Rusting Raptor Rocker panels

[Phoward0032]

No worries. I held off on taking mine off until I had some hole plugs to try. Now they're all properly sealed up.
View attachment 61515

For whatever reason, my tape was clear.
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Are you still selling these kits? If so, where can I get one? I just picked up my second raptor. My first one was pretty rusted out…this one is super clean and I really want to plug it up underneath before it has a chance to start withering away. If you do not still do the kits, can u point me to the vendors you used and I’ll grind on it. Thanks!



All the best,
Dave

 

[ratty]

my rocker panels are completely gone... dissolved... nothing but air under there now. The rust has spread up towards the front and rear of the cab as well at the lower hinges of the doors, and it's eaten away at the lower rear door fixed latches.... it's beyond repair at this point. The door skins around my door handles are toast as well, both door latches had ripped out so I made some custom aluminum plates that mount inside bolted to the latch mechanism to hold the door handles on as there's nothing to hold onto anymore. Plus about 6inches of the lower skin on my tailgate has dissolved away as well. My bed is starting to break through from the rust as well, I was just loading some stuff in the bed a few days ago and it collapsed from my weight from rust under the bedliner in one spot... totally rusted out under there too. I have my 40 year old '84 Chevy Silverado crewcab dually that has been sitting outside for the past 8 years in an open lot (the motor seized up when the oil pump seized on my way to work one day, I ended up selling the engine, and no place to work on it, so it's just been basically abandoned outside in the elements), and it has less rust than my 14 year old Raptor. The Raptor is great, but the body steel (I use that word loosely) is junk, it's incredibly thin, probably was insufficiently galvanized, and is just a junk body. The chassis is great, powertrain and drivetrain great, I've got 225,000 miles on it... but the body, is junk. So, not surprised you're having rust issues. And it will spread fast too.... I'd sell it now while you have the chance, I waited too long.

 

[mprice1234]

Inevitable when you live and drive in the salt belt. When I lived in Illinois, I hated seeing all the cancer cars and trucks. Moving to Colorado was a smart move for many reasons and would never go back.

 

[ratty]

Inevitable when you live and drive in the salt belt. When I lived in Illinois, I hated seeing all the cancer cars and trucks. Moving to Colorado was a smart move for many reasons and would never go back.

Sure, the rust belt will, well, rust one's vehicle... but I've never had a vehicle rust this fast. If you read my comment just above, my 40 year old truck is not nearly as rusted as my 14 year old Raptor, and the rust on it is repairable... and it's been sitting in the rains and snows in a lot for the past 8 years. The rust on my Raptor is not repairable, the steel sheet used on the body is the equivalent of toilet paper. It is true like they say, they don't make 'em like they used to. They don't want our vehicles to last very long anymore, they want you to buy news ones, over and over again.

 

[mprice1234]

It's not the rain and snow that rust a vehicle sitting in a field as much as driving in all the road salt they dump on the roads.

 

[dj30417]

It's not the rain and snow that rust a vehicle sitting in a field as much as driving in all the road salt they dump on the roads.

Or the beach.

 

[rschap1]

My area roads get COATED with liquid chloride.
It just EATS everything driven around here.
I see some neighbors' cars and trucks with holes after 1 or 2 winters.
I have been storing my "nicer" vehicles and driving beaters whenever I can.
Raptor still has cab corners and rockers so it gets stored.
It is a RARITY locally.

 

[Irregular F150]

My area roads get COATED with liquid chloride.
It just EATS everything driven around here.
I see some neighbors' cars and trucks with holes after 1 or 2 winters.
I have been storing my "nicer" vehicles and driving beaters whenever I can.
Raptor still has cab corners and rockers so it gets stored.
It is a RARITY locally.

Yeah i NEED to store the truck cause i already have to do cabs and rockers after 2 winters ughh

 

[gusser]

It's been several months after purchasing my 2011 screw and I am finally recovered enough from various surgeries (thumb, eye cornea - both eyes) and with help of a younger, stronger mechanic friend, we got the raptor on the lift and swapped out the right front cv axle and 4wd actuator (IWE?). While up on the lift, I got a better look at the condition of the rockers...not good, but I knew that when I traded my '99 Firehawk for it straight up.
While on the lift, we removed the running boards and the outside rockers are toast, especially the passenger side (last two pics...typical for New England) with a half a$$ repair on the drivers side with bondo (see pics)...rust falling out of openings in chunks as I pried with a screw driver on the pass side, so the very minimum calls for a slip on panel, but may opt to cut down the thicker gauge full rocker from Mill Supply. More research needed...

The cab corners are bubbly but have not broken through yet, but I'd guess the paint/clear coat is the only thing keeping it together. The cc's can wait until I'm ready to remove the bed to do the job right but I'd like to start using her to tow a single jet ski next year so my goal is to take care of the rockers first and spray cavity wax in the rockers once repairs are made and rust is removed...maybe spray cavity wax in the cab corners as well to slow things down a bit.

I am going to try and tig the panels in rather than mig. I'm in no way an experience body man/welder, but I'm pretty good with a tig torch and hope to minimize the higher temps of mig and grinding off the lumps to avoid warping the panels (been there, done that). Being retired, I have the time to take it slow and minimize mistakes. My young mechanic friend/neighbor is experienced in all things automotive including rust repair (he believes I should drive it and not worry about it, but she's a dying breed with her 6.2L V8 and all metal construction and IMHO, worthy of the thorough rehab if not a full blown resto).

I also have a body man that is very reasonable for the area and does excellent work so will probably not try to do the filler/paint and let the pro do that as well as touch up any of my mistakes.

Here's a few pics...



I've watched as many diy vids as I could find on boobtube but I would surely welcome any advice from those who know more than me about rust repair, which is probably almost everybody...