Fun with plasma (and some welding, too)

[AzRick]

Step 1.......start cutting.......
http://www.fototime.com/58EE1BB2F8842DD/standard.jpg

Step 2........add new cage supports.......
http://www.fototime.com/03661D52F3A2467/standard.jpg

Step 3........plate it........
http://www.fototime.com/DCB81F9D1FC8093/standard.jpg
http://www.fototime.com/5100DDB14C9E5F6/standard.jpg

Step 4.....wheel it.....
Sorry, don't have any action shots. I did run Collateral Damage saturday night and was able to drive a waterfall that has denied me 5 or 6 times before. Raised and smooth sides are the shiznit! The new 104" wheelbase probably helped too.

I'm thinkin' giant Mastercraft Boat stickers on the new rockers would be cool :)

Rick

[Jes]

Nice.
Now go get a new right front tire. :D

[Ramsey]

i love it, definetly gonna have to do that one day. how thick is that plate?

[AzRick]

Nice.
Now go get a new right front tire. :D

That right front tire has no more than 6 off-road miles on it. Cut it on Anaconda last week.

The two rears were brand new as well, and I cut those on the run Saturday night. I actually cut 4 tires on Upper Collateral Damage (a wicked 300 yards, especially when it's just you and a buddy at 3am). I ended up driving out on his flat spare that I cut right at the top of the trail.

Now all my tires look like that right front one.

Rick

[AzRick]

i love it, definetly gonna have to do that one day. how thick is that plate?

It's 3/16.

I did manage to dent the pass. side pretty good Sat night.

Rick

[OT]

Do you wish you went with 1/4"?

[Bryan C.]

Looks good. Glad to see you got a new camera too.:kissyou:

[CherokeeGirl]

I'm thinking a new front tire might be a good decision too! :)

[AzRick]

Do you wish you went with 1/4"?

I figure I shaved about 25 pounds per side doing this. 1/4" would have saved me nada.

I'm glad I went with 3/16".

Dented steel is cool.

Rick

[FarmerMatt]

Very sexy. I like the furry tires too. You are a mans man...

[AzRick]

Looks good. Glad to see you got a new camera too.:kissyou:

Same camera. It just started taking good pics again. Hmmmmm.

[BrettM]

I figure I shaved about 25 pounds per side doing this. 1/4" would have saved me nada.

I'm glad I went with 3/16".

Dented steel is cool.

Rick
did you consider plastics?

very cool mod, now it's up to someone (richard?) to figure out the boatsides and keep the doors.

[David Taylor]

3/16 holy sh!t. How heavy was that ? I went with 14 gauge. But I did run 5 supports to the frame.

Like you said. The boat sides is the BIGGEST improvement you can make. I made Backdoor and the fall at the top of wrecking ball after doing it. Always denied before.

P.S. you need some creepy crawlers( I know of a nice set for sale)

[Ramsey]

why wont doors work with this?

[FarmerMatt]

They would work just fine. The problem would be that your doors would be beat to hell once done with a hard trail. They offer no door protection.

[AzRick]

3/16 holy sh!t. How heavy was that ? I went with 14 gauge. But I did run 5 supports to the frame.

Like you said. The boat sides is the BIGGEST improvement you can make. I made Backdoor and the fall at the top of wrecking ball after doing it. Always denied before.

P.S. you need some creepy crawlers( I know of a nice set for sale)

The plate was 39 pounds per side (11"x60"). My old rock sliders weighed at least 75 pounds each :shocked:

I have 5 supports as well, but there is a lot of space between the second and third ones. Thats where I bent it at.

Rick

PS.....PM'd ya

[BrettM]

why wont doors work with this?
I don't see why not, but I remember in JV last november there was much talk of boatsides after seeing Matt's CAT walk some lines, and I remember Richard saying he wouldn't do it cause he wants to keep the doors...?

[JeepFreak21]

Did you consider plastic skins over the top?
Billy

[AzRick]

Doors would work, but would not be protected at all.

Doors are for mall crawlers.

Rick

[OT]

Did you consider plastic skins over the top?
Billy
Polyurethane.
Hmmmm

[AzRick]

Did you consider plastic skins over the top?
Billy

No......my wife's tubes are tied ;)

Plastic's for cutting boards.

