Rocker replacement/cab support question

[Blue'72]

I'm gunna post this here in hopes that someone can help me out kinda quick like.

I'm just about finished up with my inner and outer rocker replacement including the floor pan. The pass side went back together with no problems, but I'm not sure if something's wrong with the drivers side. Everything went back together nicely, but now that I'm ready to weld the a-pillar back on, it's not lining up. It's the same piece that I cut off, but when I line the four holes up, the whole thing sits up about a half inch higher than it did before. I haven't set the rocker in place yet to see how it fits as I just had a short time last night to fiddle with it.

The only thing I can think of is, because the cab is off the frame and has some weight sitting on the cab support; could it have bent upward when I had all the metal cut away? Do I need to backtrack and start undoing my work until I can get that pulled back down and the a-pillar lines back up?? That's my plan when I get home in about 6 hours, so if anyone has any advice for me right quick, I would sure appreciate it!

[RustyParts]

Kinda late now but I believe I would have tacked the A pillar piece on first then everything would have fell into place. These ole trucks shift alot when you start taking metal out of them. Other than starting from scratch I can't offer any quick fix.

[Ol'Rover]

just wondering... was this rocker replacement an easy job? cause im 16, unexperenced with replacing key body parts such as this...but im good with a mig welder.

[suville]

It may be a bit late now that youre this far...But first you need to have the cab sitting squarly on the cab mounts ( dont need the cushions)preferebly bolted down solid. Start with the A pillar and just use very small tac welds just enough to hold it in place, cleckos are sometimes very helpful in this kind of repair, it helps to hang the door when you start fitting the rocker (I installed and removed the door several times just to insure everything would line up) Its quite an undertaking cutting all new metal away and starting over, so fit the door before you finish welding. This and any metal replacement is time and patience consuming thats why body shops get the money they do! One other area of concern will be the lower fender bolt hole at the bottom of the A pillar if that hole is not in the right place you will end up cobbing out the hole for the bolt (ask me how I know that) I ended up completly reforming that area on the A pillar. Hope I've shed sum light on the situation!

[Blue'72]

Thanks suville and Rusty! Luckily I hadn't finished all the welding, mainly just the floor pan. After taking the weight off the cab support, it fell back into place. I made a couple cuts to free up the inner rocker and bolted the A pillar back on. The original cut matched up perfectly, so I tacked it back on. I had to slice and dice the floor pan to get it to where it needs to be, but I'll deal with that later. The rocker fit perfectly with only a small modification to the A pillar side to get it to fit nice and tight. I hung the door and there is exactly the same space all the way across. UNFORTUNATELY, the rocker butts right up against the door when it's closed. I can probably adjust the door up a little more, but not enough to create the correct gap. I'm tired and don't have the energy to mess with it anymore tonight, so I'll come home tomorrow and see if I can get the rocker to fit lower. The thing is, it matches the inner rocker perfectly! The door is adjusted right where it should be too. Short of cutting a 1/4" off the bottom of the door, I don't know if I'll be able to work it out... I'm frustrated............. And I haven't even hung the pass door yet to see if it fits the rocker. Luckily I read Rokcrln's rocker replacement 101 today before I got any further into it!

[Blue'72]

Oh yeah, and Ol'Rover.. Follow Rokcrln's FAQ http://www.tri-proautomotive.com/ser...IES-ONE/Detailand I think you won't have any problems. Do some searching also for other past threads and then dive in! If I had to do it again, I wouldn't have replaced so much floor. It really didn't need it, but I thought if I was going to cut out a little, I might as well cut out A LOT.

[jaros44sr]

If I understand you correctly, you're saying the rocker won't drop down far enough to give you the gap on the door. I had the same problem and ended up massaging the floorpan with a hammer, but it did warp the rocker backing plate. I had to flatten it out

Here's a pic of the area in question, I think

[Blue'72]

Thanks jaros! I came home today and adjusted the door a little higher and then moved to some other body work. Once I take the door back off and tackle the rocker again, I'll do what it takes to get it to sit lower. You set my mind at ease a little to where I'm convinced I can fix it. I'll be updating my build thread with the outcome..