Rust Repair Panels

[00si2]

I just recently purchased a 93 ES300 that have been sitting for a year and a half. Everything seems to work fine and it starts right up. The only problem with the car is its starting to rust pretty bad on the drivers side rocker. Theres a hole about the size of a golf ball at the drivers side door. I've searched around everywhere online for some replacement rocker pieces but i have yet to come up with anything. Does anybody know of a place i could find this?

[gbhrps]

Even though the rust spot is as small as you describe it will most likely be larger when you start to probe the surrounding metal. It usually is. That said, the damage may not be that much larger than what you see now. In this case you don't require a repair panel that would effectively replace the entire outer rocker. Take the car to a good bodyman who will probe the damage, determine the extent of the damage, cut out the damaged area, cut and bend a piece of sheet metal to fit the repair and then butt weld the patch into the opening. Some grinding, body fill to fill any imperfections, primer and final paint, and you're good to go, and for not all that much money. Now, I have seen Ford Explorers from my neck of the woods that have the rockers so far gone that the one piece rocker plus the A, B and C pillars had to be removed and replaced as a single unit direct from Ford or an aftermarket sheet metal supplier. Your case sounds rather trivial, and shouldn't require a manufactured panel. Any good bodyman should be able to shape the small piece you require in minutes. What you might consider is getting the car oil guarded after the work is done, and then once again each year afterwards. Good Luck!