02 avalanche Z/71

well I think its time to start looking for a body shell for my 02, rockers going again and parts of the 1/4`s live in the rust belt I take care of my stuff but man this area is a killer

Good luck with your preservation efforts, one disadvantage of lower cladding is it can hide lots of rust. Hope you can just remove cladding and cut out the "metal cancer" and replace with new panels and rust preventative coating v. a total body shell replacement.

done rocker replacements several times on this already ,I have been doing body work  over 50 years figured a shell and cut what I want its no big deal in this area of Ohio rust is a killer and for the price it comes out cheaper for the shell

I do many GMT800 and GMT900 rocker and quarter panel replacements. Did you apply weld thru primer before welding and etch prime after welding? Spray wax into the cavity? Proper corrosion protection is the key. I have never seen anybody doing once more than a rocker or quarter panel replacement rusting again when the truck frame itself actually is rotting. Might want to look for rust free southern trucks. POR15 the frame and underneath once you get it. I have over 25 years of body shop under my belt.

yes I do no how to replace them properly have almost over 400 thou on this it is driven daily all year round and not kept in a garage its in the weather all year round sale and the dam beat juice play havoc this driven all day long

Question since y'all are talking about the cladding. About how many of the plastic rivets are needed to remove all the cladding and reinstall? I have 100 so far do I need more?

Switch96u said:

Question since y'all are talking about the cladding. About how many of the plastic rivets are needed to remove all the cladding and reinstall? I have 100 so far do I need more?

Click to expand...

You're gonna be close. I can't remember how many I used when I had my '04 fully redone. I pulled the cladding myself. On the doors, you remove the inner door panel and can take an 8mm socket, push it over the clips from the inside to release them. Saves quite a few that way.

Ok cool. Good thing the rivets are only 10 bucks for a 100 though. Thanks for the info.