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Fri Oct 30, 2009 3:39 am

56ovalbug wrote: I hate it when I see a repaired rocker and that seam is gone.

I would take that small piece you have in your hand in the last pic to metal fabrication shop and see if they can re-create that bend. Gerson could do it!

Different person/same problem. - basicly I revived an old post as my question was very similar. Keeps the "search police" happy, but as noted, can add to confusion if the dates aren't noticed.

But, yes I too want to keep the seam. Gerson was the first place contact about the status of his late bay parts. He indicated that they are still aways out.

Fri Oct 30, 2009 9:14 am

Oh.......that changes everything :?

VW ditched the intermediate rocker on the drivers (non cargo door) side sometime in late 71, your 78 never had one, just an inner and outer.

Fri Oct 30, 2009 10:44 pm

Busdaddy - THANK YOU!!! Parts have been ordered and I'll contenplate on whether I'm going to tackle this myself or farm it out. Probably get some quotes and go from there. My early guess is the quote process will "make the decision for me". If they seem high, then it may be best just to buy or rent a MIG welder, practice on scrap metal and tackle the job.

Thanks again Busdaddy for clarifying this!

Sat Oct 31, 2009 7:41 am

ddwbeagles wrote: Busdaddy - THANK YOU!!! Parts have been ordered and I'll contenplate on whether I'm going to tackle this myself or farm it out. Probably get some quotes and go from there. My early guess is the quote process will "make the decision for me". If they seem high, then it may be best just to buy or rent a MIG welder, practice on scrap metal and tackle the job.

Thanks again Busdaddy for clarifying this!

Brace yourself for some sticker shock if you want it done right, usually when you start digging the issues go deeper than what's visible. There's a few threads on rocker replacement here where people did tackle it themselves and triumphed.

Thu Mar 04, 2010 12:27 pm

Guys, does anyone out ther have that driver's side rocker, with the seam????I basically need a sample, it does not matter if it's rusty, I just need to get a pattern of one...if I can get one within the next few days, I can have these done in a couple of days or so.......let me know, thanks

Thu Mar 04, 2010 3:46 pm

Gerson wrote: Guys, does anyone out ther have that driver's side rocker, with the seam????I basically need a sample, it does not matter if it's rusty, I just need to get a pattern of one...if I can get one within the next few days, I can have these done in a couple of days or so.......let me know, thanks

looking at skill's photo, i would say the seam is not part of the rocker- it is part of the wall panel.

Thu Mar 04, 2010 3:51 pm

correct, I need the rocker WITH part of the wall panel, I need to see how it fits together....I emailed about 20 people parting buses out here on the samba...we'll see what happens....

Thu Mar 04, 2010 3:55 pm

I just found it...it's on it's way to my shop... :D :D :D

Thu Mar 04, 2010 3:59 pm

Nice! More bay metal!

Thu Mar 04, 2010 9:10 pm

Gerson, I am very intrigued by your panel production. Ever need an intern? :lol:

Great news on your Bay progress!

=D>

Mon Nov 29, 2010 7:29 pm

Another thread resurrection.

I am doing the same. I have a '71 and only the outer rocker is rusted. I have the replacement piece but also can't figure out how to plug weld the top of the rocker to the floor/wall joint.

The closest answer has been to bend it out about 20-30 degrees, get it clamped and welded, then bend down and do the bottom seam. But that still prevents any way to do the end seams where they connect to the body panels and the front/back doglegs.

Was there any consensus or solution to this dilemma?

Mon Nov 29, 2010 7:49 pm

Does this help? This is from when I did mine - inner rocker, middle panel in, waiting for the outer rocker.

Outer rocker in. From memory, there's quite a lot of metal here to weld to. My memory's a bit hazy on how we went about this...by this point it had all segued into one long day of burns and grinding after another....

Finished product (three years later, mind you, and full of shit after this weekend's roadtrip....)...welds all ground back, skimmed with filler and the seam reshaped. Again, can't remember this part exactly exactly, but I remember doing the seams for the rockers...everything back to bare metal, the whole panel skimmed with filler, and then running an exacto blade over a ruler where the seam should be...corner of sandpaper in and go real slow.

Mon Nov 29, 2010 8:23 pm

I affixed the drivers side outer rocker by the method mentioned earlier. I bent the return fold out just enough to be able to get the welder in and plug welded to the return on the side panel.
I then bent the bottom of the rocker down to meet the bottom of the inner rocker and welded together.
As far as the ends, (against the dogleg and arch panels) IIRC i just welded from the outside to secure then carefully ground the shape back in.

Tue Nov 30, 2010 4:50 am

Jalabert, no disrespect, but I am trying to avoid that course of action.

Zero, I'm probably going to do it that way. My inner rockers are quite solid and don't need to be replaced, but getting at the back of the outer rocker was stumping me.

Tue Nov 30, 2010 2:33 pm

gearson now makes the bay rocker with a cheater seam, which is most likely the way i will go.

Tue Nov 30, 2010 3:25 pm

why go through all that when you can buy the correct rocker for $80.00, weld it in, and have a correct looking repair?????? :? :? :? :? :? :?

Tue Nov 30, 2010 4:07 pm

Gerson wrote: why go through all that when you can buy the correct rocker for $80.00, weld it in, and have a correct looking repair?????? :? :? :? :? :? :?
No kidding X2, that looks messy, I'd rather deal with a single seam that I can get at the back of.

Tue Nov 30, 2010 8:22 pm

Try asking another metal supplier to help you out with a panel you need. Gerson sure goes the extra mile to accomodate/support this hobby of ours.

Wed Dec 01, 2010 9:25 am

This is how mine turned out. It is plug welded just where the original would have been spot welded so no external welds to grind away.