520 / 521 rocker panels / sills

[d.p]

8 hours ago, DaveM said:

Well, so far I've sold a grand total of two sets so your order would help. 😜  

 

I am in the midst of a basmement renovation so for the short term, not a lot of time to design a filler piece for the bed sides but I'll give it a go maybe by mid July. Probably just need to design an "end" onto a regular rocker panel and I'd be close.

 

 

 

My rockers are fine but ill support what you are trying to do.  

[wayno]

You have to keep in mind that 90 percent if not more of the members on here have never replaced or tried to replace any welded in body panel in any vehicle, and the ones that have likely replaced them in an early Roadster not a 520/521.

I expect you would sell more rockers and rear skirt extensions for the box in the short term than you will rocker replacements for the cab.

What you have made would work fine for them except for the ends which need a 90 degree fold on the ends(one angled one straight 90 degrees), they don't need to be enclosed, but they do need a brace on the inside when installed, and for you to do that you would also need to make them the proper length, keep in mind that I do not know if the boxes are all the same thru all the years, they look the same but that doesn't mean they are the same, even a half inch difference can mess things up on pre-made stuff.

Edited June 14, 2019 by wayno

[mainer311]

Damn, that reminds me, my roadster needs rockers too.

[bilzbobaggins]

Message Sent.

[mainer311]

Got my rockers in the mail today. Thanks! I just stood there staring at them and realized “damn, I’m in deep now.” Will be saving these for a winter project.

[mainer311]

Question, what do you guys do to replace the inner part of the rocker? (i.e. the vertical wall on the back side of the rocker area) That whole area on my truck looks like swiss cheese.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

That is a problem whenever repairing any structural body components. Exterior panels often hide structural ribs and those hidden parts are usually more deteriorated than the exterior panels. Getting to them is like peeling the layers of an onion. I always try to remove panels at the factory weld joints instead of cutting mid span, but this can be very complicated.

 

I recently removed a pair of front fenders from a Sunbeam Alpine, and the only way to get them off was to destroy them. I had to come up with a plan ahead of time on how to remove them to minimize the destruction, but there were so many structural layers that it was impossible to get to the backside of any of the factory weld points. Luckily I had a donor clip that I was able to dissect ahead of time which gave me a layout of the structure. The removal of the replacement fenders from the donor clip was done differently as I did not have to be careful of damaging the structure. At the end of the day, what I ended up with was a scrap clip with usable fenders from the donor and a scrap pair of fenders but usable structure from the car we repaired.

 

Fabricating panels is par for the course when repairing classic vehicles. Luckily, interior structure panels are usually simple in design and can often be made with a simple sheetmetal brake.

 

So to answer your question - you will probably need to fabricate the inner parts or have a metal shop make rough panels that you can fit yourself.

[bilzbobaggins]

Got them.  Thank you very much.  Now its time to do some serious learning in the field.  I almost ordered two sets in case I wreck the first set.  🤣

[mainer311]

Dude, you got that right. I held one of them up to the truck, shrugged, and walked off to do something else.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

I once read that 40% of all fruit and vegetables sold in the USA go to waste. People want to be seen buying them. I've heard the same about books.

 

I suspect the same can be said about replacement body panels. If welding is involved, a good portion of them probably never get installed.

[bilzbobaggins]

I have my welder.  I have lots of wire wheels, flap wheels and other rust removing tools.  I have a spot weld drilling bit.  I have cut wheels.  I have eye protection and got a tetanus shot two years ago.  I have a small lift to work on with lots of light.  Lots of clamps and screws.  I think im down to primers( regular and weldable?)  and seam seal.   Anyone think of anything else?

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Sounds like Dan Akroyd in Blues Brothers - it's 246 miles to Chicago, we've got a half tank of gas and a full pack of smokes. It's dark out and we're wearing sunglasses...

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Weldable paint- SEM Copper Coat

 

Use it between layers, and paint inside of whatever you can before it goes back together.

 

Clean with Krud Kutter metal etch inside first and then after all the welding is done to get the smoke off.

[mainer311]

5 hours ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said:

I once read that 40% of all fruit and vegetables sold in the USA go to waste. People want to be seen buying them. I've heard the same about books.

 

I suspect the same can be said about replacement body panels. If welding is involved, a good portion of them probably never get installed.

 

I bought a pair because if he stops making them, there’s no one else out there who is, and then I’d really be screwed.

[d.p]

Can always have a body shop install them.  

[DaveM]

On 6/21/2019 at 5:07 AM, mainer311 said:

Question, what do you guys do to replace the inner part of the rocker? (i.e. the vertical wall on the back side of the rocker area) That whole area on my truck looks like swiss cheese.

Nothing too complicated in there.  Just flat steel.  Most important part of this process is just starting.  That's the scary bit.  

[MattSheldon]

Are these still available? I looked at your website, but did not see them.

[Crashtd420]

8 minutes ago, MattSheldon said:

Are these still available? I looked at your website, but did not see them.

Look on the 3rd page of the ratsun parts for sale classifieds.....

They are there..... 

[MattSheldon]

2 minutes ago, Crashtd420 said:

Look on the 3rd page of the ratsun parts for sale classifieds.....

They are there..... 

Thank you, I have emailed David as well.

[DaveM]

Matt,  emailed you. 

 

There are  few sets in inventory right now.  No issue with your spring target either.  Just let me know what you want to order (as per the email).  Also, the difference in shipping one set or multiple sets is nearly zero so if you do want multiples (as you said in your email) cheaper for shipping in the long run to order what you need all at once.  I know that sounds like a sales tactic but its true 👍

 

Dave

[MattSheldon]

55 minutes ago, DaveM said:

Matt,  emailed you. 

 

There are  few sets in inventory right now.  No issue with your spring target either.  Just let me know what you want to order (as per the email).  Also, the difference in shipping one set or multiple sets is nearly zero so if you do want multiples (as you said in your email) cheaper for shipping in the long run to order what you need all at once.  I know that sounds like a sales tactic but its true 👍

 

Dave

Thank you, Dave!

 

I will take 2 sets and will reply to your email in a little while. Thank you again.

[MattSheldon]

Arrived today. I have not had a chance to compare them to the OEM metal, but I am most impressed with Dave's customer service and reasonable shipping. Product thus far looks great!

[mainer311]

3 hours ago, MattSheldon said:

Arrived today. I have not had a chance to compare them to the OEM metal, but I am most impressed with Dave's customer service and reasonable shipping. Product thus far looks great!

I like mine too. Saving them for a rainy day. Just knowing I have future replacements is a relief.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

55 minutes ago, mainer311 said:

I like mine too. Saving them for a rainy day. Just knowing I have future replacements is a relief.

A rainy day...15 years from now!

[DaveM]

On 1/31/2020 at 7:49 PM, mainer311 said:

I like mine too. Saving them for a rainy day. Just knowing I have future replacements is a relief.

Give them a spray with WD40 for long term storage.  Don’t want those masterpieces to rust.