Boxed rockers...

There was a fairly detailed write-up on how to "box your rockers" for the XJ...ive been searching for an hour and cant find it. Can someone point me in a direction?!?!

Here's how I do it, http://www.4x4trailhunters.com/article.php?id=17

TrailHunter said:

Here's how I do it, http://www.4x4trailhunters.com/article.php?id=17

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Did mine the exact same way except I used 3x6. 3" tall takes you right to the bottom of the pinch, 6" wide goes out a little past the bends in the body lines. That's what protects the sides in addition to being a strong rocker.

ECKSJAY said:

Did mine the exact same way except I used 3x6. 3" tall takes you right to the bottom of the pinch, 6" wide goes out a little past the bends in the body lines. That's what protects the sides in addition to being a strong rocker.

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Does anyone have close up shots of where it attatches to the doorsills and any other critial welding points?

Here is my writeup:
http://www.projectxj.com/mods/rocker.replacement.htm

I don't have any close up pictures of the weld areas, but I can definitely take some.....just let me know.

Does this really fit into the category of "advanced" fabrication and engineering? :wierd: :laugh3:

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=55727

Also, check MadXJ.

How involved is removing the fenders? I mean I know it cant be to dificult but is there alot in the engine compatment to have to disco?

Also I too would like a picture of the fender to rocker area if someone could post it or a few even.

I just put a new fender on yesterday....so I'm pretty familiar with how to take them off.

It takes about 45 minutes. You have to pull the front fiberglass piece off...well, at least pull it out to get access to the fender bolts behind the headlights. I pulled all of the trim pieces around the headlights/corner lights, the grill, and then the front end by removing the bolts above the radiator. That gives you the access you need to the fenders. In addition to the bolts where the hood meets the fenders, there are also a couple of bolts behind the doors. They are pretty easy to get to though.

When I did my rockers, I left the fenders on and I trimmed them to match the new tubing. I'm glad I did it this way and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to do this. I didn't weld the fenders to the tubing....I'm still not sure if that is the route to go or not, but definitely trim them around the tubing.

fatwreck said:

Does this really fit into the category of "advanced" fabrication and engineering? :wierd: :laugh3:

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If it involves cutting off body parts, welding and more than 6 hours of my time, i would say yes!!

Is it really necc. to remove the doors? I mean cant I just open it to get in to under the jam area on the outside body to rocker area?

It's not a write up, but lot's of pictures on doing my own setup. 2x4x3/16 box and 1x1/4x3/16 angle to help bring it together. I left the doors and fenders on the whole time. http://community.webshots.com/album/241298993wSilaC

I have removable front doors and I left them on during this project. I wanted to make sure the correct fitment was still there.

ROBERTK said:

Is it really necc. to remove the doors? I mean cant I just open it to get in to under the jam area on the outside body to rocker area?

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If you don't remove the doors, it's near impossible to weld the rocker back in right underneight them. If you're okay with that, then give it a try. On my first set, I started the doors on and and found that I needed to pull them to do the job to my satisfaction.

fatwreck said:

I have removable front doors and I left them on during this project. I wanted to make sure the correct fitment was still there.

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I cut the rocker panel out on the outer most corner of the door sill. I basically keep the sheetmetal in the door sill which gaurentees proper fitment.

TrailHunter said:

If you don't remove the doors, it's near impossible to weld the rocker back in right underneight them. If you're okay with that, then give it a try. On my first set, I started the doors on and and found that I needed to pull them to do the job to my satisfaction.

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Well cant you just open the doors?

The door is still right there over the rocker. It blocks a couple inches. In general it's more comfortable working when the doors aren't there. You can spend the time pulling the doors or you can spend the time welding in odd positions around the doors. You will not get a continous bead if you leave the doors on the way I cut mine. I wanted it water tight. Nor can you grind under the door to make it look nice.

TrailHunter said:

I cut the rocker panel out on the outer most corner of the door sill. I basically keep the sheetmetal in the door sill which gaurentees proper fitment.

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I cut mine in the same spot:



I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't getting any funky welds or warpage that would keep the door from closing properly.

I just opened my doors during the welding....it wasn't too bad welding around them. I guess it's just peronsal preference.

This pic shows how the 2x6x1/4 box tube fits against the unibody and what was cut out. I was opening the wheelwells at the same time. I sand blasted the tubing, welded the endcaps on, and drilled and tapped the airline connection, and drain to make them into air tanks. Pressure tested at 300 psi overnight to check for leaks. Mounting these this high, the seatbelt bolt will be in the way. I cut a section of the tube out, flipped it inside out, and box welded it in.
It's welded along the whole length upper rocker, plug welded from the inside via 40 1/2" holes, all around the lower A-pillar, and stitch welded along the bottom. A tight fit is the key. I used a piece of paper as a feeler gage along all weld areas before welding.

This pic shows all the holes that were drilled through the seam along the bottom of the floor pan. It's double walled where I cut the pinch seam out from under it, basically even with the floor pan. I have a light inside the jeep to show the holes better. This is where most of the strength comes into play. Very important....Clean the metal VERY well before welding, and use a can of weld through primer. This addition alone stiffened up the chassis noticably. I'll try to find and post pics of the finished rockers.

TrailHunter said:

The door is still right there over the rocker. It blocks a couple inches. In general it's more comfortable working when the doors aren't there. You can spend the time pulling the doors or you can spend the time welding in odd positions around the doors. You will not get a continous bead if you leave the doors on the way I cut mine. I wanted it water tight. Nor can you grind under the door to make it look nice.

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A single bead is not necessary for this application. Silicone works just fine for finishing after any grinding and painting.

Noob question, but for someone with little to no metal working experience, how difficult would you rate this? I like the look and the protection, but have no skills at this point in time for welding and cutting metal.