Well I ran out of beer cans to keep up with this rust bucket so I believe it's time to address it before the whole thing rots away. Got some slip on rockers and cab corners on the way from eBay $210 shipped for both sides. I wanted to get all 3 back, inner, outer but for that kinda money I can almost buy a rust free cab and maybe I still will one day, buy a whole truck to rob parts off like @That Guy just did. Another option I had was to have a local metal shop bend me some rockers out of ss but when I shoed him what I was doing he said he tried it before for others with bad results and lots of wasted time, so my dreams and hopes went down poop tube when he told me that. I wanted to get it done once and never worry about it again. Anyway once i get my stamped recycled beer can from who knows where made rockers I'll be digging in to this long dreaded project. I called lmc and they said their parts come from overseas too and they were on backorder for slip on rockers so I just went with eBay, probably same garbage. Now I just hope inners have some meat left that I can clean up and salvage, the back side is part of floor pan and has some rot in spots but should do for now. I was also going to cut everything out and use a square tube like some have done, but figured I'll try the outer shell for now, it may last 10 more years this way and then... who knows by then.... 

Anyone that has any good advice or beer support feel free to derail this thread. 

Zinc Chromate primer can really help prevent rust, once the issues are fixed. It is leagues above with Chrysler/Mercedes ever thought of using, or any OEM for that matter. Needle scaler is your friend, if it goes through, the metal was no good. Mask recommended at bare minimum, has hexavalent chromium in it.  

 

I like the cab corner repair. 

18 minutes ago, That Guy said:

like the cab corner repair

That's the only thing wife likes about the truck. I'm afraid if I fix it she'll tell me to get rid of it 

I was thinking about getting some por15 for the inside guts, just not sure if it's going to help anything. maybe just some primer like you're saying be good enough. Plus I'm going to smear grease all over inside that should keep it from rusting. Every couple of years I spray oil in there, I really think it slows the process down. 

When I first saw the title of this thread I figured my buddy @Dieselfuturehad miss spelled it, knowing his cab corner and all. Figured otmshould have said Rocker panel CAN corners. 

10 minutes ago, dripley said:

When I first saw the title of this thread I figured my buddy @Dieselfuturehad miss spelled it, knowing his cab corner and all. Figured otmshould have said Rocker panel CAN corners. 

I ordered a set but having a hard time with letting go the beer cans, in a wierd way I'm going to miss them. Makes the truck more special that way. Plus it goes with my license plates theme. 

5 hours ago, Dieselfuture said:

@That Guy

Anyone that has any good advice or beer support feel free to derail this thread. 

Should have just started with some old vintage coors cans, and may not have had this issue now 

24 minutes ago, Dieselfuture said:

I ordered a set but having a hard time with letting go the beer cans, in a wierd way I'm going to miss them. Makes the truck more special that way. Plus it goes with my license plates theme. 

Dont tell me ya have Coors license plate.

Sorry, should have said Sapporo.

48 minutes ago, 01cummins4ever said:

Should have just started with some old vintage coors cans, and may not have had this issue now 

Them belong in museum, these sapporo cans are almost as thick as the sheet metal on the truck  that's why they're on there though they would last a while.

28 minutes ago, dripley said:

Dont tell me ya have Coors license plate.

Sorry, should have said Sapporo.

They may be made out coors recycled cans for all I know, flimsy, thought the onse I got for the car were thin few years ago, these are even thinner.

 Can I ask why you went with slip on repair panels? I to have rocker, cab corner issues, some bad metal in the floor as well. When I fix it I want to do weld in metal so it's more permanent. Once fixed maybe coat it with bed liner to prevent future rust.

9 hours ago, Doubletrouble said:

maybe coat it with bed liner to prevent future rust.

@JAG1did the hood of one of his trucks with Line X.  It doesn't look bad. 

Edited December 11, 20204 yr by JAG1

 Ive seen mud trucks and the like completely coated in bed liner. Not really for me but I have thought of maybe going up the rockers to the body line. My truck is silver with some black on it so more black wouldn't look bad.

9 hours ago, IBMobile said:

@JAG1did the hood of one of his trucks with Line X.  It doesn't look bad. 

Thanks. It looks even better after I get a chance to lay Olive Oil on it.

 

Edited December 11, 20204 yr by JAG1

52 minutes ago, JAG1 said:

It looks even better after I get a chance to lay Olive Oil on it.

