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#1 |
1970 Daily Driver
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Glenns Ferry IDAHO
Posts: 1,037
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Stainless steel rocker panels
Is there a company out there that produces stainless steel rocker panels for our trucks? It sure would be nice not to have to worry about rust in that area. Put new rocker panels in my daily driver 16 years ago. And now they are roached out again needing replacement both inners and outers
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It's not truly yours if you didn't build it yourself or if you don't do your own maintenance. |
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#2 |
Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Topeka Kansas
Posts: 2,655
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Re: Stainless steel rocker panels
Remove the regular steel rockers and then take them to a metal fabricator and tell him to reproduce them in detail in stainless.
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#3 |
Registered User
![]() Join Date: May 2014
Location: PA
Posts: 1,417
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Re: Stainless steel rocker panels
I was thinking about this the other day. When installing new rockers, why not cut the bottoms off and coat the inner side with POR15? They'd be protected by the POR15 and they'd also be open so they would dry out all the time and not hold moisture. You wouldn't be able to see that there's no bottom unless you looked underneath.
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1967 C10, LWB, 250, Powerglide, PS, PB, 3/4 STATIC DROP |
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#4 |
Registered User
![]() Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Washington,Il
Posts: 632
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Re: Stainless steel rocker panels
That would be a 70k truck,piece by piece stamp it stainless. put it together,BAM timeless! Hope somebody does it. that would be sweet! I have not heard of stainless panels,but maybe you are on to something its70!!!! I'm In!!
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It builds on my intelligence when I make a mistake, Boy am I building on it! '67 C-10,'70 Nova SS ![]() |
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#5 |
Senior Member
![]() Join Date: May 2010
Location: Wisconsin & Arizona
Posts: 4,844
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Re: Stainless steel rocker panels
The truck John DeLorean would have built?!?!?!?!?!
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#6 |
Registered User
![]() Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: springfield mo
Posts: 3,075
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Re: Stainless steel rocker panels
You beat me to it, I was gonna say the same thing
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United States Marine Corps 2000-2011 Iraq and Afghanistan veteran Just living life now and enjoying it and my wife, daughter and son ![]() |
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#7 | |
Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Champaign, IL
Posts: 491
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Re: Stainless steel rocker panels
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#8 |
1970 Daily Driver
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Glenns Ferry IDAHO
Posts: 1,037
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Re: Stainless steel rocker panels
I wonder how much harder it would be for the companies that build the steel rockers to stamp them out of stainless. I know I would pay the premium for the upgrade.
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It's not truly yours if you didn't build it yourself or if you don't do your own maintenance. |
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#9 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: North East PA
Posts: 682
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Re: Stainless steel rocker panels
the reason why it is not done is the fact of welding two different types of metals is difficult to weld , being SS has very low carbon amounts
it is not that it cant be done but you really have to have good equipment to get good results , Tig or brazing would give best results though, Well there is always the new Ford aluminum body F150 I will say I am not a Ford guy but the paint on those new aluminum body f150 is something to look at , I looked at one at a outdoor show in a dark green and the paint was amazing almost flawless |
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#10 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: LI, NY 11801
Posts: 1,140
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Re: Stainless steel rocker panels
Would love to see a set of these! I'm not a welder and I was curious about dissimilar metal welding procedures...
Bill
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1970 C10 8' Fleetside, L6 250, 3 on the Tree. The most basic of pickup trucks! |
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#11 | |
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: West Virginia
Posts: 6,421
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Re: Stainless steel rocker panels
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#12 |
Registered User
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Post Falls, ID
Posts: 889
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Re: Stainless steel rocker panels
I don't know about SS body panels but, my truck gets the garden hose treatment regularly. Turn it on and stuff it in the back corners inside the cab and just let it run. Wash out all the dirt/salt (crap) that is packed into the cab and rockers. The dirt is what holds the moisture and rots the metal. I also do this to my fenders and cowl. I am always amazed at how much mung comes out.
Yes, the interior gets very wet when I do this, it dries though. clean trucks don't rust |
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#13 |
Registered User
![]() Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Yakima, WA
Posts: 362
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Re: Stainless steel rocker panels
SS ???? /// IF THIS WAS NEVER GOING TO BE PAINTED IT WOULD BE OK./ .. it would probably be better to make the hole truck made of aluminum lite weight and you would just have to polish it every so often. my 2cents
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#14 |
Special Order
![]() ![]() Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Mt Airy, MD
Posts: 85,859
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Re: Stainless steel rocker panels
The problem is when stainless touches steel it ain't so stainless anymore. You need all stainless or it will give out where they meet. Just look at a stainless exhaust system. Anywhere the metal mixes is where they fail.
