Every day of the week, mini-truckers lay out their trucks in an effort to get better acquainted with their neighborhood asphalt. However, this grand gesture of peace between truck and earth does not come without a price. Draggin' hard wreaks havoc on your truck -- be it the frame or the sheetmetal that contacts the ground and makes the spark show. We are not here to try and convince you draggin' is a bad thing; in fact, quite the contrary. We're here to show you how to keep on draggin' and draggin' for years to come. Once you've dragged through your truck's factory rocker panels, all is not lost. You don't need to throw the cab of your truck away and head for the local scrap yard in search of fresh metal. The repair is easier than you think, and the folks at Autowerks showed us just what it takes to repair a thrashed set of rocker panels on any mini. All it takes is some patience, a little sheetmetal, and mig-welding skills. Follow along with the photos as we take you on a short journey from draggin' destruction to rocker panel repair magic.
1. This Isuzu only laid frame...
1. This Isuzu only laid frame when it encountered a bump in the road that wrecked its passenger-side rocker panel. Once it has been body-dropped, the owner will either have to be more careful when he drags or be continually repairing the damage.
2. After cutting the bottom...
2. After cutting the bottom of the old rocker panels off with a reciprocating saw, new panels were bent out of 1/8-inch cold-rolled steel.
3. The new rockers will be...
3. The new rockers will be welded directly over the outer edge of the original rockers. This truck is in the middle of having its cab body-dropped, so the inside edge of the rockers will be attached to the filler panels for the cab floor. On Isuzus, the rocker panels do not sit flush with the lower portion of the door skin, and this makes it easy to blend the new rocker panels into the old ones.
4. To make sure the new rockers...
4. To make sure the new rockers will line up with the door, a tape measure and level are used.
5. Once the new rockers are...
5. Once the new rockers are lined up with the upper edge of the old rockers, they are clamped in place in preparation for welding.
6. Jimmy welds along the upper...
6. Jimmy welds along the upper edge of the rocker, moving from one end of the panel to the other in an effort to keep the metal from getting too hot and warping.
7. It takes some time, but...
7. It takes some time, but eventually the entire panel is spot-welded to the cab with zero warpage.
8. A 4-inch angle grinder...
8. A 4-inch angle grinder is used to grind all the welds smooth and flush with the sheetmetal. If done properly, a minimal amount of body filler will be needed to make everything look like it came from the factory.
9. The mud is liberally applied...
9. The mud is liberally applied to both the new rocker panel and the inside of the doorjamb.
10. After sanding down all...
10. After sanding down all of the body filler, the rockers are coated with epoxy primer.
11. In addition to the new...
11. In addition to the new rocker panels, this truck also received a 3.5-inch body drop from Autowerks. This is good timing because the new rockers will most assuredly handle the abuse doled out by the owner of this mini better than the stock ones.