myotis1134
SHO Member
Hey guys. So, from some moderate effort, I have determined that there are at least 3 solid vendors to purchase replacement outer rocker panels for 1986-95. I have found zero places to get the inners, and imagine they will need to be fabricated from scratch by a shop or someone with the skill to do so.
The main issue here is that at least one, possibly two of the vendors sells a rocker which is galvanized steel. As you all know, it's fairly toxic to weld galvanized metal, and many people remove zinc from the metal before welding on it. I'm not particularly well versed on the intricacies of welding, and maybe galvanized isn't some scary monster. I have read that it is, and so I'm following a logical progression here.
Of the three rocker panel vendors, only Mill Supply, Inc. doesn't say their product is "coated" or "galvanized". This is still only an assumption on my part.
The next vendor - NOR/AM Auto Body Parts - sells a rocker made from "Heavy-duty coated Automotive steel". I emailed them last week, asking them about the specific gauge of the metal, and what exactly they mean by "coated", but have not gotten a reply yet. The heavy-duty claim suggests the product goes beyond normal parameters, which makes me assume it is at least 20 gauge metal. I'm probably wrong about that, but most of the rocker panels I have looked at while trying to find this specific one were in the 19 gauge neighborhood. "Coated" in this case probably means galvanized. It's a cheap way to rust-proof metal. On the other hand, these guys did go above and beyond by using "heavy-duty" metal. Could they have done the same by coating the part with something welder-friendly?
Finally we come to the bastard-child of this search - Classic 2 Current Fabrication. These guys have a 19 gauge, galvanized rocker which fits a 1989-1991 Taurus. Gen 1 only? The other vendors seem to think their products will at least span Gen 1-2. Anyways, this one is stated to be galvanized.
Personally I'd rather go with some rockers that are at lest 20 gauge. I'll de-galvanize it if I must.
I know some of you have used NOR/AM before, and I'm leaning that way at the moment. If you have any specific data on the metal thickness or whatever their coating is, please come forward and reveal it - in the spirit of community. Thank you in advance.
If anybody knows of a place to acquire replacement rocker panels for Gen 1-2 aside from these vendors, which you think are better alternatives, please cough it up.
The main issue here is that at least one, possibly two of the vendors sells a rocker which is galvanized steel. As you all know, it's fairly toxic to weld galvanized metal, and many people remove zinc from the metal before welding on it. I'm not particularly well versed on the intricacies of welding, and maybe galvanized isn't some scary monster. I have read that it is, and so I'm following a logical progression here.
Of the three rocker panel vendors, only Mill Supply, Inc. doesn't say their product is "coated" or "galvanized". This is still only an assumption on my part.
The next vendor - NOR/AM Auto Body Parts - sells a rocker made from "Heavy-duty coated Automotive steel". I emailed them last week, asking them about the specific gauge of the metal, and what exactly they mean by "coated", but have not gotten a reply yet. The heavy-duty claim suggests the product goes beyond normal parameters, which makes me assume it is at least 20 gauge metal. I'm probably wrong about that, but most of the rocker panels I have looked at while trying to find this specific one were in the 19 gauge neighborhood. "Coated" in this case probably means galvanized. It's a cheap way to rust-proof metal. On the other hand, these guys did go above and beyond by using "heavy-duty" metal. Could they have done the same by coating the part with something welder-friendly?
Finally we come to the bastard-child of this search - Classic 2 Current Fabrication. These guys have a 19 gauge, galvanized rocker which fits a 1989-1991 Taurus. Gen 1 only? The other vendors seem to think their products will at least span Gen 1-2. Anyways, this one is stated to be galvanized.
Personally I'd rather go with some rockers that are at lest 20 gauge. I'll de-galvanize it if I must.
I know some of you have used NOR/AM before, and I'm leaning that way at the moment. If you have any specific data on the metal thickness or whatever their coating is, please come forward and reveal it - in the spirit of community. Thank you in advance.
If anybody knows of a place to acquire replacement rocker panels for Gen 1-2 aside from these vendors, which you think are better alternatives, please cough it up.
