chris's 03 Xterra!

cbjones26 · Post by **cbjones26** » Sat Apr 10, 2010 7:36 pm

FAC3L3SS · Post by **FAC3L3SS** » Sat Apr 10, 2010 11:55 pm

You murdered what little grass you've got left...

theTeejmiester · Post by **theTeejmiester** » Sun Apr 11, 2010 2:17 am

hmmmmmm...uh yeah, sorry man im not liking your ideas on the rockers.they would look better if the sheets were cut straight, but ill wait until you are done to coment fully

cbjones26 · Post by **cbjones26** » Sun Apr 11, 2010 4:37 pm

first bit of bondo was put on, ill post some pics later, they are cell pics but w/e.... i think this is gonna turn out ok. even though i was having some doubts after starting ( and bc the way they looked from the pics up above)

cbjones26 · Post by **cbjones26** » Sun Apr 11, 2010 9:09 pm

still looking like crap, but have to do some sanding now, still hoping this shit doesnt crack when i drill holes in it for the side skirts!!!! if it does ill will have to do until i can get the real replacement rockers !!!

or

A non rusted shell!

TheRandom1 · Post by **TheRandom1** » Sun Apr 11, 2010 10:27 pm

Seriously, it looks even worse than it did... best bet is to hold off until you get one of the other two things done...

cbjones26 · Post by **cbjones26** » Mon Apr 12, 2010 8:37 pm

still need to have sanding down, im going to keep working on this if this side turns out good then ill do the other side, if not ill just save my money and try to find a shell that is close by.

cbjones26 · Post by **cbjones26** » Wed Apr 14, 2010 7:17 pm

ok almost done one the pass side rocker, ill have pics after the bondo drys and is all sanded down, i also did some more sanding on the front bumper and this is where im at on that,

still have alot of work left on the bumper as ( as u can see in the last pic top left corner where it needs sanding ) but well but its alot better then it was.

lowone01 · Post by **lowone01** » Wed Apr 14, 2010 8:16 pm

wow man you shure did alot work so far. looks 100% beteer then when you got it tho keep going on the good work

cbjones26 · Post by **cbjones26** » Wed Apr 14, 2010 8:32 pm

thanks, i far from being done, i was able to find a shell like 30 mins from me, only issue with it was there was front end damage, no rust on it at all, 250 for the whole thing, but no tires or anything so id have to have a flat bed to move it, and a place to work on it. there is a motor and tranny in it but the whole drive train is shot. and im not paying 250 and then have to have a top radiator support installed in it ( the car was totaled so who knows about the frame being straight.)

cbjones26 · Post by **cbjones26** » Thu Apr 15, 2010 12:08 pm

hoping i will be able to finish this side today!!!

cbjones26 · Post by **cbjones26** » Thu Apr 15, 2010 2:07 pm

yulp still looks like shit!, o well, this will have to work for the time being. ill do the same on the other side, just so that way it wont rust through anymore then what it is, and as soon as i can, im ordering replacement ones ( the real ones) unless i come across a whole car that is in better shape then this one that is close to me

smiley · Post by **smiley** » Thu Apr 15, 2010 2:51 pm

damn man, i say get a new car, better to have a solid platform to start off with then having to replace stuff, besides stuff that looks cool lol

but its not lookin bad, atleast u have side skirts to cover up the rockers

03sxr/t · Post by **03sxr/t** » Thu Apr 15, 2010 3:16 pm

In all honesty, retire that shell and find another if your not willing to fix this one proper. You do realize that all that spray foam you just used is going to trap moisture and have you right back at square one. You should also talk to a body man about some basics of autobody cause I see many things your doing wrong. Im not trying to be a dick or anything but it doesnt seem like you know what your doing and just trying to wing it.

cbjones26 · Post by **cbjones26** » Thu Apr 15, 2010 3:28 pm

03sxr/t wrote:In all honesty, retire that shell and find another if your not willing to fix this one proper. You do realize that all that spray foam you just used is going to trap moisture and have you right back at square one. You should also talk to a body man about some basics of autobody cause I see many things your doing wrong. Im not trying to be a dick or anything but it doesnt seem like you know what your doing and just trying to wing it.

