Filling Rockers to prevent rust

[FormerMember]

So we replaced the rockers on two vehicles. What are you doing to help prevent them from rusting?

[Hart_Rod]

Originally Posted by grendel

So we replaced the rockers on two vehicles. What are you doing to help prevent them from rusting?

Took a garden sprayer and soaked the inside with POR 15, . I'm not sure what else you can do.....

[raggedjim]

Originally Posted by Hart_Rod

Took a garden sprayer and soaked the inside with POR 15, . I'm not sure what else you can do.....

You can bet the garden sprayer will never rust!

Rg

[68gmsee]

I did mine about 15 years ago and painted the inside with rustoleum. Haven't had any problems. But, then again I'm not in rust belt.

I suppose POR15 or similar would help keep the rust down. I have a friend that fillled a cavity in one of his Mustangs that he was restoring with spray foam? I never asked him if he's had any rust problems.

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by 68gmsee

I have a friend that fillled a cavity in one of his Mustangs that he was restoring with spray foam? I never asked him if he's had any rust problems.

Bad idea, holds moisture/blocks drainage/won't allow water to get out.

[68gmsee]

That's what I thought.

[Bob D]

Originally Posted by 68gmsee

I did mine about 15 years ago and painted the inside with rustoleum. Haven't had any problems. But, then again I'm not in rust belt.

I suppose POR15 or similar would help keep the rust down. I have a friend that fillled a cavity in one of his Mustangs that he was restoring with spray foam? I never asked him if he's had any rust problems.

I think Ford is filling truck A pillars with foam and calling it sound deadener. My truck is finished and painted with Zerorust under and inside the rockers. I am considering filling them with something like this:

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/4KK25

I may first do a trial on my dailydriver Chevy Tracker.

Bob

[Rokcrln]

Yes some company's do use a type of foam but it will breath and they use it in the vertical areas not the bottom flat portion of the car. I like Por 15 and Body Way for a prevention but I also pre coat the parts with a good rust paint before they go together. The other important part is to make sure the drain holes are free and that you put the plastic cap/plug back in the front of the rocker to prevent the dirt from filling it up from the front tire spray.

Also keep in mind that nothing is perfect but if you do anything mentioned in this thread (except foam) you will increase the life of the rocker and any other part you install. Remember the factory did a very poor job of rust prevention so anything will help.

Kevin
LFD Inc.

[d10s69c10]

Mine rusted off havent had a problem with them since!

But yes por 15/rubberized undercoating/spray paint. are all good choices. in that order.

[67dragtruck]

I always thought it would be a good idea to replace the outer rocker and leave the inside piece off so that there was nothing there to hold dirt etc. I really don't see the point in that piece.

Tom

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by 67dragtruck

I always thought it would be a good idea to replace the outer rocker and leave the inside piece off so that there was nothing there to hold dirt etc. I really don't see the point in that piece.

Tom

That's what the two cab supports bolt to, and being perpendicular to the floor of the truck, it has a lot of structural strength

[bad6772]

I disagree..tom....That (piece) inner rocker basically makes the Outer rocker strong and is a significant part of the cabs structure for the floor supports and just more strength....If it was not ..it would not be there........The best thing i can say to use is........BODY WAX..(also slang for Bees Wax)......you can get it at almost ANY automotive paint and supply company.....Its a wax that not only repels moisture. but does not let the moisture penetrate the metal.....It comes with a wand that has holes in it to give you a 360 spraying surface... also it can reach areas that most others wont because of the sheer small size of the tube......3m makes a good body wax as does Wurth or Kent........................

[C10-Driver]

Originally Posted by bad6772

I disagree..tom....That (piece) inner rocker basically makes the Outer rocker strong and is a significant part of the cabs structure for the floor supports and just more strength....If it was not ..it would not be there........The best thing i can say to use is........BODY WAX..(also slang for Bees Wax)......you can get it at almost ANY automotive paint and supply company.....Its a wax that not only repels moisture. but does not let the moisture penetrate the metal.....It comes with a wand that has holes in it to give you a 360 spraying surface... also it can reach areas that most others wont because of the sheer small size of the tube......3m makes a good body wax as does Wurth or Kent........................

