Driver's Side Rocker Panel Rebuild - Heater Channel Repair

 After much research & internal debate about how to best go about repairing the rocker panel, I decided the leave as much of the existing heater channel as possible. This was for several reasons. First, the heater channel carries the nuts that the chassis pan bolts to and their location is critical. Secondly, this is the only solid, original piece of the rocker panel structure that holds the front and rear of the chassis together and I wanted to maintain this critical dimension.

The part of the heater channel that carried the nuts was sound. The major portions of rust ere on the drop leg that connected to the center divider.So my plan is to cut away the rusted portion of the existing heater channel, cut of the replacement piece of the new channel and weld them together.

Existing heater channel cleaned up

Cut line on replacement panel 

 I used the chassis bolts to align the holes in the replacement panel with the existing nut holes on the body.

I punched tack holes in the replacement panel and began skip-tacking it in place with the wire welder.

After the bottom was welded in place, moved to the top side and welded that.

This re-established the bottom line of the rocker panel. I can now move back to the front and finish building out the pieces I'd cut out last weekend. I began with the bottom of the front inner fender.

Then moved on to the corner of the inner fender & "firewall".

Finally the outside of the kick panel & bottom of the inner fender.

Good (better!!) than new

Some paint...

...and were ready to begin prepping for the center divider installation.