Custom Rock rails.....Complete..

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Sat Jan 13, 2007 8:31 pm

Its been a tough battle for sure. I thought a guy that my dad worked with could cover it no problem. Hes a smart guy, but its hard to do something like this with just measurements. I didnt feel to good about it from the get go, but we paid half the price that you would for the skinks..

The guy had a 2006 liberty at his work that he got all his measurements from. That was the first mistake b/c he couldnt understand that there were pieces of plastic on that jeep that mine didnt have. I tried to tell him this, bit he didnt understand. So, for the first round of sliders, they didnt come close to fitting. Its was sad..

For the second round, I took my jeep to the guys house and told him what I thought should be done. We got some more measurements from my jeep and I left him with that. He said he would start ALL over since they needed to be changed so much. The second round of sliders... Didnt fit..

At this point I was getting alittle disappointed. I was thinking that it would of been best to buy the skinks and be done with it, but I wasnt very happy with the way they looked(could see the pinch seems and the bolts).. I wanted mine to sit up against the pinch seam and not hang down at all. So it was back to the drawing board... Only I was doing the work...

Here is what I had to work with:

As you can see, they didnt even fit between the pinch seem and the frame. You can see the supports hanging down. The 2x2 hung down entirely to much also.

So I got the angle grinder out and put a cutting wheel on it. I cut the 1x1 off the 2x2. If it would of fit, there is no way the welds on the 1x1 would of held it on the 2x2 if I beat it hard. It was only welded to the corner of the 2x2. :shock:

Anyway, I cut that off and decided to move it down on-top of the 1x2 so it would raise the 2x2 up and move it closer to the pinch weld. The only problem with that, the 1x2's that went back to the frame, were now to short. And to top that off, the plates that bolted to the frame were not square with the frame.. The only thing we could think of was to weld some angle iron onto the plates so it would reach the frame, and we could also square it up with the frame.

We measured the distance that the angle iron would need to fill, and clamped the 1x1 on the 1x2 where it needed to be:

It seems like they are going to work out perfect. I only wish we could of done something alittle different with the angle iron so it looked better.

The angle iron is welded to both sides of the plate and is also welded to the 1x2.. Hopefully it will never cause any problems. I do not plan on beating the snot out of them so hopefully they will do just fine.

Now Ive got to get them put on and get ready for Livingston on Feb 17th!!

LiLredLibby · **Posted:** Sat Jan 13, 2007 9:39 pm

Well in my opinion there looking pretty good! Would have been real nice to have your vehicle at his place. He's probably wishing the same thing. I've had people ask me if I could prefab custom dual exhaust without having their vehicle. Of course I'd have to reply....not a chance....It's just too hard. Why is it that everything always looks much easier than it really is? It just aint fair! Anyways they are looking fine and I'd like to be able to make the trip down to livingston if nothin else just to watch you beat them up. :wink:

Gris · **Posted:** Sat Jan 13, 2007 10:44 pm

Looking Real nice jeepster!

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Sun Jan 14, 2007 8:19 pm

Sanded that paint off and painted them with some Rustoleum Hammered Look Black paint. Really like the look and texture of this stuff.

LiLredLibby · **Posted:** Sun Jan 14, 2007 9:52 pm

Yep...still look good,only better with that custom finish. How many sets of them would you really like to build?

cowdogg · **Posted:** Mon Jan 15, 2007 6:31 pm

Just a reminder to be careful when welding/grinding next to flammables, like a gas can.

I apologize for the poor attempt at humor. They look great. What guage steel did you use?

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Tue Jan 16, 2007 11:36 am

cowdogg wrote:

Just a reminder to be careful when welding/grinding next to flammables, like a gas can.

I apologize for the poor attempt at humor. They look great. What guage steel did you use?

Trust me, i didnt grind/weld around the gas cans. :wink:

2x2-1/4in
1x2-1/8in
1x1-1/8in

If you wanted some, I could surely make you some LiLredLibby. It may take a few weeks since Im also in school, but I could do it for ya. Would be cheaper than any other rails you could find. :wink:

I of course wouldnt have the angle iron on there the way it is. I was in a hurry to make them for livingston and needed them quick(classes were starting). The 1/2's would go all the way back to the frame with a bigger plate on it.

USAFCOP · **Posted:** Fri Jan 19, 2007 6:44 am

You, know, building your own stuff based on someone else's design for your own use is one thing, but to try to sell them is another...If this was your design from the start fine, but if not, selling them is questionable in my opinion...

Just my outspoken 2 cents.

