Kind've miffed at one of the Board sponsors

[vwkaferman]

I recently had a locker installed. Nothing's wrong with the locker, actually, I love it. I know a lot of you think it's childs play but to me, WOW what a difference! I KNOW there were a few spots I would not have been able to do, namely the one that caused this:

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j141/vwkaferman/Ajax%202-17-07/pic114Medium.jpg

Yeah, DesertFab didn't tell me that I'd get myself into trickier situations. Actually, they did, hehe. Thanks guys! I love the hell out of it!

The real question in this post is, hmm, now that my rockers are GOING to get abused, I'm really thinking about doing that rocker cut out/ fab up I've seen. What welder should I get in order for a newb like me to learn/ and use to perform this mod?

MadXJ has a few write ups under the Technical section. Well worth a read to you XJ owners' out there. http://www.madxj.com/

I know It's a can of worms asking which welder to start with. Some say start small, learn your way up. I know there's different types of welding, I just want to learn how to do it, and not buy a welder that I can't grow into. I'm almost to the point where I don't care if I mess up a little, I can still be proud and say "Hey, I MADE that". Any thoughts?

On a side note, I would LOVE to take a class. My girl is all for it. Unfortuneately, my work schedule won't allow that for now.

James

[SHNIPE]

My comment to everyone that gets a locker for the first time: "Youre gonna get yourself stuck the first time out" So far its held true :D Nice dent :D

[vwkaferman]

Everyone felt so bad, it really made me laugh. Look folks, we're out here crawling around on rocks and stuff, metal bends, they don't! :)

I've never had more fun tearing stuff up. Well, almost. The military sure was fun at times.

James

[ob1jeeper]

The real question in this post is, hmm, now that my rockers are GOING to get abused, I'm really thinking about doing that rocker cut out/ fab up I've seen. What welder should I get in order for a newb like me to learn/ and use to perform this mod?

MadXJ has a few write ups under the Technical section. Well worth a read to you XJ owners' out there. http://www.madxj.com/
James

James,
Welding is an learned experience that I would suggest ou either take a class on, or work with and experienced welder who can give you some pointers to help you not make a total mess out of a project.

That aside, IMHO...the cut and weld-in tubes link you provided is IMHO a poor choice, and unnecessary butchery of an otherwise solid vehicle. Whether the folks who did this surgery understand it or not, that portion of the XJ's body is an important stressed portion of the structure, and cutting it like they did is NOT a good move for the structure of the vehicle.

I would suggest instead, you look at the 10 gage (3/16" thick) rocker over-lays that are available. They are pre-formed to follow the contour of your rocker, and use "pop" rivets to retain them. The only ground clearance you loose is the thickness of the material, and they are for all intents indestructable. (if you're hitting them hard enough to hurt them, you're gonna be hurting a BUNCH of other parts as well...)

Here's a pic of what they look like (actually they are hard to see clearly because they are the same shape as the OEM rock rail) on my buddy's XJ... He got his set a few years back from Mark Smith @ Jeep Jamboree USA, who used to sell them... Haven't looked into it in a while, but will try to find you another source for them also...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v674/ob1jeeper/Jeeping/Sept%202006/NewPics122.jpg

UPDATE: Just got off the phone with my buddy, to confirm that's where he got his set. He got his in 2000 just before we headed up to Moab, and as of today, even after some pretty serious stuff and the normal scrapes and bruises, in Moab and elsewhere, has yet to do much more than scrape up the power coat/paint.

[YGOHOME]

I saw a Monster Garage Jesse James "How To Weld" book at Barnes & Noble. lol. actually was pretty interesting. Cool dent.

[ThumpAZ]

There is a welding "newsletter" put out by Eli Levy (email newsletter) and he has a pretty informative site. He is a welding instructor of some sort and has been doing it longer than many of us here have been alive... or something like that.
He gets into some pretty esoteric situations in the newsletter, but does cover a LOT of topics and it can all be applied somewhere.
I agree on getting the class. What's 1 or 2 hours a night, once a week. I think they even offer Sat classes. Look at EVIT or whatever other vo-tech schools we have around the Valley.
If I weren't on the road all the time and only got to spend 2 days a week with my family, trying to also spend some time at the shop, I'd be in one of these classes. Instead, I'm taking correspondence courses for other stuff.

As for a welder, you don't need anything huge. It needs to be adjustable, capable of taking .030 and .035 wire (autofeed MIG )and might even have the ability to hool up for TIG welding. You do need to look at duty cycle, though. That would be the best style of garage welder can think of. Most of the 110V versions are 10% duty cycle, which means that you have to let it rest for 9 of every 10 minutes of welding (1 minute laying a bead and 9 minutes of thumb up da booty).

[XJ Un-Limited]

I feel your pain. I did a mod that I've kinda put together on my own with help from Madxj, pirate and Naxja. Check out the linky.

http://rides.webshots.com/album/241298993wSilaC

Before:

http://thumb11.webshots.net/t/14/14/0/83/8/241308308aWkjQY_th.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/1241308308059247291aWkjQY)

http://thumb11.webshots.net/t/14/15/0/85/86/241308586nLuKca_th.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/1241308586059247291nLuKca)

After:

http://thumb11.webshots.net/t/16/17/1/29/96/241312996ZgBTsw_th.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/1241312996059247291ZgBTsw)

[vwkaferman]

Thanks for all the replies. Now I'm more confused than ever! Plus, I change my mind weekly, so I guess I'll see where I am next week. Definitely gotta get something though.

James

[AZXJ]

DOH!!!! Time for some sliders !!!

[Gasman]

I cut out the rockers on mine and replaced with 2 x 6 x 3/16" tube. One of the best mods I've done. They have taken some hits with no probs, other than I came down so hard once on the passenger side that the windshield broke. In my avatar pic, the entire weight of my rig is resting on the driver side rocker. I made mine like the pic below except with a continuous 1.75" x 1.75" square tube across the top that fit up into the door jamb. I then plug welded it every few inches along the top of the jamb. Underneath at the pinch seam, I drilled out all the factory spot welds and plug welded to a 1" x 1" piece of angle iron that was welded to the bottom of the 2 x 6.

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l68/gasmanxj/IMG_4790-2.jpg

Here's the final product:
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l68/gasmanxj/IMG_0782.jpg
The plug welds in the door jamb are not visible but they are under the plasic trim at the bottom of the door frame.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l68/gasmanxj/IMG_0781.jpg

Check www.projectxj.com for some additional ideas. As for welders, go for a 220v mig unit like the Hobart 175/180 with shielding gas. A 110v unit will just leave you wanting more once you've learned and the duty cycle stinks. The Hobarts can be had for around $300-500 (look on Ebay and www.toolking.com). Don't forget you need a helmet, gloves, etc so things can add up. A good helmet is a must otherwise you can't see what you are doing. I love my Miller auto-darkening helmet. There's a good welding forum on the Hobart site, http://www.hobartwelders.com/mboard/ that has good info on equipment and techniques. It's not just limited to talk about Hobart stuff either.

Good luck! Once you get good at welding, it's hard to stop! :D

[rvisokey]

James,

Drag your stuff over to my house and you can use my gear to weld up what you need. Rick has a decent setup as well. After you try it & see what's involved in welding... you'll be able to make a more informed decision on what you want to get.

Plus... I suck at welding so you'll make a good 'test-vehicle' and I am also dying to try out my new plasma. You didn't want your fenders anymore did you? :D (J/k)