Rocker panel rust/rot how to fix without welding?

[MrsB5585]

Hello all. I own a 2004 Jeep Liberty with a little over 109K miles. I'm trying to keep this Jeep as long as possible but my downfall are the rusted/rotted rocker panels. I do not own a weld or have anyone to help me fix this. I have school aged children and recently became a widow. I used to help my husband work on our Jeeps on minor things we could handle. I don't have his Jeep as a backup I had to sell it to get by paying bills (he had a 2008 Wrangler and I wasn't a fan of it, lol).We put a lot of money into my Jeep, the engine was rebuilt and the head gaskets were replaced, etc. I have seen slip on rocker panels but I would like to hear some advice/opinions on here, please. Thank you all in advance.

 

[MrsB5585]

Delete/ignore. Moved to approriate thread.

 

[cas123]

I have been fighting this rust for going on 7 years. The inner rockers are a bear to deal with. I want rock sliders but we do not yet have a garage or a lift to put them on. Just bought a new Liberty to try and prevent the same with. Mine have all been fiberglassed and masked to hide them and get me through inspection. I got cosmetic covers to hide the patchwork that I have done over the years. I bought rockers but they are the outer rockers and once I saw how bad the inners were there was nothing left to weld to, so I sold them. Jeep did us dirty with this. Water collects in there and rots them from the inside. I have lots of research and pictures and have looked at many options over the years. If you can afford to get rock sliders placed by a welder using some channel steel that would be your best bet. There are posts on here of how people have done it. I have lots of pictures saved but most are from this forum. I am also in PA. That rusty metal all needs to go and steel needs placed for safety. The outer rockers you can always put new ones on - they sell them as I said. But with nothing to weld to, it is useless. The inner rocker area needs replaced. Best option if it is running well is to find a weld shop that can put steel there for you and you can provide outer rockers from Ebay or something. Going to cost a couple grand though. Some steel like this maybe. Where are you in PA?

 

[MrsB5585]

I have been fighting this rust for going on 7 years. The inner rockers are a bear to deal with. I want rock sliders but we do not yet have a garage or a lift to put them on. Just bought a new Liberty to try and prevent the same with. Mine have all been fiberglassed and masked to hide them and get me through inspection. I got cosmetic covers to hide the patchwork that I have done over the years. I bought rockers but they are the outer rockers and once I saw how bad the inners were there was nothing left to weld to, so I sold them. Jeep did us dirty with this. Water collects in there and rots them from the inside. I have lots of research and pictures and have looked at many options over the years. If you can afford to get rock sliders placed by a welder using some channel steel that would be your best bet. There are posts on here of how people have done it. I have lots of pictures saved but most are from this forum. I am also in PA. That rusty metal all needs to go and steel needs placed for safety. The outer rockers you can always put new ones on - they sell them as I said. But with nothing to weld to, it is useless. The inner rocker area needs replaced. Best option if it is running well is to find a weld shop that can put steel there for you and you can provide outer rockers from Ebay or something. Going to cost a couple grand though. Some steel like this maybe. Where are you in PA?

I guess it's time to say good bye to this Jeep. It's only going to be worth between $500 - 1500 for a trade and to spend the money for parts and labor for the rocker panels both inner and outer isn't worth it. Let alone it needs new tires. Thank you for your response.

 

[cas123]

Yes the only other option is the redneck repairs like I have done with fiberglass. It would buy you some time. That is why I did it with mine. You cannot have sharp edges and you cannot have holes going into the cabin. Other than that, there is nothing that says they have to look nice. But unless you have worked with fiberglass it is kind of tricky working upside down, and it is not cheap. You need a lot of it. People will rally against it, but you know what? Some cars are made entirely out of fiberglass. And eventually the rust stops because fiberglass is waterproof. But it is a lot of work. Here are my cosmetic covers- I painted them with bedliner to hide the fact that they are just cheap aluminum. Now the rockers under them are fiberglass and quite solid, but they look like crap after being patched up and crushed once on a lift. So I put these covers on and seam sealer at the ends. Right out the road from me is Ohio and they do not have inspection. They could drive with rusty rockers out there and no one would blink twice about it. https://rustrepairpanel.com/shop/ol...-b-series-1993-2011/v/RCK-PNL-KIT-FOR3-JP-LBR

 

[cas123]

By the way, I am a 64 year old nurse. If I can crawl under a car and do this stuff, anyone can. But I do have the advantage of a son who taught me to fiberglass. He does restoration and has taught me a lot. I cannot weld though, at least not yet. If you decide to take on the rockers, just reach out for support. I practiced with fiberglass on cardboard until I got comfortable with it. Hard when you are busy and I would not blame you for giving up. I thought last year was the last one for my Liberty but then I found another on Ebay and bought it from Florida so I have both now. My retired disabled husband is taking the 04 for now. Still need the 4WD for winter around here.

