# Rust spots on rockers in 91 se-r



## eltepo (Mar 23, 2003)

My 91 se-r has some rust spot on the rockers. How expensive is rust to repair?


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## shumax (Mar 2, 2003)

$100 or several thousand. Without further detail, I can't tell you. Suffice it to say that I do know how though. See my site below for info......

Curt B. Shumaker


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## toolapcfan (Jul 10, 2002)

Since rockers are rarely seen by anyone I'd try fixing it yourself. If the rust has perforated the metal, I'd fill the cavity up with expanding foam, that'll put a stop to fruther rusting from the inside out. Then just do some work with Duraglass and sandpaper, shoot some primer and some paint and for about $30-$40 in materials and a few hours of your time you could save yourself a bundle. Shumax and I have both done our share of bodywork and would be willing to give you the rundown on how to do it.


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## eltepo (Mar 23, 2003)

How do go about starting the rust removal?


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## toolapcfan (Jul 10, 2002)

I'd get a few sheets of 80 grit sandpaper and a sanding block and get all the rust off with that. If the rust hasn't perforated the metal, then just wipe the area clean with clean dry cloth and then spray some primer on to seal it. You might want to buy rust inhibitive primer (not rustoleum but actual rust inhibitive primer). Several light coats, and wait the recommended amount of time between coats as listed on the spray can. Then after that's had a day to dry, sand the primer with 220 grit sandpaper until it's nice and smooth and you can't see any scratches. Again tack it off with a clean rag. Then spray the body color on just enough to cover, several light coats and you're set. If the metal is really pitted, you might want to invest in some Por-15 to treat the metal before you paint it. Go to www.porstore.com to read more. You can get a starter kit, enough to do both of your rockers for $11. I haven't even used this stuff yet but I have it from reliable sources that it lives up to it's claims. I'll be using it as soon as I can get some to my house and I'll let you know what my impressions are of it. But if you use that stuff, you'll probably never have to fix the rust again. If you want you can also buy rock guard paint in clear, and spray that over the top of everything when you're all done, it'll have a rougher texture and will help to mask your repair area if it didn't come out perfect. If the rust has perforated the metal then let me know and we'll talk more about how to deal with that.


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## BORNGEARHEAD (Apr 30, 2002)

If you want to do it RIGHT, just cut out the area where the rust is and weld new metal in there, grind, prime, sand, paint. That is, if you have rust holes. If you do it right the rust will never come back. If your in a northern state, the guys at the body shops know how to do this and do it well. Just find a guy to do it on the side and you can get it done reasonably cheap.


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## toolapcfan (Jul 10, 2002)

To do it right you cut the entire rocker out and put a new one on. The problem with welding is that there's nothing protecting the backside of the metal from moisture and it'll rust from the inside out. If it was rusting from the inside out to begin with then you'll be sure to see it back again soon. That's why I like to use the expanding foam. After you weld a patch in like you've suggested, drill a small hole and squirt the foam in through there. Then just use filler to seal the hole. Considering most people don't have welders at home, the way I'd suggest for him to fix a rusty hole would be to clean up the surrounding metal as well as he can and use the expanding foam. Once it's hardened he can shave off any excess foam that came out of the hole and then that will act as a backing for the Duraglas. I've done this several times and it works very well.


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## eltepo (Mar 23, 2003)

How much can a replacament rockers cost, and where can I find them?


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## 91SR20DE (Nov 25, 2002)

Would I be super ghetto and lazy if I just covered up my rusted rockers with Stillen side skirts??


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## toolapcfan (Jul 10, 2002)

> Would I be super ghetto and lazy if I just covered up my rusted rockers with Stillen side skirts??


Not really. At a minimum I'd put some duct tape over the rust if it there were holes just to keep moisture travel down. I did this when I put new rockers on my truck. I filled the rocker with foam, put tape over the hole, painted the backside of the new rockers and put the new rockers over the top of the old and welded them on. You could spend the $10 for the expanind foam and fill the rockers with the foam then put the side skirts on.

BTW, the Nissan part numbers for the outer rocker panels are (right) 76410-64Y30, and (left)76411-64Y30.


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## 91SR20DE (Nov 25, 2002)

You're a big fan of the foam I see!


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## BADASSE-R (Jan 28, 2003)

There is a product from 3M called weld-thru . It provides corrosion resistance on panels being welded on, It comes in a spray can part #5913. If you dont want to weld check with an autobody supply for panel adhesive. easy to use and they work


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## toolapcfan (Jul 10, 2002)

Awesome info BADASSE-R, I'm going to check into those two things. It must turn into something when it burns off from the welding. 



> You're a big fan of the foam I see!


I like to use it anywhere there is an unused void where moisture is likely to travel. It puts a stopper on that, and like I said, makes a good backing for filler when repairing a rust hole. This 3M weld-thru that BADASSE-R sounds like a nice alternative if you were replacing the entire rocker and welding on a new one, you could use the weld-thru on the backside of the rocker. That panel adhesive sounds like a cool thing as well, especially if you were doing a repair near a gas tank or on a gas tank and didn't want to drop the tank, flush it out and let it air out for several days to make sure it's safe to work on. I wonder with that panel adhesive if you have to have exposed metal where the adhesive will be applied. If not that'd be pretty nice.

I checked online real quick and the 3M #'s for the products BADASSE-R mentioned are 3M Panel Bonding Adhesive PN8115 and 3M Sturctural Adhesive PN8101. Here's an article I was reading where they did crash testing on cars repaired with adhesives instead of welding. http://www.autobodypro.com/tektips/articles/panel.htm If you scroll down to the "Glue Instead" they mention that a Nissan Sentra roof panel was removed and put back in place using glue and then crash tested. IT also mentions later that Nissan has adopted adhesive technology and has a few cars the implement a decent amount of it, inclusing the Q45, J30 and Altima. I'll let you know when I find out what these products cost and how they're used if they are viable solutions for DIY'ers like us. Check out that Autobodypro website. They have a forum which is where I asked about that por-15 product and got positive responses. There's a lot of good info there, I've spent several hours reading articles and asking questions on the forum.


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## BADASSE-R (Jan 28, 2003)

Check out Autobodystore.com There classroom has a discussion board great for DYI and first timers. He also sells most products on line.I am currently putting 2 rockers 2door bottoms 2 fenders and 2 1/4 panel splices on a 280 Z. Had to bond the 1/4 patches because the undercoating was real thick and kept catching fire when welded. The thickness of the metal being bonded can be blended and feathered out with body filler. Kind of crude but in this case acceptable. Thanks for the web site info. GM also issued bullitens for whole roof replacement they prefer bonding GOOD LUCK Jimmy O.


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