Nerfbars


------------------------------

Date: Tue, 1 Apr 1997 07:52:42 -0700
From: "Martin E. Rubin" 
Subject: Recommendations on Nerf Bars
To: 

I've been looking at Nerf Bars recently and am in need of some
recommendations.  I like the Smittybilt Nerf Bars (not to mention their
price) but  I also really like the Rhino Nerf Bars.  Main problem I see
with the Rhino Nerf Bars is their price ($500 or so).  Can anyone make any
recommendations or provide information on quality, durability, ease of
installation, etc. for either of these Nerf Bar setup's.

Thanks,


Martin Rubin
'94 4Runner
Yuma, AZ (we got plenty of beach but NO water)

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 1 Apr 1997 12:37:58 -0500 (EST)
From: SKeene8194@aol.com
Subject: Recommendations on Nerf Bars
To: Toy4x4@tlca.org

In a message dated 97-04-01 09:56:23 EST, you write:

<< I've been looking at Nerf Bars recently and am in need of some
 recommendations.  I like the Smittybilt Nerf Bars (not to mention their
 price) but  I also really like the Rhino Nerf Bars.  Main problem I see
 with the Rhino Nerf Bars is their price ($500 or so).  Can anyone make any
 recommendations or provide information on quality, durability, ease of
 installation, etc. for either of these Nerf Bar setup's.
 
 Thanks,
 
 
 Martin Rubin
 '94 4Runner
 Yuma, AZ (we got plenty of beach but NO water) >>

I bought the Smittybuilt Nerf bars.   They are just for looks only.  Because
of the way they attach, they can be bent up easly by a rock.   I had to do
some modifications to my bars for real off road use.  I have not seen the
Rihno bars.   

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 01 Apr 1997 12:31:48 -0800
From: Scott Wilson 
Subject: Recommendations on Nerf Bars
To: Toy4x4@tlca.org

> 
> I bought the Smittybuilt Nerf bars.   They are just for looks only.  Because
> of the way they attach, they can be bent up easly by a rock.   I had to do
> some modifications to my bars for real off road use.  I have not seen the
> Rihno bars.

I've heard exactly the opposite.  I hear they're pretty tough, but that
they should be welded to the frame for extra strength.  I plan to get
them for my 'Runner.  I'm not trying to make you mad, this is just what
I've heard.   If I remember right Nick Krest has Smittybuilts that he's
abused :), what do ya think Nick?  

YMMV,
	Scott
- -- 
*****************************************************
Scott Wilson TLCA #5261
88 4Runner SR5 V6
Santa Clara, CA
http://users.uniserve.com/~rcomber/scottw/scottw.htm

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 1 Apr 1997 15:59:41 -0700 (MST)
From: Knowles Ken 
Subject: Recommendations on Nerf Bars
To: Toy4x4@tlca.org

I have Smittybuilt bars on my 93 runner. They are bolted on and I've had
it up sliding on rock on the bar. It didn't bend, but I doubt the full
weight of the vehicle was supported solely by the bar. I've also heard
that they would be stronger if welded on, but I liked the idea that the
bolts go through existing holes in the frame. Those are pretty big bolts
too.

- --
Ken Knowles                    National Snow & Ice Data Center
knowles@kryos.colorado.edu     University of Colorado
voice: 303-492-0644            Campus Box 449
fax: 303-492-2468              Boulder, CO 80309-0449

------------------------------
------------------------------

Date: Wed, 2 Apr 1997 05:24:08 -0700
From: nickkrest@batnet.com (Nick Krest)
Subject: Recommendations on Nerf Bars
To: Toy4x4@tlca.org

Martin E. Rubin  wrote:

        "I've been looking at Nerf Bars recently
        and am in need of some recommendations.
        I like the Smittybilt Nerf Bars (not to
        mention their price) but I also really
        like the Rhino Nerf Bars. Main problem
        I see with the Rhino Nerf Bars is their
        price ($500 or so). Can anyone make any
        recommendations or provide information on
        quality, durability, ease of installation,
        etc. for either of these Nerf Bar setup's."