OK, Popeye

@JAG1to start it and @IBMobile is there to shut it down. With a good joke! 

9 hours ago, Doubletrouble said:

 Can I ask why you went with slip on repair panels? I to have rocker, cab corner issues, some bad metal in the floor as well. When I fix it I want to do weld in metal so it's more permanent. Once fixed maybe coat it with bed liner to prevent future rust.

I was willing to chop up more with full replacement until I seen the price, then I had my hopes up for a guy to bend me some out of SS and he said no, so for now I'm going to do minimal work on outer skins so I don't have to take doors off. It may last a while and then I have no idea what happens. It's definitely not like me, I like to do things once, really don't like redoing stuff. If I could get all the panels (full replacement) free or next to nothing I'd replace the inners and all too, just couldn't get passed the price got my hopes up that I can get away cleaning inside and it's not all rotted. Guess I'll find out soon and it could still change my mind. I got these from eBay, they are considered a slip on but still go to weather strip, they also have some that stop at the door seam but it won't take me that long to pop few more spot welds to go all the way. The full replacement goes all the way towards door hinges, mine still look pretty solid there, that's part of the reason I'm thinking of doing it now and not using anymore beer cans so the rot doesn't make its way there. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1998-01-DODGE-RAM-P-U-4DR-QUAD-CAB-OUTER-ROCKER-PANELS-AND-CAB-CORNERS-PAIR/283363349003?pageci=82c0628a-ddf8-4975-aeaa-6eafa045b9ee

 I was considering using something like this to coat not only the inside of the frame but when I do get the rockers done maybe work this in to the cavity behind them to prevent rust in the future. A buddy of mine used it on a trans am bandit car and loved it. 

https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-internal-frame-coating-14oz-aerosol.html

1 hour ago, Doubletrouble said:

 I was considering using something like this to coat not only the inside of the frame but when I do get the rockers done maybe work this in to the cavity behind them to prevent rust in the future. A buddy of mine used it on a trans am bandit car and loved it. 

https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-internal-frame-coating-14oz-aerosol.html

I've seen this before too, I just don't know how much I want to trust some of these products, seems legit but so does por15 after reading reviews it seems that it could be snake oil, works for some I guess. That's why I was thinking just using regular grease and get it all over inside when the panel is off, idk... I've seen where people send blasted rust off used por15 and few years later rust came back. I also thought about using a pump up sprayer for gardening or whatever and put some sort of paint rust stop in there and go to town.

Like me up here the salt is killing trucks left and right. I've been using waste oil and spraying up in the body structure as much as a I could. Keeping the mud washed out of all the body drain is critical to good life.

@Mopar1973Man, I've been wanting to do the oil spray trick myself. Bought a 1 gallon sprayer just for that actually. Do you spray just oil or cut it with a little diesel? I've heard the diesel will help it creep into the tiny spots.

Man I feel for you trying to get Chinese parts and pieces to fit!

I don't know if you considered, but

If I was doing that Job I would at least try to find a good rust free section from a s aalvage yard, we used to do that all the time for customers and insurance co's for collision repairs and save them a ton of money, more work than new parts but hey, we saved those poor ins. Co's money !

Might check car-parts.com if you can't find anything local, if I remember correctly shipping pretty reasonable to local salvage yard, (national parts outfit in U.S.)

Definitely want to use the zinc weld-thru primer underneath, don't worry I breathed it for decades! 😥 But don't assume you won't need more corrosion protection, it will burn off underneath what is welded, go to a body and paint supply shop and ask for a good anticorrosion spray they'll know what you need, oily, waxy stuff, can't think of any particular name brands.

Take off those plastic caps on back side and spray the crap out of it, no need to keep re-doing, like Mike said keep those drain passages clear!!! That goes for doors, bed panels, wheel openings, etc.

 

FYI, if you do find a good part, just dissect it and use what you need, maybe cut thru front hinge pillar and back to cab corner? I know nasty job,

   Good luck !

Edited December 13, 20204 yr by dieseldon
clarity

I once drove across Iowa and passed a fellow Dodge I thought looked weird. There was a huge rust hole above the rear wheel, as I got closer, I could see the other side of the bed through the hole. Then as I was next to it, the other side was the same so I could see the corn growing in the field next to the interstate THROUGH the basketball sized holes in the bed of the truck.

 

And here I've been burning off all my waste oil....