When you step into or out of your truck, you might notice a metal structure that you step onto, below the door, to hop into the truck. In fact, you might’ve been stepping on the truck rocker panels without knowing what they are. If you are still wondering what truck rockers are, they’re the metal structure beneath the doors where you place your leg to climb the truck.
So, ‘truck rockers’ or ‘rocker panels’ are your pickup truck’s structural reinforcement. They help to prevent the pickup truck cabin from distorting or flexing during a crash or collision. TL;DR, here’s a quick summary of what truck rockers do:
- They provide structural strength for your truck
- It prevents your truck from sagging in the middle
- Plus, it’s an essential aspect of a vehicle’s safety
Moreover, truck rockers (aka rocker panels) are probably the most vulnerable part of your pickup truck. They take a massive beating from the weather during daily use, yet they’re one of the most neglected areas of a truck that most of us tend to overlook.
What Are Truck Rockers?
So, to elaborate a bit more on what truck rockers are… A rocker panel or truck rocker is a steel structure along the sides of a pickup truck. Specifically, it goes between the rear and front wheel openings below the doors. As I mentioned earlier, the rocker panel is an essential component that serves as frame support and a connector for the front and rear ends of the car.
Rocker panels on some vehicles with a unibody framework give extra support to keep the vehicle from sagging in the middle. Meanwhile, in more recent, modern cars, rocker panels help create a robust cabin area that will not deform during a collision. As such, rocker panels play a significant role in a vehicle’s safety.
It’s pretty easy to ignore the location or placement of a rocker panel – or truck rockers – because it is in the lower area of the bodywork. This location makes cleaning them quite difficult too, especially when there are plastics or metal coverings over the rocker panel.
Rocker panels are prevalent in newer vehicles, and the rigidity and structural purpose of the rocker panel make it essential to take care of. This includes rust, mud, grim, and other weathering effects that could impact its durability.
What Is A Rocker Panel Cover?
Although your pickup truck is built to be rigid and tough to withstand rough terrains, the rocker panel is not as rigid or as robust as the truck itself. It’s susceptible to corrosion, rust, and damage from rough roads due to its low placement. Therefore, rocker panel covers protect against obstacles like small stones, shrub branches, mud, sand, water, and road salt.
This sort of weathering will easily rust or corrode the rocker panel when they come in contact. Additionally, rocker panel covers can also help to hide minor defects in the panel. It makes your truck look neater and clean to the eye. Rocker panel covers are usually made from plastic. As such, it’s easy to remove for cleaning, yet it’s strong enough to make your rocker panel last long.
1) Plastic Rocker Panel Covers
Plastic rocker panel covers are specially designed to protect your truck’s metal rocker panel from weathering, aging, and corrosion. The plastic cover lies over the metal panels with the aid of screws and glue. It completely covers the rocker panel bottom and top, thus protecting it.
Plastic rocker panel covers will give a rocker panel some extra years of protection from elements like water, mud, scratches from shrub branches, and water. The corrosion and rust rate is significantly reduced without these sorts of elements and weathering directly hitting the metal underneath.
Plus, you can fix a plastic rocker panel cover yourself relatively easily. But, if you are not confident about how to do it, it’s best to get a mechanic to fix it, instead. I’d highly advise the use of plastic rocker panels to protect the metal rocker panel below. Remember, a good rocker panel makes for a strong car frame.
2) Slip On Rocker Panels
Rocker panels experience severe beating daily from daily use. As an essential part of your truck, it must be kept rust-free and in good shape throughout your truck’s life span. This is why slip-on truck rocker covers can be quite handy.
A slip-on rocker panel is a form of rocker replacement that easily goes over the existing rocker in a car. It is not a total, complete replacement, though. It only covers up the current panel. How good a slip-on rocker panel is will depend on its ability to stick properly.
Installing a slip-on rocker panel will result in the rocker panels twisting and cracking with road elements. The slip-on rocker panel is easier to install because it uses adhesives and fasteners for attachment. The downside with slip-on rocker panel covers is how the fasteners, rivets, and screws can come to lose in rough conditions.
Rocker Panel Replacement
Because of the hidden and low placement of the rocker panel in a car, it’s easy for the metal to corrode, rust, or wear out. The location at the bottom makes it difficult to care for it properly. When a rocker panel starts to rust, it becomes weak and not roadworthy. Hence a replacement is necessary when you notice that it’s heavily worn.
