Rocker Panel Armour

August 1, 2001

In preparation for trip to the Rubicon Trail, I decided to build some form of rocker panel protection for Project YJ. After considering the merits of the frame-mounted "Nerf" bars and the body-mounted armour, I decided on the latter. Maximum ground clearance was my primary concern and the body-mounted armour would reduce it by only 3/16th of an inch.

Building rocker panel armour for Project YJ was one of the easiest projects I've taken on during its build-up. The recipe is simple: get some L-shaped steel, cut it to length and shape, bolt it to the rocker panels. Most people use angle iron but I opted to use some custom-bent 3/16" steel (thanks to John Bouliane) which was lighter because the side that went under the body was only about two inches wide. You can see a diagram here.

To provide additional protection for the body, I also welded a 1" square tube along the length of the armour. This would provide an inch of additional clearance between the sheet metal and any obstacle that the armour was leaning against. For convenience, I also installed some fold-down steps. The 1" square tube also minimized the chances of catching the steps on an rock or other obstacle. The following photos illustrate how I built the rocker armour.

Here's the steel as it was provided to me by John. It was cut a bit longer than I required and bent to produce an L-shape.	My first step was to measure the length required to fit between the fender flares and to measure the angle on the flares. Note: I could have run the armour under the flares to the very edge of the fender opening but chose not to, for aesthetic reasons.	Once the length and angle was measured, I used the angle tool to mark the cut line on the armour.
A cutting disc on my angle grinder worked well for cutting the steel.	Test fit.	Square tubing was also cut to length. Two pieces were used on each panel armour, the folding step would go between the tubing. In this photo, only one of the pieces of square tube is in place.
Here's a close-up of the square tubing. I notched the end so I could hammer it into a tapered end. This way, the tubing would slide more easily over rocks.	Close-up of the folding step, between the tube steel.	The finished product.
From another angle.	The square tube comes in handy on obstacles like this that are taller than the armour. The extra 1" stand-off distance of the tube steel between the sheet metal and obstacle can make the difference between damage and no damage.	The rocker armour performed flawlessly on its first test, the infamous Rubicon Trail. On this obstacle in the Old Sluice, I actually pivoted my passenger side around this rock. Zero damage to the Jeep and only some paint taken off the rocker armour.
Entering the Little Sluice, I dragged the driver side armour along this rock. Again, no damage to the sheet metal.

...lars