to remove the old, rusty rocker pannel (the lower one's, that point to the ground), would i simply drill out the spot welds, and then pry them out w something?
the 7 years in indiana have finaly caught up w my aero. see:
i TEMP. covered it up with two strips of.... yeah, you guessed... duct tape.
i did some searching, and researching, and found a BUNCH of info on here, that is very useful.
as said many a time... this van may end up parked for a while now and then, but i'm not giving up on it (ie: selling it) untill the worst happens (beyond repair accident of some sort)
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93 3.0l xlt extended aerostar
mods:
800 watt sound system.
200+ farad kenetic battery + 875 cca reg. battery
2" catback exhaust w new flexpipe and cherry bomb muffler.
4g alt. wiring
Gutted stock airbox
2nd row bucket seats
To resist future rot, you might want to drill some holes in the new panels for drainage, the rot occurs because water gets trapped inside the panels and has nowhere to go, so it reaches critical concentrations and causes the paint to fail. Drainage holes do make a difference. Just make sure that the new holes get a few coats of primer and paint to ensure they don't become the new weak point.
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My Rides
1994 Ford Aerostar 4.0L AWD extended 185,000 miles
Overbuilt A4LD transmission with shift kit
Fullblown 50 series catback system
AFE ProDryS filter
1990 Mazda B2600i
515,000 miles
Custom exhaust with BearCats high flow converter and a straight through muffler
Custom high velocity intake with AFE ProDryS filter
After you get the cancer cut out I'd look into using those new glue in panels. Don't need a welder and also avoid the problem of the welding itself causing even more rust. Here's a link of some recent discussion, they might also have tips on how to cut out the old stuff...
the glue in ones... should prove interesting to attemp to do on a curved type of sheet metal, but will be fun to do this summer. i'm pretty sure i'll need help from a "pro" with painting tho
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93 3.0l xlt extended aerostar
mods:
800 watt sound system.
200+ farad kenetic battery + 875 cca reg. battery
2" catback exhaust w new flexpipe and cherry bomb muffler.
4g alt. wiring
Gutted stock airbox
2nd row bucket seats
The hardest part of painting panels is to get the surface of the final color and top coats smooth and matching the surrounding panels. Since that area is the lower part of the body, you might be able to cheat and spray on those textured stone guard coatings. Then it won't make much difference how messy you make the color and final coats. Just mask off the surrounding areas.
I like the bedliner option. However, it will not prevent rocker rot unless you can keep the water out of the inside of the panel.
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My Rides
1994 Ford Aerostar 4.0L AWD extended 185,000 miles
Overbuilt A4LD transmission with shift kit
Fullblown 50 series catback system
AFE ProDryS filter
1990 Mazda B2600i
515,000 miles
Custom exhaust with BearCats high flow converter and a straight through muffler
Custom high velocity intake with AFE ProDryS filter
The standard undercoatings eventually harden and crack, thereby trapping salt/dirt/water etc and can actually make rust worse in the long run. I saw a website where a guy was using chainsaw bar oil for an undercoating. Chainsaw bar oil is a very viscous and sticky oil. Over time it dries into a gooey super sticky material that does not wear off or wash off easily. I imagine it would work pretty well as an undercoating, although you'd probbaly have to reapply every couple of years. Also I used to have a motorcycle that had a reusable foam air filter, and it was oiled using K&N filter oil. The filter oil was VERY gooey and sticky, stickier than any oil I've ever seen. I'll bet that would work great if you sprayed a bunch of it inside frame rails and hidden areas that tend to trap moisture. Combine that with plenty of nice clear drain holes and I think you're doing about as well as you could be doing.
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1997 Aerostar Extended 3.0 2WD, 28K miles
