Well our 99 LeSabre has about 2/3 of both rocker panels rusted thru from the road salt here in No. Wisconsin. Plus we live on a dirt road for 1 mile. This is our winter car.

I am thinking of getting a cut off wheel and just cutting the rocker panels down/off and then spraying up inside and underneath with undercoating in the hopes the car will last a few more years.

What do you think?
I dont car if it looks bad I just want to slow the rust and right now the open holes are just a dirt and moisture collector. We are hoping to get a few more miles and years out of the car as the rest of it is fine and it runs good. The UIM has been replaced too. It's not worth the money to have new rocker panels put on says my pocketbook.

Well our 99 LeSabre has about 2/3 of both rocker panels rusted thru from the road salt here in No. Wisconsin. Plus we live on a dirt road for 1 mile. This is our winter car.

I am thinking of getting a cut off wheel and just cutting the rocker panels down/off and then spraying up inside and underneath with undercoating in the hopes the car will last a few more years.

What do you think?
I dont car if it looks bad I just want to slow the rust and right now the open holes are just a dirt and moisture collector. We are hoping to get a few more miles and years out of the car as the rest of it is fine and it runs good. The UIM has been replaced too. It's not worth the money to have new rocker panels put on says my pocketbook.
buick made rocker covers(out of alluminum) to cover the panels i took my 1993 buick lesabre covres off they fit perfectly on 1998 and i believe 99 are same you can find at scrap yard they are screwed on top and bottom.then you could fill space in between with insolation spray that expands to fill cracks, or just get insolation crack filler and fill the space the way it is, wipe off excess that will come out of holes and spray with undercoating.i could be wrong but i believe that they would not certify if holes in rocker panels.

buick made rocker covers(out of alluminum) to cover the panels i took my 1993 buick lesabre covres off they fit perfectly on 1998 and i believe 99 are same you can find at scrap yard they are screwed on top and bottom.then you could fill space in between with insolation spray that expands to fill cracks, or just get insolation crack filler and fill the space the way it is, wipe off excess that will come out of holes and spray with undercoating.i could be wrong but i believe that they would not certify if holes in rocker panels.

Well the rocker panels on my 99 are not aluminum which is why they rusted out no doubt. Any idea on where the bolts are especially the bottom ones? Mines a rusty mess. Maybe I could get a couple used panels out of Arizona shipped to me if it it just a bolt on process.

Thanks for the reply

Maybe you could overlay the existing rocker panels with new ones and just pop rivet them into place. Then, spray the rusted underside with WD-40 or kerosene mixed with oil. Transmission fluid mixed with kerosene (to cut it) would probably work pretty good too.

I use wd 40 and used motor oil on some balers, tractors, mowers and such that sit outside all the time. It seems to work fairly well. You can buy these large spray bottles at the hardware store and adjust the nozzle. WD-40 can be bought by the gallon for a lot less money than the little spray cans. It displaces water very well.

Maybe you could overlay the existing rocker panels with new ones and just pop rivet them into place. Then, spray the rusted underside with WD-40 or kerosene mixed with oil. Transmission fluid mixed with kerosene (to cut it) would probably work pretty good too.

I use wd 40 and used motor oil on some balers, tractors, mowers and such that sit outside all the time. It seems to work fairly well. You can buy these large spray bottles at the hardware store and adjust the nozzle. WD-40 can be bought by the gallon for a lot less money than the little spray cans. It displaces water very well.
yes you could do that how expensive is new ones. check out the covers gm made that cover the rocker pannells for earlier models i have pair in garage off my 1993 lesabre made of alluminum that fits perfectly over the old pannels of my 1998 lesabre. 97 98 99 are all same, they used them on the earlier limited edition lesabres, check scrap yard. i don't think you can drive without rocker pannels safety issue.

Ok I bought some rust converter. I looked the rocker panels over and it appears they are welded to the unibody. I did see that they sell new rocker panels online for about $100 per side plus shipping but I dont have the technology to weld new ones in so I guess I will just spray the car up and hope for the best. Maybe a few more years of service out of this car. It's been a good runner but I cant see putting over $500 of body work into a car worth less than $1500.

As far as finding the aluminum covers to bolt onto and over the old panels that would be nice but the panels are 2/3 GONE

Here's a sad sad picture of the driver side

Rusted Out Rocker Panel (http://i559.photobucket.com/albums/ss39/hapynzap/JOHN_PIX079.jpg)

Any other ideas?

Ok I bought some rust converter. I looked the rocker panels over and it appears they are welded to the unibody. I did see that they sell new rocker panels online for about $100 per side plus shipping but I dont have the technology to weld new ones in so I guess I will just spray the car up and hope for the best. Maybe a few more years of service out of this car. It's been a good runner but I cant see putting over $500 of body work into a car worth less than $1500.

