Lou
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Injanir
Posts: 577
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Post by Lou on Mar 2, 2011 8:27:27 GMT -5
By the looks of the factory sheet metal you need them, or actually should have done them long ago. ;D ;D I had the steel sitting on the deck waiting to be drilled and cleaned up! I finally got off my duff and started making it happen because; A. I already got some bent metal down there B. I'm going to Gulches ORV park in SC and they don't mess around there. I'm positive they will smash rocks C. All the material was free. So far it's only taken some time and labor I'll post pics when I'm done. Last night I set the rockers up with the backing angle and drilled pilot holes. I'm going to take the rockers to work this evening and use a hydraulic punch to finish them up. Then I'm going to flap disc the outside surface to get the galvanizing off and paint just the outside. I'll also try to wash my jeep while I have daylight this evening.
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Post by neil on Mar 4, 2011 6:24:12 GMT -5
Andy, I think he surpassed yours in size a long time ago. Yours looks like the off-road package from the dealer,minus the 4x4 stickers. ;D ;D
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Post by yjsaabman on Mar 4, 2011 10:17:25 GMT -5
Pretty much! It's amazing what 2" in tire size can do! My problem is too many projects and not enough income!
Nice work, Lou!
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Lou
Moderator
Injanir
Posts: 577
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Post by Lou on Mar 4, 2011 14:44:51 GMT -5
Thanks guys here's an update. Made some beastal rocker guards. My buddy had about 6-8 sticks of these things in his garage he's getting ready to tear down. They are very stout too weighing approximately 35 lbs each and they are galvanized on top of that. I took a couple with me to my apartment and they stayed on my deck for several months during which I got some nice trail damage on the rockers. Anyway I'm planning on a trip to Gulches ORV in Laurens, SC and I figure I would need them so here's how it turned out. Here's a before shot after I had set up the rockers near the jeep. I put a 2.5" x 45* bevel on the top corners for aesthetics and I think it looks good. After looking closely I think these things are more like 5/16" thick. As you can see there is some good bent metal under there. For backing plates I used some 2"x3"x1/4" thick steel angle of my buddies also. I cut them to 2' long so they would fit inside the tub and rest against the support brace on the front and be near the seatbelt in the back. I also cut some 2" x 2" 1/4" plates for the front since I couldn't get the angle length was limited by the support brace. Here's some pics of the angle after I flapdisc the galvanizing off the side facing out. I was told the primer would stick better. To get everything lined up I set the angle inside the tub and the angle on the outside (sorry no pics) clamped down with some panel style vise grips. I then drilled pilots holes with a 3/16" drill bit and I used some leftover engine assembly lube and it cut like butter. I originally planned on putting 3/8" hardware but I found that the smallest punch and die set we had for the the punch machine at work was 17/32" so I decided on 1/2" hardware. The punch saved lots of effort in drilling the hardest part was moving the big 4' piece of angle around. I also removed the burrs on the hole edges. Then I painted it all up with flat black that my buddy had as extra. Keep in mind I haven't spent any money thus far. I got it all painted and was able to bolt it on last night. I used 1/2" x 1-1/2" long stainless steel bolts, flat washer, lock washer and silicon bronze nut that I borrowed from work. I also washed the jeep so I didn't have a bunch of dirt and crap in between when I bolted it down. Here's the finished product. I think it looks great for the amount of money I have in it which is $0. If anyone wants more pics of the inside backing plates let me know. Thanks for looking.
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Mark
Treasurer
Donator
You do your thing and I'll do mine
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Post by Mark on Mar 4, 2011 15:53:34 GMT -5
Nice clean look.
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wonk
Moderator
Life is tough. It's tougher when you're stupid.
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Post by wonk on Mar 4, 2011 21:50:54 GMT -5
Looks good. You might want to try what I did and buy some rubberized undercoating and spray the body under the rocker guard. This will protect the body from rusting as the rockers will tend to "rub" the body when it flexes and wear the paint causing rust.
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Post by neil on Mar 5, 2011 8:36:02 GMT -5
looks good Lou. Keep up the good work.
Sorry for the rubbing Andy, all in good fun.
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Lou
Moderator
Injanir
Posts: 577
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Post by Lou on Mar 5, 2011 11:00:10 GMT -5
Thanks guys. As of right now I put primer on the pass. side because the rocks exposed some bare metal. I was thinking about getting some kind of rubber matting or something as a isolator of sorts. The steel has a good galvanized coating so I'm not worried about it rusting, only the body. I still have a few things to do to get ready for my trip on the 19th.
I know all of you guys are in Yankee land but if you have nothing else to do you should come to Gulches in South Carolina and ride. Of course gas might be $5/gal.
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Post by neil on Mar 7, 2011 15:50:14 GMT -5
I'm itching to get out,but my work schedule won't allow it until April,then there's the trip that far that doesn't fit the budget right now.
My wife's sister actually lives in S.C. (taylors near greenville) and I'm always trying to work something around that time we head down there. Don't think we'll be going this year though with the new little one on the way come july. I'll definitely keep an eye on what's going on so I can weasel myself into a wheeling vaca given the first chance I get.
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gully369
Mud Slinger
Barely Started
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Post by gully369 on Mar 8, 2011 0:10:52 GMT -5
That looks amazing Lou...you can't beat free
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Lou
Moderator
Injanir
Posts: 577
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Post by Lou on Mar 9, 2011 8:12:00 GMT -5
Thanks man. My only regret is I wish I would have done this sooner as my running boards would not look like a discarded Coke can.
I'm going to try and post some update pics on what I've been working on.
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Lou
Moderator
Injanir
Posts: 577
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Post by Lou on Mar 9, 2011 10:17:57 GMT -5
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Lou
Moderator
Injanir
Posts: 577
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Post by Lou on Mar 9, 2011 10:27:47 GMT -5
Something else I did near the end of last year was put a new oil pump and timing chain on my tired 4.0L. It had 297K at the time. While I had the covers out I sandblasted and painted my timing chain cover and valve cover. Phatty Phill my kitty cat approved.
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Lou
Moderator
Injanir
Posts: 577
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Post by Lou on Mar 9, 2011 10:34:20 GMT -5
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Lou
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Injanir
Posts: 577
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Post by Lou on Sept 5, 2011 14:26:02 GMT -5
Figured I'd throw a few things up. It's been a while so I have a few updates. This was at River Rock going up a good climb. My buddy was searching youtube and came across some videos someone took of me wheeling! Crazy. I think it's the only time someone has actually taken a video. I had to yell at the spectators at the top to get out of the way because momentum is my friend. This is also when my 8.8 was freshly installed and open. I should be able to walk up it now with the Aussie back there. www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIiuoc3dlXIwww.youtube.com/watch?v=KWDfFuDtlO0&feature=related
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