bheinen74 Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 Okay So I thought to start a new thread on rust, and the EA81 BRAT/ EA81 Hatchback GL DR 4wd. Do people know why they rust at the rockers. I got a new to me 85 hatchie, and it has some spngy soft spots on lower rockers, now my BRAT is 100% solid, but i want to knowa how to prevent it The damage looks as if water is entering the substructurem but not escaping. so maybe drill some holes.......to help thoughts please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatchsub Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 Im not sure how they start to rust from the front of the rockers (just assuming moisture/water kicked up from the front wheels is entering over time from the pinch welds). I do however know how it starts from the rear. For one Subarus are made of some really CRAP metal (all jap cars were in the 70s/80s). But the rockers like to start to rust from the rear (right in front of the rear tires) because there is a "shelf" to catch all the leaves/salt/mud/crap from driving. Over time once that starts rusting then it just keeps going and going and moving towards the front of the car. Ive seen it so bad that it was 3/4 of the way through the entire rocker on one car. Other points of entry at this time are dried out seam sealer at any body junctions. There is one big seam in the rocker panel that also transfers to the rear floorboards that almost every EA81 in the rust belt has rust on at this point. Basically anywhere that moisture or water can get to the inside of the rocker...it will start to rust out. Most of the rust you see on brats/hatchs/coupes/sedans is from the inside out not the other way. Find a way of protecting the inside of the rocker and keeping that shelf clean...and you will slow down the inevitable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1982gl4 Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 I agree with hatchsub on this. All of my ea81's have needed rocker replacement. My newest project I actually have pics of the process. That rear shelf causes all that dirt/salt/moister to sit there causing it to rust that leads to that stuff into the rockers, before you know it your rockers look like this. I've used replacement panels from an ea82 (they are a little short but work with some modification) Then on the back side you have to do something like this to seal it up After that is all done, you can then fix where the problem started. These are pics of my best repair yet. My last one lasted about 5 years, and did far worse of a job with fitting them to the car, and I didn't seal them up nearly as well as these. Now i've gone to the extent of welding my floor patches top and bottom, along with por-15ing the floor top and bottom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skishop69 Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 Water enters the rockers through the drain holes in the bottom of the windshield frame and drains down through the A pillar. Why someone thought they were good idea is beyond me. the drain holes in the A pillar get plugged and it has to go somewhere. All of mine (windshield drain holes) have been sealed, and I've never had any major windshield frame or rocker panel/A pillar rust issues. Some also enters through the body seams if not properly sealed in the cowl and fender areas. Then there is the spray from around the fenders that can get past the door seals and rust the outside. You could drill a couple of drain holes, but I would recommend some kind of rubber flap that is only open on the back side (opening facing the rear of the vehicle). This would allow the water to drain and prevent more from entering the rocker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatchsub Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 Water enters the rockers through the drain holes in the bottom of the windshield frame and drains down through the A pillar. Why someone thought they were good idea is beyond me. the drain holes in the A pillar get plugged and it has to go somewhere. All of mine (windshield drain holes) have been sealed, and I've never had any major windshield frame or rocker panel/A pillar rust issues. Some also enters through the body seams if not properly sealed in the cowl and fender areas. Then there is the spray from around the fenders that can get past the door seals and rust the outside. You could drill a couple of drain holes, but I would recommend some kind of rubber flap that is only open on the back side (opening facing the rear of the vehicle). This would allow the water to drain and prevent more from entering the rocker. Are you talking about the cowl drain area? I have had my former sedan and coupe apart many times in that area and never once saw any drains from the base of the windshield except for the cowl drain area..which does not drain into the rockers but into the back side of the fenders and then out. This is the number one cause of rotted out lower fenders when combined with dirt and salt and crap kicked up by the front tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paperscale Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 I know this post is sort of ancient, but does anyone know if/ how much of the rocker panel area of a brat is structural? One of mine is.. nearly gone and the other looks about like the one pictured above. If not replaced, is my poor car going to rust in half? And is there anywhere still that sells those rocker panels to weld in its spot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bratman2 Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 These are the ones I used a couple of years ago on my 87 Brat. They are for a Loyale and will work. https://www.millsupply.com/auto-body-rust-repair-panels/subaru/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paperscale Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 (edited) Duplicate post Edited January 5, 2017 by Paperscale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paperscale Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 (edited) Duplicate post Edited January 5, 2017 by Paperscale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paperscale Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 Wow thanks! That's a really good price too. Did you have to modify them in any way to make them work properly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bratman2 Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 I will ask my brother. He owns a bodyshop and they were installed there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carfreak85 Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 I just sent an email to Mill Supply thanking them for making the EA82 patch panels, but also made the case that there is a larger and more lucrative (for BRATs, at least) market for the EA81 body style. I suggest anyone interested do the same... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paperscale Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 Emailed as well. If the ones they sell can work without much extra needing done, it would work well enough for me. Though of course something that fits the hole better would be ideal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bratman2 Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 Talking to my brother, he did the installation himself, there was nothing out the ordinary to make them fit. It comes with some extra metal so before you trim it hold it in place and make sure what you need first. That was a quote! But to the best of his memory it was no different than any other metal replacement he has done. So not so sure you need Mill Supply to come up with anything different than what is already available. If I get a chance, nightshift, I'll try and post a picture of the finished job. He finished with some coating he called rock guard. Which I like, looks similar to a finer coat of bedliner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paperscale Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 I'd love to see pics of that. As well as how much rotted metal he had. Mines pretty bad. I just hope there's still enough to weld those pieces to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.