I found some replacement rocker panels at autokrafters. From some posts on here i learned that they are actually welded or mounted over the existing panels - what is the point in that? Can anyone confirm that the actually work this way or maybe post some pictures of how big they are, what shape they have and how they mount? Here's two pictures of what i have to cope with - both sides have been severely hit and folded together...
I'd like to know as well... I just found a similar problen on the 72 I'm working on... if all else fails I'll be bracing the body and cutting out the old and forming in new pieces made by me..I'd rather have premade contoured pieces, but I will countour them myself if I have to.
i was lucky to find at least the passenger side NOS on ebay... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160169459683 let's see what the shipping costs will be - but in the meantime any pictures of the replacement parts are welome!
might check with Autokrappers.....a while back I looked at them for my project and there were back ordered about 18 years.
Ms Mine looked similar to yours when I first bought my Maverick. I had a local sheetmetal shop form new straight sections and I spliced them into the front and rear ends (cut the old one out and welded in the new one). There are some structural panel adhesives that the new cars use that I guess you could bond a panel over and old one. But I know how to cut and weld...so that is what I do. Cleaver PS I had the shop make them without the contour in 20 gauge. It was very easy to bend them enough to form the contour as I welded them in. Just tacked the top in real good and push al little as you tack down both ends.
Here's what the AutoKrafters ones look like: http://www.mmb.maverick.to/showthread.php?t=49376 You can compare to the NOS one you posted to see differences. I pulled these out of the rafters where they'd been sitting for years when I posted this old for sale thread. Certainly don't look as good as NOS. The parts that would be visible on a completed car appear to look the same though. I debated whether to use them or not. I can see where some would recommend putting them over the top of old ones where the rot had been cut out but it's not a good way to do body work. However if you look at how the rockers tuck under the door surround you can see it would be a lot of work to do an exact replacement. When I was contemplating using them I was going to cut out on the top lip of the rocker (where it drops down from the sill) and graft them in. My rockers aren't really that bad though just the lip at the bottom edge is a little ragged.
