Rocker rust repair

pjmcg

New Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2021
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7
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Philadelphia area
Thought I'd share some pics of my rust repair. Since it was on the driver's side I'd look at it every time I got in and couldn't wait til the weather improved so I could spend some time outside on this.

Seems like a previous owner left the top down enough that rain was pooling up and seems to have started this rust spot in an otherwise strange area for water to collect. The rest of the Jeep is in good shape in and out for 233k miles.

Started by cutting out the rusty section that included the bad spot and another small area I could see starting to develop a few inches away.
rocker rust spot.jpg


With some of the rust cut away
IMG_3585.jpg


New patch panel from 16ga sheet from Home Depot.
IMG_3608.jpg


View from below before I welded in a patch piece
IMG_3610.jpg


I was able to use the rounded corner from some steel angle to help shape the bottom of the panel to match and used some vise grips to bend it back to make the sharp crease. Used the flat area of my bench vise and a body work hammer to work out the vise grip marks and then ground the lower edge to make it match.
IMG_3597.jpg


Alot of grinding with a flap disc, some thin layers of body filler and coats of primer, and then some body color matching spray paint. I did some wet sanding and then applied another coat of paint before I ran out of the small 5 oz can I bought from Quadratec. Just got some more paint, so will be applying that and trying to blend it in a bit before some clear coat and more wet sanding.
IMG_3674.jpg


Also fixed a spot at the front fender
IMG_3614.jpg


IMG_3675.jpg
 
Nice job. You have better skills than me. I would have sanded it, sprayed stop rust paint on and bought rocker guards to cover my mess. 🤫
View attachment 253427
You and most everyone else too.

When rust arrives...it never leaves. You just hope to control it.

Example...his repair job looks great...but...
I'll bet you ten wooden nickels where the welding was done rust shows up.
 
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i always paint the back of any patch b4 it goes on unless i will have access to the back side.
raw steel will not stay clean long. the welder will burn some away but most of it painted will be better than none of it painted/protected.
 
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Looks like a decent job, better than I could do! I discovered rust spots on both sides while swapping out my rocker guards that @TheBoogieman said he would use to cover it up 😂. Anyone have a rough idea what a decent body shop or welder would charge to cut it out? Not quite sure I’m ready to tackle welding haha
 
@Dunkut88TJ Cutting it out and preparing the area is easier than welding it. You might save money doing the destruction part of the job. Find a welder who can make it solid. Then skip the body work (but paint) and cover it up again.
 
@Dunkut88TJ Cutting it out and preparing the area is easier than welding it. You might save money doing the destruction part of the job. Find a welder who can make it solid. Then skip the body work (but paint) and cover it up again.
Yeah I can manage to deconstruct things but welding…not so much
 
I was able to use the rounded corner from some steel angle to help shape the bottom of the panel to match and used some vise grips to bend it back to make the sharp crease. Used the flat area of my bench vise and a body work hammer to work out the vise grip marks and then ground the lower edge to make it match.
View attachment 253381
That bottom edge looks great - having some trouble understanding how you did it though even though you explained it in detail. Any help?
 
i always paint the back of any patch b4 it goes on unless i will have access to the back side.
raw steel will not stay clean long. the welder will burn some away but most of it painted will be better than none of it painted/protected.
I've had luck with this type of repair before, but since this is a Jeep and it will get dirty/wet, I can't imagine any repair job holding up to the level of the repair on your neighbor's Camry. The fix was commensurate with the vehicle. :cool:

I did seam seal the backside and underside since it could get more water that will not have a chance to drain or sun-dry as easily and it matches the factory seam-sealed look. Topped it off with factory rattle can color.

With the hot/humid weather I haven't put any final coat on it, but from 10' I hardly notice when I get in and out every day.
 
Last edited:
That bottom edge looks great - having some trouble understanding how you did it though even though you explained it in detail. Any help?
Sure, I found the rounded edge of some angle steel to be the closest match. You could use some rod, a socket extension, edge of a table, etc. Bend it over the edge of the piece - try not to use a hammer which would dent it. Maybe heat would work? Didn't try that.

IMG_4153.jpg



Then I used Vice Grips to bend it back at the sharper angle to match the look of the lower lip. I did get very close on the first try, but did a second one that I was much happier with. Didn't take too long. Getting the panel to fit in the patch area took more finagling.

IMG_4154.jpg


Hope that was a bit more clear.
 
Last edited:
Sure, I found the rounded edge of some angle steel to be the closest match. You could use some rod, a socket extension, edge of a table, etc. Bent if over the edge of the piece - tried not to use a hammer which would dent it. Maybe heat would work? Didn't try that.

View attachment 277119


Then I used Vice Grips to bend it back at the sharper angel to match the look of the lower lip. I did get very close on the first try, but did a second one that I was much happier with. Didn't take too long. Getting the panel to fit in the patch area took more finagling.

View attachment 277120

Hope that was a bit more clear.
Great job that bend is impressive and thanks for the reply and photos
 
Thought I'd share some pics of my rust repair. Since it was on the driver's side I'd look at it every time I got in and couldn't wait til the weather improved so I could spend some time outside on this.

Seems like a previous owner left the top down enough that rain was pooling up and seems to have started this rust spot in an otherwise strange area for water to collect. The rest of the Jeep is in good shape in and out for 233k miles.

Started by cutting out the rusty section that included the bad spot and another small area I could see starting to develop a few inches away.
View attachment 253378

With some of the rust cut away
View attachment 253379

New patch panel from 16ga sheet from Home Depot.
View attachment 253380

View from below before I welded in a patch piece
View attachment 253385

I was able to use the rounded corner from some steel angle to help shape the bottom of the panel to match and used some vise grips to bend it back to make the sharp crease. Used the flat area of my bench vise and a body work hammer to work out the vise grip marks and then ground the lower edge to make it match.
View attachment 253381

Alot of grinding with a flap disc, some thin layers of body filler and coats of primer, and then some body color matching spray paint. I did some wet sanding and then applied another coat of paint before I ran out of the small 5 oz can I bought from Quadratec. Just got some more paint, so will be applying that and trying to blend it in a bit before some clear coat and more wet sanding.
View attachment 253382

Also fixed a spot at the front fender
View attachment 253383

View attachment 253384

What tool do you use for cutting away the rusted area? I’m going to try and do some repairs like this but need to know what tools are necessary first.