Rocker Nightmare Anybody Else

[twoskies]

Evening

passenger door and rocker lined up pretty good except at the ends

i had skins and lower inner patch,s put on by a friend thats very picky

drivers side has been a challenge

i found out that there is a bow in both rockers, bows in at the ends, almost 1/4 inch on one side

ive really cut the drivers side up to make it fit, and yes i can weld it up and make it look good

anyone else had this issue with the rockers

il try to get pictures uploaded tomorrow, had to walk away from it tonite

Thanks

[SkinnyG]

That sounds about right.

The aftermarket parts are certainly drunk.

But so is the quality of the original metal. There is always some cutting/tweaking/welding involved, there are no "awesome fit" suppliers.

[theastronaut]

I've seen the door seal flange be way too far outward, which caused the door to fit too tightly against it and the doors wouldn't close.

[racecougar]

Yep, par for the course.

[twoskies]

hey
appreciate the responses
worked on it on Sunday while watching the game

i was able to cut the lower bottom inside door panel and clamp it together to make the profile of the door very close at the bottom

also took out the rocker i cut up and put the new one i bought on and im at the point that the gap on the bottom is very good, the gap going up the back against the b pillar is good, the door lines up with the profile of the b pillar very nice
only issue now is cutting the rocker to fit against the a and b pillar, more slicing and welding to make fit

then on to the cab corner, should be easier

little victories with bodywork

Got to Appreciate the Guys and Gals that do this for a living and make it look easier

[scottofksu]

Same issue here... I started my rust repair from the inside and worked out to keep everything lined up. After sectioning out the rocker and welding it in place - forgive my horrible welds - the door gap and body lines are both perfect. Took a bit to get there!

[twoskies]

hey

thank s again for the responses

i think ive got it as close as i can with the parts im dealing with

scottofksu , thats pretty close to what ive had to do on the drivers side

passenger side not as much

ive also got a 72 C10 and done the floor, rockers, cab mounts, nowhere near as much cutting to make fit

Thanks Again

[0ldSoul]

Love to see it since.. of course, I need to work on our rockers

Any tips on what doesn't align the best? Any pictures with specific problematic areas?

..and what have y'all done? cut, bend the metal to align it better, and fill it in with the welds?

[Grounded63]

Pretty much every replacement panel. That has the 4 bolt/alignment holes. In the A pillar/frt cab brace/rocker area. Are not punched correctly. They need to be welded/plugged closed. The panel aligned correctly, to the factory sheet metal. Then the holes are relocated in the correct position. I usually do this by opening the hole up to 1/2" and welding in a 1/2" 16ga. plug.

Often times the flange areas are poorly formed. This is usually mostly cosmetic. Though on the back of the cab mount/brace. The rear/frame side flanges are usually straight. And need to be bent correctly by the installer. Often times there is really not enough material in this area to do that correctly. I usually leave these straight, trimmed to match the cab frame/support . Then weld new flanges to the brace.

And, of course most of the time the stampings are kinda on the weak side. And not as crisp as they should be

Most of the floor area patch panels fit pretty decent. With the exception of ; the longer/narrower, inner rocker floor patch. It does not have the correct arc to it. Up in the front corner footwell/toeboard area. The shorter/wider partial inner rocker/floor patch panel actually fits pretty decent.

[twoskies]

ok, not the best photo, door skin has scratches from where i had it on a table, towel underneath but still scratched,
also the rocker is still bowed
got the cab corner tacked in today
i adjusted the door, so the door is straight

rocker is bowed out in the middle, not as noticeable in person, but i can see it in the photo

probably call it from here
or knowing myself, ill have to adjust the rocker or door, i dont have the door totally welded up yet,lol

[rbruno68]

Originally Posted by twoskies

ok, not the best photo, door skin has scratches from where i had it on a table, towel underneath but still scratched,
also the rocker is still bowed
got the cab corner tacked in today
i adjusted the door, so the door is straight

rocker is bowed out in the middle, not as noticeable in person, but i can see it in the photo

probably call it from here
or knowing myself, ill have to adjust the rocker or door, i dont have the door totally welded up yet,lol

Looks good. I am learning a lot about the fitment of panels. Because of threads like these with people talking about all the modifications they need to do to keep panels aligned, I am trying to remove as little of the original metal as possible. But that also has created its own set of issues as well.

[scottofksu]

I had a similar small bow. I bent the door bottom out ever so slightly at that spot to diminish it.