 

[MrsB5585]

Funny, I'm going to be starting nursing school in 3 weeks but for LPN (41 yrs old) and 3 kids 21, 10 and 13. I used to help my husband a lot working on both Jeeps, mainly his Wrangler, lol. Just minor things, anything more had to go to the shop. He taught me a lot and I was never afraid to get dirty, lol. His Wrangler was in better shape, but worth more than my Liberty and I needed the money to get me and the kids through the 2 months til social security kicks in (he passed from cancer this past June). The Liberty had a good run. Just don't think it'll endure another winter. I'm in Berks County, PA.

 

[cas123]

Well if you were here we would gladly give you a hand. I have a Wrangler too. It was supposed to be for me but I cannot deal with the lift. I had two Jeep Wranglers in the past and always wanted another one. It is perfect except the lift. So I plan to sell it. But I found another Liberty on Ebay and bought it. Body is solid and only 75,000 miles so hoping it will hold up. Yes we do work on cars here. I am not afraid to get my hands dirty either, but I think nurses in general are pretty brave and we are doers! My mom was an LPN and long ago we had a roof leak and she always reminded me that I was the only one brave enough to get up on the roof with her and help her seal the leak from the rain. 4 ft 11 but she was a powerhouse. I know it has to be hard. My husband is dealing with cancer and starting radiation soon. I am pretty much everything to everyone. I have to do it all around here and I am the sole support. He was a blue collar worker so his Social Security is like minimum wage. I am sorry for your loss. LPN is a good plan. Faster and many openings right now. Nursing is up and down but there are so many different options and it is doable with a family. I am Beaver County so we are a bit apart. If you could make the Liberty last through your nursing program that would be great. But if not, maybe a student loan to help you get a vehicle. Private loans can be used for more things. Look for grant money too. I used student loan money for survival when I went back to school. I had to. It took forever to get the loans paid off, but there are programs if you work for a non-profit that will help repay your loans. I wish you well. Lifelong learning is fine. I got a Master's at age 62- it was a scholarship so no loans for that! I started as an Aide. You never stop learning and growing.

 

[MrsB5585]

God bless you! You sound like a very strong woman. My husband was a blue collar worker too and I have been working in the field for 16 years in the factory as a machine operator then quality control tech. I'm my own handy woman around the house thanks to learning from my husband and watching. I'm keeping all of my husband's tools. And I pretty much have to trade in the Liberty. My program is 18 months from Aug to Dec next year. So 2 winters is a no go. I've been researching Suburus and I used to drive an Outback many years ago as a work vehicle when I was a cleaning lady so I'm considering an Outback or Forester; used of course, lol as long as I get 2013 and above to avoid the head gasket issues; even so I'll have it checked. My husband used to have a Toyota Tacoma stick shift and trained me how to drive it. It was ok, couldn't get used to the clutch, lol. Before my time he used to have Jeep CJ5 and a CJ7. Here's a picture of his Wrangler we worked on. But yeah, I'll have to get a personal loan for the car. I was approved federal aid for school and a good amount of financial aid to help. It was really nice talking to you. Thank you. I hope and pray that your husband gets through the best he can. Cancer stinks but personally, in my opinion, the chemo made things worse for my husband. But he's at peace now watching over us.

 

[cas123]

Yes my husband was a machinist. No retirement plan though. But I am still working as I am younger than he is, so it works out. Lots of tools and things around here too! You sound like a strong woman also. I am sure you will make a fine nurse. Mom had a Subaru and I looked at them also, though my son really did not want me to go that route. I have had five Jeeps and two Trackers. That is it for all my driving years. We hang onto cars here and do a lot ourselves. I am the parts department.

You sound like you have a solid plan. I hope you find you enjoy nursing and the next chapter is a good one for you.