jgaz 418 Posted June 12 Looks good Kris. I hear you on the heat chasing you indoors. It was tough to even work in the garage yesterday and I wasn’t welding. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theksmith 2,927 Posted June 12 (edited) 1 hour ago, 4x4tographer said: Still looks like good progress man. Is the plan to completely eliminate the hoop and just replace it with that big beefy C-channel? 36 minutes ago, jgaz said: Looks good Kris. I hear you on the heat chasing you indoors. It was tough to even work in the garage yesterday and I wasn’t welding. thanks guys! yes, ditching the round hoop in favor of rectangular tube welded right up against the main strip. those old hoops were bent up pretty bad - and being so wide, they seemed to always drag really hard when rock crawling and getting even slightly off-camber on ledge obstacles. the new steel sits higher and doesn't protrude out as far. i'm also adding a third mounting "leg" to tie into the Jeep's frame to hopefully prevent bending the whole contraption in the middle any further. if i had to do it over, i'd seriously consider the body mounted sliders from JCR or Motobilt. they give you a fair bit more clearance, but seem beefy enough to not cave in the Jeep's sheet-metal on a hard hit. they are $1k+ though, versus $150 in materials to fix-up the ones i already have. Edited June 12 by theksmith 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theksmith 2,927 Posted June 14 made good progress on Sunday, almost done with the driver's side. hopefully the other side goes faster! 1/8" was the thickest i could get the 1.5" x 1" tube in, so i added a piece of 3/4" x 3/4" x 1/8" on the bottom-outside edge to double it up where it will get the most abuse. 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ob1jeeper 362 Posted June 14 Looks pretty stout Kris. Just curious... What does a completed one weigh ? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theksmith 2,927 Posted June 14 (edited) 6 hours ago, ob1jeeper said: Looks pretty stout Kris. Just curious... What does a completed one weigh ? my modified one is 42.5lbs, which i think is a net increase of about 8lbs (per side). i try to be mindful of the pounds when choosing most accessories, but i've always felt the weight of heavy-duty steel skidplates and rock-rails was a necessary evil if doing much rock crawling. Edited June 14 by theksmith 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theksmith 2,927 Posted June 18 i thought i had the drivers side finished, but i didn't really like the look of the raw stitch welds... so i'm smoothing it over with spot/glazing putty, hopefully it doesn't all just pop-out on the first hard hit. and finally getting started on the passenger side today... 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
4x4tographer 2,004 Posted June 19 Could you technically weld the entire length and just grind it for aesthetics? Or is that overkill? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theksmith 2,927 Posted June 19 (edited) 10 hours ago, 4x4tographer said: Could you technically weld the entire length and just grind it for aesthetics? Or is that overkill? sure i could have, but i originally only welded the bottom for the entire length and then thought stitch-welding the top edges would be sufficient (andt it should be structurally). since it was already painted before i decided that i didn't like that look, it was just quicker and easier to use filler than sand it back to bare metal to weld... however i've been advised by someone more experienced in this area that my application is in fact too thick for that glazing putty and it will probably crack out quickly. so i may be welding it all soon after all! Edited June 19 by theksmith 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jgaz 418 Posted June 19 Kris, What about an automotive seam sealer product? I have limited experience with the stuff but have used it while repairing rust on a couple of my old daily drivers. The above video was the best I could find on the subject. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theksmith 2,927 Posted June 19 (edited) 2 hours ago, jgaz said: Kris, What about an automotive seam sealer product? I have limited experience with the stuff but have used it while repairing rust on a couple of my old daily drivers. The above video was the best I could find on the subject. that was my first idea too (the kind in the regular caulking tube)! mainly because i was thinking it might be more elastic. but, i already had some glazing putty on hand so i went with that Edited June 19 by theksmith 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
