Help....rust found., Clean behind your rockers... Options

[rhcb914]

Well the cold winter weather has set in up here in taxachusetts so time to put the car away and fix all the little problems that cropped up over the driving season. I bought my car a little over a year ago and never pulled off the rockers. Sunday I got motivated put the car on jack stands and pulled off the driver side rocker. This should be easy. First little screw came out with out a hitch. I thought to myself that wasn’t too bad maybe they have been off before. Second screw, SNAP……duho…..no biggy I have all winter to drill it out and re-tap it. Third screw, Crack…there goes my flat head impact bit….time to get another one anyway. Out come the vice grip, no problem the screw came right out. Popped off the little plastic rivets, and pulled off the rocker. I’m and guessing by the plethora debris that came out that it has never been pulled off before. CRAP! I mean CRAP everywhere, dirt, acorns, sunflower seeds, rocks more dirt and ……. rust chunks. Boy did that crap do a great job of trapping water and rusting the lower part of the jack post support. Well I no longer need to search for a winter project!

Here is a picture of the rocker. I guess I have to start cutting to see the extent of the damage. I have a welder and have done some very minor repairs on the car (Clutch tube, fire wall) but I have never tackled any structural problems before. Anyone in the Boston area have experience with this type of repair? Should I make some kind of brace to keep the car square before I start cutting or should I not worry with this amount of rust? The Car is pretty much rust free. Just has a few issues in this area as most do.

Thanks in advance for your insight…..This club rocks!!