Need oppinions on fixing rust issues

[Balzer]

So the other day I took truck through an auto car wash, you know those ones with the super nucular hair dryer at the end.
Well the dryer kinda blew the chrome rocker crap off my driver door a little bit and exposed what I had already feared. RUST and destroyed paint!
I have wanted to get rid of the stupid chrome rockers anyway and bedline the rockers up to the first body line.

Rhino liners quoted me $1200-$1400 do fix the rockers line them and line the bed. Just too damn much in my oppinion.

So my plan is to take the rockers off, sand to bare metal, and use rattle can self etching primer, then most likely doing one of the DIY bed liners such as als liner or monstaliner. Is this a good plan? Is rattle can primer going to hold up under the bedliner?

I have done a few quick fixes with rattle cans but honestly I dont know how well they have held up over the years because I have sold or traded those vehicles off. I dont want to spend a ton at a body shop but would like to do the best a DIY guy can do, something that will last more than a year.

Please help me out with some advice, sugestions and oppinions.

 

[Balzer]

Got it off actually wasnt hard at all as the paint mostly gave away. You can see the rust has gotten under the paint of about 75% of the area the chrome was on and even about 25% of where the factory side molding was. Luckily from what I can tell its only surface rust and nothing is rotted through or pitted too bad. I am almost scared of whats under the rest of this chrome garbage and molding.

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[Mean Green]

Start by taking all the rust down to bare metal, a wire wheel on a pneumatic die grinder will work best for this! Then feather those areas out so that you can get any rust that is just forming, you can take a pick after it to see if the metal is getting to thin in spots where you suspect it may be. Then your on the right path with self etching primer, this is a MUST for bare metal. The self etching primer will "bite" into the bare metal. Then depending on if you want it to look good, or just be rust free, you have a few different techniques you can use after that.

 

[1997chevydriver]

Were you able to take that one panel off for me nicely or did it get destroyed?

 

[Balzer]

Were you able to take that one panel off for me nicely or did it get destroyed?

I only took the one off the drivers door so far.
Didnt try on this one because it already had a crease in it. You cant see it in the pics but the second pic is actually a dent in the door. I need to take the inner door pannel off and push the dent out.

Your idea of fishing line worked great on the factory molding but the chrome crap cuts the fishing line rather quickly. I did look at the pannel you need as well as most of the others still on the truck and most the rest seams to be very well glued in place and tight to the sheetmetal. I doubt I will try to save any of them other than the one you need. However im not going to promise anything other than I will try my best to get it off without messing it up

 

[DRAGGIN95]

Also another thought, around here I can buy a complete obs door in several different color's for $50 a piece, and that includes the glass, inner panel and door panel, I just bought for complete white door's for another crew cab I am working for $200 out he door. It sure saves a lot of time and money.

 

[Tony_SS]

I'd look for a rust free door too.... you need to remove all the rust, otherwise it will just come back, even with self etch primer over it... it happened to me.

 

[Balzer]

I live in semi rural utah so finding a rust free door in white and good shape probably isnt a real option. Since I am doing some sort of bed liner on the rockers and there wont be a water trap I am sure it will be fine once I fix the rust I just looked it over and it all feels pretty solid I cant find anywhere that feels soft or looks pitted. Also the used door option wont do me any good if there is more rust under the rest of the chrome. that would just mean I would have to replace all the body just to get rid of surface rust.

We have rust problems here in utah but not nearly as bad as some states. As long as there are no water traps and a guy makes sure to wash his truck often its not a real problem.

The issue here is the chrome rockers, these are glued on with double sided foam tape the foam tape traps water and crap next to the paint. I will be sure to remove/treat all the rust, self etching primer then sealer primer then top coat it with bedliner.