66 outer rocker panel alignment question

[msg]

Im having to replace alot of the flooring and pillars and such, the outer rocker I was test fitting and it doesnt fit as well as I'd hoped. Seems a bit long.

The question is, does the length of the base of the outer rocker match the length of the base of the door panel so the door gap line runs continuously straight down on both ends?

I'll post some pics later if it helps to answer.

[msg]

Here are some pics of what it looked like prior to teardown and sandblasting





Im pretty sure that gap line should be a continuous line down the edge of the door and through the rocker. But now Im having trouble getting the rocker patch panel fitted. At this point I thought to shorten the panel a bit but didnt know what impact that would have on the door alignment and closing clearance.

Here is where its at right now

[leonphelps]

welcome to replacement panels. you will have to bang it until it is shorter. get ear plugs.

[leonphelps]

forgot to mention a cut along the long side down the vertical will make it easier and then just weld the cut and grind smooth.

[PGSigns]

I would hang the door adjust it to fit well on the a piller and the rear seam. Then set the rocker to the bottom of the door. You will have to tune the shape in the front. Did you brace the cab?
Jimmy

[Vinceg]

Your right on the lineup with the door seam. This is where the self tapping sheet metal screws will come in handy. Mount the rocker in place with some screws. As pgsigns said hang your door. It is crucial in checking the line up of your rocker. The screws can be removed easily and the rocker can be realined based on the door. The front horn of the rocker (at least that's what I call it) this will need adjusting to fit the door pillar. Until you have the door mounted it is hard to tell if you are long or short. I also hung the fender. Supported at the front with a jack stand. This was just to check my lines and gaps. 1st mistake I made, I didn't properly support the cab when I started my passenger side repairs. The cab had sprung and not knowing I lengthened the rocker to match up 2nd mistake. It wasn't till I hung the door and saw the door gaps that I knew something went horribly wrong. With the help of a buddy who is a ticketed body man. We pulled the cab back together. Temorarily attached the outter rocker and rehung the door. The new replacement for the replacement Lol fit really well. No need to lengthen or shorten it. The front still needed to be adjusted to fit the door pilar. I hope this helps. Good luck.

[msg]

Originally Posted by leonphelps

welcome to replacement panels. you will have to bang it until it is shorter. get ear plugs.

Hey Leon, yeah I have some ear protection after the first couple of whacks, ears were ringing

Originally Posted by leonphelps

forgot to mention a cut along the long side down the vertical will make it easier and then just weld the cut and grind smooth.

Down the vertical, I think I know what you mean. From the looks of it the far left upper corner that curves downward was where I thought to make some cuts, but to Jimmy's point below...hang the door first!

Originally Posted by PGSigns

I would hang the door adjust it to fit well on the a piller and the rear seam. Then set the rocker to the bottom of the door. You will have to tune the shape in the front. Did you brace the cab?
Jimmy

Hey Jimmy, I did brace but not with the heavy duty stuff Ive seen others use. I couldnt find it in the home depot. It looked like this before I got the floor patched in, then I removed the base bar so I could access the panels easier.



Even used it as a ledge to drape a t-square and take measurements so that I could be sure to get the inner rocker lined up right.



Maybe it wasnt beefy enough and nudged inward, or maybe I botched the pillar? I'll get a pic of that tomorrow and post.

[Sik5chevy]

I hung door and fender. Positioned my outer rocker so i was inline with my fender, cab corner and door gap. then used sheet metal screws to hold it down. Once i had it the way i wanted -i then welded in place. Get prepared there was plenty of banging, cutting and grinding. New panel yes, exact fit.. nope

[msg]

Originally Posted by Vinceg

Your right on the lineup with the door seam. This is where the self tapping sheet metal screws will come in handy. Mount the rocker in place with some screws. As pgsigns said hang your door. It is crucial in checking the line up of your rocker. The screws can be removed easily and the rocker can be realined based on the door. The front horn of the rocker (at least that's what I call it) this will need adjusting to fit the door pillar. Until you have the door mounted it is hard to tell if you are long or short. I also hung the fender. Supported at the front with a jack stand. This was just to check my lines and gaps. 1st mistake I made, I didn't properly support the cab when I started my passenger side repairs. The cab had sprung and not knowing I lengthened the rocker to match up 2nd mistake. It wasn't till I hung the door and saw the door gaps that I knew something went horribly wrong. With the help of a buddy who is a ticketed body man. We pulled the cab back together. Temorarily attached the outter rocker and rehung the door. The new replacement for the replacement Lol fit really well. No need to lengthen or shorten it. The front still needed to be adjusted to fit the door pilar. I hope this helps. Good luck.

Thanks Vince for sharing that, I'm hoping that once I get my hinges rebuilt with a kit I have I can get the doors hung and start checking things out. Its easy being a newbie to slip up, trying to take it slow and get things right.

Originally Posted by Sik5chevy

I hung door and fender. Positioned my outer rocker so i was inline with my fender, cab corner and door gap. then used sheet metal screws to hold it down. Once i had it the way i wanted -i then welded in place. Get prepared there was plenty of banging, cutting and grinding. New panel yes, exact fit.. nope

Thanks Sik5chevy, I had doubts on the panel being a good fit. In fact, I took the outer rocker I removed and popped it on just to see if it was about the same as the patch panel in terms of fit. What I am seeing is that the edges line up good



So it looks like the front pillar portion (or front horn, thanks Vince!) is where most of the banging, cutting and grinding is needed.

[andyh1956]

I've never had to change them on a 60-66 but have on two K5 Blazers, and am gonna have to do one more. All these rockers look the same in that area. The "Horn" section at the front is best handled by "Splitting" along the ridges, with either a side cutoff wheel or plasma cutter. Then when you screw it to the cab it can flex where it needs to go & then weld 'er up!

[dodgiesdad]

I agree completely with the comment to mount the door. Then fit the panel using screws, cut and modify as need and finally weld it all up. I to had to do that with my replacement panels.