does anyone know of a vendor that makes replacement rocker panels for a 2000 stratus. es 4 door. ours are almost totally gone, and i would like to grind the old ones off and either weld or glue/bond some new ones on.

 

You've fallen victem to those holes in the rear wheel wells as well? I'm still looking but havn't come across anything yet. You may need to get some off a vehicle being parted out. I'm about to that point.

 

In case anyone is curious, RockAuto sells them. They are pretty rough though and the quality is very low. I bought a set and wort of wish I hadn't.
Otherwise there are some at www.fixmyrust.com The rockers I bought for my Grand Prix were pretty good. I wouldn't call them OEM quality, but light years beyond the ones off RockAuto. There is maybe a $10 price difference between them which is well worth the hassle it might turn into. I'll let you know how they turn out when I get done. Who knows I might end up buying another set if these are as bad as I'm suspecting.

 

Don't forget that Stratuses are unibody cars, so the rocker panels act as the frame of the car. I suggest getting a good set from a junkyard (larger than you need to do your repair) and have them professionally welded in. Then you can go back and make them "pretty" with fiberglass and bondo as needed.

Just my 2-cents.

 

Unfortunately the worst part of the damage is in the corner directly in front of the rear pass. wheel. I'll be making my first attempt at forming a patch with a lot of patience. Maybe this will give me an excuse to buy that hammer/dolly set I've had my eye on for the past few months.

 

All the metal is replaced and I'm working on paint right now. This is really my first time doing any body work so if I had to rate it on a scale of 1-10 I would probably give it a 4. There are some pits and sanding scratches that are visible from maybe 24" however considering they are 6-8" off the ground they are not going to be seen. I'm looking at it as a learning experience and it's better off than it was when it was rusting and leaving rust spots on the driveway after a rain. I'll post up some pics when I'm done and let everyone guess what part is factory, what was bought, and what was formed by hand.