Damn you rust! Damn you to HELLLLLLL!!!!!!

"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher) 04/24/2017 at 20:00 • Filed to: Rust sucks

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My poor truck. 11 years old, 120k miles ... the evils of nature and road salt are beginning to take their toll. I am not happy.

I need to get some estimates to see how much it would cost to fix this. The truck is at a real crossroads. I either need to fix it now ... Or just let it go.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > shop-teacher 04/24/2017 at 20:03

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Toyota?

This will take very thorough restoration to cure. Not sure that’s the road you want to take with a DD, pun intended.

Honeybunchesofgoats > shop-teacher 04/24/2017 at 20:04

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This is good Kinja

Nothing > shop-teacher 04/24/2017 at 20:04

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Rust is what I am least looking forward to dealing with on the Cougar. I’m annoyed that Colorado has embraced salt. It makes me feel like I should do something with the Taco chassis.

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > shop-teacher 04/24/2017 at 20:14

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I’ll say sell it, & put that money down on a new Raptor.

19JRC99 > shop-teacher 04/24/2017 at 20:17

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That ain’t shit.

THIS is rust.

Chariotoflove > shop-teacher 04/24/2017 at 20:20

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That’s a pretty old truck to pour money into. How much do you think to just patch?

Chariotoflove > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 04/24/2017 at 20:22

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Or a Juke.

shop-teacher > Chariotoflove 04/24/2017 at 20:30

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I don’t have a clue to be honest.

dogisbadob > shop-teacher 04/24/2017 at 20:34

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Hi

check your shocks too

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > shop-teacher 04/24/2017 at 20:38

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Solution: buy cars made of fiberglass :)

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > shop-teacher 04/24/2017 at 20:39

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More rust than my pickup...

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > 19JRC99 04/24/2017 at 20:40

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Nice wheels though

19JRC99 > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/24/2017 at 20:44

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Rattlecanned ‘em last year.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > shop-teacher 04/24/2017 at 20:45

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Those rockers typically go from the inside out. If you see rust from the outside through paint the rocker is pretty well dunzo. I’d start truck shopping were I you.

shop-teacher > 19JRC99 04/24/2017 at 21:12

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I would like to avoid that, because I plan to keep this truck a lot longer.

shop-teacher > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 04/24/2017 at 21:12

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Yeah right. With dealer markups, my entire house cost like two Raptors.

shop-teacher > Chariotoflove 04/24/2017 at 21:12

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I just threw up in my mouth a little.

Urambo Tauro > Honeybunchesofgoats 04/24/2017 at 21:14

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Infinite Scroll is never good Kinja.

shop-teacher > dogisbadob 04/24/2017 at 21:14

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There is a small bolt-on frame brace that is rusted in half. I replaced its counterpart a few year ago.

What’s that stuff on top?

shop-teacher > Nothing 04/24/2017 at 21:15

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Yeah, rust is evil.

If it’s already been blasted with salt, it’s too late. If you’re gonna undercoat it needs to be done before it’s first winter.

shop-teacher > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 04/24/2017 at 21:17

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I can’t afford a new truck. I have three more years of payments on my wife’s CX-5 before I can even consider that.

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > shop-teacher 04/24/2017 at 21:17

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Finance it for 96 months, lol.

shop-teacher > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever 04/24/2017 at 21:19

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‘06 Sierra crew cab.

I’m not sure I want to go down that road either. I’m going to take it to the body shop where I took my Roadmaster to get an estimate. Dude took one look at it and said, “Don’t put another dollar into this car. Sell it tomorrow while it’s still solid, because it might not be in a few months.”

shop-teacher > Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) 04/24/2017 at 21:20

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If they only made crew cab pickemups that way :)

shop-teacher > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/24/2017 at 21:20

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Thanks for rubbing that in.

shop-teacher > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 04/24/2017 at 21:21

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I know I could get approved!

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > shop-teacher 04/24/2017 at 21:33

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I’d just live with it until you can then. The estimates I’m getting to fix two small spots on my roof are ~$900, I can’t imagine what it would be to replace rocker panels.

shop-teacher > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 04/24/2017 at 21:45

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Yipes!! I’ll still get an estimate, but I’m not going to put stupid money into the truck.

dogisbadob > shop-teacher 04/24/2017 at 21:49

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that’s the strut mount. Or it was! It’s supposed to look like this:

(not my car pictured in this image, but you can see my car in my OP) I got Gabriel quick struts, and they are painted black not silver.

dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford > shop-teacher 04/24/2017 at 21:53

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I feel ya. Our 07 Odyssey (120k miles) is starting to rust as well, behind the rear wheels. Keep in mind it’s been garage parked and washed frequently its entire life. Illinois is hard on cars.

MM54 > shop-teacher 04/24/2017 at 22:05

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My car (the crown vic) doesn’t have rockers, parts of pinch weld have gone missing, I can get a finger through just about every panel, the exhaust is held together by good intentions, and even the engine (dipstick tube) has at least one rust hole.

Your’s isn’t so bad!

Chariotoflove > shop-teacher 04/24/2017 at 22:07

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Good. That’s how you know you’re still uninfected.

shop-teacher > Chariotoflove 04/24/2017 at 22:08

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Phew!

shop-teacher > MM54 04/24/2017 at 22:10

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Wow! I’d like to keep it from getting that bad.

shop-teacher > dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford 04/24/2017 at 22:11

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Yeah it is. My truck has spent precisely one night in the garage, but I try to keep it washed.

MM54 > shop-teacher 04/24/2017 at 22:19

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Frame’s solid, though! And, oddly, the floors.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > shop-teacher 04/25/2017 at 00:03

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I take my victories when I can.

