Boatside thread

vetteboy said:
sides3.JPG

How did you get the creeper to levitate?
 
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XJ_ranger said:
so all you really have is cut out rockers, then supports to them that eat clearance? all so you can mount a cage?

hmmm...

seems like a lot of work for negative clearance gain over just cutting out the rockers, and mounting the cage to the frame rail...

though - I wish that i had re-enforced my rock rail replacements, as they are about 1/2" higher than they were when i built them, and my door doesnt like that all so much...

If you want to look at it that way, then yes. There are points under the outer floor area that are now closer to the ground than had I done nothing, or just cutting out and replacing the rockers.

Cage has to get braced anyway though, either how I did it or by a single-sided support. And from my experience to fully support the rocker so it doesn't intrude up to the door, you need some triangulation in there. Given those two criteria, what's a better solution then? Have the majority of the area be higher clearance, but with a few braces that hang down in random spots, or have a uniform surface that'll predictably hit and is designed to slide?

Having had the previous one with my old rock rails, and 1) having them smash the rocker, 2) get caught on the mounts, and 3) have a rock poke a hole in the floor near my feet after the rail missed it, I'd rather have full coverage in the area.

What it really comes down to is I can think of MANY more instances where the setup I'm building would be been more helpful to me than having another 1/2" or 1" under the rocker. Which is what I think any decision should be based off of on a build like this.
 
Kaczman said:
Jon with an H is for Tards. :)

I made the structure out of 3/16 plate and skinned it with 3/8's UHMH.

My design needs some serious improvements. I was concerned about using the stock A, B, and C pillars as the structure for the boatsides. The B pillars are buckling from every direct impact in the area.

This off-season I plan on cutting the existing boatsides and incorporating them into the cage and sub-frame. The 3/16's steel and 3/8's poly seems to be a good combination so I'll stick with it. I'm not as anorexic as Dave and Paul.

-Jon

UHMW comes is so many flavors it would be hard to choose which one? Would you choose a poly that can slide, regidity, or would you go with one that has 1/8th" expended metal embeded iin it?

I plan on using some of the UHMW with 1/8th" expanded metal in it for a belly skid. The draw back is that its 3/4" of an inch thick.

I make the stuff and maybe thats the problem I have access to so many types. So of the plastic you don't want to move it without it being banded to a skid or be very carefull moving it. It can slide for a long ways with very little effort on a concrete floor.


___________________________________________
www.pa-wheeling.com
 
XJ_ranger said:
so all you really have is cut out rockers, then supports to them that eat clearance? all so you can mount a cage?

hmmm...

seems like a lot of work for negative clearance gain over just cutting out the rockers, and mounting the cage to the frame rail...

though - I wish that i had re-enforced my rock rail replacements, as they are about 1/2" higher than they were when i built them, and my door doesnt like that all so much...
I wish I had a cage to support mine off of, the way that IntreppidXJ did his -
http://www.myxj.net/tech/rockers/


This is what I am sayin.

Paul... What I am getting at is that because he has those braces UNDER the floor to the frame he is losing valuable ground clearance. Since they are there, yes they have to be plated. I just cant understand how those are boatsides though.... they are really only plated rockers with cage support.

Why plate and DRAG over empty space? You dont need those frame supports right? So why have them?

Simply a difference of opinion.
 
Lunatic728 said:
be very carefull moving it. It can slide for a long ways with very little effort on a concrete floor.


___________________________________________
www.pa-wheeling.com
now THAT sounds fun!! :laugh3:
 
I'm doing research on rocker treatments and found another thread that has good pics and information so I thought is should be linked to in this boatside thread:

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=101569&highlight=scrappy+seat

It appears that Intrepidxj's replacement rockers with tubes back to the cage were not strong enough. It appears that he has since added small supports from the rocker back to the frame in addition to the tubes back to the cage. This should give good triangulation support for the rockers, but decreases under rocker clearance.

