Patch rocker panel to slow rust damage

[Idledrummer]

Hello everyone and happy Sunday! looking for your opinion and expertise.
my rocker panels are rusty, inner and outer. The running board was about to fall off, so I just removed it today.
given my very tight budget at the moment, I am thinking of doing some DYI rust removal and patch with metal tape, body filler, foam, etc, like I see in many youtube videos.
The body shop quoted me $4500 to replace inner and outer rocker panels and paint. I will never be willing to spend that much, given I paid only $16k for the whole truc.
I am not so worried about perfect looks, My main goal is to contain The rust damage as much as possible while spending as little as possible. Based on the pictures below, do you think it is doable, will it hold?
next is the frame attached boards, has anyone used the brackets below? Do you recommmend it?

Thank you all!
Ti

 

[Dodge 1500 4X4]

To do it right you're going to have to cut all of that rusted sheet metal out and neutralize the rust, doesn't look like it's gone into the frame, how is your sheet metal skills, the metal needs to be spot welded or riveted into place, is there good metal to fasten those brackets to?

 

[pacofortacos]

You can do it fairly cheap but it won't last forever but might a few years.
I wouldn't foam anything personally - it's usually the foam from the factory that causes the issues.

You do need to treat the rust and seal it off inside and out though and make sure the drain holes are free and clear in the rockers. After that I would rustproof the inside as much as you can (without plugging the drains), you could do some before or just do it all after - as long as you can access the inside via a hole or drain.

Body filler would just be the final topcoat, I would use fiberglass (kitty hair, etc) or metal for bulk repair if going totally cheap.

 

[Idledrummer]

Hi and thank you all for your replies. Simehow I forgot to enable notifications, so I am just seei g your replies. I went ahead and cut off all the rusted parts, spray inside and out with rust reformer and added the mesh with foam. This is now my second coat of bondo. Not sure if I will need the spray filler I bought. Once it.looks.nice, I am painting the whole rocker panel with rugged black paint. The on to the other side.

 

[Idledrummer]

Also, there are several drain holes, but they all have a rubber plug in it. Should I remove the plugs?

 

[zrock]

you should have put a add in you local FB groups for a backyard body man... They probably would have patched it up nice and it would have outlasted the truck.. Buddy of mine just did that and had rockers and cab corners replaced and color matched for around 2g and this guy was a retired professional. The patch you did will last a few years and be much worse the next time especially with the spray foam that you added in their...

 

[Idledrummer]

you should have put a add in you local FB groups for a backyard body man... They probably would have patched it up nice and it would have outlasted the truck.. Buddy of mine just did that and had rockers and cab corners replaced and color matched for around 2g and this guy was a retired professional. The patch you did will last a few years and be much worse the next time especially with the spray foam that you added in their...

I wish I had seen the comment about not using the spray foam before I did the job. I used a GE. Rand that says waterproof, not sure if that helps. I called someone and they quoted $350, but I am a hands on guy and skeptical of discounted service. I will try without the foam on the other side. Anyway, money is very tight now. In few years I hope to afford a professional job replacing the entire rocker panels, or a newer truck. Thank you all!

 

[Idledrummer]

Almost ready for painting. Applying final glazing layer and primer.

 

[Idledrummer]

My final post about this. Here is the final result. I am happy.

 

[pacofortacos]

Was that just bondo or fiberglass filler? Bondo will probably bubble pretty quickly - at least in my experience with it.

 

[Idledrummer]

Was that just bondo or fiberglass filler? Bondo will probably bubble pretty quickly - at least in my experience with it.

I took my time, worked on it an entire week. 2 passes of bondo, filler spray, glazing, then primer.

 

[tron67j]

That foam is going to trap water and salt, and you're going to have a worse problem in less than a year. You would be better off pulling that all out, doing your own sand blasting followed by a good metal primer and paint for cleaned areas, then buying a replacement rocker panel and pay someone to weld it in, then fill and paint. All that including buying a sand blaster and compressor plus panel and an hour of welding would be well under $1k and it would give you the compressor and blaster for future use.

 

[GTyankee]

Idledrummer

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[David H]

I am happy.

Looks good. Hope you get a couple/few good years out of it.

 

[gtomike60]

I commend you for doing it yourself,but,that being said,the foam is going to trap water/dirt,and bondo absorbs moisture,so,unfortunately,your repair won't last long.
At least pull the rubber plugs and liberally spray Fluid Film or something similar in your rockers,let it drain an hour,then reinstall the plugs

 

[Idledrummer]

I commend you for doing it yourself,but,that being said,the foam is going to trap water/dirt,and bondo absorbs moisture,so,unfortunately,your repair won't last long.
At least pull the rubber plugs and liberally spray Fluid Film or something similar in your rockers,let it drain an hour,then reinstall the plugs

Thank you, I hear you, I sprayed rust reformer inside the panels, before starting any of the work. it Was a fun experience doing body work for the first time. In a year or two, I should afford to properly replace the panels.

 

[David H]

In a year or two, I should afford to properly replace the panels.

Love to see a better pic of the whole truck from the side. Also like to see pics of how it's holding up in a year...if you remember. Cheers.

 

[Idledrummer]

Love to see a better pic of the whole truck from the side. Also like to see pics of how it's holding up in a year...if you remember. Cheers.