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"BUILDING A BETTER WAY TO SERVE THE USA"......67/72......"The New Breed" GMC '67 C1500 Wideside Super Custom SWB: 327/M22/3.42 posi.........."The '67" (project) GMC '72 K2500 Wideside Sierra Custom Camper: 350/TH350/4.10 Power-Lok..."The '72" (rolling) Tim "Don't call me a redneck. I'm a rough cut country gentleman" R.I.P. ~ East Side Low Life ~ El Jay ~ 72BLUZ ~ Fasteddie69 ~ Ron586 ~ 67ChevyRedneck ~ Grumpy Old Man ~ |
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#15 | |
Account Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Tucson
Posts: 2,183
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Re: Stainless steel rocker panels
Quote:
You forgot that the weld is now a mixture of metals and corrosion starts aggressively at the weld line due to electrically dissimilar metals coming together with moisture! |
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#16 |
Registered User
![]() Join Date: May 2014
Location: PA
Posts: 1,417
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Re: Stainless steel rocker panels
Slap em on with seam sealer LOL
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1967 C10, LWB, 250, Powerglide, PS, PB, 3/4 STATIC DROP |
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#17 | |
Senior Member
![]() Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Albuquerque NM
Posts: 7,848
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Re: Stainless steel rocker panels
Quote:
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#18 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Southern Wisconsin
Posts: 126
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Re: Stainless steel rocker panels
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#19 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Uncle Sam knows
Posts: 286
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Re: Stainless steel rocker panels
FWIW "stainless" is a misnomer and will rust given the right conditions. Even the highest grade of stainless steels found in guns or knives will rust if not cared for. Seems like a long run for a short slide to me.
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#20 |
Senior Member
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Location: Falls City, Nebraska "100 Miles From Nowhere"
Posts: 2,219
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Re: Stainless steel rocker panels
I like the idea and would spring for the difference in material costs. As for the welding aspect? The high carbon T-309E is the "stainless to mild steel" alloy in wire or stick and I never seen a rocker rust out at the welds so it's a very doable endeavor. I'm a retired certified welder, it was my job for 40 years to know these things...Aluminum? Now there's a different breed of cat. Nobody's come up with the weld process for aluminum to steel, "yet." As far as those Fords go, the whole fastening process of panel to panel and body to frame has changed completely. No welds involved and are fastened with high tech rivets that bond the aluminum when they are shot into place by mainly robots. I was fortunate enough to work for Ford at the Claycomo truck plant installing some of the various conveyor systems through the years...That's why I drive Old Chevy's!
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Michael of the clan Hill, "Two Seventy Two's" 71 1-ton Dually 350 4-Speed 71 C/50 Grain Truck, 350 Split-Axle 4-Speed 02 3/4 ton Express 14 Indian Chief Vintage 1952 Ford 8N, "Only Ford Allowed On The Property" ![]() "Be American, Buy American" ![]() |
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#21 |
Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 281
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Re: Stainless steel rocker panels
Pop rivets worked for my dad, they'll work for this!
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72 K2500 Sierra Longbed Wideside 350/TH350/NP205 66 Plymouth Barracuda 225 Slant6 |
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#22 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Ventura, CA
Posts: 818
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Re: Stainless steel rocker panels
you got 16 years out of the last set. That is pretty good. Just put new ones on and go another 16.
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..................... ____ .........________//__{\_____ ,,,,,,,/__(O)___//___/__(O)_/ 1970 C20 -_--_--_- ______ _--_--_- /___|__\____ -_--_-_ |_(0)|__|_(0)] 1972 K5 |
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#23 |
Registered User
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Oakley, Michigan
Posts: 735
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Re: Stainless steel rocker panels
I've thought about trying to spay some oil up in the drain holes of mine every so often. Is this a good, or bad idea. If this might help them, what oil or spay should I try spraying up there?
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#24 |
Registered User
![]() Join Date: May 2014
Location: PA
Posts: 1,417
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Re: Stainless steel rocker panels
Definitley a good idea. Just some WD40 would do fine. Put the red straw on the can and hose the inside of the rockers real good. My dad bought a 67 LeMans the original owner who used to spray WD behind all the lower trim and the car had basically no rust there. Whereas this was a very common place for them to rot out even 25 years prior to this.
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1967 C10, LWB, 250, Powerglide, PS, PB, 3/4 STATIC DROP |
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#25 |
Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: saginaw mi
Posts: 104
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Re: Stainless steel rocker panels
I bet aluminum would be easier to fab than stainless, some of the modern panel adhesives would probly hold them on fine. I just did both of mine and por-15ed the insides. I haven't put the inners on yet, I guess I will hopefully before the snow. It would be nice to have, aluminum body panels, but the cost would be scary. I would do the cab corners and rockers if they were available- why not? Sounds like a great idea to me!
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69 GMC 2500 custom longbed 350 4bolt,steel crank,q-jet,edelbrock streetmaster 400th 4.10 1ton floater,8 lug goodness |
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