Rocker panel question
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 52
Likes: 0
From: Mosjoen
Rocker panel question
This winter I had a jack accident, destroying the right hand rocker panel on my 78 pace car. I have tried to order it from several vendors, but it seems to ber out of stock everywhere.
Looking at pictures it strikes me that it looks just the same as the 1977 rocker molding. Anybody knowing if it´s the same they used on the 78 pace car?
Looking at pictures it strikes me that it looks just the same as the 1977 rocker molding. Anybody knowing if it´s the same they used on the 78 pace car?
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,116
From: Crossville TN
70-77 rocker panels are about 1-1/2 inches longer than the '78-79 panels. The Pace Car panel was anodized aluminum with a black stripe in the inset portion; the 'regular' '78-79 panels were exactly the same, but they were painted all-black. If you find a black '78-79, you could use a paint stripper to remove all the paint (do NOT sand the paint off, you'll damage the anodized finish) and then use semi-flat black to repaint the stripe/groove.
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 4,367
Likes: 221
From: Beecher Illinois
80-82 rockers are about 1" shorter due to the opening up of the front wheel openings.
Simply buy the 70-77 panel.
Last edited by KapsSA; May 20, 2009 at 05:21 PM.
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,802
Likes: 61
From: Wichita KS
This winter I had a jack accident, destroying the right hand rocker panel on my 78 pace car. I have tried to order it from several vendors, but it seems to ber out of stock everywhere.
Looking at pictures it strikes me that it looks just the same as the 1977 rocker molding. Anybody knowing if it´s the same they used on the 78 pace car?
Looking at pictures it strikes me that it looks just the same as the 1977 rocker molding. Anybody knowing if it´s the same they used on the 78 pace car?
I had mine straightened and polished and they look great.
cc
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 4,367
Likes: 221
From: Beecher Illinois
This has been discussed a few times and I took measurements in the past, but...I went out and double checked.
My Pace Car panels measured 65 3/8" long.
Out of curiosity I measured my other Vette's panels. Another 78 and 2 79s. Talk about quality control. I got from 65 1/8" to 65 1/2". These are all original rocker panels.
I noticed in Paragon's catalog a disclaimer about the quality of the reproduction rocker panels. Satin finished was about $60 more than the painted. Makes me wonder what kind of finish one might find under the black paint on the painted ones?
My Pace Car panels measured 65 3/8" long.
Out of curiosity I measured my other Vette's panels. Another 78 and 2 79s. Talk about quality control. I got from 65 1/8" to 65 1/2". These are all original rocker panels.
I noticed in Paragon's catalog a disclaimer about the quality of the reproduction rocker panels. Satin finished was about $60 more than the painted. Makes me wonder what kind of finish one might find under the black paint on the painted ones?
Former Vendor
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 76,656
Likes: 1,851
From: Jeffersonville Indiana 812-288-7103
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
You have to be careful on this one! 1978 had two different rocker panel moldings.
One with standard tires and one with QBS or the larger tire option.
255-60 tire cars or what is known as QBS option used p/n 472749 - 50 (the rocker molding was shorter than the regular rocker from the 1970-1977 production).
Standard cars used 476249-50. This rocker was also used on all 1979 cars.
my 2 cents.
Willcox
One with standard tires and one with QBS or the larger tire option.
255-60 tire cars or what is known as QBS option used p/n 472749 - 50 (the rocker molding was shorter than the regular rocker from the 1970-1977 production).
Standard cars used 476249-50. This rocker was also used on all 1979 cars.
my 2 cents.
Willcox
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 4,367
Likes: 221
From: Beecher Illinois
Well, that's confusing!
So ALL of mine should have the 472749-50 except the Pace(476249-50) which is confirmed by both my AIMs.(Panels listed for the smaller tires for 78 are 375859-60)
Still the slight differences in length among them, tho.
By the way, the longest I measured, 65 1/2", was on my white79 which originally came with the smaller 225 tires.
