Rust Repair

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TheBlueKJ

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Now what do you guys think would be the best approach to go about fixing this kind of rust?
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Now all of this is on the rockers.


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HoosierJeeper

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For the rockers, the best way would to cut out the rust and weld in new ones. For the pinchweld/seam there (there's a plastic cover over that) I'd take a wire wheel to them and repaint those. But likely if you went to sand the rust from the rockers, you'd be left with a hole.
 

TheBlueKJ

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Thats what i was afraid of. Now would i have to fabricate new ones or are there rocker patches out there?


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cplchris

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take it to a reputable body shop and be ready to pay good money for a quality repair. what hj posted isnt a replacement rocker panel, it is a stainless steel accent plate to stick onto the vehicle. proper rust repair is very time consuming and expensive and there are 2 ways to go about it. one would be to replace the rusted panels with entirely new ones if possible, (this is the best way). the other would be to cut out all of the rusted metal and patch in new material, (this can be equally effective but will take a lot more time and skill. in either case the repair has to be painted and blended with the rest of the paint on the vehicle. most people do not have the proper skills, knowledge, or equipment to handle something like this at home. so as i said before, find a reputable shop that does good quality rust repair and pay to have it done right. to prevent rust in the future i would recommend using a cavity wax or fluid film on the inside of the rockers and keep up with routine cleaning (especially areas where dirt collects).
 

HoosierJeeper

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Yeah I had a feeling that what I posted wasn't quite right, the site wasn't clear lol. But yeah the metal needs to be replaced.
 

SoonerJeep

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Replacement rockers are readily available. Here's one place. Lots of others on the internet.
02-07 Jeep Liberty Patch Panels

To do this yourself you need to be a very good welder. Other than exotic metals thin metal like body panels is about the hardest material to weld.
 

TheBlueKJ

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Would it be feasible to cut out the rockers and weld in some fairly heavy duty tubing?
 

cplchris

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Would it be feasible to cut out the rockers and weld in some fairly heavy duty tubing?

could it work? yes. would it cost a fortune to have done correctly? definitely.q the tubing could easily replace the rocker panel as far as strength is concerned but the connection between the tubing and the unibody would be the hard part (and the most important)
 

TheBlueKJ

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I saw that thread and someone's suggestion on LOST gave me that idea. And I'm not going to have someone do this for me I'm doing it myself.

EDIT: I'm also not going to be blending it in to the original paint color since my side skirts will be getting monstalined after I do this.
 

JeepJeepster

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My 04 is rusting in the exact same spot. The paint hasnt come off yet but its bubbling. Ive taken very good care of my jeep, pitiful something like this would happen.

It seems the rockers have metal behind them. Moisture gets trapped between the rocker and the metal behind it then you get this. Ive sprayed the inside of my rockers with fluid film but i do not believe it will do anything since the fluid film isnt actually getting to the rockers due to this extra metal.

It would be nice to see a pic of the rockers cut off. I think im going to sand and put a bedliner on the rockers. Im not going to pay to have them cut out and replaced. I shouldnt be having this issue to begin with.

This is just as sad as the lower control arms falling apart only in the rust belt. Its poor quality on jeeps part.
 

HoosierJeeper

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I don't think my rockers are plastic. I think the plastic is just a cover over metal rockers that are exposed on 02-04s. Good for preventing stone chips and rust from that, but doesn't help if they rust from inside out.
 

tjkj2002

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This is just as sad as the lower control arms falling apart only in the rust belt. Its poor quality on jeeps part.
I wouldn't think so,zero rust on mine and mines older.




Everything rust faster in salt belt states,no way around that and it's sad when a company is forced to recall parts for owner neglect.It even states in the owners manual you must wash(the under carriage) often in salt belt states and corrosion from salt is not covered by warranty.
 

JeepJeepster

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02's have different rear lower control arms. My complete rear suspension is still painted black, zero rust. My drivers side lower control arm still has a hole in it from rusting from the inside out. You cant expect people to get down and wash out a lower control arm through a 1/4" drain hole once a week. Someone that believes that is insane.

And its impossible to wash out the rockers when its sandwiched between metal.

Whats sad is my dad has a junk 96 honda accord he drives to work and back. It has 260k miles on it and has never been washed or waxed. The clear coat has failed but the underbody looks brand new. Zero rust anywhere on the underbody. Only rust it has is the rear quarter panels. My jeep has been babied, sprayed off anytime salt was on it, and garaged over half its life. Yet my rocker panels are rusting.
 

JeepJeepster

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Ohh and just to back it up more, i drive a 94zj that my parents bought new in 94. It has 210,000miles on it and for the majority of its life, it was abused (although garaged its entire life). I was 8 years old when they bought it so it took awhile before anyone sprayed its underbody off. It has some rust, but mostly everything is in perfect shape.

I just bought $150 in internal frame coating and rust converter to prolong its existance. I think its going to out live the engine and ****** in my kj.
 

CactusJacked

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Flat out saying rocker panel rust is from neglect is b.s. My rockers have paint blisters as well. There are NO paint chips, the rust is forming under the paint. I ground down some of the spots, one had a little perforation in the metal, but the rest were rust pits that formed between the metal and paint. I've been working on/restoring cars for nearly 40 years, I know what I see when I see it.... defective materials or workmanship.
 
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