I marked the yellow
TtwW32s.jpg
 

'69 2800cs

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I will do the same...why not add a little reinforcement while we are here?

Here is my home made triangle reinforcement....the shape is not perfectly original but it's all new steel, welded in solidly. I extended it forward a bit, so it would be welded to both the original inner rocker and the patched area.

IMG_4798.jpg
 
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