So ALL of mine should have the 472749-50 except the Pace(476249-50) which is confirmed by both my AIMs.(Panels listed for the smaller tires for 78 are 375859-60)
Still the slight differences in length among them, tho.
By the way, the longest I measured, 65 1/2", was on my white79 which originally came with the smaller 225 tires.
Last edited by KapsSA; May 21, 2009 at 12:04 AM.
Former Vendor
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 76,656
Likes: 1,851
From: Jeffersonville Indiana 812-288-7103
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
KapsSa,
I just knew the last GM numbers from selling the things for the past thirty years.
I will have to check but I may have some of both NOS upstairs in the rear building.
What I do remember is having a customer with this same problem!
What we did was this.
The shorter rockers are the same from the rear moving frontwards. Our customer did the exact same thing. His car slipped off the jack and crushed the rocker.
What we did was cut the end of the reproduction molding in the corners and fold it back to match the original length of the (shorter) rocker. It is very unusual to have the QBS optioned rockers, but they do pop up from time to time.
I didn’t look at the AIM for the original part numbers, I guess I should have but there are two different rockers for the 1978 cars.
Hope this helps.
Willcox Inc.
I just knew the last GM numbers from selling the things for the past thirty years.
I will have to check but I may have some of both NOS upstairs in the rear building.
What I do remember is having a customer with this same problem!
What we did was this.
The shorter rockers are the same from the rear moving frontwards. Our customer did the exact same thing. His car slipped off the jack and crushed the rocker.
What we did was cut the end of the reproduction molding in the corners and fold it back to match the original length of the (shorter) rocker. It is very unusual to have the QBS optioned rockers, but they do pop up from time to time.
I didn’t look at the AIM for the original part numbers, I guess I should have but there are two different rockers for the 1978 cars.
Hope this helps.
Willcox Inc.
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 4,367
Likes: 221
From: Beecher Illinois
Do you know the actual difference in length?
It actually looks like 3 different for 78. Small tires, big tires, and polished Pace Car.
And 7t1vette's early rockers are the same as my white79's.
I did actually see a listing in Corvette America's catalog for a Pace Car rocker with it's own part number, but just a left side. No one else even lists it.
It actually looks like 3 different for 78. Small tires, big tires, and polished Pace Car.
And 7t1vette's early rockers are the same as my white79's.
I did actually see a listing in Corvette America's catalog for a Pace Car rocker with it's own part number, but just a left side. No one else even lists it.
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 52
Likes: 0
From: Mosjoen
KapsSa,
I just knew the last GM numbers from selling the things for the past thirty years.
I will have to check but I may have some of both NOS upstairs in the rear building.
What I do remember is having a customer with this same problem!
What we did was this.
The shorter rockers are the same from the rear moving frontwards. Our customer did the exact same thing. His car slipped off the jack and crushed the rocker.
What we did was cut the end of the reproduction molding in the corners and fold it back to match the original length of the (shorter) rocker. It is very unusual to have the QBS optioned rockers, but they do pop up from time to time.
I didn’t look at the AIM for the original part numbers, I guess I should have but there are two different rockers for the 1978 cars.
Hope this helps.
Willcox Inc.
I just knew the last GM numbers from selling the things for the past thirty years.
I will have to check but I may have some of both NOS upstairs in the rear building.
What I do remember is having a customer with this same problem!
What we did was this.
The shorter rockers are the same from the rear moving frontwards. Our customer did the exact same thing. His car slipped off the jack and crushed the rocker.
What we did was cut the end of the reproduction molding in the corners and fold it back to match the original length of the (shorter) rocker. It is very unusual to have the QBS optioned rockers, but they do pop up from time to time.
I didn’t look at the AIM for the original part numbers, I guess I should have but there are two different rockers for the 1978 cars.
Hope this helps.
Willcox Inc.
Former Vendor
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 76,656
Likes: 1,851
From: Jeffersonville Indiana 812-288-7103
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 52
Likes: 0
From: Mosjoen
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 52
Likes: 0
From: Mosjoen