General Tech Wrangler Rubicon stock slider extension

[frieed]

I have been wanting to do this for some time now. The stock sliders on my Rubicon are much to close to the body for comfort so I extended them with some 1x2 1/8" wall tube in a fashion similar to the Mopar "Enhanced" rails. I also lopped an inch off the back in preparation for 35's some day.

Mopar Enhanced Rock Rails




Man what a pain in the butt.
I knew that the stock sliders weren't round or square, but what I didn't realize was that they also curved along their entire length.
I did one run with the tube vertical but didn't like the look so I re-fabbed them with the 1x2 flat. It's not super beefy, but it's as stout as the OEM body mounts that I reinforced in the same manner as the enhanced OEM slider. I studied ways to attach to the frame but that meant the body mounts would need to be cut off. If I were going to go to that much effort, I'd just junk the originals and start fresh. I'll run these modified ones for a while and may junk them after all.

After much cutting, re-cutting, grinding and fitting I finally got it all fit and welded up. A can of Rustoleum bed liner spray and presto..


My new addition
Funny how the curved stock rail makes the 1x2 look curved as well


The attempt to beef up the stock mounts
The Mopar version has a piece of angle added here, I added this diagonal


Installed



p.s. Anyone have a recommendation for someone to sharpen a carbide tipped blade? My evolution was struggling toward the end.

 

[notajeep]

Those look great.

 

[sixstringsteve]

that looks really good Eric, well done.

 

[kellerexpress]

Nice job

 

[frieed]

Thanks guys, now it's time to go knock some paint off..

This project also settled the question I've had lately about whether or not to get some flux core wire.
It was not possible to get the flap disk in to clean all of the powder coat off for welding the bracing on the mounting brackets and a MAPP gas torch couldn't get it hot enough to burn it off with all that heatsink around.
With C25 and solid wire, the welds got a little crappy as I burned off the coating.

I think flux core would have had no issues.

Actually, this would have been a perfect job for a stick welder and some 6010. Would have solved the problem of getting the Mig nozzle in there, but then with Flux core I could take the gas nozzle off as well.

 

[frieed]

Why do you always figure out the easy way to do it after you do it the hard way.

So I was cleaning up the disaster left in my shop when I looked at a large piece of cardboard that I needed to put someplace.
I could have built up the entire slider extension and left the 'legs' over long then cut the cardboard to fit the curve of the stock slider. Then use that as a template to cut the legs to length with a jigsaw. One cut then done (ok, technically two). None of this cut, check, cut, check etc...

I bet I could build a second set in about 1/3 the time.

I still feel pretty good though, the enhanced rails cost $640 from quadratech and I spent about $40 in materials to mod mine