My bodyman also suggested a spray wax. I coated everything after finishing my truck... cowl, inside the inner walls of the cab, cab supports, rockers, inside the doors... You get the idea. Make sure you apply it after painting. This stuff will coat the surface it is sprayed on and won't wash off very easily. I sprayed the heck out of everything, laid cardboard down and let the excess drip out.

[Rokcrln]

Also make sure your drip rails are sealed right and the kick panels are free of any blockage or dirt.

Kevin
LFD Inc.

[CG]

You would think with all the new crazy bonding agents out there you could put on a plastic rocker and just glue it. No rust.

[d10s69c10]

Originally Posted by CG

You would think with all the new crazy bonding agents out there you could put on a plastic rocker and just glue it. No rust.

THESE AINT NO SATURNS! not a horrible idea tho..*ponders*

[Shane]

I cut about a half inch off the bottom of the backing plates so the water can drain out ...

[tcb-1]

pray.

[sameyrasmea72]

The best way I can think is every time you wash you truck, take the time and take a hose and before, during, or after the wash and spray out the drain holes til it is clear. Getting wet is no problem at all, It is staying wet.

[special-K]

I believe drain holes are your best bet in the rust belt.Crap will definately get in,you need to get it back out.Keeping out of salt is obvious,but there`s more.Running in the rain lets grit spray up into crevases and it lays there.We have enogh moisture in the air and condensation from the varying temperatures that will cause rust on a vehicle that`s never seen salt.
Weld-through primer is the first step,then coating after assembly,and finally allowing drainage.That`s what GM did to truck fenders and bedsides in`78 and it helped in a big way.

[matthufham]

i'm the one and only guy that didnt replace the inner rockers when fixing my rusty cab on my daily driver. and 3 years later, no problem with flex or any bondo cracking, or any problems. there's nowater/trash inside the rockers because there's nowhere for that to collect. where the cab supports reach the inner rockers, i cut larger drain holes there, and so much sand came out... anyways it seems i'm the only one doing it this way cuz it's half assed

[raggedjim]

Originally Posted by matthufham

i'm the one and only guy that didnt replace the inner rockers when fixing my rusty cab on my daily driver. and 3 years later, no problem with flex or any bondo cracking, or any problems. there's nowater/trash inside the rockers because there's nowhere for that to collect. where the cab supports reach the inner rockers, i cut larger drain holes there, and so much sand came out... anyways it seems i'm the only one doing it this way cuz it's half assed

You aren't the only one, I've seen a few trucks done that way, but never tracked them over time. Heck, I've seen trucks run for years with no outer rocker on them...

You are right about the cab support. When I replaced mine they were full of real fine silty sand.

Rg

[68K30]

I removed my inner rockers and installed new outers in 1981 and just this summer replaced the outers ,but not because of rust, they were full of dents. I had no floor strength problems and I live in centlal Pa.,lots of salt. The metal on the outers I removed was still in great shape.

[FormerMember]

Sounds like I could put some 2" holes in the inner rocker to allow for cleaning and "airflow"

[mrein3]

Lots of information in this thread regarding rockers.

THE only reason they rusted out in the first place is that back in 1972, trucks were painted on the line by a human. Where a human could see/reach, it got painted. Where a human couldn't see/reach you have bare steel.

In 2008, car/truck bodies are built with galvanized steel. This steel, when put together to form a vehicle is then dipped into a primer solution. This coats the INSIDE and outside of everything before it is painted. So now you have two layers of protection, the galvanized coating on the steel and the primer coating which is probably similar to epoxy primer we spray in our back yards which I have found to be pretty damn tough.

So now when Ford sprays foam in the A pillar, it is inside of metal that is pretty well protected and probably won't show corrosion for a LONG time.

The next time you replace your rocker, use a garden sprayer and spray POR-15 or rustolium or similar in there. The first set lasted 30+ years with no protection in there. You put on a new set and coat it you'll probably never have to replace it again.