Beasty Rock Rail Build Thread

Bmxer524 · **Posted:** Fri Dec 19, 2014 10:51 pm

NAMoulton1 wrote:

lfhoward wrote:

I think you'll want to use bolts (self tapping or other) rather than rivets because it's important that rock sliders be removable. You'll need to take them off for sanding & repainting every other year or so, because no matter how good a job you do priming and painting them initially, they take a lot of abuse from road dirt and will RUST.

The rivets that were mentioned are not typical rivets. Here's a pic:

These would essentially rivet into a drilled out hole and make it "tapped" haha. Genius...but like Toy was saying, specialty tool...

Lauren is right about being removable. I went hunting Thanksgiving weekend and my sliders took a beating. They're already rusting. I gotta sand that and touch them up...

Anyways, that's more like the nutsert used to install skids etc on Jeeps.

NAMoulton1 · **Joined:** Tue Aug 12, 2014 7:01 pm **Posts:** 1054

So tomorrow I'll get the rails tacked up and then will figure out the pinch weld square tube mounting and then will have everything full welded on and then will copy/mirror/paste for the passenger side!

Bmxer524 · **Posted:** Sat Dec 20, 2014 12:04 am

NAMoulton1 wrote:

So tomorrow I'll get the rails tacked up and then will figure out the pinch weld square tube mounting and then will have everything full welded on and then will copy/mirror/paste for the passenger side!

Line it up first. Rock Lizard's are different. It's not even the tube that bolts to the pinch weld. The legs are different lengths.

My only concern about your design is just the support going to the end of the outside tubing. The legs favor one side.

NAMoulton1 · **Joined:** Tue Aug 12, 2014 7:01 pm **Posts:** 1054

I may end up bringing my rear back some to even it out, because I was going off of where the good places to mount to unibody. With the introduction of self-tappers (no idea how I didn't think of these haha) I can bolt up anywhere I want and may adjust my mounts a little more.

NAMoulton1 · **Joined:** Tue Aug 12, 2014 7:01 pm **Posts:** 1054

Got the gas tank skid welded on:

Made some headway on the rails too...a lot I think haha:

The bottom one is nearly all done. Just need to fix it a little, my friend tack-welded the rear ramp on the top so that needs to be cut off and then welded back to the bottom. I also have the front end caps to weld on.

Have the front angled:

Have a ramp on the rear to push anything down a little further so my rear tire can grab it that much better:

NAMoulton1 · **Joined:** Tue Aug 12, 2014 7:01 pm **Posts:** 1054

I also couldn't find any self-tappers but I did find a 3/8" tap that I'll use instead and then just do it that way haha.

NAMoulton1 · **Joined:** Tue Aug 12, 2014 7:01 pm **Posts:** 1054

So I am at a 50/50 right now... Currently my rails stick out so that all if the 3" of the main rail is visible from directly overhead. They remain behind the tires still but if I install and weld the round tubing on the outside of the main rail then it will stick out of the tire line. This seems good on as a protection point but are there rules against this?

tommudd · **Posted:** Sun Dec 21, 2014 8:53 pm

NAMoulton1 wrote:

So I am at a 50/50 right now... Currently my rails stick out so that all if the 3" of the main rail is visible from directly overhead. They remain behind the tires still but if I install and weld the round tubing on the outside of the main rail then it will stick out of the tire line. This seems good on as a protection point but are there rules against this?

So how far would the bar stick out past the tires? Mine stick out even with the wider wheels I am running ( 8 inch/ 5 inch backspaced) so tire -wheel combo is at the edge of the flare ( these are a set of Rock Lizard that TJKJ had initially until he went SFA) So would yours be out more than that?
Yes bad picture but sort of get the idea

tommudd · **Posted:** Sun Dec 21, 2014 8:56 pm

NAMoulton1 wrote:

Have a ramp on the rear to push anything down a little further so my rear tire can grab it that much better:

Can't really see that being a whole lotta help really. But innovative I guess

NAMoulton1 · **Joined:** Tue Aug 12, 2014 7:01 pm **Posts:** 1054

tommudd wrote:

NAMoulton1 wrote:

So I am at a 50/50 right now... Currently my rails stick out so that all if the 3" of the main rail is visible from directly overhead. They remain behind the tires still but if I install and weld the round tubing on the outside of the main rail then it will stick out of the tire line. This seems good on as a protection point but are there rules against this?

