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Rocker and Fender Replacement

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Tcraftdriver

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We found body filler in my "new" 59 TR3a along the bottom several inches of each front fender and the full length of the passenger side rocker panel. I ordered two new rocker panels from a source that had NOS 40 year old rockers, supposedly an exact match in size and configuration to the originals.

How hard is it to replace the outer rocker panels? Is this major surgery?

What kind of money can I expect to prepare myself for as I can't do body work when it involves replacing metal.

Does anyone know of a source for rust free, used, original equipment front fenders?
 
Tcraftdriver said:
How hard is it to replace the outer rocker panels? Is this major surgery?

What kind of money can I expect to prepare myself for as I can't do body work when it involves replacing metal.

Does anyone know of a source for rust free, used, original equipment front fenders?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't consider replacing the outer rockers major surgery, but it sounds like you're not prepared to do it yourself. I have no idea what a shop would charge, but I believe I spent a couple of hours on each side when I replaced mine. Of course, someone who does it for a living should be a lot faster then me.

Also, there are two versions of those outer rockers, so make sure you get the correct ones. I believe the change was at post 60k and involved something about the length. Only one length is available new today, so sometimes they have to be modified also.

As far as finding used, rust free OE front fenders?? :lol: :lol: If you do find any, be prepared to pay dearly for them.

There are repair panels available for the lower sections of the front wings which is a viable alternative. Any decent body guy should be able to handle that job. I think it's better to repair the originals, as the new front wings that I've seen just don't fit well, and often require more work then repairing the old ones.
 
If you don't do metal work, suggest shopping the job around until you find an acceptable price and expertise. Taking along the outer rockers and a fender repair section helps to quote more accurately.

It also helps for quoting to remove one metal cover from below the inside of a door to expose the welded inner/outer rocker join.

A NOS outer rocker should have a slight curvature end to end, whereas repro's are often flat. The difference between early and late rockers is at the front check-in for the vertical door lip. New rockers need to match check-ins with those already on the car, or it can be extra expense to sort at the panel shop.

Viv
 
Not to be a bearer of bad news but If the outer rockers are really bad than the inner sills might need some work as well. I thought that my outer sills were good until I started stripping paint and bondo and found some pin holes...then more pin holes...off with the outer rocker and into the inner sill. There were some surprises there as well...the inners being a structural piece, they needed to be attended to first before I could get back to doing the rockers .

Good luck with the project.

Cheers,
M. Pied Lourd
 
The repro rear fenders have a more vertical curve below the rear tailights and you would have to add bondo - or modify (re-weld in pieces) the rear valance so they fit.

See photo of the "vertical" look of this repro.
 
Thanks Don - great photos of the rear of the TR3.

I would go to great lengths to keep the original front wings for your car. If they currently fit, you can patch them back and they will still fit. Fitting a used or repro fender can require a lot of panel work to ensure a decent fit. I patched back both front fenders and they look and fit great (in primer....).

Hopefully, your sill looks better than this one:
IMG_4442-1.jpg


With patience and time, they can be replaced. I had to narrow my sill to line up with the B-Pillar/quarter panel.
IMG_5097.jpg
 
Learning a lot on this site.

This weekend I will check both sills to see what they look like, as much as I can see them. Very interesting photos on what repro rear fenders look like compared to OEM rear fenders.

That's good advice to repair the existing front wings rather than replace them. My body shop friend said he always prefers a used body part rather than a new aftermarket unit becasue they always fit better. Now I know why.

I am also thinking that if it's a lot of cut and fit to install new rockers I might have to learn how to do it if a lot of time is in involved.

Maybe it's time to buy a welder.
 
If you only need outer rockers, it may be as simple as removing the doors, drilling out the existing spot welds, removing the existing outer sill (rocker), cleaning up the inner sill (rust removal, rust encapsulation paint...), fitting up the new outer sill, and plug welding it back in place. Best case, a days work for an amateur in the garage. If you purchase your new sills first, you can ensure they are the correct size and identical to your existing sills. If not, sent em' back to Moss or TRF or whoever you purchase from. You need a friend with a MIG welder! Maybe local British car club?
 
Mind if i ask where you are located? Im a welder/fabricator myself and if you have the new metal id be happy to put in for ya!
 
Thank you Don for the photos and Pat for the advice and Aeroweld, I wish I could take advantage of your offer but I live in Whitehouse, Ohio approximately 25 miles SW of Toledo, Ohio.

After looking at Don's photos I immediately ran out to the TR and discovered I do not have repro's but real original rear fenders. Nice feeling.

Now that I know the rockers are spot welded in, I may actually try to remove them, fit the new ones, and then either ask a friend to weld them in or take the car to the local body shop in our small, one flashing stoplight town. This car is going to be an adventure. But, I am not yet ready for the full, frame off, restoro bug to bite. For now, just some engine work, and eliminating easy to find rust and hoping that won't lead to lots more rust.
 
Run some 80 grit sandpaper over the top and bottom sill lips and you'll expose the spot welds.
You can drill out with a drill but or buy a spot weld cutter bit for your drill.
I've used both and think drill bits work fine. I dulled the spot weld cutters on my very rusty panels and those babies are expensive.
A panel splitter is very useful to help separate the sheet metal. I can post a link or photo later if you are interested.
 
spot weld cutters are cheap at Harbor Freight and they work very well.
 
Thank you TR3aguy and Pat Galvin for the links and photos. I am checking them all out and would also appreciate a little more info on what a panel splitter is. Never heard of one before.

Bgbassplyr, thatnks for the tip on the HF spot weld cutters. I will check that as well.

Today, I ordered new sliding seat tracks for both seats as the originals, if they are the originals, are pretty beat up. Also found a new set of Lucas contact points and will be accumulating some more ignition items for a general tune up. New rockers on their way too.

Not sure what to do about the corrosion in the two front fenders. New fenders appear to be hard to fit properely and are very expensive. Using the Moss repair panels is a lot more cost effective but I have no experience with welding in repair panels. The fender corrosion in both front fenders plus the pasenger side rocker, mkes me think there might be more body filler in places where the magnet does sense metal but the attraction seems weaker than in other places but I am not ready to start stripping paint just yet.
 
Buy a spot weld drill bit and use a lubricant, I'm partial to Stick-Kut for this task. The bit should last for 50 welds or so. I found double-ended bits when I was replacing floors and sills.
 
I also have a 59 (pre 60k) car, and the outer rockers should be curved from front to back -to match the doors. The post 60k reproduction parts are not curved. I solved the problem differently on the right side than the left. The curve is slight. I also used two Moss front fender patch panels and had different issues on the right and left. I learned to weld during these repairs, and after a little filler they look fine. I fitted the doors and fenders numerous times and tried to get the gaps as small as possible, but they really need to be consistent (the same size gap on all 4 edges of the door, rather than shooting for a particular sized gap). I agree that the best approach is to have no filler, but I'd bet any good looking car you find will have some filler. When I stripped the paint I was amazed how much filler was on my car (and how much rust). And by the time I got the panels all flat again, I am surprized how much filler is back on -tho a lot less than was on there.

My point is, if you think you need to replace all the panels with filler-free new panels, you should reconsider. If you have obvious issues with paint peeling or bubbling under the paint, then perhaps it is time to address the under lying issue (rust). I wouldn't paint unless you address what's causing problems, but I wouldn't go cutting off good steel just because you found some filler on a panel. If you want to see what I found myself getting into, do a search for "half way?" and look at all the repairs I made to my car. -I wouldn't change my approach at all but your opinion may vary.

Best wishes, Jer
 
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