Removing rocker panels?

[TexasBlownV8]

Can you remove the rocker panels and not use them?
Some of you have had them painted, but do they need to be on at all?

Considering removing one to see how it looks with it. (I have the smooth black ones on V6s.)

 

[Kuro!]

Looks really really weird. Plus it isn't flush like you'd think, its offset where the snap panel of the side skirt snaps in.

 

[KyleJ]

It is my understanding that you can't not paint the V6 rockers because the paint will not "stick" or adhere properly. The guy who repainted my mustang, wouldn't paint them because of this.

 

[mancha]

Ha. I've contemplated doing the samething with my car. I don't like how they stick out and aren't flush with door. I've looked for pics on google but haven't found any yet. Let me know if you do. I do know if you choose to take them off, you're gonna have to get a new set of christmas tree clips from the dealer to reinstall them as most of them will break off in the removal process.

 

[Blxcklist]

How easy is it to remove them?

 

[MOC826]

Can you remove the rocker panels and not use them?
Some of you have had them painted, but do they need to be on at all?

Considering removing one to see how it looks with it. (I have the smooth black ones on V6s.)

yes you can but it looks like crap.. i had to drive around without one on one side because i lost it down the road one day and IMO its kinda embarrassing with the way it looked

Ha. I've contemplated doing the samething with my car. I don't like how they stick out and aren't flush with door. I've looked for pics on google but haven't found any yet. Let me know if you do. I do know if you choose to take them off, you're gonna have to get a new set of christmas tree clips from the dealer to reinstall them as most of them will break off in the removal process.

see above ^^^ but no pics cause it looked to bad

How easy is it to remove them?

easy.. you pop the two tabs at the front of it and you just pull... it sounds like it might break something but it wont.. its just held on by clip in tabs and push tabs underneath it that just pop out but its alot harder to get back on because the push tabs underneath dont come out and i havent figured out how to put it back on with them in so i just cut them and bought new ones from the dealership

 

[dmhines]

It will look like major crap. Back when I had my 2006 I had swapped the V6 rockers for GT and it looked really horrible with the rockers removed.

 

[TexasBlownV8]

Looks like crap? That's what I was afraid of.
And yes it's just held in by push-pin clips as mentioned, a couple in the front and back (in the wheel wells) and the rest underneath.

 

[alloy6ix]

Looks like crap? That's what I was afraid of.
And yes it's just held in by push-pin clips as mentioned, a couple in the front and back (in the wheel wells) and the rest underneath.

Yup, you lose the "flush-ness" of the bottom of the car. I have no better word to describe it at the moment. lol.

 

[06Torch]

Hey guys,
Just wanted to add that you'll most likely break half the push pins when removing the rocker panel. I found that they're real expensive at the dealership and the auto parts stores don't carry the ones you'll need.

I did find that the Home Depot carries pins that will work. They even come in brown and green if that's your thing. lol! They have black and are located in the window/screen/venting area.

Gerardo

 

[Redwolf]

It is my understanding that you can't not paint the V6 rockers because the paint will not "stick" or adhere properly. The guy who repainted my mustang, wouldn't paint them because of this.

Whoever you spoke to is an amateur. They CAN be painted. You have two choices in product results. Painted with the texture of the rockers the way they look now, or painted with a smooth surface. Either way, the first product applied after cleaning and alcohol wipe will be adhesion promoter, then primer, and finally paint. Adhesion promoter is what allows the primer and paint to stick to the surface. If you want a smooth surface, it will have to be sanded, cleaned, alcohol wipe, adhesion promoter, then primer and possibly sanded again. Your next two choices are, find an experienced body shop that will do it, or YOU do it.