[alfa] Rocker panel diagnosis?

[Jon Pike <jhpike@xxxxxxx>]

Interesting thought..  Probably not from just the flexing,  but possible 
from the door or trunklid dinging into the sills with flexes.

You could try putting something soft but crushable in the space, or 
something that might mark the opposite side... but it's a little too 
late for your car.

If a 116 GT is as flexable as Beatle says.. I don't want to know about 
my Spider..
Actually I have noticed that the doors close harder while she's been up 
on jackstands or with
some corner held higher than the others. 
Something I noticed a while ago..  there was a mention of Wolf Steel,  
who makes repro body panels for various cars,  including Alfa,  and they 
had a cross section diagram of the rocker panel area.   
http://www.alfaparts.net/  Look for the rocker panel discussion button..

Anyway the thing that struck me was the "extra" rocker they have.  
Normally there's the inner rocker and support making an upside down "L" 
shape,  with the rockers rounding the outside of
the L.. with occasional triangular gusset plates.   He has a cross  
rocker that goes immediatly across the L,  turning it into a triangular 
box section.  (if this dosen't make sense, look at the cross section 
diagram) 
It looks like this would add a lot of stiffness to the Spider body.  Of 
course,  the only problem is that you would have to tear off the current 
rockers and put all three layers back on...  but if you were fixing some 
rust there anyway,  it might be worth doing.  I have no idea if you 
would need more stiffness at the ends of the body,  like with the 
Eriminas chassis stiffener,  and it would certanly cost more if you 
weren't already doing a full rocker replacement,  but it's an idea.

Jon


> Digestibles,
>    I noticed an interesting phenomena on my Duetto.  Before I had the rocker panels replaced, the paint on the door edges and trunk lid edges was severely chipped.  Since the rocker replacement, not one chip in 2 years now.
>    I have also noticed this chipping on other spiders with rusty rockers. Maybe all this chipping is an indication of body flex caused by rockers not doing their job?  What do the members think?
> Skip Patnode
67 Duetto
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