Rick

[BrettM]

Polyurethane.
Hmmmm
no, latex ;)

[OT]

No......my wife's tubes are tied ;)

Plastic's for cutting boards.

Rick
We'll see what is for cutting boards!

[Paul S]

I don't see why not, but I remember in JV last november there was much talk of boatsides after seeing Matt's CAT walk some lines, and I remember Richard saying he wouldn't do it cause he wants to keep the doors...?

You can say that again. Dave & I both had our rockers cut out days after returning home.

Looks good Rick.

Paul

[Capt. Nemo]

Very nice Rick. Seems we were both busy this weekend.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v202/muddyjeep1/rockercutout.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v202/muddyjeep1/structure.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v202/muddyjeep1/finishedproduct.jpg

I'm still retaining my mall crawler status, however. :D

Eric

[AzRick]

Very nice Rick. Seems we were both busy this weekend.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v202/muddyjeep1/rockercutout.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v202/muddyjeep1/structure.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v202/muddyjeep1/finishedproduct.jpg

I'm still retaining my mall crawler status, however. :D

Eric

Nice!

I do like the way they looked before, sorta like yours, but I like how they work now.

[lugie]

I'm thinkin' giant Mastercraft Boat stickers on the new rockers would be cool :)

Rick

What color do you want? I should be able to take care of ya. Or maybe some Air Nautique stickers :)

[Weasel]

KazMan covered his with UHMW plastic I think. Was going to do the boatrsides on mine but was told that it's better to be able to pivot off the rockers then have them slide of everything.

[Goatman]

very cool mod, now it's up to someone (richard?) to figure out the boatsides and keep the doors.

Funny that this just came up.........I was thinking of this very thing this evening. Debating the feasibility of cutting off the bottom of the doors so the rockers could be raised. Of course, just using tube doors would make it easier, but it would be a fun challenge to modify the rockers and doors to work. If the rockers are cut high enough then sufficient door protection could stick out.

I keep trying to come up with a scenario where I'd even want the full doors on there again. Being able to lock it up while traveling in Mexico is about the only thing I can come up with. :)

I do, however, like my half doors for most runs but who cares if there hollow on the bottom. :D

[BrettM]

DO IT!!!!

[Ramsey]

They would work just fine. The problem would be that your doors would be beat to hell once done with a hard trail. They offer no door protection.

well i wheel doorless so it wouldnt be a problem, this just might have to be a mod in the not too far off future.

[BrettM]

well i wheel doorless so it wouldnt be a problem, this just might have to be a mod in the not too far off future.
you get hung up on lots of waterfalls our there in LA?

[Ramsey]

there are 3 rocks in LA, one must travel to find the rocks.

[Jeff 98XJ WI]

I like how Rick has done his, however, if one makes some small changes, this can pretty much be done and keep doors. Here is a link to an article where a friend of mine cut the rocker out all the way to the door sill and then cut the bottom of the doors so they would clear the new steel. http://www.madxj.com/MADXJ/technical/technicalfiles/ARrockerPanels/RockerPanels.htm This doesn't look much different than what Rick did except he ran some supports between the bottom of the tube steel and the frame rails and then covered that with sheet. Granted Andreas rectangular steel sticks out to the side more than Ricks, but that also helps protect the door and is just as high up as Ricks. Jeff

http://www.madxj.com/MADXJ/technical/technicalfiles/ARrockerPanels/images/large/ROCKE043.jpg
http://www.madxj.com/MADXJ/technical/technicalfiles/ARrockerPanels/images/large/ROCKE029.jpg
http://www.madxj.com/MADXJ/technical/technicalfiles/ARrockerPanels/images/large/ROCKE028.jpg

[Goatman]

I was out crawling around the Jeep this morning and determined that the rockers could be cut to the bottom of the door sill, and then only the outside bottom part of the doors would have to be removed, not getting into the flat bottom part of the doors. Now I see Jeff's post of what Andreas did, and that's exactly what I was thinking this morning. I now have my next modification (after the new bumpstops in front). I figure I can pic up about 3" more clearance from the bottom of my current rockers, and still keep the doors when I want them. The challenge will be to do the boatsides like Rick did, yet add some protrusion just under the door to keep the body a little away from the rocks.