Tristan > shop-teacher 04/25/2017 at 00:59

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I may have to deal with 364 days of 50 degrees, overcast skies and obnoxious drizzle, but at least I don’t have to deal with rust. I spent the first 22 years of my life in Minnesota... I didn’t even know what a rocker panel was until I moved south.

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > shop-teacher 04/25/2017 at 03:45

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pshhhh thats called a rust free truck here in MI!

adamftw > shop-teacher 04/25/2017 at 06:48

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Typical Chevy. Your almost at the point of no return. Almost. Cut the rocker rust out, clean up the doors and the rest. Wire wheel the frame and coat it. Mine is super clean for a NE truck and it’s getting the full on Eastwood frame treatment once it’s consistently warm in a few weeks.

You replace the brake lines yet? You should.

shop-teacher > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/25/2017 at 06:51

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Yeah, me too. Shall I tell you how much I paid for a 2000 sqft house with a 2-1/2 car garage? ;)

shop-teacher > adamftw 04/25/2017 at 07:01

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Yeah, that’s what I realized yesterday. I either need to fix it right now, or forget about it and let it go. I’ve owned it since new, and it’s the only vehicle I’ve ever become sentimentally attached to, so I’d hate to see it crumble. I haven’t done the brake lines yet, but I’ve been keeping my eye on them and will do them soon.

shop-teacher > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time 04/25/2017 at 07:02

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I’m in Chicagoland. The extended cabs are pretty much all missing their rockers completely, but the crew cabs seem to hold up better.

adamftw > shop-teacher 04/25/2017 at 07:15

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You’re right on the cusp, man. Get to it. This is my first Chevy truck (was my father in law’s) and all my friends are Chevy guys and I’m ahead of the rust game for once, thank goodness.

Dorman makes a full brake line set.. like $200 I think.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > shop-teacher 04/25/2017 at 14:31

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A fraction of what I paid for a 1-bedroom 1-car garage house 30 minutes north of Seattle.

shop-teacher > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/25/2017 at 14:32

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Pretty much, yeah.

Justino6969 > shop-teacher 04/26/2017 at 08:02

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Be glad you caught it. Sand it down, and POR-15 the whole underside.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > shop-teacher 04/27/2017 at 22:24

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I’ve had this post open for a while now...

But my MJ is headed to a body shop tomorrow as well to find out what it’s going to cost me to have rocker panels again. And maybe deal with a couple other rust spots too. Need to pass a safety inspection soon-ish after have moved between states. We’ll have to compare.

shop-teacher > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee 04/27/2017 at 22:31

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Yeah, let me know what they tell you. We don’t have safety inspections, but I don’t like the idea of hauling my kids around in a vehicle with no rocker panel.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > shop-teacher 04/29/2017 at 00:35

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Seven. Fucking. Thousand.

It wasn’t an official quote, but a ballpark guestimate for both rockers, cab corners, and the bedsides over the wheelwheels. I suspect he was also including a complete paint job in there (kinda got the impression he didn’t let anything leave his shop looking less than mint) but really, that’s about double what I guessed it would be. I also told me about the safety inspection process in this province that has me guessing it’ll cost over ten grand to get it up to par to register in this province (it wouldn’t be a big deal if I hadn’t just moved from out of province. I think I’ll be moving back, lol). It’s not so much that it’s not safe, it’s more that pretty well every seal leaks a little and apparently oil leaks aren’t tolerated. So that’s blowing apart both axles, the tcase, trans, and engine to get everything done. I could do the work myself for far less, but I don’t really have anywhere appropriate to do it.

shop-teacher > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee 04/29/2017 at 08:26

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Gadamn!!! That’s insane!

Years ago now I took my truck to an (admittedly cheap) body shop to get some repairs done. (I had wiped out the right bedside by jack-knifing my utility trailer). I got a new GM bedside installed, plus an aftermarket lower bumper cover, painted and done for $1200 bucks. To be honest, the paint on a the bedside hasn’t aged so well and no longer quite matches, but I was still thinking I could get the rocker redone for under a grand. I haven’t had a chance to get an estimate though.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > shop-teacher 04/29/2017 at 09:18

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I’m almost tempted to visit another body shop, just to get a second opinion on that. I wasn’t expecting anywhere close to that, my albeit limited experience with rocker panel replacement had be expecting at most $1000 per rocker. or at least it was ten years ago. I figured maybe toss on a grand extra apiece for the bedsides, but that was not anywhere close to what I expected. I can get all the panels shipped to me for, like, $800. $1500 a piece to stitch them all in? Actually maybe not all that far out there thinking about it like that but still seems pretty steep to me. Definitely way more than I can afford to invest in it right now.

Your concerns are probably structural and crash-protection related more so than mine, so you likely want new steel put in properly. But I don’t see it needing anywhere near as much steel replaced as the MJ, unless it’s going from the inside out from trapped grime inside the rockers. Grind it down, couple small patches, minimal repsray. I basically don’t have a passenger side rocker panel any more, the driver’s side is getting that way too. There aren’t any actual holes in the bedsides but I don’t hugely want to poke the fenders. I’m not super concerned about it being 100% original or being super pretty (no resale to be had on 26-year-old truck with 531,000km anyway) so might honestly just end up stitching in 2x6 square tube in place of the rockers, and hand-form some basic patches for the bed, not really worry too much about matching the paint super closely, and calling it. I’m not all that concerned about structure, pretty sure if it’ll tow and panic stop an unbraked 4000lb trailer through urban traffic and up over a mountain pass without issues it’s probably doing alright.

shop-teacher > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee 04/29/2017 at 10:18

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Yeah, crash structure is my biggest concern, since I carry around my kids in it. I also would like it to look good. I’ve owned this tree CL since new, and it’s the only one I have ever gotten sentimentally attached to. No, it doesn’t need that much steel I don’t think, although I’ve heard these tend to rust from the inside out.