Custom Rock Slider Question(s).

[Hudson]

Going to build my own rock sliders to save some money. I have some questions before i get started though.

If anyone has any pictures of their current rock-sliders that would help me tremendously.

My main concern is that i've never seen a pair in person and everything online shows something different. I can't figure out for the life of me where the main 2x3" box steel should be.

Is it suppose to be between the two red lines, or between the red and green line? Or is it suppose to be somewhere different?

I plan on tying it into the unibody in three different places. I see most kits use self-tapping bolts to hold it onto the unibody. Is this for simplicity for those who don't have a welder, or is there a reason they don't tell you to weld it to the unibody?

I plan on using 1/4" box steel for everything. Is that overkill? (Pretend as if 3/16" box steel and 1/4" box steel were the same price.)

Anything else you would tell someone building these?

[kfeal]

http://www.cherokeeforum.com/f58/hig...142252/index3/

This was the build I was modeling mine after. This guy ended up setting the sliders up into the door and cutting the bottom of the doors out for clearance, but if you search CF, there is another build showing the same set up without the door modification.

The slider would be between the red and green lines and 1/4" is plenty strong. I went with 3/16 to save some pounds and to keep the roll radius down. The heavier gauge the steel, the larger the roll on the corners of the box tube.

If I had to guess, I would think the bolting to the subframe would be so they could be removed. Self tappers seem weak, maybe a through bolt and some heavy gauge washers would be stronger? I plan on welding mine to everything in hopes of stiffening the body and subframe while transferring load more efficiently.

[CSaddict]

I thought my build was here somewhere. I will look. I'm not sure who owns them now. Maybe Caleb?

[CSaddict]

Found it on the old SIS. Circa 2007 lol http://mrmontez2000.proboards.com/in...ad=4390&page=1

[justtorchit]

Have you thought about cutting out your rockers and putting 2x6 in there?

I have had rock sliders that attached to the unibody rails and they did the job for sometime, but after enough brutal hits they would come up and push into my rockers anyways. and the self tapping bolts were pretty much useless by that time so i had to weld them to the unibody rails.

Cutting the rockers out and putting in 2x6 is actually really easy. the 2x6 fits perfect and is easy to weld in place.

[Hudson]

I'm on my phone now so I can't get too detailed but ill say this.

I'm totally open to all options. I didn't realize it was possible to just cut out part of the rocker and weld in a 2x6 piece of box steel. I kind of like the look of that. Does that just weld to the rocker or does that have the tie ins to the unibody as well?

I appreciate the links. Ill go through them and read them when I get home.

I think I want to go with the 2x6 option as it looks really clean from what I can see.

Would you do 1/4" or 3/16"?

[justtorchit]

you can tie it in to the unibody rails if you want, but its not necessary. Its plenty strong enough and less to get hung up on.

The only reason i would tie them into the rails is if you were using the rocksliders as a structural mount for a cage.

[Hudson]

I don't plan on caging it I just thought the unibody tie ins were what stopped the sliders from pushing up and crushing the stock rockers.

Is that not the case? If I just weld a 2x6 to the stock rocker that will take abuse and not crush them? I don't want smashed to piss stock rockers.

[justtorchit]

Your rocker will be the 2x6. im at work and cant see or post pictures....

I think i posted pictures of them in this thread
http://sisoffroad.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12792

[Hudson]

Alright I get that. It's not possible for my door frame to get bent or something along those lines if I slammed down on a huge rock is it?

I just figured the unibody tie in was what stopped the vertical movement of the slider when it took an impact. (Ie crushing the door frame or something like that.)

[Harry]

It's not possible for my door frame to get bent or something along those lines if I slammed down on a huge rock is it?

Yes, it is. My doors all started to scrape on my tube rockers after a couple REALLY hard hits. I mean, front tire dropping off a ledge and all the weight of the Jeep on them kind of hit. I do not have mine tied into the unibody rails, but I wonder if I had done that in such a way to reduce the tubes from twisting (because I'm pretty sure that's what happened, the outside of the tube went up and inside stayed) if it would have prevented that.

Mine are 3x5 tube, 3/16" wall.

http://www.fingerlakes4x4.org/module...?topic=2204.30

Edit: no pics on that link.

I'll try to snap some when I get home tonight.

[Hudson]

Will look at those links when I get home.

How does this sound?

1/4" 2x6" box steel welded to the rockers like you guys are doing and then tie them into the unibody rails? Think that would work nice?

Also would you do the added weight of 1/4" or just do 3/16"?

[justtorchit]

Will look at those links when I get home.

How does this sound?

1/4" 2x6" box steel welded to the rockers like you guys are doing and then tie them into the unibody rails? Think that would work nice?

Also would you do the added weight of 1/4" or just do 3/16"?

sounds like a good plan. I would go with 3/16". i dont think you will gain much with the 1/4".....

also do you have unibody stiffeners? i would add them before you add the rocker tie ins. also, post up with how you did them. Im looking at doing that on mine, but idk how i want to go about doing it and maintaining the ability to not get hung up on them.

[Hudson]

Alright 3/16" it is.

I scrolled through that guys build and he cut the doors some to fit the sliders. I do not want to do that. I think i can lower the sliders a little bit while keeping them "high clearance" so i don't have to trim the doors.

No, i don't have unibody stiffeners. Should I add unibody stiffeners to the entire jeep before I do this or just the area around the sliders?

I think i'm going to follow the directions on the high clearance once (hopefully it works without trimming the doors) and then i'll tie them into the unibody in like two places with box steel or something. I'll then get some 3/16" plate and make like a ramp coming off both sides of the tube so rocks can slide up it and slide down it opposed to just having a rock slam into the box steel that bolts to the unibody.
I think that makes sense.

I'll draw it up when i get home in paint or something to give you all a visual.

[kfeal]

stiffeners all the way.