Rocker Panel rust

[Weasel73240Z]

As I was working on my 73, I found an area of rust that I hadn't noticed before. Its right behind the doglegs on both sides. It rusted through the inner fender well at the very back of the rocker area. I already knew about some rust at the front of the rocker, behind the front fender (who ever thought the cowl should drain into that area was really out of it). The rocker panel is in good shape, this is the reinforcing channel (with the punched holes) behind the rocker panel. The channel is solid in the middle, but I found rust at the very ends. Some was just surface rust, but some had rusted through also, and I guess I'll have to fabricate new metal, then treat everything with POR-15.

I think its fairly minor, but I'm nut sure how much metal has been lost to rust. Does anyone have photos of the front and rear of the channel with the rockers removed so that I can see how the channel looks in good condition. That way I'll be able to rebuild the channel correctly. Also, any tips from folks who've dealt with this would be greatly appreciated.

I'm learning that a "rust free" Z in Massachusetts is too much to expect. But I want to catch this early and fix it right.

Mr email is sidneydal@comcast.net

[Weasel73240Z]

Still looking for pics if anyone has some.

[beandip]

Paul, I replaced my floor pan but not the rocker. I lucked out . I have pictures of the floor replacement if this will help. The cowl drain. This is the cause of so much rust and as you said , not a good design. The fix for this is to buy a 1'' PVC 45* elbow. This will just fit into the drain hose where it extends out into the fender cavity. Attach a length of vinyl hose , also from the hard ware store, to the elbow. The correct size will just fit into the opening of the pipe fitting. Run the hose down to where the drain is already at the bottom of the fender cavity. Seal the fitting and hose in place with silicone. Now all the debris and water will go out the bottom and not be deposited on the end of the rocker and rot the metal. As for the rocker damage you are looking at. Use a screw driver and determine if the rocker is rusted to the point of weakness. If salvageable you can reinforce it from inside to a degree by coating it with POR . This will also help to seal off the moisture in the future. Have the rust through in the fender well patched in with sheet metal and welded in. The inside of the rocker can be accessed from inside the cabin of the car. There is a cheap $6.00 siphon ''gun'' that will blow the POR inside the cavity and saturate it. I bought the ''gun'' at Harbor Freight . I'll look and see If I can find the item number if you are interested.

[Weasel73240Z]

Thanks, I was planning to reroute the cowl drain out, before closing it up.

I need to get some pics of the rust behind the dogleg and post them. I don't think I've lost much steel to rust, probably only an inch of so at the very back of the channel, I'm just not sure.