Hmmm, is there anywhere near enough time to get this done before BOTW? Only have a month, and I already have a list. Probably not, but it will be a summer project.

[Jes]

Hmmm, is there anywhere near enough time to get this done before BOTW? Only have a month, and I already have a list. Probably not, but it will be a summer project.

:looser:

[Lincoln]

I know Richard is all about being a hack so I'll throw this out there.

What if you added a couple of round reciever holes in the boatside itself. Then when you were running doors you could slip a more standard rail to gain some door protection. It would make the structure behind the boat sides a little more important but you could just let the bottom edge of the door hang below the upper lip of the boat side.

[Roxtar]

Rick, I love the diamond plating protecting the last bit of sheet metal left on the rig.:cheers:

[Zebaru]

I am just using the skins, and know you guys want to keep full doors, but I think this could be made to work with full doors and a little sheet metal work.

http://www.reno4x4.com//gallery/files/2/0/doorskins2.JPG

I am not sure the windows would be able to be fully rolled down with this drastic of a cut, and that may be a showstopper for alot of folks, but other than that, I think it is totally workable. The lower hinges would have to be re-located to go this high, but you pick up some 4" over the bottom of the door.

The 2x4 sticks out about 1/2" from the door bottoms, but I'm not sure how connecting to the b-pillar and rear wheel opening would affect that positioning. 2x6 would almost certainly stick out far enough to basically protect the doors.

Travis

[Ramsey]

Step 1.......start cutting.......
http://www.fototime.com/58EE1BB2F8842DD/standard.jpg

Step 2........add new cage supports.......
http://www.fototime.com/03661D52F3A2467/standard.jpg



Rick

was it neccessary to cut all the way into the interior to do this?

[JLane99XJ]

I figure I shaved about 25 pounds per side doing this. 1/4" would have saved me nada.

I'm glad I went with 3/16".

Dented steel is cool.

Rick


although i Do agree dented Steel is cool,
why worry with 25 lbs burn on some 3/8" plate add 50lbs per side and DROP your COG ?? right??

[Jeff 98XJ WI]

Rick, can you tell me what size tubing you used for your supports? BTW, I am working on this with my MJ and I plan to keep the floor in tact, but run the supports through it so the bottom edge of the supports just clears the floor corner. Once in place, I'll weld the notchs in the floor to the supports and have a nice full floor again. The carpet can probably even be layed back over the slightly protruding supports if one wanted to. Jeff

[AzRick]

Rick, can you tell me what size tubing you used for your supports? BTW, I am working on this with my MJ and I plan to keep the floor in tact, but run the supports through it so the bottom edge of the supports just clears the floor corner. Once in place, I'll weld the notchs in the floor to the supports and have a nice full floor again. The carpet can probably even be layed back over the slightly protruding supports if one wanted to. Jeff

Jeff, those are 1.5", 1/8" wall square. I ended up with 6 total per side. They seem to be plenty strong enough.

I should have used 3/16" for the long piece that runs front to rear. I've slammed them real hard a few times and the passenger side is getting pretty bent.

[Jeff 98XJ WI]

So the piece running from front to rear was 1/8" thick as well? Is it 2x2 or the same 1.5x1.5 that you used for the supports? Paul mentioned someplace in this thread or another that he had switched from 1/8" 2x4 to 3/16" 2x2 as well. I'm planning on using 3/16 2x4 with a piece of tube beyond that similar to what a number of bolt on rocker guards use. I'll be keeping the doors though (with the bottom cut so they're flat.) Jeff

[xj92]

I am working on this with my MJ and I plan to keep the floor in tact, but run the supports through it so the bottom edge of the supports just clears the floor corner. Once in place, I'll weld the notchs in the floor to the supports and have a nice full floor again. The carpet can probably even be layed back over the slightly protruding supports if one wanted to. Jeff

I have done all this to my passenger side (currently working on the driver side). It works great. I've even come down on it off of 2-3 foot drops and all it does is make noise. I cut the lip that hangs down on the door, folded the outer skin over and welded it back in place so I have full functionality of the window. I then cut all the way up to the door sill sort of like mad xj and ran 2x4" tubing (2x6 would work also, but I had 2" angle I used in conjunction with the 2x4), so I gained about 1"+ of clearance vs. the stock rockers. I ran 4 supports back down to the frame that I had previously plated to make it all really strong. I ran them just through the corner of the floorpan and welded it all back up. I used seam sealer to make sure it was all water tight and when I was done I made small relief cuts in the carpet so it would go back over it.