Scrappy's ideas are great, but they leave a good portion of the floor unprotected and in order to support the outer part of the replacement rocker, he has tubes running through the door opening to the jungle gym of an internal cage. That is going to be difficult to do if you want to keep the doors and don't have an internal cage. His are also higher than intrepidxj's, but not so high that one couldn't keep the doors if you don't mind cutting the bottom 2" or so off of them.
Here is a link to a thread showing good pictures of Scrappy's rocker replacement/build:

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=52945

I don't know how exactly he melded the floor with the bottom of the rocker tube since the floor hangs BELOW the replacement rocker tube, but it appears that he bent it up some and added a piece of flat stock to bridge the gap between what was left of his floor after cutting and the bottom of the rocker tube.

Here's another link to a later version of Scrappy's rig where he lost most of the body and added more support to the rockers:

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=100538&highlight=scrappy+seat

Here's a pretty good shot of Scrappy's rocker in action after the body cut:

JV06_0563.jpg


Finally, just for information, he seems to have gotten tired of the tube rig and cut it up! From what I gather, he's going to build a mild MJ instead.

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=910776

Jeff
 
Well, since it looks like your stalking me :) I will chime in here.


The floor was VERY unprotected. It ended up getting smashed up to the tube that was above it. It self clearance itself essentially. What really messed my rig up was that I never plated the frame rails because they were already dented pretty good, so I just kept beating on them. When I finally cut the heep up, they were flat in some spots and pushed in alot.

If I were to do rockers like this again (which I will in a few years), I would use 5"x1" .120" wall square tubing so I get the super high clearance. Makea plate out of 12 or 14 ga. that stretches the span of the uncovered floor, but will be welded to the floor. Then toss some 1/8" angle iron on the rocker where it will be getting used. That way you can keep doors, and not have huge ass rockers. (at least this is what I have been thinking)
 
OK, I've read this thread, again, and I'm considering boatsides for a different vehicle. My only real question is, how high can I go up the side of a street legal registered vehicle? I live in Utah, but just wondering if this is an issue in other states as well. Thanks!
 
neonrog said:
OK, I've read this thread, again, and I'm considering boatsides for a different vehicle. My only real question is, how high can I go up the side of a street legal registered vehicle? I live in Utah, but just wondering if this is an issue in other states as well. Thanks!
Utah is all based on the frame height, but you may have to put some funky mud flaps on the front wheels.
 
Scrappy said:
I would use 5"x1" .120" wall square tubing so I get the super high clearance.

Have you found this section anywhere yet?

Biggest section like that I've found is 1" x 3" .120" wall. I used this in a bunch of places on my build because it's a nice size, but 1" x 5" would have made some things a little easier.
 
So any new ideas on this? I just started a new cage that has huge boatsides in it. What kind of hieght have some of you raised your rockers to? I did this one just over 10" from the bottom of the stock rocker. Looks crazy to me, but will work well.

Also, what are some of you doing with the wheel tubs?
 
Scrappy said:
So any new ideas on this? I just started a new cage that has huge boatsides in it. What kind of hieght have some of you raised your rockers to? I did this one just over 10" from the bottom of the stock rocker. Looks crazy to me, but will work well.

Also, what are some of you doing with the wheel tubs?

Most of us don't wine about a rock or two destroying out rocker panels...

:looser:

:D
 
Jump This said:
Most of us don't wine about a rock or two destroying out rocker panels...

:looser:

:D



true that
 
(Re: Vetteboy79's rig)
You dont need those frame supports right? So why have them?

I'm researching this again because I'm doing the rocker replacement thing on my second jeep. Everything I have found suggests that you do need those supports (at least when you're keeping the doors and cannot tie into the top of the replacement rocker like Scrappy did on his last rig). Does anybody have information to prove otherwise? Is there a way to not give up some ground clearance and still brace the replacement rockers adequately?
Thanks,
Billy
 
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