How Long Does It Take To Replace Rocker Panels

Rocker panels and cab corners are structural elements that make up the trunk of your vehicle. Nearly people will never have to worry about these parts, much less replace them.

However, if y'all're restoring an older vehicle or repairing collision or rust damage, you may need to know most the cost to supersede rocker panels and cab corners.

To replace all inner and outer rocker panels, it may cost anywhere from $700 to $4000+, depending on the vehicle. The console can price anywhere from a few hundred dollars to $2000, plus the other materials and labor.

Replacing cab corners may cost between $1900-$2500, depending on the amount of labor.

Quick Navigation

Toll to Supersede Rocker Panels
- Toll Estimates for Replacing Rocker Panels
Parts for Replacing Rocker Panels
Labor Toll to Supervene upon Rocker Panels
- Labor Cost for Rocker Panel Replacement
Cost to Replace Your Own Rocker Panels
Price to Replace Cab Corners
- Average Cost for Cab Corner Replacement
Labor Cost for Replacing Cab Corners
Replacing Rocker Panels and Cab Corners
Other Things to Consider
The Bottom Line
Related Guides

Cost to Supervene upon Rocker Panels

Rocker panels sometimes need to be replaced in older vehicles, as they may become damaged over time by rust and corrosion. In other cases, a collision may cause dents or bend the side panels of the vehicle.

Either mode, if you need to supersede rocker panels, information technology tin exist a costly job. The parts themselves are not cheap and may vary somewhat based on the cost of the metal.

Additionally, the rocker panel's quality may increase or decrease your toll.

To have your rocker panels replaced past a professional person auto trunk shop or garage, you should plan to spend between $1,000 – $4,000 .

A big determinant of the total price is the corporeality of labor involved. Typically, the doors and other components demand to be removed in guild to supercede the rocker panels, which can be a time-consuming procedure.

In add-on, the job requires welding, which may be an added expense.

Cost Estimates for Replacing Rocker Panels

Parts for Replacing Rocker Panels

Rocker panels can either exist slip-on or full panels (which must exist welded onto the vehicle). Skid-on panels go over the height of the nowadays rocker versus removing and replacing the full rocker panels.

The toll for the piece of work as well every bit the quality and value are highly dependent on the quality of the panels used. Some slip-on rocker panels may be thinner and less durable than their total panel counterparts, which is something you should take into consideration.

Withal, welded rocker panels also have the possibility of breaking off if the welding job is bereft.

Sideslip-on rocker panels are typically much less expensive than total rocker panels, both for the parts and installation. However, the make, model, and age of the vehicle will bear upon the price of either panel type.

The blazon of panels you go with really depends on how extensive the damage is. If your present rockers have sustained heavy damage or are excessively rusted, the structure may not be stiff enough to become with slip-on panels.

In these cases, information technology's usually a better choice to but cut the one-time panels out and weld in the new full rocker panels.

All the same, if the fix is more corrective and your rocker panels just have minimal corrosion, slip-on replacement panels may be a good option. The installation cost will be much less and the turnaround fourth dimension for the job will be shorter.

Labor Cost to Supplant Rocker Panels

Much of the price for this job is the labor charge. It can be very time-consuming to remove the doors and panels from a vehicle, cut away the former rocker panels, and do all the welding to install the new panels.

Some vehicles may even require removing carpet, seats, and other components to protect them from welding droppings.

On average, it may take about eight hours for each side to supervene upon the inner and outer rocker panels. This ways sixteen hours of labor for the rockers alone.

That doesn't count any additional time required for prep work or doing corrective repairs afterward, like sanding and painting your new panels to match the balance of the vehicle.

Most trunk shops charge between $75-$95 per hour, while dealerships typically charge upward to $125 per hour for labor .

That means that to complete the rocker replacement at 8 hours per side, you would potentially exist looking at a minimum of $1200-$1520 for labor at an independent body shop.

Labor Toll for Rocker Panel Replacement

Cost to Supercede Your Own Rocker Panels

Some people choose to do their own rocker panel replacement, especially people who are rebuilding or restoring older vehicles. Information technology's possible to practice this job yourself as long as yous take the right tools and equipment.

In addition to the rocker panels themselves, here are some basic tools you should have for the job:

Angle grinder ($twoscore – $140)
Wire brush ($15 – $40)
Welding machine ($100 – $3,000+)
Rust inhibitor spray ($8 – $15)

To install sideslip-on rocker panels, you should also accept these basic tools:

Pry bar ($10 – $25)
Hammer ($6 – $xxx)
Electric or pneumatic drill ($forty – $200+)
Fasteners or adhesive ($10 – $30)

These prices don't include primer, paint, cleaning products, and whatsoever other common materials that y'all may demand.

Nonetheless, knowing the cost estimates helps y'all to sympathise what kinds of things you may be charged for fifty-fifty if you have the work done professionally.

Cost to Replace Cab Corners

Replacing the cab corners in a truck is a pretty large job, as information technology requires removing parts of the vehicle, cut away the parts to be replaced, and welding the new cab corners on.

