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Help with rust repair and rocker replacement (73-75)

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Kmart75

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I’ve got a ‘75 Jimmy and I’m in the process of replacing the rocker panels. Despite doing hours of research and looking over tons of pictures, I can’t find a good thread where someone has documented this job on a 73-75 Blazer/Jimmy. I’ve ordered every replacement panel available to do the job but most are produced for the later year Blazer or truck models. While the pieces are similar, they are far from an easy job and it’s kinda like trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle without the picture on the box for reference. The only part I can’t seem to find is the support that goes under the rear of the rocker below the door striker.(in picture)Does anyone know if this part is available somewhere? Also, if anyone has any links to pictures of the process for 73-75 specific Blazer|Jimmy rocker replacement (including the inner rocker and part of the floor board) it would be greatly appreciated. I don’t want to just start welding these pieces in if they aren’t needed or are not in the right spot/orientation. Thanks in advance!

8EFDB5D7-1CE8-4B7C-AB88-CE6747A31B31.jpeg
 
Not that I’ve ever seen. That piece is where your seatbelt ties in also.
The curved part of the floor behind the seat will have to be fabed if needed as you have found out.
Important is the rocker box underneaths condition for the rigidity of the body being a convertible.
Keep the top bolted on if you have it and support as much as you can from underneath to maintain alignment of doors and windshield frame.
Work one body support section at a time.
Body mount cushions may need addressed also.
 
Thanks for the reply. I’ve welded in a couple cross braces from the windshield frame to door striker and it seems pretty solid. The floor(underneath) the floor boards is really solid and rust free, just the outer and inner rocker and a little of the floor pan are rotted. It looks like it’s gonna be a lot of guess work putting it back together!
 
Kmart75 said:
Thanks for the reply. I’ve welded in a couple cross braces from the windshield frame to door striker and it seems pretty solid. The floor(underneath) the floor boards is really solid and rust free, just the outer and inner rocker and a little of the floor pan are rotted. It looks like it’s gonna be a lot of guess work putting it back together!
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Just keep taking pictures so you always have something to reference.
 
Can someone post some pictures of what a complete rocker panel/original rocker panel looks like from a 73-75? I’m most interested in how the rocker mates up to the floor board.
 
I can get some later, I've added a bit to mine but still factory. Might help. Have some OP pictures saved I have to find that might help.
 
Kmart75 said:
Wow, those look nothing like what I cut off of mine!
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These are the rocker reinforcing boxes.
They go under the rocker and make the floor stiff so the truck doesn't fold in half when you remove the top
 
Under the floor boards?? How far in from the rocker panel are those? There was nothing under mine remotely close to those. I didn't see those listed aftermarket, are they available somewhere?
 
Kmart75 said:
Under the floor boards?? How far in from the rocker panel are those? There was nothing under mine remotely close to those. I didn't see those listed aftermarket, are they available somewhere?
Click to expand...
I believe they are not available but people build setups stronger with square tubes.
It's about 1 ft wide and goes from the back of rocker to next to the frame
 
This is my cobbled together mess, am I somewhat close to what the inner rocker area should look like? The outer rocker slips on nicely and looks correct, but it just looks like Frankenstein. Also, I bought this piece that said it was a subframe cab support but I have no idea where its supposed to go.



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Any pics from underneath?
If you don’t have those rocker boxes underneath they have been cut off or you don’t have a true 73-75.
 
That’s them , great shape. Those are what the picture is of earlier. They are just removed.
I had to rebuild mine with square tube.
 
Ok, I thought there would be something more outboard (closer to the rocker). So based on the pictures of the work I’ve done, do you think I’m close enough to how the rocker pieces are supposed to be and can weld it all together(after test fitting the door)?
 
First, you have the bottom boxes, you might not recognize it but it is the layer abou3-4" below the floor.
Second the door area is not clear enough for me to be sure but it looks ok.
The only thing I can't see is the vertical edge that holds the door seal, it's supposed to be 3 layers, one from floor section one straight down and one from the rocker curve on the outside.
I will see if I can take a picture tomorrow and maybe make a sketch to explain
 
I think some of that inner backing plate is for the non convertable and the pickups. That is for boxing the rocker panels that are exposed, on the convertable the rocker panel attaches to the rocker boxes itself and all that extra in not needed due the rocker box encloses the outer rocker panel.
I went through that and ended up leaving some of that out.
Really depends on if you need to repair the floor pan lip where it attaches to the rocker panel how much you need.
Mine was so bad I had no pattern at the time.
Maybe some else can verify.
 
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