rocker panel replacement???

[ezernut9mm]

i'm sure many of you guys have had to have your rockers replaced. i'm just wondering how expensive this operation can be. body work seems to be pretty pricey and around here (kansas city) rust repair doesn't seem to be high on many shops lists. most are into collision repair and that insurance money. if you guys don't mind telling about what you paid for this operation i would really apprieciate it.

[ChevyDude]

I'm pretty sure most of the guys have done this themselves, with the help of a mig welder.

[jims69]

Sorry no help on the price, I do all my work myself. If I don't know how I find as much info as I can on it and give it a whirl. Learn from your mistakes.

[chevytruckfan]

I have seen $600 on the low end and $1200 on the high end.

[green68c10]

Depends on how extensive the damage is.I had both rockers,both floor pans,both cab corners and all the cab mounts replaced for $1200.I am just outside K.C.

[ezernut9mm]

thanks for all the replies.

green68c10 who did the work? and did this cover sealing and priming or just the metal work?

[longhorn71]

I was given the price of $1000 to do this.So I bought a lincion mig for $500 and learned how to weld.I used a couple of rolls of wire and an old hood i had here to learn on.It was way cheaper because I also need to re-place cab corners,floors and supports.Even if this cheap mig makes it through one project. i think I will save enough $$ to make it worth it.

[ezernut9mm]

i hear ya' longhorn. i guess this is an angle i should consider.

[Tx Firefighter]

Are you guys saying that price is for rocker panel replacement only?

Local price here is 100 bucks including the rocker panel. That's installed.

[CHEVYE]

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter

Are you guys saying that price is for rocker panel replacement only?

Local price here is 100 bucks including the rocker panel. That's installed.

same here, i had a shop quote me $150 if i bought all of the parts. i was wondering what they were talking about. if i went to a shop and they told me $1000 to replace some rockers, i`d a said.

[longhorn71]

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter

Are you guys saying that price is for rocker panel replacement only?

Local price here is 100 bucks including the rocker panel. That's installed.

that is the price here for rocker replacment here.way cheaper to learn to weld and do body work myself.

[gonebad2]

Some shops quote really high because they really don't want to do the work. Body shops earn a bigger margin doing insurance work.

[green68c10]

Originally Posted by gonebad2

Some shops quote really high because they really don't want to do the work. Body shops earn a bigger margin doing insurance work.

Thats true.If you don't want to do a job,you shoot a quote so high that if the customer wants you to do it anyway,you make really good money.

[4x4Poet]

Installing new rockers needs a MIG welder. Pulling off rockers just needs a spotweld cutter (avail locally), drill bit, a wire wheel, maybe a grinder wheel, a hammer, chisel, and large flatblade screwdriver. I just pulled the rockers of my K10 yesterday. I'll number the steps for ease of reading.

1. With a 4" angle grinder with a wire wheel installed (any grinder/drill will do), stripped away the paint over all the spotwelds. [still missed 5 on driver's, 8 on pass]
2. Using hammer & punch, punched center starting point in each spot weld for guide tip on spotweld cutter.
3. Cut each spotweld. Used plenty of drill oil. Only removed metal from the top layer to preserve the backing metal and lesson the need to fill holes. [What I only went through two! ]
4. (Suburban-specific) Using grinder wheel, ground away part of weld above upper rear of pass rocker. The weld holds on what's behind the rocker at the very rearmost part of pass rocker. Just needed a little clearance.
5. Using hammer, chisel, & BFScrewdriver, pried rocker away from body. Used patience. Here's where I found a few spotwelds I missed)
6. Ground off spotweld "buttons."
7. Wire wheeled previously hidden metal. (actually, haven't done that yet)

After the rocker is off, one can fit the new rocker to the body, maybe mark (on the body) & drill (off the body) some small holes for MIG fillet welds. Depends on your preferred method. I'll MIG "spot" weld some spots and weld the edges together, mostly. Not a clamp-style spot weld (wish I had one). You could also leave the prep step to a welder/body shop (probably wise).

CAUTION: Before I started, I had already removed the doors. To preserve A&B pillar alighnment for well-closing doors, I took this opportunity to make a pass side brace using the front hinge captive nutplate & 3rd door hinge bolt holes (pickups will be different than my K10 burb). I cut square plate, drilled holes to match the captive nutplates (& third door hinge), welded a length of sq tubing to the plates and bolted up the assy to the front hinge captive nutplate and sent bolts thru the 3rd door hinge bolt holes. Tightened well.
This type of supprt is not so crucial with burbs, or at least since I'm not removing floorpan inside of the body mount bolt, but it can be crucial with pickups since they don't have much support behind the cab. My burb has mucho stamped sheetmetal behind the front doors, so I did this only for surety's sake. You'll have to figure your own brace method, if needed.

The lion's share of the labor is the removal. Weld up of new to properly prepped, unrusted metal is easy. Of course, if you pull off the rockers yourself, you may find more metal that needs to be removed, worked, etc. HTH

[ezernut9mm]

wow! nice write up 4x4 poet. bookmarked!

[bumpster]

Price must go up as you go north. Here in central okla. Jonny Green, {the only body man I trust with my wore out toys}, is getting my 72 this week for both rockers and a small hole on drivers floor. Price 250.00 for both. This is for in primer only, as I am just now starting to work on this one, although have been driving it since 82 or 83. Would love to do it myself, but I am probably the only person on earth worse with a mig than with a stick.