As far as finding the aluminum covers to bolt onto and over the old panels that would be nice but the panels are 2/3 GONE

Here's a sad sad picture of the driver side

Rusted Out Rocker Panel (http://i559.photobucket.com/albums/ss39/hapynzap/JOHN_PIX079.jpg)

Any other ideas?
the covers i have in the garage would cover all except you would need a siple bracket to srew bottom the top goes in under door and gets screwed inside car i will try and send you picture tomorrow. i am new at this computer stuff.

the covers i have in the garage would cover all except you would need a siple bracket to srew bottom the top goes in under door and gets screwed inside car i will try and send you picture tomorrow. i am new at this computer stuff.


army - are you willing to sell these covers or are you saying I should find some like them?

I sent you a PM with my email address so you can send me a picture of them
I'm interested in seeing how they look on the top where they screw into the door jam area too. Need to know as soon as you can
thanks

Well I am going down to Arizona next week and will hit up some U pull it wrecking yards looking for these rocker panel covers ARMY spoke of. Sure would have liked to seen a picture of them. It looks like some of the Bonnevilles, Olds 88's and Park Avenues also have these on them. Hope I can find a pair that will work.

I have scraped and removed the rust on the rocker panels as much as I can and put rust fix on. Today I am primering and tomorrow will paint everything as much as I can. If I can get these panels put on then I will spray undercoating underneath and maybe on them too.

Well I am going down to Arizona next week and will hit up some U pull it wrecking yards looking for these rocker panel covers ARMY spoke of. Sure would have liked to seen a picture of them. It looks like some of the Bonnevilles, Olds 88's and Park Avenues also have these on them. Hope I can find a pair that will work.

I have scraped and removed the rust on the rocker panels as much as I can and put rust fix on. Today I am primering and tomorrow will paint everything as much as I can. If I can get these panels put on then I will spray undercoating underneath and maybe on them too.
i sent you pict. on the email adress you sent me three or four days ago did you not get them?

i sent you pict. on the email adress you sent me three or four days ago did you not get them?

ARMY - no I didn't get them and anxiously look forward to seeing them
edited

I leave 2 AM Sunday

ARMY - no I didn't get them and anxiously look forward to seeing them
Please resend to (my user name) at yahoo.com

I leave 2 AM Sunday
i have sent them again if you did not get them then there something wrong with email adress is it
Email address deleted by request of member <Hapynzap>

That is so weird - I didn't get them the 2nd time either.
Could you please delete my email addy from the previous post by editing it? That way the spam bots wont harvest the email address and send me even more spam.
Thanks for trying I really appreciate it anyways!

Ouch. That pinch welded seam where the rocker meets the floor pan is where the body gets much of its rigidity. It would be good to repair that ASAP and make a permanent repair. Covering it up with undercoating and paint won't do for more than a cosmetic fix. Once repaired, you can replace the rockers with whatever you like.

Gotta love that salt. Just last week I off-loaded a '96 Lumina that I would have driven to Australia if there were roads and gas stations. It ran great with only 178,000 on it, but the body had already been repaired three years ago and another winter in the midwest would probably have been its demise. Same problem in the rockers and dog legs. I didn't want to go through the hassle of installing new rocker the right way on a car which was worth $1000.

That is so weird - I didn't get them the 2nd time either.
Could you please delete my email addy from the previous post by editing it? That way the spam bots wont harvest the email address and send me even more spam.
Thanks for trying I really appreciate it anyways!Done

Well the pinch welds are solid - its the sheet metal of the rocker panels that is suspect.

I found a pair of the aluminum rocker panel covers off a 92 Lesabre Limited in Arizona and shipped them north. I will see what I can do with them when I get back after the 30th.

Well the pinch welds are solid - its the sheet metal of the rocker panels that is suspect.

I found a pair of the aluminum rocker panel covers off a 92 Lesabre Limited in Arizona and shipped them north. I will see what I can do with them when I get back after the 30th.
good they will make car look a lot better you might have a little modification to do at bottom but they will work what were they worth.

good they will make car look a lot better you might have a little modification to do at bottom but they will work what were they worth.

I got a great deal on them at the pick-a-part (U-pull) wrecking yard. $18 for both as it was half price day. Fedex ground shipping was $22. Not bad IMHO.

I got a great deal on them at the pick-a-part (U-pull) wrecking yard. $18 for both as it was half price day. Fedex ground shipping was $22. Not bad IMHO.
great let me know how they work out