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Getting into rocker panels to rustproof

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Does anyone have a nifty technique for getting inside the closed rocker panel cavity to clean out any surface rust and to treat said rust. I can peer inside the darn things from the top through the various oblong "breather" holes and see some surface rust. Removing the end caps is not an option. Perhaps cutting a round hole maybe 1.5" or so into each end would work and resealing the holes afterwards. I don't think that cutting a nice, neat round hole in each end would affect the structural integrity of the rockers. Any ideas out there?
 
Why don't you drill the inner rocker. It can be reached from the cockpit and easily capped. Less risk of moisture. An undercoat wand would work perfectly. They are inexpensive. I paid about $20.00 fifteen years ago.
 
Doug, drilling the inner rocker, in my mind, would weaken the integrity of the rocker assembly itself. And would be a bit of a challenge to close the hole in that it is curved. Drilling an end cap, especially the front one where the rust tends to accumulate, wouldn't affect the strength. And closing a flat surface seems a bit easier. Similar to the panel right above it that opens into the inner fender. I already opened this a while back and cleaned it out (no damage) and bought a new panel to install. It just bolts right up. It came powder coated and with a rubber seal. I undercoated over it.


The big issue is gaining straight access to the weakest part of the enclosed rocker. Would you agree here or am I on the wrong track? I could close the hole easily and seal it.
 
Drilling from the back side of the rocker should not weaken it unless you got berserk with a drill and make it look like Swiss cheese. To do that option I would use a 6mm or 1/4" drill. 4 holes max depending on the tool you have to coat the inside. I would use a product call Rust Mort by SEM. It's like the consistency of water. Has rust naturalizes in it and will seep into all cracks and holes. Then use a wax based cavity sealer. There are many aerosols on the market that have extended wands to get into areas like this. I would then use a Chrysler pad shield push in clip to seal the hole. AKA christmas tree clip. Spray some under coating on it and your done. Another way to get into the rocker is pull the fuzzy door seal loose and try to separate the panels on the top seams where they are pinch welded together. Might be a little more tricky here and less access to the inner panels but no body damage to repair. Good luck!
 
Your best access for aggressive treatment of the rust is through the end caps. A 1.5-2 inch or so hole in the caps is not going to weaken the structure. Consideration needs to be given to how best to close the hole. If one welds in a plug, then all the paint on the backside is burned off, exposing the metal to rust. I would not have a problem using a sturdy rubber plug to close the holes, especially if covered with undercoating. Or better yet, one could use an epoxy like bonding adhesive to secure a cover plate over the hole.

Ray
 
Bill,
The holes that you would drill would be only 1/2" max. What ever size a professional shop would drill.
The wand has a multi directional nozzle so you just push it in move it around a little for good coverage and move to the next hole. Then cover the holes with caplugs. They seal well and are out of sight.
I don't like the idea of drilling the end caps and resealing. With debris and water banging off of it on a regular basis, you could lose your seal and not know it until it is too late. The only way to properly seal would be to weld it shut. In doing that, you risk fire. Anything else,to me, would look shabby.
There are no supports inside that would interfere with the flow of the undercoat. The job would be very simple.
 
I think I have found the perfect solution. Drill out the front end caps to the desired size (1.5-2") and do my business, then seal the things with some Stimpson Stainless Steel Hole Plugs. They pop in with a vengeance, stay in, and only come out with effort, held in with spring fingers. And can be covered with whatever to seal. Voila! Keep you all posted.
 
Bill
The rockers are not a structural part of a fully framed car so you can do what ever you want. Just remember at the end caps it is very visible for everyone to see what you did. Good or bad job. I would not drill a 1 1/2" to 2" hole if that's what you are saying. Professionals use 5/16 holes with rubber or plastic caps. I sell this stuff for a living and what they don't do is after drilling and sealing inside, is use a primer or paint to seal the metal they exposed from drilling. We have all seen it where a rust proofing job was done and a few years later it's rusting around the plug. Use a good self etching primer or epoxy primer to seal the holes then plug them. Good luck!
 
Good point. I had planned on doing just such. I have located some nice ss spring-clip plugs from the above named company. I figured I would really seal up the cut surface (will use a nice, sharp hole saw) and close the hole with this plug, then spray some rubberized undercoat over it to match the rest of my undercoating. The car has been undercoated from new. I have, over the years, removed some of the undercoating (with great effort) and have found the metal to be very sound and still painted underneath. Therefore, in my case, I have chosen to remain with rubberized undercoating inside the fenders. I also use plenty of Waxoyl in choice areas and check it regularly.
 
Hehe,cut 'em off and put 'em on a shelf in a nice temp./climate controlledplac! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif
 
I think you'll find that just for plugging a hole in sheet metal a simple plastic or rubber plug will seal better than a Chrysler christmas-tree plug or a metal plug with fingers.

The Chrysler plug is used on trim panels & to hold wire clips, etc. on the the sheetmetal, & its 1st stop is a little farther in than the thickness of the sheet metal on the body. It may be a little looser than desired & could admit moisture. I'm-a lookin' at one now that I replaced in the Neon.

A metal plug with clips will definitely not seal as well as a plastic-faced one.

At Lowe's hardware, they've got half an aisle of weird fastener doodads, grommets, mirror clips, etc. They've also got plastic plugs for various diameter holes that have a narrow depth before the rear flange that is appropriate for holes in sheet metal. There is one now in my GT6 filling the hole for the antenna, that I put there after rescuing my car from Satan's body shop, where they pulled off a lot of things including the antenna then parked it outside for weeks to let the rain get in it. I haven't missed the radio, but I need to put the antenna back on for appearance issues.

Anyway, Loew's has got a good, flat, black plastic plug made for the job that you'll like.

I'm pretty sure the nutria will be able to wiggle that metal one out, anyway.
 
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