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Fri Jan 19, 2007 4:32 pm

USAFCOP wrote:

You, know, building your own stuff based on someone else's design for your own use is one thing, but to try to sell them is another...If this was your design from the start fine, but if not, selling them is questionable in my opinion...

Just my outspoken 2 cents.

Ive never seen another set of rails that look like mine. Care to post a link so we all can see the so called rails that I copied? Ill tell ya really fast what the difference is. Thanks a bunch. :wink:

scoobybri · **Posted:** Fri Jan 19, 2007 5:04 pm

So how much would you charge for a set of your rails?

Tokyojoe · **Posted:** Fri Jan 19, 2007 9:31 pm

Capitalism........is not always positive.

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Fri Jan 19, 2007 10:35 pm

What's not positive about allowing individuals the freedom to choose how they want to spend their time, their effort, their money?

moose · **Posted:** Sat Jan 20, 2007 12:08 am

I bet you find that the angel iron is too short on the interior to get the bolt hole marked well, let alone put in. I had that exact problem with the skinks. Not sure if Marty fixed that yet...

allyrand · **Posted:** Sat Jan 20, 2007 12:16 am

they look pretty much like Rock Lizards Skinks, and didn't you at one point ask around this board for pics of how they mounted?...and didn't you get those pics?.....maybe you did some MINOR changes in the way you made them but the design is clearly someone elses...I agree with USAF cop...making your own stuff is fine...using someone elses design to sell to other people is not cool

Tokyojoe · **Posted:** Sat Jan 20, 2007 2:29 am

ATXKJ,

Making them for yourself is one thing, selling more than just a set for yourself, when they clearly are copies of Rock Lizards with small changes, is another.

Think of Vanilla Ice's claim of his song being slightly different from David Bowie's song. Vanilla Ice lost that lawsuit.

LiLredLibby · **Posted:** Sat Jan 20, 2007 8:40 am

Tokyojoe wrote:

ATXKJ,

Making them for yourself is one thing, selling more than just a set for yourself, when they clearly are copies of Rock Lizards with small changes, is another.

Think of Vanilla Ice's claim of his song being slightly different from David Bowie's song. Vanilla Ice L.O.S.T. that lawsuit.

Wonder why I'm the only one realizing that Jeepjepster was just playing with me when he said "I'll make you some if you want me too."I think he knows me well enough already to know that with my mechanical background and ability to weld I could make my own. Don't get HARD guys he's just playing with you. :roll:

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Sat Jan 20, 2007 10:49 am

If you read Jeepjeepster comments - he didn't like the way the Slinks looked - he tried his own and he went through 2 failed versions before getting to a 3rd that he liked. There may not be huge differences - but there are differences and there's a trail of development. That's the way progress is made.
FYI - songs are considered 'works of art' and fall under copyright law - manufactured items typically don't - you'd need a patent which would require a 'Novel' idea - I haven't seen anything on any sliders that would qualify as 'Novel'. The closer parallel would probably be Jeep's attempt to define the front grill as a Jeep design that Hummer was not allowed to copy - they lost.
Back to individual choice - if Jeepjeepster decided to manufacture his version and you felt it was an copy - you have the freedom to choose not buy his - and to buy the original. Capitalism is about freedom and individual choice.

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Sat Jan 20, 2007 1:27 pm

Thanks for the heads up moose. :wink:

tommudd · **Posted:** Sat Jan 20, 2007 1:46 pm

The way I look at it is say I wanted to start building a new line of tires, I ask on here what other tires look like, what you all like / dislike about the tires you run then I build my own version. Suddenly someone comes out and says Hey Toms tires look like so and so tires, they are round, black, have a tread design that sort of looks like BFG in one way and another way looks like Firestone Destinations. Now would I be breaking any laws? On some things there are only so many ways to make something . Jeepjeepster did not like what he saw so he looked at the others and came up with what worked for him. I say Hoorah for him having the gumption to do it! Keep up the good work Jeepjeepster!
just my 2 cents :roll:

cowdogg · **Posted:** Sat Jan 20, 2007 1:50 pm

moose wrote:

I bet you find that the angel iron is too short on the interior to get the bolt hole marked well, let alone put in. I had that exact problem with the skinks. Not sure if Marty fixed that yet...

Jeepjeepster wrote:

Thanks for the heads up moose. :wink:

Maybe just..... Weld it on? Then the only drilling will be through the pinch seam. Of course it would be more of a PITA to take off, but install would be easier IMO. Just a suggestion.

Custom Rock rails.....Complete..

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