Remember our friend Joe's '51 Fleetline project car? A year ago, we showed you the Fatman Fabrication IFS being installed on the car at CMC Designs. The wheels are still turning on this ongoing mild custom project.
The Chevy came from the East Coast and, as you can see, has accumulated a bit of rust during its lifetime. Before any further progress could be made, that needed to be remedied. Some of the especially vulnerable areas on these cars are the rocker panels and body mounts. Sure enough, that's where this one was suffering the most.
Luckily for Joe and other Fleetline owners, the aftermarket has come to the rescue with restoration parts. Chevs of the 40's and EMS Automotive Products are two sources for replacement sheetmetal for '49-52 Chevys. Craig Chaffers and Jake Encinas at CMC Designs were just getting ready to do some cosmetic surgery on Joe's Chevy when the R&C camera crew showed up. By the end of the day, those rotten rockers and floor brace body mounts had been replaced with fresh new parts.
As you can see from this view...
As you can see from this view of the passenger-side rocker panel, nature had taken a hard toll on the Chevy. A previous owner had covered up some of the severe rust and holes with sheetmetal, but all that did was hide the problem. This area needed to be replaced with fresh tin. The rotisserie at CMC Designs provided easy access to the floor, knocking several points off the job's difficulty rating. The passenger-side rocker panels (A), front floor braces (B), center floor braces (C), and inner rockers (D) were chewed up like a dog bone and would all be replaced.
Here are the parts needed...
Here are the parts needed for the job: a pair of replacement rocker panels, a pair of front floor braces, and a pair of center floor braces. The center floor braces are right- and left-specific but the front braces are the same for both sides. Craig ordered a spare tire well for the trunk also. These items are from EMS Automotive Products, but Chevs of the 40's also carries them.
Craig carefully measured and...
Craig carefully measured and marked at the front and rear ends of the replacement rocker. These are die-stamped 18-gauge steel, made specifically for '49-52 Chevy two-doors and follow the OEM shapes and curves, but since each application is different, some simple metalwork may be required to make a perfect fit. Chevs of the 40's offers rocker panel rear extensions in 1-foot lengths, which can be useful.
In this case, a notch was...
In this case, a notch was cut out of the front edge of the rocker to make it fit at the doorjamb.
Craig used a cut-off tool...
Craig used a cut-off tool to remove most of the rusty original rocker.
With the new rocker held in...
With the new rocker held in place with Cleco fasteners, Craig scribed a line where the replacement sheetmetal would meet the original piece. The new part was removed and an additional inch or so of old rusted metal was cut along that line. Any bit of rust you can remove will help you weld in the new panels. Then the new rocker was riveted in place prior to welding. The remaining rust hole (just under his right hand) will be patched later. Craig and Jake will hang the doors in place before doing the final welding on the rockers, in order to check the fit and gap between the doors and the rockers.
With the Chevy body flipped...
With the Chevy body flipped 90 degrees again, we were seeing progress. Now it was time to attack those eaten-up body mounts. The floor braces are 16-gauge steel. Craig and Jake did not need to use the entire length of the front floor brace (left) or center floor brace. With the original pieces still in place, Craig made his first determination as to the proper fit and angle relative to the rocker and floor.
Fortunately, enough of the...
Fortunately, enough of the original center floor brace was intact to determine where to drill the mounting hole on the replacement. Craig and Jake were careful not to cut away any potential reference points before they were done transferring measurements to the new parts.
Since the inside of the braces...
Since the inside of the braces will be inaccessible once they are welded to the floor, cage nuts were welded in place to hold the fasteners.
Craig cut out a section of...
Craig cut out a section of the original center floor brace where a mounting hole was located. Look carefully at the exposed edge and you'll see that there is a double wall of sheetmetal there for strength.
He fabricated two pieces of...
He fabricated two pieces of sheetmetal to replicate the double wall that had been there originally.
The inner rocker (see arrow...
The inner rocker (see arrow D in photo 1) connects the floor to the bottom of the rocker and was replaced as well (arrow). Replacement inner rockers are available from Chevs of the 40's and EMS. In this case, Craig and Jake fabricated their own using a length of 18-gauge steel bent 90 degrees on a sheetmetal brake.
The front floor brace was...
The front floor brace was modified and installed similarly to the center brace-and only a portion of the front floor brace was required as well.
The finished passenger side...
The finished passenger side was a 100-percent improvement over what it looked like a few hours earlier. A coat of Welco Super Cold-Galv rust inhibitor will protect the work from future corrosion. Then it was time to tackle the driver's side.
That's what a '51 Chevy rocker...
That's what a '51 Chevy rocker panel should look like. As promised, the rust hole in the floor has been patched. Joe's gonna be happy.