I just finished up the driver's side rocker repair.

Here's the 2 pieces of 2" square stock welded together to form the platform:


Here's the bottom side of my Tracker after cutting off all of the damaged rocker panel:


Test fitting and spot welds:


All welded in and sealed the full length of the body, top and bottom, and primed:


It's hard to tell from the angle of the pic, but this was the initial test; the left side of the Tracker is resting completely on the jack and the new rocker didn't move or flex at all!


My rocker panels were so badly smashed in that adding rocker guards or rock rails would have been pointless. I figured if I had to repair the rockers anyways, I might as well just go ahead and make them bomb-proof! LOL!!!

Just had to share!

pretty cool, looks like its alot better than stock

SWEET I like

let me understand you just took 2 x 2inch square tubing welded them together  and then you welded them to what on the truck?

Very nice job. I was planning on doing something similar as my panels are very beat up. Have you got any more pics of the work in progress?

I am going to start on doing the same thing this weekend. Although mine is a 4 door. I have the 4x3 sitting waiting. I guess you aren't worried about removing the front fenders?  

I am planning on doing something like that to our Sami because the rockers are all rusted on it and there is no reason to fix it with just sheet metal. I'm not sure what we are going to do but this looks like a good idea.
So did you just attach them to the body and nothing to the frame?
I know on bigger vehicles you need to keep the body and frame seperate so they can flex but I have heard on the shorter vehicles that isn't as important so I might weld bracing onto the frame.

I considered that but then you bypass the stock rubber mountings and you coild get a lot more noise and vibes through. Mind you if you have a body lift then you've probably already done that. I plan on reworking my Calmini body lift to restore the isolation.

I considered that but then you bypass the stock rubber mountings and you coild get a lot more noise and vibes through. Mind you if you have a body lift then you've probably already done that. I plan on reworking my Calmini body lift to restore the isolation.

I've made my own body-lift and put the stock rubbers on top of the square tube, you'll get a little bit more lift by that too   and not as much rattling, squeeking and vibes as normally..... I think  

Got some pics?

This is the best pic I have, it's from the rear but that should be obvious

Here's one of the front where I put the rubbers underneath:

I hope you can do something with 'm  

This is the best pic I have, it's from the rear but that should be obvious
piccie

Here's one of the front where I put the rubbers underneath:

another piccie

I hope you can do something with 'm  

Aren't us Dutch the clever ones, I did it the same way on my Sammie !

Aren't us Dutch the clever ones, I did it the same way on my Sammie !

Yea,,,,,Just square stock eh?

Then I bet you just left the center STUDS without support, clever Dutch one. There are about ten bolts holding the body to the frame, you would need a spacer for the studs in the "bed" OR cut them out and replace them with bolts.

yeah, thats the way the rubbers should be mounted. I thought about putting them underneath on the Calmini kit but then I would have had 4" of lift and lots more problems with gear levers and such. I take it you have the spacers inside the box section but I think I prefer the look of the RR style bodylift with the sleeve bolts. There is a similar kit sold over here as a 3" in anodized aluminium. I guess it would be much easier to use bits from the Calmini kit and the 3" stock. The other thing that really annoys me with the Calmini kit (apart from the bare metal finish!) is the imperial fixings. I hate mixing metric and imperial as sooner or later the wrong nut/bolt is going to be used and a thread will get trashed.
Edit: Apologies for hijacking the thread

Yea,,,,,Just square stock eh?

Then I bet you just left the center STUDS without support, clever Dutch one. There are about ten bolts holding the body to the frame, you would need a spacer for the studs in the "bed" OR cut them out and replace them with bolts.

On mine there were 8 bolts   and under the cargo bay and floors there are 4 rubbers (are these the studs you mean?) and under those I have welded such a "block" to the frame. So I don't believe I have left out any connections between the body and chassis.
Clever eh  
Sorry for the hi jack of me too but I had to defend some of my actions   (not meant in a bad way)  

I have no idea what a Track/kick has, I was talking about a samurai. 8-10 what ever,,,close enough Im not under my truck right now. There are atleast 4 studs on the body that are 3-4 inches long and are only threaded about an inch or so that you can not simply bolt a peice of square stock to without a spacer or just cut it out all together and use a bolt. I use extentions on them,,,but I also us aluminum 2.5" rod sections for spacers

On other rigs,,,not mine. Im not down with body lifts. Maybe an inch,,,,anything more than that looks like,,,,,well,,,,,a body lift.