[Lobo'74]

I'm in Charlottesville, VA. 2 1/2 hours S of DC, 1 hr W of Richmond. I can not find ANYONE here who will replace my inner/outer rockers, toe kicks, cab corners, floor supports. I've never welded but am a pretty fair woodworker . . . Its just tough trying to attach wood body parts to original sheetmetal . . .

[ezernut9mm]

at least wood won't rust...

[Americanrider]

Anyone tried the Vo-tec schools that teach auto-body classes? They are not really into the profit thing if you provide the parts.

[Dano69c10]

I take an autobody class at my local public community college evertime I need body work. Most colleges let you take those kinds of classes 3 or 4 times max. They have all the equipment and good instructors to guide you along. This summer I will be taking a cylinder head rebuilding class, to rebuild some v-8 heads I have in the garage. Way cheaper than buying your own stuff.
My $0.02
Dano

[arkracing]

Originally Posted by 4x4Poet

Installing new rockers needs a MIG welder. Pulling off rockers just needs a spotweld cutter (avail locally), drill bit, a wire wheel, maybe a grinder wheel, a hammer, chisel, and large flatblade screwdriver. I just pulled the rockers of my K10 yesterday. I'll number the steps for ease of reading.

1. With a 4" angle grinder with a wire wheel installed (any grinder/drill will do), stripped away the paint over all the spotwelds. [still missed 5 on driver's, 8 on pass]
2. Using hammer & punch, punched center starting point in each spot weld for guide tip on spotweld cutter.
3. Cut each spotweld. Used plenty of drill oil. Only removed metal from the top layer to preserve the backing metal and lesson the need to fill holes. [What I only went through two! ]
4. (Suburban-specific) Using grinder wheel, ground away part of weld above upper rear of pass rocker. The weld holds on what's behind the rocker at the very rearmost part of pass rocker. Just needed a little clearance.
5. Using hammer, chisel, & BFScrewdriver, pried rocker away from body. Used patience. Here's where I found a few spotwelds I missed)
6. Ground off spotweld "buttons."
7. Wire wheeled previously hidden metal. (actually, haven't done that yet)

After the rocker is off, one can fit the new rocker to the body, maybe mark (on the body) & drill (off the body) some small holes for MIG fillet welds. Depends on your preferred method. I'll MIG "spot" weld some spots and weld the edges together, mostly. Not a clamp-style spot weld (wish I had one). You could also leave the prep step to a welder/body shop (probably wise).

CAUTION: Before I started, I had already removed the doors. To preserve A&B pillar alighnment for well-closing doors, I took this opportunity to make a pass side brace using the front hinge captive nutplate & 3rd door hinge bolt holes (pickups will be different than my K10 burb). I cut square plate, drilled holes to match the captive nutplates (& third door hinge), welded a length of sq tubing to the plates and bolted up the assy to the front hinge captive nutplate and sent bolts thru the 3rd door hinge bolt holes. Tightened well.
This type of supprt is not so crucial with burbs, or at least since I'm not removing floorpan inside of the body mount bolt, but it can be crucial with pickups since they don't have much support behind the cab. My burb has mucho stamped sheetmetal behind the front doors, so I did this only for surety's sake. You'll have to figure your own brace method, if needed.

The lion's share of the labor is the removal. Weld up of new to properly prepped, unrusted metal is easy. Of course, if you pull off the rockers yourself, you may find more metal that needs to be removed, worked, etc. HTH

I just did both rockers on my '69 -
drilling out spot welds...sometimes it is easier to drill a 1/8" hole through all the panels then put the cutter pilot through that...you don't have to put as much pressure on the drill...which reduces fatigue (sp.?) on you. and you still cut only the top layer of metal (the rocker itself)

*************I WOULD NOT SUGGEST WELDING THE ROCKERS ON WITHOUT THE DOOR ON THE TRUCK FIRST....TO MAKE SURE IT ALIGNS WITH THE DOOR/BODY PROPERLY!!!!!!!!!!!
-or you can attach it in several places to the truck with some small sheetmetal screws...drill 1/8" pilot holes and screw the rocker together in a few places - put the door on, make adjustments etc, then weld, take the screw out and weld the hole.

Also - "small holes" should be 1/4" - 5/16" in size - don't go 3/8" it is a little on the big side - then weld the holes in attaching the rocker to the original steel "plug welding" - "fillet welding" a little different

in the Paint and Body Forum there is a thread titled "?for ebfabman" started by me....there are some pictures at the end that show the modification i had to do to the "new" replacement rocker in oder for it to line up properly with the door etc.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s....php3?t=139767


***note you guys being quoted $100-$200 to have one installed...very good deal...but that is assuming there is no other work right? - i.e. there is good metal to attach it to? that is a hell of a deal
I think i spend more in labor time than $100 to do it myself let alone the grinding discs/weld wire/rocker/weldgas.

if i were to do it for someone i would probably charge in the $400 range to do just the rockers - more for corners/floor supports/floors/kickpanels

[ezernut9mm]

arkracing-good thread and pics. i didn't realize how bad the aftermarket rockers fit. i will definatly have to do some more research before i get this project started.

[ebfabman]

Just for kicks, I'd like to see some of those $100-$200 rockers installed before any primer or bondo is put on.

[Rod]

You might see the drywall screws without the bondo. But then I lost count on how many trucks I've seen with screws sticking out the rockers.

[1STtimePRo'71]

Originally Posted by Rod

You might see the drywall screws without the bondo. But then I lost count on how many trucks I've seen with screws sticking out the rockers.

Oh man!