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A MUST see for '97-'03 owners!!!

Purple Plazma

Purple Plazma

New member
Anyone who has a '97 -'03 Grand Prix with the decorative, color matched rocker panel mouldings on all but the SE models, needs to see the following pix of what can happen to the steel areas of the car that are covered by these rocker panel mouldings if they are not kept clean. The unfortunate by-product of the design is that moisture and debris get trapped behind the moulding and then the fun begins!

rust2.jpg


Here's a pic of my '98 GTP's right side quarter panel just behind the door. The thin white area at the top is the remainder of the double faced tape that holds the moulding in place at the top. Also seen is the seriously rusted metal bracket that the plastic moulding slips into underneath. This steel strip stretches the entire length of the rocker panel. Lovely, huh?:eek:

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This is the same secton with the long steel bracket removed.

rust10.jpg

This shows the very bottom of the 1/4 panel's steel skin (easilly) lifted up with just my hand.

rust3.jpg

This close up shot shows the end of the quarter with the steel mounting bracket ( for the plastic moulding) still in place. This area is completely hidden when the plastic moulding is on the car.There is a decent amount of steel gone where the wheel opening and the quarter panel meet at the bottom of the car.

rust6.jpg


rust5.jpg

These two pix show the inner side of the left rocker panel. The plastic rocker moulding attachment bracket is still in place.

rust7.jpg

This shows what's left of my left rocker panel underneath. I can actually stick my entire hand up in this gaping chasm and touch the underside of the top most portion of the rocker panel.:th_wtf::th_shakinghead1::eek::th_crying1:

rust4.jpg

Lastly, here's a close up pic of the corner of my steel gas tank.

So, don't let this happen to your Grand Prix! I assume both coupe & sedan are at risk of the metal munching mice having a banquet!
 


i got it to man, not quite as bad, still repairable and theres still some metal there atleast. My sis's 98 GT has perfect rockers but the r/r control arm box has almost totally rotted out. Getting ready to weld it up tomorrow after work and make it safe again
 
mmm the joys of driving in the snow or areas where they use salt. i feel sorry for all you mid to east coast people who have to deal with rust:/ living in az its pretty hard to get anything rusted unless you just completely dont take care of the car.
 


There was actually even more rot than just those pix. It got to the point I was so discusted at the fact that my "project car" was now down graded to a mere doner car, I stopped taking pictures :th_shakinghead2: Another area owners should check is behind the plastic splash shield that is "supposed "to protect the gas filler neck. My entire filler neck was so badly rusted it needed to be replaced. Also, both rocker panels were badly rotted through farther up towards the front of the car ( about mid way). There was already an area on the right side that had been patched with a foot long steel repair at the rear most section, but then the rot took over where the patch stopped.
Are all these '97-'03 Grand Prixs so rust prone?:th_shakinghead1:

Unless your car has never seen water except for when it's washed, do yourself a favor, LOOK FOR YOURSELF! Don't be fooled by just looking at the outside, that's what got me.

Steve
 
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Thing is, a lot of larger body shops don't want to be bothered with fixing rot, it's to time consuming when done properly and just isn't a real money maker for them. And those small shops that are hurting for work right now will likely fix it with less than great professionalism , ie. at best, pop rivet on some new metal, that pretty much covers the rot, at worst, stuff the hole with anything, like paper, steel wool, etc, then just cover with body filler. How ya gonna know unless your a professional auto body mech, and even that's no guarantee.
Try getting a replacement outer & inner rocker panel from GM for a 10-12 year old car.
 
i feel bad for ya man. even my lifted truck which i drive through 3-4 foot water in the winter when i go four wheeling isnt rusted like that:/
 
Yeah, I know. Something about the amount and severity of the rust/rot dosen't add up :th_scratchhead: Almost looks as though the ass end of the car sat in standing water for years.The front end underneath isn't nearly as bad. Sure is tough trying to find a doner coupe out there, sedans are a "dime a dozen" :mad:. I may have to settle for a GT coupe and turn it into a GTP. Very frustrating :th_depressed:
 
well body work is my second best skill lol, so i got that covered, and check for your body parts through LKQ, there very high quality, well priced aftermarket parts
 
Pittman06 said:
well body work is my second best skill lol, so i got that covered, and check for your body parts through LKQ, there very high quality, well priced aftermarket parts
Click to expand...

I've been a body man for 33 years now and a shop owner since 1992 and have fixed MANY a rotted vehicle. I'm also very good at fabricating and mig welding, however, I really have (almost) no interest in fixing this rotted p.o.s. of mine. I too use L.K.Q. parts along with Keystone. Most are pretty darn good these days.
 


actually im surprised more people arent chiming in on this, rust like that and rot is VERY typical of all GM's!!! i have seen control arms rotted to nothing. When i was a tech at a GM dealer i always seen rust like that and definately 10x worse. Might be cus im in the northeast. GM;s out west of course are less suseptable but still does and could happen there too, but yes less common. That goes for any car though. But i havent seen quite as much rotted cars as GM bodies do.
 
fords do it too. 98 isn't exactly a new car. you're pushing 12 years on the road

think of the last 98 taurus or 98 explorer you saw. probably starting to rust out too :D
 
01 Acura, 300K km, rust starting in the typical "honda" spot at the joint between the bumper and the rear quarter panel.

Nice car though, steering is so numb its like driving a REAL boat.
 
thats bad rust, i checked my 98 gtp and dont have rust, its high mileage also.( looks like the purple car sat in a flood for awhile.) have seen alot of flood cars for sale and rusted like that, especially the frames and pipes etc.
 
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