well ive been on the fence about doing bodywork on my Truck since i got it.. pretty happy with how solid the body and paint were. but a few nights ago i got into an accident. A Camry hit me in the passenger fender/door area. truck didnt budge but it took some damge the rusty floorboard on the passenger side folded up. but truck still runs and drives fine

Before:



After:







On the Bright side of things i just ordered myself a Hobart Mig Welder a few days ago.. so im definitely going to need it.

after the pictures i got out my come-along and pulled the fender back out to where its supposed to be and started pulling the rocker panel. but im just not sure how to know exactly "where" it should be since my door is all out of whack now. i've found a 72 on craigslist being parted out but havent heard back from the owner

I guess im really just looking for any tips from somebody whsohad to deal with something similar. it doesnt have to be perfect for me. but i'd like to get close. ive got some time off work. and the tools to do this.

i know for sure i need to get new cab mounts and a floorpan. not sure if the rockerpanel is salvageable yet

 

Ouch got the rocker pushed in that's not so easy of a repair. How is the condition of the rocker underside? If it's rusty they make new ones you can graft into it. Nows the time since you need to cut the floor out anyways to repair. On the bright side you couldn't of got a welder at a better time. And you have the excuse to get all the body and paint done.

 

Ouch. Sorry to hear about the crash. Is the Camry driver willing to make things "right"? Perhaps off the table for fear of their insurance going up? I'd tell them $800 to call it good and keep it off the books. Your insurance company will likely want to total your truck and a salvage title is like wearing a scarlet letter. I would try not to report it.

There will be more damage underneath. To me the most critical parts are the door pillar and the brace(s) underneath the floor plan. It'll need some pulling, heat, and hammering to release the deformity.

On the bright side, this is a good opportunity to build bodywork and welding skills... albeit a crummy situation to be put in to do it.

 

the fault of the accident was put on me for "failure to Yield" although i was waiting for my turn for a while. theres an accident on this intersection weekly because you just cant see whats coming till its too late, even more so when traffic is heavy. i figured the rocker panel would need to be replaced aswell. if the sun comes out im gonna pull the seat and vinyl? floor out of the truck and see just how bad it looks.

 

Please be sure and show us pic's, Lots of pic's.
We can help ya screw it up more, Or maybe even
help fix it. That's not going to just buff right out.

 

Went ahead and pulled everything out of the truck. the rockerpanel is pretty solid other than where it meets up with the door frame, that and the amount its been bent i dont know if i could make it look right.. useable yes, but thats not what im going for.

Drivers side pan has a little rot, but not nearly as bad as the passenger side did, im slowly pulling the doorframe/ rocker panel area out with a come-along and its getting close to where is should be. I might have to get creative or persuasive with this part of the job.

I reckon im gonna order a few floorpans and a rocker panel from Dennis Carpenter unless somebody has a better suggestion?

 

well good news is the fenders are everywhere. i had a hell of a time finding a passenger door for mine. the rocker panel will be pretty tough. the other issue is if you replace the lower trim with a new piece it won't match the wear of the old stuff. i paid $180 for my new door, $600 for all new upper trim. i am taking this opportunity to have the whole truck repainted at a price of around $2000. at least it will be perfect when finished. here is a pic of my screw up.

 

thanks for the input. the lower trim i really dont care about as the rest of the trim looks pretty bad in person. it the trucks past somebody decided random placed wood screws would suffice .