Inner rocker [sill] panels

[fordtrucks4ever]

I have new outer rocker panels. Was planning on cutting the inners out of material I already have. I did notice there were right and left sides. Mine are bad enough not to be able to see what the difference is. I assume there is a lip, front/rear/top/bottom? that folds one way or the other. If you have any not installed yet, can you post what the difference between them is? Thanks.

 

[Guest]

If nobody can help here, try to contact Moss' tech dept.

 

[ChrisS]

There are lips in the front and back that bend out at 90'. There is also the seat belt attachment nut that is welded to the outside. I don't have pics of a new sill but I patched mine with sheet stock and formed my own lips - not a difficult job. It may be tough to make your own complete inner sill without a template. You may get someone to trace a template of one they have.

 

[markberry]

Those are super cheap to buy from the usual parts suppliers. I make some of my own panels too, but the inner rockers available right now are well made, they fit perfectly, and they're E coated so you don't have to worry about applying a good corrosion preventative primer. I can't say the same for most of the other c*@&% I've received from those suppliers lately though. IMHO of course.

 

[fordtrucks4ever]

With cost of parts plus shipping its not that an attractive figure for me. Sine I have a real shear and brake, with 4X8 sheets of 18 and 20 gauge material sitting atound collecting dust.

 

[markberry]

I understand completely. If you lay your outer rocker on the sheet and trace it you should be close. the forward and aft ends terminate just just shy of being flush with the wheel well/firewall in the front and just shy of flush with the shut plate in the rear. The ends bend out 90 degrees and form a 1/2 inch flange to weld onto the fore mentioned panels. Then the forward and aft end caps weld on over all that. Those are made out of 16 gauge by the way. You could thicken up some 18 gauge by making a "doubler" 1 inch smaller all the way around and plug welding around the border and every two inches or so through the field. Careful measuring and eyeballing should get the location for the jack point hole. After you get the basic shape cut out, clamp it in place and retrace the forward footwell area where the inner rocker welds into a flange along the bottom of that outer footwell panel. jack the car so that the rocker is level before you cut the old one off so that you have a good reference to help you with making and installing the new rockers. don't ask how I learned that one!
Hope this helps. Good luck!

 

[fordtrucks4ever]

Then 16 ga it will be. Didnt realize those inner sill plates were of a heavier gauge. From a donor Midget and whats left on the BE I should be able to mock up a pattern to transfer the location of everything.

 

[HAN8L1965]

Those inner sill plates pretty much hold the car all together and give the necessary flex and support. For all the more they cost through VB or Moss I would buy new from them.

Mark

 

[fordtrucks4ever]

Its nothing but a flat plate with the ends folded and nut welded for seat belt. Come to think of it, mine didnt even come with seatbelts. Why not make my own? For less than the cost to purchase ONE inner sill panel and ship it, I have enough material to make seven of these. Even if I cobbled these out with a plasma cutter, cutoff wheel, or air nibbler, it would still have no affect on strength. Its nothing but 16 gauge mild steel. I would be far more concerned about welding it in if worried about not having adequate support. I can spend an hour and build a pair, or work at a jobsite for 4 hours to pay for a pair(with shipping, and after taxes). To me its a no brainer. Your results may vary.

 

[markberry]

https://www.spritespot.com/gallery/view_photo.php?set_albumName=1960-bugeye-refurb&id=P1020172
https://www.spritespot.com/gallery/view_p...t_dogleg_cutout
https://www.spritespot.com/gallery/view_p...r_dogleg_repair
https://www.spritespot.com/gallery/view_p...r_rocker_repair
These pictures illustrate the problem I found when I changed my inner rockers. The structure around the rocker and the rocker itself was rotted away, and it made patterning(sp?) the original difficult. As it turned out, aligning it correctly was a problem also because I didn't have a good reference point as to where the original welds were. My suggestion is to jack the car until the rockers are level then shore everything up and cut out the old panels. This way you have another known reference point for locating the new panels correctly. Just my two cents worth. These photos show the shape of the panels and give you an idea of what they look like. I hope they help you!
Mark

 

[fordtrucks4ever]

I am very glad to say that mine is nowhere near that rusted out. Most of the panels I need to replace have rusted thru spots, not holes where the panels used to be.

 

[markberry]

You should have seen my spring boxes...They looked like melted blobs. I couldn't tell where where one panel started and the other ended! You could just fix the rusted areas and you're golden! Don't remove any panel that you don't have to.