- nope didnt know that the spray insulation would hold moisture
- nope dont know what im doing i am just winging it
- found a 00 shell but the issue is the front end is screwed on it, it will need an upper radiator support welded in, its an atx so everything would need to be changed wire wise. it looks like it was ran into a wall, so who knows if the frame is straight.
- not many neons that are in good shape around my area( and yes i want a neon)

smiley · Post by **smiley** » Thu Apr 15, 2010 4:10 pm

you look around in junk yards?

LilSparkPlug · Post by **LilSparkPlug** » Thu Apr 15, 2010 4:13 pm

03sxr/t wrote:In all honesty, retire that shell and find another if your not willing to fix this one proper. You do realize that all that spray foam you just used is going to trap moisture and have you right back at square one. You should also talk to a body man about some basics of autobody cause I see many things your doing wrong. Im not trying to be a dick or anything but it doesnt seem like you know what your doing and just trying to wing it.

This. You're only doing more harm than good. If you can't find a shell pay to have it fixed right or buy up another decent neon and just transfer everything over to it that you can and part out everything else. I mean no disrespect and applaud your efforts but in the long run it's not going to turn out good and the after effects will be ugly.

cbjones26 · Post by **cbjones26** » Thu Apr 15, 2010 4:33 pm

smiley wrote:you look around in junk yards?

junk yards around here wont sell the whole shells they part what they can and crush the shells. upstate ny sucks ass!!!! there is like 2 junk yards near me, one is over an hr away and the other is a lil over 45 mins)...

smiley · Post by **smiley** » Thu Apr 15, 2010 5:58 pm

oh yea, ones we have up in kc you can grab whatever u want including shells, saw a few neons in good shape last time i was up there

cbjones26 · Post by **cbjones26** » Thu Apr 15, 2010 8:52 pm

if it was as easy as just buying a new car i would, but i have shitty credit bc of bad choices when i was younger and getting a vehicle payment that i coulndt really afford, so i have to pay cash for everything. ( as in a few years ago i filed bankruptcy ) and in my area the " really good " cars come with price tags more then i can afford to fork out in cash. i know this isnt the best idea doing what im doing but its going to have to work for now. ill deal with what ever might happen ie rust or anything else when that time comes.

and as for paying a body shop to fix this, that isnt going to happen, i had it looked at yesterday when i was looking at the shell i could get for $250.. it was a a collision repair center and the owner who i know told me that for him to fix the rockers would cost me a around $1500 and that was with him giving me a break on the labor cost. and im not putting $1500 into rockers , let alone i don't have $1500 to just put into the car for something like that. if i had $1500 laying around id find a better car at least body wise.

anyways- mini update. got some presents

what color im painting the car

the color for the hood, and maybe the trunk/spoiler and maybe the side skirts and the lip on the bumper

then this

cbjones26 · Post by **cbjones26** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 7:16 pm

crappy cell pics, cant find the camera again!...

also found out the sheet metal i used was galvanized so i really shouldn't have to worry about it rusting out!

1972demon · Post by **1972demon** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 7:35 pm

wont matter if it is galvanized , the rad support i replaced in my gf"s beater last year is already rusting like crazy, its hard to match factory quality.

sullivan · Post by **sullivan** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 7:36 pm

chris.. those rockers will fail quite quickly pull all that off. fill the holes with marglass (long hair strand) then use a thin layer of bondo... just tryin to help.. also try not to spray stuff on the ground, dust and dirt will get trapped in the paint.

ALSO i just read that you used galvanized steel.. your gonnna need a proper primer to cover that too.. the bondo wont even stick properly.. as galvanized is a weird metal... rustoleum makes primer to cover galvy

cbjones26 · Post by **cbjones26** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 8:14 pm

1972demon- this stuff is that flashing stuff you put on roofs ( i have never see this stuff rust)? maybe though..

sullivan- the bondo isn't sticking to the steel , its sticking to the fiber glass i put on over top of the metal.

i know you all are trying to help and what not but there is a few things i dont understand.

- why everyone things the spray insulation (foam holds moisture? the stuff i got is water resistant, seals air tight (greatstuff)
-why everyone thinks that this will not work? i have seen this done up here on other vehicles and even after 2-3 yrs they still have not rusted back out?

not trying to be an ass or anything , just would like to know why! that and even though i know a lot of you told me to take this stuff all off or find a diff shell, it isnt gonna happen, im gonna keep it like this and just cover them up with the side skirts and if they do end up rusting back out down the road ill deal with it then, depending on what i get for tax's next year and what is for sale locally i might just end up buying a better shape neon with less miles or something who knows.