The best way to repair a rusting truck rocker panel is to replace it. Replacement can be done by welding on a new panel or using fasteners and adhesive to fix a new rocker panel. Rust within the rocker panels always occurs from the insides of the metal board, and then onto the surface. This rust pattern makes early detection challenging.
There are two rocker replacement types to choose from according to the extent of damage on the existing rocker panel. They include:
- Welded Rocker Panels – These are best when there’s a need for a total replacement of a rocker panel. Severe damage due to collision or unsalvageable rust can be the reason for a full panel replacement. This procedure will include a lot of welding and metalwork, as well as removing your truck’s doors, so it’s a good idea to call your local mechanic if you’re not sure about what you’re doing.
- Slip-On Rocker Panels – As I mentioned earlier, slip-on rocker panels work great for rocker panels with no disfiguration, only a bit of rust. They’re perfect if rust only exists along the edges, and there’s no severe damage. Doing this won’t require welding, since it uses rivets, fasteners, and glue to hold the panel to the existing one. And, it can be done fast, requiring no cutting process.
Remember, it’s essential to replace worn-out truck rockers, as they provide critical structural integrity for your pickup. Rusty or damaged rocker panels make for a weak truck, and this weakness is dangerous for off-road driving or during an accident/collision.
Rocker Panel Replacement Cost
How much to replace a truck rocker depends on key factors like the quality of the rocker panel, model and model year of your truck, and the labor cost. Due to the complex method of replacing a rocker panel, it is necessary to find a professional mechanic, and I don’t generally recommend that you do it yourself. Besides, replacing it involves removing your truck’s door.
Rocker panel replacements average around $1,000 to $4,000. The average costs here include parts and labor costs, and labor will consist of removing your truck’s doors and after-installation polishing, not to mention a repaint if needed, and more. A spare truck rocker panel alone costs about $50 to $250. Replacing a rocker panel is very time-consuming, which will impact the labor cost.
Rust On Truck Rockers
Rust on your truck rockers is the most significant risk to rocker panels. The truck rockers are prone to rust due to their proximity to the ground. The lower parts of a truck take on debris and many hits from bumps. When you’re off-roading, rocks, branches, vegetation, and other debris will damage and peel off the paint on the panel, making them susceptible to rust.
Off-roading makes for rusty panels due to paint chipping, exposing the metal underneath. Numerous road chemicals and contaminants like road salt and de-icers can contribute to rust damage in a rocker panel, as well. It is easy to neglect your truck rocker panel while washing due to its low placement, leading to the accumulation of dirt. Dirt and moisture are perfect for rust.
Rusted rocker panels reduce the crashworthiness of a vehicle, as a truck with a rusted rocker will not pass safety ratings because the strength of the vehicle has been reduced by rust. Rust makes the cabin of a car less resilient during a crash, too. They also permit pollution from the exhaust to penetrate the cabin, which can be quite unpleasant.
Using a factory jack or winch with a rusted rocker panel is also impossible (and dangerous!). The rust will crash or disfigure under the weight of a jack or winch. It is essential to fix any sign of rust as soon as possible to avoid it spreading. Repairing rust in rocker panels is done by replacing the panel. You can use aftermarket rocker panels for an easy fix.
It is crucial always to inspect your truck’s rocker panels regularly. Clean all grime accumulating inside the panels, and where there are any signs of rust on the rocker panel, try to clean and dry the area, scrub it to remove the rust particles, and then apply a rust inhibitor.
Cab Corners
Cab corners on your truck are made of alloy metals or stainless steel. The cab corners are at the back of the passenger cabin, separating the cab from your pickup truck bed. Cab corners often have drainage holes that remove any water building up inside the truck bed.
The repair process for cab corners on your truck is the same for rocker panels because they suffer the same fate. They are susceptible to corrosion, rust, and road debris damage. Most truck owners prefer to replace both components simultaneously to save cost and also match the paintwork.
Replacing the cab corners requires a lot of labor hours, as it involves the disassembling of much of the rear of your truck, stripping and losing of nuts and bolts, welding, seal replacement, priming, and painting. Sometimes a replacement job might also include the repair of glass and electrical wire connections.
The elaborate work in repairing or replacing a cab corner makes the replacement cost pretty significant. It costs an average of $1,000 to $4,000 to replace a cab corner. Labor cost is the biggest reason for the high replacement costs because the parts alone cost about $100 to $250.