Does rocker rocker panel have to be removed to fix kick and floor panels?

[Metalaroundstone]

My 66 has good rocker panels, but rusted out kick panels and floor panels. Is it possible to use these repair panels to fix these problems without first removing the rocker panels? Can one get to all the spot welds that hold all the sheet metal parts together if you don't remove the rocker panel? To me it looks like the floor panel would not be as hard as the kick panel, which looks like it is sandwiched in.
Thanks

[joesscamaro]

For the floor pan, it's going to depend on how far into the the door sill the rust damage goes. Also, the inner rocker is part of the floor pan...is the inner rocker still in good shape? I'm right in the middle of my rust repairs also, and to the best of my knowledge, you can do the kick panel without removing the rocker. You're correct, it is sandwiched in-between the inner rocker and the bottom of the pillar. You'll have to obviously remove the bolts that bolt it all together, but I can't remember if it is spot welded behind there. I want to say no, but someone more knowledgable may chime in. Good luck on the rust removal journey!

[spookylynx]

I just got done doing the whole floor / rocker / rust repair job. From my experience... unless your inner rockers are good then everything needs to come out. I was going to salvage my original outers since they werent that bed but no go. also, as you dig if your kick panels are gone then your A pillar is probably gone too. Despite the repro / OE debate, new rockers are relatively cheap and after doing it, I would just tear the old ones off, put in new floors, work out and then replace the outer rockers.

[Metalaroundstone]

It looks like the PO put on new rocker panels but did not bother to replace the rusted floor or kick panels. Both have pretty bad rust, but it looks like the inner rocker part of the floor panel looks to be in good shape. I am just trying to save what is good and maybe save some time.
Thanks for the replies.

[ls60apache]

hello my kick panels were spot welded to the inner rocker,i would also suggest removing outer rocker to replace.if not theres probably gonna be untreated rust that may come back to haunt you. good luck

[spookylynx]

you might be able to cut out the kicks and save the outer rockers. The only thing I would worry about is a rusted out lower A pillar between the kick panel and the rocker. You could also try removing the outers CAREFULLY and save them. If they are replacements they may not have the 1,000,000 spot welds that the factorys did.

Give it a try, you can always cut more out. But just as many people here have said, "rust never sleeps" so if you kinda half-ass it, you will only get out what you put in.

Good Luck it's a tedious job, just take your time.

[Lugnutz65]

Originally Posted by Metalaroundstone

My 66 has good rocker panels, but rusted out kick panels and floor panels. Is it possible to use these repair panels to fix these problems without first removing the rocker panels? Can one get to all the spot welds that hold all the sheet metal parts together if you don't remove the rocker panel? To me it looks like the floor panel would not be as hard as the kick panel, which looks like it is sandwiched in.
Thanks

If the kick panel is rusted out, then you can be pretty sure the bottom of the A pillar is rotten too. You must decide whether you want to repair it properly or just make it look good. Both will look the same on the outside and only you will know, but it depends on what you want to end up with.

My kick panels had holes but my inner and outer rockers looked great. I removed the outer rocker to find that the bottom of the A pillar was crumbling rust.

My welding is not beautiful. I'm just learning how. But I'm getting it done and learning a new skill at the same time.

Here are some pics of mine.

[Metalaroundstone]

I appreciate everyone's comments and opinions on this. It would seem that the best course of action is to remove the rocker panels and see what is under there. It looks like one of my rockers is only a couple of years old, but as I said before, the PO didn't bother to replace all the other rusty components when he replaced the rocker. Since it is not my style to cut corners, I will bite the bullet and do this job right. Thanks again for all the info. I really appreciate the help I receive on this forum.

[Ratpin]

Originally Posted by Lugnutz65

If the kick panel is rusted out, then you can be pretty sure the bottom of the A pillar is rotten too. You must decide whether you want to repair it properly or just make it look good. Both will look the same on the outside and only you will know, but it depends on what you want to end up with.

My kick panels had holes but my inner and outer rockers looked great. I removed the outer rocker to find that the bottom of the A pillar was crumbling rust.

My welding is not beautiful. I'm just learning how. But I'm getting it done and learning a new skill at the same time.

Here are some pics of mine.

I will be doing this soon as well. Thanks for the detailed pictures Lugnutz65!

[Cuate]

Sorry to but in but, On my 69 C10 the outer rocker panel looks good but the inner rocker panel has a few rust holes. It's mainly in the center of the panel not on edges. Can this be fixed from the bottom with out removing outer rocker panel?

[ImpalaJim]

Lugnutz65 may I ask why you cut that patch in 1/2 ?

[Hollow65]

Here I thought I was the only one with the flinstones floor pan. Excellent info fellas. Thank you.

[Lugnutz65]

Originally Posted by ImpalaJim

Lugnutz65 may I ask why you cut that patch in 1/2 ?

You are very observant, however I did not cut it completely in half. I had trouble making the outer rocker slip over the pillar patch, so the short answer is that I cut it nearly in half so I could shape the piece the way I wanted. The cut went through most of it. The section that was just on the front of the pillar was not cut. I could not properly shape the piece until I cut it since it is very rigid by design.
I am a novice welder but my welding has improved a lot since those photos were made. It seems my welder wasn't working properly.
I have a nicer welder now.

[ImpalaJim]

I had to do both sides of mine as well.







I don't have any pics of the dog legs though. What I did was get them to where the rockers liked them. then drilled and reamed the bolt holes. I like how you did the inside as well. I don't have pics but what I did was cut patches from a universal floor pan that I accidently ordered. so there curved instead of squared

[VonDog]

Originally Posted by Metalaroundstone

I appreciate everyone's comments and opinions on this. It would seem that the best course of action is to remove the rocker panels and see what is under there. It looks like one of my rockers is only a couple of years old, but as I said before, the PO didn't bother to replace all the other rusty components when he replaced the rocker. Since it is not my style to cut corners, I will bite the bullet and do this job right. Thanks again for all the info. I really appreciate the help I receive on this forum.

If you remove the front fender, you'll be able to see the A pillar.

[Romo912]

My A pillar is good on my 1971 c/10 however my outer rocker is bad . Anyway to replace the inner rocker without removing the A pillar? Sorry if i’m Butting in .