EVOthis Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 I have a 96' subaru legacy sedan ej22 and was wondering if the drivers side rocker panel is replaceable as a unit?....i currently have a pretty large rust hole in it and i really dont want to pay a body shop....the prices are outrageous! thanks in advance for your help fellas! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 hehe..not sure about that panel, but in such a case my friend simply rivets roof flashing over the offending area and paints to (roughly) match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subaru360 Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 By replaceable do you mean bolt on? No. If you want to replace the whole rocker, you have to drill out all the spot welds and weld a new one on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOthis Posted January 11, 2008 Author Share Posted January 11, 2008 thanks for the info. fellas! I just need to do something it is getting worse pretty quick.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JT95 Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 Well, the good news is that you are working on a low area of the car that doesn't get much attention. If money is a factor, this sounds like a job for Bondo. If all your damage stays below the body line of the rocker panel, you're in luch because it will easy to just paint the whole rocker panel after you do the repair and can easily get away with using a spray can. If the damage creeps further up the body, then you'll probably want to mask off and paint from the side moulding down. If you've worked in bondo before, then forgive me for blabbing on and on and just ignore the rest of this post. :-\ If you haven't done much with bondo, a hole in the rocker panel should be fairly easy to remedy at a cheap cost. I've never done bondo on my 95's rocker panel, but I have on other cars. First thing you gotta do is grind off the rust and the paint from the area surrounding the rust. I've used an actual grinder before, but for a small job like yours, I'd go with the wire brush on an electric drill. (Just make sure you don't mess with the finish above the body line from the rocker panel.) Anyway, grind off as much rust as you can around the hole. Then, wipe the area clean with mineral spirits. You can probably get by with the small can of body filler for this job--depending on how much damage you have. Now, you don't want to fill the hollow of the rocker panel with bondo, so you will also want to get a piece of mesh (screen) while you are at the parts store buying bondo. (The counter guy will show you what to get if you're not sure what the mesh is.) Also, if the bondo can doesn't include a plastic applicator, grab a couple of those. Now, cut out a piece of the mesh a little bigger than your hole. Tie a piece of thread in the middle of the mesh with 10 or so inches of length. Push the mesh inside the hole and practice holding it in place by pulling the string to press the mesh against the rocker panel. You want your mesh to cover the hole from the inside of the rocker panel. (You want the mesh to remain within the hole and to not bulge out from the hole--it should NOT be flush with the metal of the rocker panel, as the bono you spread over it will need to be flush with that.) Lots of fix-em-and-sell-em guys simply stuff the hole with newspaper and cover that with bondo instead of using the mesh, which is easier and works, but then you have newspaper attracting moisture and resulting in more rust later... OK-follow the instructions on the bondo can and mix a batch up. Take your plastic applicator and slowly spread the bondo over the screen as you hold the string with your other hand. Be sure to get the bondo overlapping onto the good, bare metal as well. Ugly is okay at this point, so don't worry if it isn't clean looking. As the bondo begins to harden, you can let go of the thread. When it is completely dry, snip the thread and smooth out the bondo with your cheese-grater file. Now you have a solid surface on which to apply layer two without having a thick load of bondo laying in your body. Sand the hardened bondo with 100 grit to get a basic form, then 400 to do the smooth shaping. Shoot with primer and sand with 800--the whole rocker panel. Then mask off the rocker panel and paint from a spray can. A couple years ago, I painted my rocker panels matte black and was pleased with the look. That's also a good way for you to not worry about matching whatever color your car is. Sorry if that was way too much info that you already knew. Heck, if you lived in KY, I'd fix it for you in a morning for a pizza... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 why is it called a "rocker panel"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOthis Posted January 11, 2008 Author Share Posted January 11, 2008 thanks alot JT95 i am working up to be a mechanic not a body guy so every bit of body knowledge helps.....that does seem pretty easy.....its a hole about the size of a cell phone so its not that bad but i want to take care of it before it gets worse......whenever i have the time i will give it a shot...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbhrps Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 EVOthis, I share your pain about the cost of body repairs when money is tight, but safety should be a major concern. That rocker panel has been designed to protect the driver in a frontal and side collision, to transfer the forces to the rest of the car body evenly in a controlled manner, and to help prevent the nose of the other car coming into your driver's space. If it is badly rusted, you need to have the rusted section cut out by a good bodyman and a new section welded in. Filling it with bondo is just silly and dangerous. I would advise getting the metal replaced correctly, and if you must cut corners, do the metal prep, priming and final painting yourself with spray cans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverracerkh2005 Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 grossgarywhy is it called a "rocker panel"? Because it ROCKS!!!!!! LOL Mabey because it blocks rocks:confused: idk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOthis Posted January 12, 2008 Author Share Posted January 12, 2008 EVOthis, I share your pain about the cost of body repairs when money is tight, but safety should be a major concern. That rocker panel has been designed to protect the driver in a frontal and side collision, to transfer the forces to the rest of the car body evenly in a controlled manner, and to help prevent the nose of the other car coming into your driver's space. If it is badly rusted, you need to have the rusted section cut out by a good bodyman and a new section welded in. Filling it with bondo is just silly and dangerous. I would advise getting the metal replaced correctly, and if you must cut corners, do the metal prep, priming and final painting yourself with spray cans. The rust spot is extremely small.....not even the size of a small cell phone......i do understand were you are coming from.....it is just an eyesore to me.....and i want to take care of it before it does become a safety concern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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