I prefer to have a square corner at some point so that if you do slide off something, it doesn't slide all the way to your body. If I did boatsides, I'd do it just like I did and then just add in the boatside but leave a lip at the top. Pics of mine here: http://thumb9.webshots.net/t/16/16/3/99/10/2856399100025571949lCIHph_th.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/album/558434518SPcRtv)

[Jeff 98XJ WI]

That looks pretty sharp! I think your floor is a bit exposed, but not too bad. The rockers have some pretty nice supports that are tucked up pretty well. I'll be doing something quite similar, but using square for the supports and covering it with a sheet skin so the supports don't provide anything to get hung on. Jeff

[xj92]

Yeah, the floor is a tiny bit exposed, but it has 1/8" angle along the vertical plane next to it. I've only hit the floor once there and it held, but it could be reinforced some. I've never hung up on the supports yet though because they're tucked so close, and they're round so they wouldn't hang up bad if they did.

[AzRick]

So the piece running from front to rear was 1/8" thick as well? Is it 2x2 or the same 1.5x1.5 that you used for the supports? Paul mentioned someplace in this thread or another that he had switched from 1/8" 2x4 to 3/16" 2x2 as well. I'm planning on using 3/16 2x4 with a piece of tube beyond that similar to what a number of bolt on rocker guards use. I'll be keeping the doors though (with the bottom cut so they're flat.) Jeff

Thats 1.5x1.5x1/8" square running front to rear. I should have used 3/16". It's a little hard to see, but it's starting to get pretty tweaked.
http://www.fototime.com/8E44F3A9CB2EAB4/standard.jpg

Jeff, you've seen me drive, and you know that I have no problem beating up my junk. It only has started to bend on the pass. side after lots and lots of smaller hits and a few teeth shattering shots.

[twisted_ed]

Polyurethane.
Hmmmm

Not just Polyurethane, you want to use UHMW, we use that stuff in our conveyors at work as a abrasive resistance product, its slick as greased snot and is alot tougher than just poly.

[Dirk Pitt]

Not just Polyurethane, you want to use UHMW, we use that stuff in our conveyors at work as a abrasive resistance product, its slick as greased snot and is alot tougher than just poly.

Yet still not as tough at steel.

We spec it a lot for slides for stuff here at work also and for light duty stuff that needs soft handling, it's a lot better than steel, but for heavy duty stuff (i.e. rocks) I would never put UHMW in place as sharp stuff will kill it. Unless you want to replace it every year.

[twisted_ed]

yup, thats why I am just gonna use thick steel on mine. If I were skinning them with poly it would be UHMW just cause its slicker.

[Jump This]

Yet still not as tough at steel.

We spec it a lot for slides for stuff here at work also and for light duty stuff that needs soft handling, it's a lot better than steel, but for heavy duty stuff (i.e. rocks) I would never put UHMW in place as sharp stuff will kill it. Unless you want to replace it every year.

Is there any reason NOT to replace it every year?
I have this bug to loose some weight but still retain most of what makes
the junk look like a Cherokee, although, at this point its not looking too much like a nice Cherokee...

[Dirk Pitt]

Is there any reason NOT to replace it every year?
I have this bug to loose some weight but still retain most of what makes
the junk look like a Cherokee, although, at this point its not looking too much like a nice Cherokee...

IMO, it would be a pain in the ass.

If you want to lose weight though you will want thinner sheet metal anyway which would also need replaced every year.

[Jump This]

IMO, it would be a pain in the ass.

If you want to lose weight though you will want thinner sheet metal anyway which would also need replaced every year.


Lets say you use some 3/8" Teflon sheets (or like material) with recessed screw mounts. I wonder how much lighter that would be anyway...
More deep thaught.......