The parts for the chore are not very expensive, simply it is a labor-intensive project.

One time the cab corners are replaced, the new areas will need to be painted, which will as well increase the cost. Painting a vehicle requires sanding and priming, forth with multiple coats of pigment.

This requires time, materials, and space in the garage, which you'll have to pay for.

Replacing cab corners typically costs between $700 and $2,500. Many people report spending effectually $1,200 for this repair.

The type of vehicle that you have, including the make, model, and year, will all influence the bottom line price for the work.

The cab corners themselves are relatively inexpensive and can be purchased for $120 or less, but the bodywork and labor costs are what make the chore and so pricey.

Average Cost for Cab Corner Replacement

Cab corners are fairly inexpensive themselves, but they are much more plush to install. Co-ordinate to Carparts.com, well-nigh cab corners cost between $ten and $120. Parts Toll for Replacing Cab Corners

Of class, this amount tin can vary based on the textile and quality of the cab corners and your vehicle specifications.

Cab corners may exist made from metal alloys or stainless steel. Both types are susceptible to rust impairment, holes, or physical damage from collisions or route debris that flies upwards off the ground.

Small-scale areas of minimal impairment may be repaired by removing rust and corrosion, sanding the surface area downward, and applying a patch panel. However, severe impairment, excessive rust, or broken cab corners need to be replaced.

Labor Cost for Replacing Cab Corners

The majority of the expense for replacing cab corners is due to the labor involved. Typically, the bed box must be removed to do the task right. This is a procedure all on its own and will add some time to your labor cost.

The service technician will then cut out the damaged cab corners and grind downward whatever additional rust and corrosion.

Any paint too has to be sanded off and the metal needs to exist sanded down for a proficient weld. The tech volition and then carefully weld the new pieces onto the vehicle, sand everything down, and prime and pigment as needed.

On average, you should expect to pay around $80-$85 per hour for labor when yous accept your car to the trunk shop.

Estimated Labor Cost for Cab Corner Replacement

Replacing Rocker Panels and Cab Corners

Because the process is like for both jobs, many people opt to take their rocker panels and cab corners replaced at the aforementioned fourth dimension.

Doing both jobs together can assist save on labor costs and make it easier to match paint and fix multiple rust-damaged areas at once.

Some vehicles need more extensive labor to prepare for the replacement, especially some older model trucks. For example, one store quoted $2500 for a 1972 Chevrolet truck, with part of the labor cost going toward removing the gas tank from the vehicle.

To replace both the rocker panels and cab corners typically costs between $1,500 and $4,000. Virtually people pay effectually $2500 for a basic replacement using proficient quality parts.

To do both of these replacements, the truck must be largely disassembled, which takes a lot of time and manpower. Once the chore is washed, the vehicle must be reassembled, detailed, and any stripped or lost nuts, bolts, and seals must be replaced.

Sometimes, glass repairs or electric wiring repairs must also be done to become the vehicle dorsum to normal working order.

All these details may increase the full cost of the job. The corporeality of cosmetic bodywork (similar paint, scratch and bit repairs, etc.) can likewise significantly increase the total.

Other Things to Consider

Oftentimes, people replace their rocker panels and cab corners due to rust damage. All the same, information technology's important to retrieve that nigh shops practise not guarantee their work against farther rust.

Rust removal is almost never guaranteed, as there'south no way to know how much additional rust is nowadays in one case the surface layer is removed.

You should consider whether replacing or repairing impairment to your rocker panels and cab corners is due to cosmetic preferences or structural damage that may impact the integrity of the vehicle.

Minor corrective impairment may non be worth the high cost of replacing these components, while severe impairment or breakage may be more essential.

One way that you can combat the event of recurring rust is to treat the area with anti-rust products.

Another consideration is the possibility of inconsistency between the existing torso and the new replacement parts, either in color or alignment. When new components are welded onto the vehicle, they very rarely match perfectly.

Having a skilled, reputable professional do the work can aid to minimize the visibility of these inconsistencies and help you get more value from the repair cost.

It may be possible to patch or repair damage to a pocket-sized expanse, merely this process typically still requires welding.

Unless yous have a welding machine and are able to do the work yourself, the price to have a professional exercise the repair is commonly not worth it when compared to the cost to replace it birthday.

The Lesser Line

Replacing rocker panels and cab corners tin be an expensive repair job for your vehicle, but it may be worth it for damage to the structural frame. Repairing some holes and rust damage can also help improve the resale value of the truck.

Virtually people should await to pay betwixt $2000 and $4000 to replace their rocker panels and cab corners. The cost may be reduced by only replacing one or the other, but both jobs are very labor-intensive, so it oft makes sense to do both at the same time.

The best thing to do is shop effectually and go multiple estimates. Some body shops may lucifer labor costs from their competitors if you have a written approximate.

Ultimately, information technology's upward to each person to weigh the cost and benefits for doing this blazon of piece of work to their vehicle and brand the all-time decision for their specific situation.

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