I am finally starting to address the rocker panel rust. Last winter was really tough. I had the most amazing salt crystal formations growing on the decaying metal. It was reminiscent of the science projects we used to do back in my elementary school days where we grew amazing crystal formations from a process that involved borax laundry detergent.

So far I've just cut away the outer layer of sheet metal. This is my first look at the inside of the rocker panel structure. I can see a lot of places that I'm not going to be able to access to fully remove every last bit of rust. I think to do so I would have to be doing some kind of frame-off restoration and really disassemble quite a bit of the lower structure of the vehicle. I will do what I can with sanding discs and wire wheels and then I will get as much of the rest of it as I can with my little Harbor Freight sandblaster gun. Then I will give it a liberal coating of one of the urethane based rust preventative paints like POR 15. I haven't decided yet if I will try to make a new skin out of sheet metal to be welded in place, or if I will go through the process of making a simple mold so that I can make some fiberglass rocker skins which I will then bond to the door sill and the pinch weld flange. I would like to go to the fiberglass route because it will never rust, but I am thinking there are structural considerations related to preserving integrity of the floor pan that are best addressed with a welded repair. I would welcome input from people who have experience.