The Rocker Problem...

[Crandall1]

I took the plastic skirting off my Eagle yesterday, and was dismayed to find this lovely sight:



That's under the driver side door. It's not as bad on the passenger side, but it might as well be. Obviously, new rocker panels are in order. The top of the outer rocker (the side that makes up the door sills) is still solid, which got me wondering if anybody has done this to an Eagle:

http://www.madxj.com/MADXJ/technical/technicalfiles/SRrockerPanels/RockerPanels.htm

It _looks_ like if I zip-cut right along the edge where the door sill part turns down to be the actual rocker panel, and get all the rotten inner rocker panel out, I can fit a piece of box steel right in there. Since my Eagle is on the way to becoming a zombie-stomping bush beater, this will be visually consistent with the overall effect.

Any thoughts from people that know far more about this than me? Has anyone done this sort of thing?

[txjeeptx]

Looks like you don't have much old rocker left to cut off. Sounds like a great project that will save the car when the zombies come.

[mudkicker715]

Its been done

[Crandall1]

An update: got all the rotten rocker panel off, both inner and outer, on both sides today, via the injudicious application of an angle grinder and my Dead On Annihilator (the greatest tool ever made, and useful for both destruction and killing zombies. http://owl.li/68ub8 )



My brother-in-law sorted me out with about 20' of 2x4 3/16"-walled steel tubing and a MIG welder. I'm going to have to fashion a couple reinforcement brackets, but it _looks_ like they'll slip right in. At which point I'll discover the entire Eagle has twisted out of true, no doubt.

More pics and amusing anecdotes as they occur.

[shanebo]

I believe they do make replacement rocker panels....not sure on price though...I always cringe when I remove any plastic paneling on these cars.

[vangremlin]

Replacement rockers are available for the Kammback and SX/4. I don't think you can get them for wagons.

[shanebo]

They can be modified and extended though...I saw a thread on the amc heritage forum uf a guy that got those rocker panels and put them on a concord wagon...he had to lenghten it but it worked real well

[Crandall1]

These folks sell an outer rocker for the Eagle:

http://autorust.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11&products_id=404

As far as I can tell, the inner rocker has to be fabricated, but that doesn't seem hard. That said, I decided to not bother. This Eagle is being heavily modified, and "showroom stock" isn't a goal. The Cherokee-style rock rails are much more appropriate for the end result.

[vangremlin]

Thanks for the link Crandall1.  I had not seen that website before.  Have an egg!

[mudkicker715]

Seems to me blaserauto.com has it.give a call .might be cheaper maybe not

[shanebo]

I knew someone would chime in with the name of that place.