Finished my rock rails last night!!!

[CWLONGSHOT]

:cheers: :cheers:

 

Mine is a long bed and I decided to run the rail form flair to flair. that meant 80" of rail...mighty long. I was going to do five stand offs, but for now, I only did five. With three in the cab area and one for the bed. There is room for another for the bed if it proves that I need it, altough I do not think it will be necessarry. I have not tied the body into them as yet, because the stock I bought for this was cut too short and I want it to be one piece. I decided on 1" square stock instead of the angle most use. I will run it a bit closer to the frame and allow it to fit between the structural ribs of the body and the pinch seam as well as the tops of the stand offs of my rails. Then drill and bolt thru the pinch seam and weld to the bracketry and the stand offs. I used 1.75 poop pipe for the rails. Its dragging on rocks, it will be fine for this application. I welded directly to the front LCA mount as well as the rear, spring hanger. In the center, I added two pieces of 3" angle iron welded to the "frame" then the stand offs welded to that.

 

Here is some pics:

 

 

Now just need to make it stop raining long enough to get some paint on it!!!!!

 

CW

[jage]

Good looking work. What did you use to notch the tubes?

[DirtyComanche]

Don't knock sch40. I've seen it take some crazy abuse.

 

 

Although, if you want go right ahead.

 

 

 

Looks good.

[CWLONGSHOT]

Good looking work. What did you use to notch the tubes?

 

I used a BI-METAL hole saw, of the same diameter as the tube/pipe. As long as you can get it centered, on the drill press, you get two birds mouthed tubes in one shot!!

 

CW

[87manche]

any plans to tie it into the cab pinch seam?

[feerocknok]

Purty. What's up with the piping?

[CWLONGSHOT]

Please splain piping....

 

YES, I do have plans, but frankly I really do not see it adding alot of regidity. The way I have positioned the standoffs, (varing angles) it has provided mucho regidity.

 

 

I had purchased two pieces of 1" square tubing to tie the rails into the pinch seams. But only bought two 48" pieces. I needed 54" pieces, so I didnt put them in. I chose the square and the extra legnth so I could rest it on the bracketry ribs that the factory molded in. That way I could weld (stitch) to those brackets, bolt to the pinch seam. Then weld the stuff to the tops of the standoffs. In this pic you can see the end of the square tube and how its too short to extend under the brackerty.

 

 

I am pretty sure there is room to sneak them in from the rear still now. I had intended on doing this, but its prety damn rigid now, I don't know that its really worth the cost/effort.

 

CW

[87manche]

I think it would be. Mine are bolted into the pinch seam and there is 0 flex at the rails when using a jack or jumping up and down on them.

I also noticed that it seemed to stiffen the entire truck. Some of my creaks and groans went away in the cab.

[pingpong]

Nice looking Rock rails. As for the pinch seam. It all depends on how hard you are going to bash on them. If you wheel like I do... I say add the pinch seam mount :brows: