Rocker panel sliders
- Thread starter 4restGump
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Jeeps are unibody construction rather than body on frame. Doing this with a body on frame vehicle (our 4Runner is this type) would cause a lot of stress on the body, body mounts, and body mount bolts. Instead of the frame holding the body you would be asking the body/body mounts/body mount bolts to hole the weight of the frame and everything attached to it. You would eventually (probably pretty quickly depending on how gnarly you would hit them) end up ripping out the body mount from the body or snapping a bolt or worse. That's why everyone mounts the sliders to the frame (bolted or welded).
Doc2012
Senior Member
I’m not sure what you mean by this?
Are you saying if he hits the body on a rock, he’d rip the body mount bolt through the body, or off the frame?
Another thing to consider is the flex of the body and frame.
If you weld a 2x4x1/8(3/16) to the rockers, the flex from the body is eventually going to rip the body apart where you welded the tube.
Stick with the frame mount option
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Thank you for the clarification.
MStudt
official vendor
Are you referring to boat side rockers? One down fall would be the body on frame design as mentioned. Another would be having to reroute all the wiring. Plus, doing boat side rockers correctly would most likely require you to tie some reinforcement into your pillar post. It'd be quite the undertaking on our 4runner's.
Most likely ripping it from the body.
A body on frame is more desirable for off roading than a unibody due to the frames resistance to twisting. For Jeeps, their body mounts side directly on top of the frame rails, and bolt into the frame itself.
The body was never designed to hold the weight of the frame and drivetrain components. I've seen some people use sliders like a 5th wheel. Climb up a large rock with a front wheel, then front wheel drops off and they slide on said large rock with the sliders holding the entire weight of one side of the vehicle until the rear tire can climb up it. That's a lot of weight and stress that body mounts and body mount hardware were never meant to see when designed.
fourfive
Senior Member
Holy youknowwhat! I wish they had some drop test results or a video! Good find!
Edit: Still seems like a really dumb idea, but I'm willing to eat my words if anyone can prove they actually would hold up to more than a mall curb or shopping cart.
fourfive
Senior Member
I first saw those on sonoran steels website about 4-5 years ago. I thought the product information was interesting but still liked the idea of frame mounted sliders. I forgot about them until this thread reminded me.
phattyduck
Elite Member
They have body mounted sliders for wranglers too, it isn't just cherokees...
Probably plenty for mild off roading. I wouldn't plan to really bang those off rocks though.
-Charlie
Probably plenty for mild off roading. I wouldn't plan to really bang those off rocks though.
-Charlie
I've only seen it on unibody jeeps. Cherokees, Grand Cherokees, Compasses, etc. Never seen a set on a wrangler. Looks pretty weird to me.
phattyduck
Elite Member
The factory "rock rails" on JL Wranglers are body mounted...
Why would anyone choose body mount sliders? | 2018+ Jeep Wrangler Forums (JL / JLU) - Rubicon, Sahara, Sport, Unlimited - JLwranglerforums.com
Frame Mounted vs. Body Mounted Sliders? | Jeep Wrangler TJ Forum
(that was just the first two google links from a quick search)
-Charlie
CougarHound
New member
Atomic6's build, history, maintenance, whatever-you-want-to-call-it thread
This Atomic6 guy did it. I was thinking about doing the same but, I'm wondering if you'll have water drainage problems when you seal everything in? There is a reason why there are drain holes in the rockers. My plan was to cut my rusty rockers off. Weld the square tube to the frame instead of the body. Yea there will be a little gap there, but at least I can spray the salt away.
I'll probably just take it to a body shop to fix it. I really don't trust any body shop to make any long lasting repairs though.
This Atomic6 guy did it. I was thinking about doing the same but, I'm wondering if you'll have water drainage problems when you seal everything in? There is a reason why there are drain holes in the rockers. My plan was to cut my rusty rockers off. Weld the square tube to the frame instead of the body. Yea there will be a little gap there, but at least I can spray the salt away.
I'll probably just take it to a body shop to fix it. I really don't trust any body shop to make any long lasting repairs though.
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Doc2012
Senior Member
Wolf-Steel in Canada makes replacement rockers.
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J-Roc
New member
Wolf-Steel in Canada makes replacement rockers.
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Do you have any pix of these installed?
Doc2012
Senior Member
Not yet.
I can’t get time to work on my sheit.
Work is crazy right now.
About to put in for a vaca so I can get everything I need to done. [emoji23]
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BUMP
Any updates on install?! I just got some too but read they had to be modified a lot.
