Ive got a 1984 190e with thru the metal rust damage at all four jack ports. I had planned on using expanding foam as a backing for fiberglass and bondo to completely cover over the jack ports making them flush with the surrounding body and eliminating the ports. However just by chance I found out that when the heater fan is turned on a large volume of air flows out of the holes around the jack port so Id assume there has to be airflow through the chamber underneath the body skin. Any suggestions on how to repair these holes would be greatly appreciated. I came up with the idea of cutting away the rusted metal until I found good metal, then shaping my own replacement sheet metal panels to fit the cut out sections and welding these in place, then finishing with bondo and something like that rubber truck bed liner or rubberized bumper paint along the entire length of the body, from right behind the front wheel to infront of the rear wheel. Is this a viable fix for my problem? And does anyone know what the purpose of the airflow through that part of the body is for, if for rust prevention, it sure didnt work.

Thanks

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1984
190e 2.3L
107000 miles

This happened on my 190E and I replaced the complete rocker panel. You can't get OEM parts because the panel is an extension of the floor, but the aftermarket ones I bought looked OK. I paid about 30GBpounds for the panels and about 100GBpounds to have them fitted and painted.

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Cheers, Neil