So how far would the bar stick out past the tires? Mine stick out even with the wider wheels I am running ( 8 inch/ 5 inch backspaced) so tire -wheel combo is at the edge of the flare ( these are a set of Rock Lizard that TJKJ had initially until he went SFA) So would yours be out more than that?
Yes bad picture but sort of get the idea

The main rail is about 1" behind the wheels and with the tubing it'll probably be sticking out 1-2"...

tommudd wrote:

NAMoulton1 wrote:

Have a ramp on the rear to push anything down a little further so my rear tire can grab it that much better:

Can't really see that being a whole lotta help really. But innovative I guess

Haha, it was a spur of the moment idea with the friend. If anything is makes it a little different haha.

tommudd · **Posted:** Sun Dec 21, 2014 11:22 pm

Can't see where it would hurt anything being out some, may upset a few "car" owners when they bang their doors into it.
I know I've been cussed out before because they hit mine! :lol:

NAMoulton1 · **Joined:** Tue Aug 12, 2014 7:01 pm **Posts:** 1054

tommudd wrote:

Can't see where it would hurt anything being out some, may upset a few "car" owners when they bang their doors into it.
I know I've been cussed out before because they hit mine! :lol:

Haha, their own fault...shouldn't be parking next to a Jeep unless you're a Jeep.

JeepMonkey190 · **Posted:** Mon Dec 22, 2014 2:50 pm

tommudd wrote:

NAMoulton1 wrote:

Have a ramp on the rear to push anything down a little further so my rear tire can grab it that much better:

Can't really see that being a whole lotta help really. But innovative I guess

Not to bring you down if it does but what do you plan on pushing down for easier approach? If it's a rock big enough to touch the slider then it will most likely just lift your jeep up and put less weight on the rear tire making less traction and might actually catch up on those rocks too. :2cents:

NAMoulton1 · **Joined:** Tue Aug 12, 2014 7:01 pm **Posts:** 1054

JeepMonkey190 wrote:

tommudd wrote:

NAMoulton1 wrote:

Have a ramp on the rear to push anything down a little further so my rear tire can grab it that much better:

Can't really see that being a whole lotta help really. But innovative I guess

Not to bring you down if it does but what do you plan on pushing down for easier approach? If it's a rock big enough to touch the slider then it will most likely just lift your jeep up and put less weight on the rear tire making less traction and might actually catch up on those rocks too. :2cents:

I guess we'll see haha. Like I was saying to Tom...spur of the moment idea. We'll see if it can actually do anything...worst case scenario I cut it off.

NAMoulton1 · **Joined:** Tue Aug 12, 2014 7:01 pm **Posts:** 1054

So I got everything all tacked in place and dropping them off tomorrow at my friend's with the stick welder and so for Christmas I should be installing my rock rails! Here's some pics with the passenger side all mocked up and of how far it sticks out of the Jeep. I've decided to do the piping on the side as well so that it DOES stick out/flush with the tire's track:

NAMoulton1 · **Joined:** Tue Aug 12, 2014 7:01 pm **Posts:** 1054

Rails are all welded in, took a bit longer due to friend's dad not doing too well and work getting in the way. I'll bending the tubing, mocking it up, and drilling and tapping it, then Rustoleum self etching primer and bedliner. Youtube is a really good site, found out with a sawzall I can cut the notches to brace the tubing: Tube Notching with a Sawzall: http://youtu.be/BO7dBeSAJoM

Probably be finishing her up Saturday and painting throughout the weekend!

NAMoulton1 · **Joined:** Tue Aug 12, 2014 7:01 pm **Posts:** 1054

ALMOST finished today...the unibody drilling and tapping is all that's left (my bits burnt out due to the thickness of this stuff before I even made it the the unidbody haha). Here's the rails after the tubing got bent and tacked in place:

Here's it mocked up after being all welded on so I can see where I need to drill:

JeepMorrison · **Joined:** Thu Jul 16, 2009 11:34 am **Posts:** 1236

Looks good.

At The Helm · **Posted:** Sun Jan 18, 2015 12:42 am

Nice job on that Nick.
Did you ever find any 3/8" self tapping screws? If you need some let me know, ended up buying about 300 of them :mrgreen:

NAMoulton1 · **Joined:** Tue Aug 12, 2014 7:01 pm **Posts:** 1054

Atthehelm wrote:

Nice job on that Nick.
Did you ever find any 3/8" self tapping screws? If you need some let me know, ended up buying about 300 of them :mrgreen:

I actually just bought a 3/8"×16 tap will just manually do it haha. Are your self tappers grade 8?

Beasty Rock Rail Build Thread

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