[xj_extreme]

love the soundbar location, U STOLE MY IDEA! jk but how hard was it to do that?

[iaml3lue]

hey Eric I didn't think your xj could get better but you proved me wrong .the only thing i see is that the new rocker gaurds gotta get slippery when wet some herculiner or skateboard grip tape could stop that.

[EricsXJ]

I had grip tape on my old rock rails and they would tear at your legs or clothes when getting out if you weren't careful. Because of that I'm not going to put any grip tape back on these, but either way you do need to be careful when getting out of the jeep.

Believe it or not, rather than calling these "step rails", you could call them "hand rails" because I've found its easiest to put a hand on them when hopping out of the Jeep.

[familyxj]

Maybe someday I will be able to say mine are handrails..........you do have a very cool jeep Eric. How are you liking the y link kit so far?

[dcorn]

Originally Posted by EricsXJ

Believe it or not, rather than calling these "step rails", you could call them "hand rails" because I've found its easiest to put a hand on them when hopping out of the Jeep.

I do the same thing with the hand on the rockers when getting out... of my mustang. Its very low and has racing seats so I find it easier to put my hand on the rocker and almost roll out of the car and stand up lol.

[black2door]

Your Jeep is so amazing Eric. Now you just need an updated book to go with it, lol.

I say leave it blue, at least for now. It looks good.

[familyxj]

Originally Posted by black2door

Your Jeep is so amazing Eric. Now you just need an updated book to go with it, lol.

I agree with writing a second book that would include more advanced stuff than your first book.

[AlabamaDan]

WOW! That's quite a build.

[Sierra Drifter]

Originally Posted by EricsXJ

I'm sick of the Patriot Blue. As you might be able to see in some of the pics, every little scratch shows, and in the winter it looks horrible.... I like the idea of desert tan because it is somewhat unique and it will do a wonderful job of hiding scratches. Should match the dust...

I agree, I have the same color and it's got plenty of scratches. I'm debating what to do also. I thought about bedliner, but the ones I've seen look rougher and bumpier than I like, and beliner is pretty much permanent, there's no changing your mind. Flat black seems to fade and look blotchy. Desert tan is cool, but I'd have to do the whole Jeep, and I don't want copy desert metal. I'm thinking about painting just the sides in a satin black. It looks better than flat black, can be touched up, and it looks ok in a two tone patint job with Patriot blue. I already removed the side molding and lettering. I'm going to start on the paint soon.

[Topgun514]

Originally Posted by EricsXJ

Hey erik, I am looking to do this in the very future but question the pillar strength. If my tire were to slip off a rock and have another rock slam into the rockers, would the pillars have the strength to hold the force or would they bend a bit? I know you tied everything in real well but do you still wonder if it could happen?

[EricsXJ]

Originally Posted by Topgun514

Hey erik, I am looking to do this in the very future but question the pillar strength. If my tire were to slip off a rock and have another rock slam into the rockers, would the pillars have the strength to hold the force or would they bend a bit? I know you tied everything in real well but do you still wonder if it could happen?

I'm very confident in the strength of the rockers and don't expect them to bend anything upward. I have thought about the pillar strength however and know that when taking a hard hit the force of impact will travel up the pillars. Thats why I added that one brace to the A-pillar, but I won't feel 100% done with this until I get a cage put in. In the meantime this will have to do. Here's an old pic of my rig and you can see some dimples or ripples in the body by the corner of the rear window and the "4x4". Those dimples are from coming down hard on rocks and are very common to see in that location. I imagine the same thing could happen to the other pillars but it might not be as noticeable. Or perhaps, that is a weak spot and the other pillars are stronger. ??

[srmitchell]

Wow, never seen that.

[conrasm]

Out of curiosity Eric (and not to open up a can of worms), did you disconnect your battery when you were doing all the welding to the frame?

I need do to some sheet metal work and plan on putting some frame stiffeners on and I'm just curious.

Great thread and info. Another book would be fantastic on all you've been doing.

[Jason, aka: Jeepin.com]

Originally Posted by EricsXJ

...Here's an old pic of my rig and you can see some dimples or ripples in the body by the corner of the rear window and the "4x4". ...

Ah yes, the ol' offroading XJ dimples. My rig's got 'em on both sides.

FWIW, when my JKS SuperNerfs were welded on, we didn't bother disconnecting the battery.

[funinmud]

its a good way to tell if an xj has been wheeled hard... with those dimples. of course its not always a bad thing, just something to look for when buying one. my 92 had them when i bought it, but that was the least of my worries.