Well, it was a matter of time I guess. After owning this truck for about 6 months now, I just noticed this rust coming up. I went to my local body shop to see what could be done. They quoted me 300$ to clean it up and put chip protector on both sides. Needless to say, I decided not to pay out the ass to do what I thought was a simple fix. Seeing as there is about 2 feet of snow, I won't be able to tackle this problem until the summer. So, what I want to know is what advice everyone could give me for this problem.
Rusting Rocker Panels
HartBK23
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Well, it was a matter of time I guess. After owning this truck for about 6 months now, I just noticed this rust coming up. I went to my local body shop to see what could be done. They quoted me 300$ to clean it up and put chip protector on both sides. Needless to say, I decided not to pay out the ass to do what I thought was a simple fix. Seeing as there is about 2 feet of snow, I won't be able to tackle this problem until the summer. So, what I want to know is what advice everyone could give me for this problem.
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The area under the drivers side door looks pretty bad. Looks as if the pinch weld has rusted all the way through, and with just a bit of pulling, the whole strip would come off the truck. I'm not sure what I would recommend there...to address. Coating it with anything, at this point, won't do much.
The other areas - not much to do, besides what the body shop was going to do, clean it up, and coat with something. Truck bed liner works well, as does POR15. You may have to live with black rocker panels though (there are worse things in life).
The other areas - not much to do, besides what the body shop was going to do, clean it up, and coat with something. Truck bed liner works well, as does POR15. You may have to live with black rocker panels though (there are worse things in life).
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I wouldn't mind black rocker panels at all. Anything beats that rusted look. And under the driver side door, there was a bit of dirty snow packed on the panel that the car wash missed. So that isn't all rust lol as you can see in the color difference.
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Just thought I'd follow up on what happened. I began taking off the paint and rust with a wire wheel, and some areas cleaned up well, some did not. I hit a few holes on the drivers side, and I decided it was time to take my truck to a body shop. I have absolutely no body work experience, so I went to a family friend's shop. He ended up taking the bed off the frame to get to the cab corner, and while removing all the rust, he he discovered that the holes were pretty large. Since the rocker panels were so rotted out, he removed what he could, filled the cavity with spray foam, and fiber glassed over that. After paint and a very thick clear coat, I think it turned out pretty damn good. He charged me $400 and said if they rust out any more to bring it back and he'd fix them for free. But he did suggest that if they needed to be repaired again that I cut my losses and sell the truck. I highly doubt that I'd do that. But as for now, I'm satisfied 
![Image]()
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And I also plan on applying some POR15 to the frame and under body.
And I also plan on applying some POR15 to the frame and under body.
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POR15 works! But not a fan of being able to see that spray foam between the bed and cab. Fiberglass cracks over time too when molded to metal
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Looks good. But sell the truck due to a bit of rust? I should've sold mine a long time ago! Lol. Rust isn't the end of the world, it's just frustrating to see a nice truck deteriorate (what happened to mine). I'm currently in the process of fixing most of my rust. Anyways, the truck looks good man....But he did suggest that if they needed to be repaired again that I cut my losses and sell the truck. I highly doubt that I'd do that. But as for now, I'm satisfied
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The repairs look pretty good, and it sure looks alot better than the rust did. My pinch seem on the passenger side is beginning to rust, so I'm just going to take those spots down to bare and do a very small touch up job, and just paint the pinch seam itself so there is no real visible paint difference if any on the body itself
Edit: I just randomly noticed the line under your name. "Tits!" hahaha
Edit: I just randomly noticed the line under your name. "Tits!" hahaha
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Thats why i love having those side skirts that bolt to the weld line. My drivers side weld was bent from the previous owner jacking the thing up on the seam. So we straightened it and painted over it first. Looks so much cleaner. Would look even nicer on a 4x4 or lifted truck because the weld line is in your face.
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I don't have a good photo of mine but there is a guy making them now..http://www.dakotart.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9288 The company that made mine is out of business but you get the idea
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Thanks all and for those side skirts, they would probably be a last resort. That is if I ended up having the shop repair them again, and they still rusted/cracked. I'm just thankful the rust hasn't gotten to any of my doors or my bed. The rear bumper and a small portion on the inside of the tailgate are beginning to show signs of rust though. But those can be easily fixed by myself one of these weekends. And it's about time someone appreciate tits! lol
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The guy actually told me to sell it and "fall in love with something else." its just not that easy lol
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Yeah, that would be like getting rid of your wife (/girlfriend?) when you get old just because she has some grey hair. Lol
Yeah, and?
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Lol, you better hope yours doesn't see that!Yeah, and?
We've been married since 2005 - not the longest time, but long enough.
I joke with her that my second wife hasn't been born yet... :jester:
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537 Posts
I have the same problem with rust on the passenger side rockers on my D, below the running board. I have the silver POR-15, body-colour paint and clear coat, so I'm tackling this little project tomorrow. I'll take pics and post either tomorrow or Thursday.
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1,110 Posts
I'd love to see the results. I have the same issue, but the local shop did a quick quote of $500 per side! Ouch!
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Same here. Pinch seams are starting to get a little brown.
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