But i do appreciate everyone's input and trying to help , but im trying to do this the cheapest way i can for right now, and this happens to be it

FAC3L3SS · Post by **FAC3L3SS** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 8:25 pm

What I would like to know is:

-Why you think your first bulletpoint is a complete statement / question.

&

-Why you ask for so much help if you've seen other cars rock this way for 2-3 years without problems and know you're right in what you're doing.

Idk man. I'm not being an ass either, but a whole new shell is always smarter IMO. Rust will never go away permanently, no matter what you do.

cbjones26 · Post by **cbjones26** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 8:33 pm

FAC3L3SS wrote:What I would like to know is:

-Why you think your first bulletpoint is a complete statement / question.

&

-Why you ask for so much help if you've seen other cars rock this way for 2-3 years without problems and know you're right in what you're doing.

Idk man. I'm not being an ass either, but a whole new shell is always smarter IMO. Rust will never go away permanently, no matter what you do.

oops i didn't finish my statement doing multiple things at once
ment why does everyone think that it will hold moisture

and i know this isn't the right way to fix this, i know that being they where rusted out like they where over time it is gonna get worse. i cant find a 100% great shell local to me that is cheap that i can get, and even though i have found a few on here for like $300 by the time i pay for the shell and get a truck/trailer or flat bed to drive 8+ hrs to go get them its not worth it money wise to do that. and the replacement rockers i was told i can get online for 314 are not even what i need, i need the outer rockers and they are over 300 per side, again i cant see spending 600 on those not when i dont know how long ill even have this car, not the way i get rid of my cars.

LilSparkPlug · Post by **LilSparkPlug** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 8:57 pm

If this is the only way you plan to do it then I would just stop asking people for help. We're trying to help you, those of us that know the business, by saying that this just isn't going to work right or last. You keep coming back saying that you don't have enough money to do anything else. Well that's all fine and dandy, if this is what you're dead set on, keep working at it it's just a poor way to do things. And honestly if you can't understand WHY it's a poor way of doing things just by looking at the pictures you've posted...trying to explain it won't help.

cbjones26 · Post by **cbjones26** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 9:23 pm

i understand that its not going to last, nothing lasts forever,

i know this looks like shit, but thats only if u lay on ur back and look at it from under the car, if ur standing up and look at it even from far away u cant see all the errors i made, like i said im looking to fix this cheap, its going to be covered but the side skirts anyways, and the only way i see this not working is if by some chance the rivets on the pinch welds coming out and then maybe i can see the bondo cracking.

i know alot of you have been doing this type of stuff for a long time, your cars show it, i only need a temp fix for right now, if i dont get a new/less miles neon next income tax, maybe ill spend the $$ on the rockers and get the ones from wermopar.com or a diff shell.
i had the money to buy the replacement rockers, but spend it on my daughter which is more important then this car.

i by no means mean any disrespect to you or anyone else on here that has tried to help me. its just right now i cant see putting around 1k into the rockers, if i get a diff car it will end up being another neon 00-02 and alot of the stuff off this will be parted and kept in my dads garage like i have from the last car in case if i ever need it , other then $50 or so i have spend on the rockers and the $65 i have spend on paint, ( if i paint the car that is) everything else can be swapped over to a diff car.
i know you prolly dont understand where im coming from on any of this but thats ok.

also sorry about and spelling errors and grammar, wasnt my strong subjects in school.

gtxtreme19 · Post by **gtxtreme19** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 9:24 pm

Cut him some slack guys and gals if he dont have the money this will work for a few years.
I personally have seen this done many times mostly on 1/8th mile cars from Tennessee but it worked and held up pretty well. (Atleast until they hit a wall real fast and real hard)
Is it going to rust faster than a replacement panel? Yes.
Will it hold until he can afford a different car? Yes, unless he keeps the car for 20 years.
Will anyone see it with the lip kit on? Nope!
I say keep going, it will look good enough when your done

Sure its not the "proper" way of doing things but hell it works and nobody's gonna ever see it with the skirts on the car

sullivan · Post by **sullivan** » Sun Apr 18, 2010 2:43 pm

if it were my car. id pull all that off. cut all the rust out. take some sheet metal, and weld it in along the entire rocker.. throw some bondo over the edges, sand/prime/paint over it and call it a day