Install skills or why some folks struggle

mrblaine

mrblaine

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We're installing the rock rails and corner armor on a project. The average installer or one time installer will struggle a bunch trying to figure this one out.
The TJ Unlimited already has issues keeping the tub straight since they added length, but did not beef up the frame or add more body mounts. Add some compromised shock lengths, add in some bullshit body mount mounted rock rails and a minor impact to the rear and this is what you wind up with after everything is clamped up as good as it can be.
There is a 3/8" difference in 24" that has to be dealt with.
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Corner armor is way too high at the door opening.
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Rear panel is just as bad. The top side is over too far at the tail gate opening, the lower side is too far away from the opening and that is with it clamped up.
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A full day of tweaking, mashing, trimming, smacking, and careful consideration of what needed to move where and we got it to this.
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The finished result looks amazing.

Interesting to know that about the Unlimited models having issues keeping the tub straight due to the extended length.

Dare I ask how you even managed to get those panels to fit in this case?
 
It makes me think about the very first batches of production armor pieces and the work that went into knowing the product would fit a Jeep. That would mean finding enough square and straight Jeeps to know what the baseline should be.
 
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i like it!....... don't accept 1/2 ass.
that's the difference between a builder/fitter and an installer.................an installer was done in the 1st pic.
 
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Chris said:
The finished result looks amazing.

Interesting to know that about the Unlimited models having issues keeping the tub straight due to the extended length.

Dare I ask how you even managed to get those panels to fit in this case?
Click to expand...
Getting them to fit starts by assessing what is wrong where and what impact that will have on the final install. We start always with the rock rail top as a baseline and get the rail lined up where we would like it to be. Then we set the corner on to see how they are affected.
This one we had to trim that taper on top of the rail, normally we trim and fit the lower edge of the corner armor but GR puts their holes too close to the edge and the trim would have gotten way too close to the countersink and the cut would have been very obvious. It is obvious now but only if you know to look for it.

We clamped the corner at the radius and walked it front and back to get the reveals as close as was possible. They aren't great but they are good.

After that it is just smacking and tweaking and figuring out what spots to bolt down, which ones to move and then bolt down.
 
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Now this really has me wondering how many TJs running around out there aren't exactly "square".

Your attention to detail is impressive to say the least. I'm not sure how many people would have taken the time to sort something like this out as oppose to just bolting the armor on and accepting the outcome.
 
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jjvw said:
It makes me think about the very first batches of production armor pieces and the work that went into knowing the product would fit a Jeep. That would mean finding enough square and straight Jeeps to know what the baseline should be.
Click to expand...
We actually converted the sheet metal files to be the thickness of paper, had them printed on a plotter, cut them out and then taped them to size. Checked the fit on several, made changes and did it again for an average.

I'm fairly disgusted with the hole placement on the boat sides. These are the extended versions and the designer didn't do an install, just laid the holes out, spaced them evenly and called it good. 3 of the ones on the underside are right at the edge of existing holes and make nutsert install a bitch. 2 of the side holes hit right in the worst spots possible and we could not use nutserts and had to through bolt which is a bullshit way of doing things when a 1/2" shift would put us in the clear.

This rail was also under bent and didn't make a full 90 between the side and the bottom and that complicates the shit out of things. They are far better if they are slightly over bent so you can pre-load them some and get a tight fit to both surfaces.
 
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Chris said:
Now this really has me wondering how many TJs running around out there aren't exactly "square".

Your attention to detail is impressive to say the least. I'm not sure how many people would have taken the time to sort something like this out as oppose to just bolting the armor on and accepting the outcome.
Click to expand...
Based on what I've seen with installs over the years, most blame the company for the poor fit. The fit on these was somewhat compromised by the company but nothing we couldn't overcome.
 
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Have a set of Savvy corners sitting in the garage waiting to get installed. Already dreading the day knowing that the Jeep body has seen some custom trail forming... 😬
 
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Interesting info.. looks like you got it sorted out.. glad to see people still take pride in doing great work 👍
 
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mrblaine said:
I'm fairly disgusted with the hole placement on the boat sides. These are the extended versions and the designer didn't do an install, just laid the holes out, spaced them evenly and called it good. 3 of the ones on the underside are right at the edge of existing holes and make nutsert install a bitch. 2 of the side holes hit right in the worst spots possible and we could not use nutserts and had to through bolt which is a bullshit way of doing things when a 1/2" shift would put us in the clear.

This rail was also under bent and didn't make a full 90 between the side and the bottom and that complicates the shit out of things. They are far better if they are slightly over bent so you can pre-load them some and get a tight fit to both surfaces.
Click to expand...
Which company produced those sliders?
 
mrblaine said:
I'm fairly disgusted with the hole placement on the boat sides. These are the extended versions and the designer didn't do an install, just laid the holes out, spaced them evenly and called it good. 3 of the ones on the underside are right at the edge of existing holes and make nutsert install a bitch. 2 of the side holes hit right in the worst spots possible and we could not use nutserts and had to through bolt which is a bullshit way of doing things when a 1/2" shift would put us in the clear.
Click to expand...

This kind of thing drives me crazy. I can't recall what it was I was installing, but the location of one of the holes was inside an inaccessible void.

Clearly whoever had designed the thing had never actually installed one or they would have known.


Also when instructions haven't been updated since the first version of whatever came out, so they call for things that either don't exist in the current project, include hardware with no apparent use. Just makes you pull your hair out as you go back through and check that every hole has a bolt.
 
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