so i removed the passenger side skirt. its not horribly rotted out there but i have a hole in the rocker panel behind the drivers side door. the rest of it is still in good shape. i did this because i had a 97 GTP and it was rotted to death in the same area. the entire pinch weld on that car was almost entirely gone. i really do not want this car to succumb to the same fate. after owning 2 of these cars, i love the cars but i hate the side skirts; sure they add some appearance but they also add a ton of rust. im guesing that because of the side skirts they rust from the outside in. i also noticed that GM partially filled the panels with foam but they didnt go down to the very bottom of the rocker. why didnt they apply foam all the way down to the bottom. is the foam to add strenght or something, i couldnt believe how thin the panels really are. the metal really is so thin once it pits your done, you have a hole. i remember some of the older cars i had, and still have (i have a clean 91 cavalier convertible). it seems like the body panels on those older cars were much thicker material, sure they still rusted out but if you take care of them, not too badly. i drove my 91 cavalier convertible sedan i just got rid of through 6 buffalo winters and still no holes when i got rid of it. i like my GTP and like these cars in general but it seems like they are rust-buckets. the car is in otherwise great shape, floors are rust free and no rust in the typical rear strut tower area; but there is still this ugly rust hole in the rocker.
i sprayed in the inside of that panel with a product called krown; its an oil based rust inhibitor product. i was also thinking about shooting the inside of that rocker panel with spray foam.... finish the job GM started, this would keep water and moisture out of the damaged area. i could then follow up and seal the entire area with fiberglass mesh. then paint a heavy coat over the effected area with a paint brush. im not caring so much about the appearence, its hidden under the side skirt just to stop the miserable rust.
i could replace the entire rocker panel but im no body man. i have done allot of mechanical repair but i have no idea how to replace a rocker. i know it involves cutting of the effected panel and replacing it with a new panel. the rest of the panel is not in bad enough shape to justify it anyways.
basically i just dont want it turning into Swiss cheese which what my other car looked like.
the back of the side skirt where the effected area was was caked in much, really nasty black crap. im guessing it was a mixture of salt and road grime.
