Rocker Molding Questions

[Bingster]

I'm trying to remove the rocker stainless moldings from my '47 Desoto. I've loosened them up with a penetrating oil and want to know if they pop off from the top or the bottom of the molding?

I'm also told the clips are not available. My old ones look rusted but may clean up.

Also, the rubber drain hole plugs near the door sills. They seem like a destroy to remove situation. It seems you push new ones through and the pop out like a wing nut in sheet rock. I thought I saw somebody offered these. Does anybody know who?

And, there is rusted through metal at various places along the rockers. Does anybody make replacements panels for these or is this a custom job?

Thanks very much!!

David

[55 Fargo]

I'm trying to remove the rocker stainless moldings from my '47 Desoto. I've loosened them up with a penetrating oil and want to know if they pop off from the top or the bottom of the molding?

I'm also told the clips are not available. My old ones look rusted but may clean up.

Also, the rubber drain hole plugs near the door sills. They seem like a destroy to remove situation. It seems you push new ones through and the pop out like a wing nut in sheet rock. I thought I saw somebody offered these. Does anybody know who?

And, there is rusted through metal at various places along the rockers. Does anybody make replacements panels for these or is this a custom job?

Thanks very much!!

David

They should pop off on the bottom edge, there should be 3 fasteners with nut and bolt, 2 on the bottom of the front fender, and the rearend of the rocker trim.

They may still make re-pops, try Restoration Specialists, I made a few of my own with 1/8 inch thick plexi, cut and shaped to fit the rocker trim, so far they work great.

Rocker panels may now be available, through the "plymouth doctor", or you may have to custom fab your own, as I did

Drain hole plugs? Or do you mean the sill mat plug grommets, they are available through Steele Rubber, Roberts, and Bernbaums........Fred

[greg g]

You should be able to access the bottom of the trim from under the rocker. Locate the clip, use a piece of wood or similar, to press down on the trim over the clip, then genlty pry off the trim from the bottom of the clip.

[Bingster]

Thanks guys. I was kind of downhearted at seeing the rust under there on the sills. I didn't think there was any. Silly me (no pun intended) When you guys patch these sills, I assume you cut out the old metal and then weld new pieces onto the old. That sounds like an obvious question, I know. Do these sills supporrt anything? In other words, like in a house where you have a load bearing wall, if you cut these sills out will something cave in or buckle?

[55 Fargo]

Thanks guys. I was kind of downhearted at seeing the rust under there on the sills. I didn't think there was any. Silly me (no pun intended) When you guys patch these sills, I assume you cut out the old metal and then weld new pieces onto the old. That sounds like an obvious question, I know. Do these sills supporrt anything? In other words, like in a house where you have a load bearing wall, if you cut these sills out will something cave in or buckle?

If the rockers are not too bad, you could,cut and patch.

The outer floor, and the floor supports do tie into the rockers, so if they are rusty and falling to the ground, it will create havoc with the doors and pillars.

Why don't you post some pics of what you have, and see if some of us can direct you to a possible best repair.

My rockers on my coupe were pretty bad, so I cut them right out, and welded in 2 inch square tube steel and made my rocker sills to fit over this, but this is not necessarily the only or best way, just the way I did it.

If yours have some rust holes here and there, and are other wise solid, then maybe a patch job, can suffice......Fred

[Bingster]

Thanks Fred. I had a body guy come over and look at the car today. He said a patch job would be no problem. Quoted around $200 for both sides which I thought was rather low. The passenger side has holes here and there but the driver's side has some pretty good deterioration. Still, he said it looked like he could cut out the old and weld in new steel.

I took off one rocker stainless molding today and the clips. The clips were rusted but cleaned up okay on the wire wheel. Priming and painting will be fine for them.

I was telling myself as I was pulling off the old moldings from the clips that this car was not intended to last this long, especially since Desoto knew the new body styles would be out in '49 and make these obsolete pretty fast. Out here in the Midwest and other rural parts of the country I guess these old body styles held on longer than in the cities. Although it seems to me that I have seen a lot of older body style taxi cabs in old movies filmed in the late fifties. My '47 was licensed up until about fourteen years ago and sat for a good twelve years out in the Iowa elements. Pretty dumb thing to do but the guy who sold it to me was kind of like that. It could have been in a lot better condition had he kept it inside like he did a '49 model. Oh well.

[55 Fargo]

Thanks Fred. I had a body guy come over and look at the car today. He said a patch job would be no problem. Quoted around $200 for both sides which I thought was rather low. The passenger side has holes here and there but the driver's side has some pretty good deterioration. Still, he said it looked like he could cut out the old and weld in new steel.

I took off one rocker stainless molding today and the clips. The clips were rusted but cleaned up okay on the wire wheel. Priming and painting will be fine for them.

I was telling myself as I was pulling off the old moldings from the clips that this car was not intended to last this long, especially since Desoto knew the new body styles would be out in '49 and make these obsolete pretty fast. Out here in the Midwest and other rural parts of the country I guess these old body styles held on longer than in the cities. Although it seems to me that I have seen a lot of older body style taxi cabs in old movies filmed in the late fifties. My '47 was licensed up until about fourteen years ago and sat for a good twelve years out in the Iowa elements. Pretty dumb thing to do but the guy who sold it to me was kind of like that. It could have been in a lot better condition had he kept it inside like he did a '49 model. Oh well.

Very Good Bingster, yes the price is very good, for someone welding in new patch panels, I am sure it will be just fine.......Fred