Wow, for $500 I hope they come with some extra-special stuff that can't be
mentioned on a family list like this.

SKeene8194@aol.com wrote:

        "I bought the Smittybuilt Nerf bars. They
        are just for looks only. Because of the
        way they attach, they can be bent up easly
        by a rock. I had to do some modifications
        to my bars for real off road use."

I would have to disagree with this. I have heard the now-familiar "WHAM!
bonnnng..." sound of my long-wheelbase pickup smashing down on a rock a lot
of times in the 9+ years since I bolted on my Smittybilts. I recently
replaced the bolts with some cad-plated grade 8's, but have not even
painted them since they went on. I have used a Hi-lift on them numerous
times with no problem. I don't thing they can be beat for the money. And
Scott's right, the correct word for my truck is "abuse" not "use";
likewise, substitute "neglect" for "maintain" in any situation except for
fluid changes.

 - Nick

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 2 Apr 1997 18:28:13 -0500 (EST)
From: SKeene8194@aol.com
Subject: Recommendations on Nerf Bars
To: Toy4x4@tlca.org

In a message dated 97-04-02 10:46:47 EST, you write:

<< SKeene8194@aol.com wrote:
 
         "I bought the Smittybuilt Nerf bars. They
         are just for looks only. Because of the
         way they attach, they can be bent up easly
         by a rock. I had to do some modifications
         to my bars for real off road use."
 
Nick Krest Wrote:
 I would have to disagree with this. I have heard the now-familiar "WHAM!
 bonnnng..." sound of my long-wheelbase pickup smashing down on a rock a lot
 of times in the 9+ years since I bolted on my Smittybilts. I recently >>


On my 81 long bed the rear of the nerf bar has a plate welded on with two
holes at the top of the plate only.  You drill holes in the frame and put
bolts thru the holes in the plate.
The plate can bend because there it nothing holding the the bottom of the
plate down.
 When a rock hits the bottom of the nerf bar there is a lot of leverage on
the mounting plate.    I welded a piece of angle iron to the mounting  plate
and bolted that to the frame to hold the bottom down. 

The front of the tube has a 1" wide, maybe 6" long bar welded to the side of
the tubing 
with holes in it for attaching to the trany cross member bolts.  It just does
not look very strong.    
 
I have a friend here in CA with an 84 X-cab,  same bars, they are bent  up
against the body.

Although for the price, you could consider them disposable.  

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 2 Apr 1997 20:30:57 -0500 (EST)
From: DRM033@aol.com
Subject: Recommendations on Nerf Bars
To: Toy4x4@tlca.org

In a message dated 97-04-02 18:33:20 EST, you write:

> On my 81 long bed the rear of the nerf bar has a plate welded on with two
>  holes at the top of the plate only.  You drill holes in the frame and put
>  bolts thru the holes in the plate.
>  The plate can bend because there it nothing holding the the bottom of the
>  plate down.
>   When a rock hits the bottom of the nerf bar there is a lot of leverage on
>  the mounting plate.    I welded a piece of angle iron to the mounting
 plate
>  and bolted that to the frame to hold the bottom down. 

My truck has similar "show only" nerf bars.  If anyone doubts how poorly they
attach, I will gladly sell them to ya cheap so I can make my own.  2" square
tubing from wheel well to wheel well - now thats protection.

David
DRM033@aol.com

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 2 Apr 1997 22:36:36 -0800
From: rmurray@gvn.net (Rick Murray)
Subject: Recommendations on Nerf Bars
To: TOY4X4@TLCA.ORG

I had mine custom-built at a welding shop for $160.  Got exactly what   
I wanted, and they are strong enuf for jacking.  
##################################################################
Rick Murray                                  84 Toyota 4Runner SR5
 rmurray@gvn.net                 stock 22R motor ; 3" ProComp Lift
 http://www.gvn.net/~rmurray/           8" steel rims; 33" BFG M/T
Rancho Cordova, Ca.         4.88 gears; Marlin TCase #67 ; TRD LSD
##################################################################

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 03 Apr 1997 00:34:08 -0800
From: "Frank Di Giovanni <", 
Subject: Recommendations on Nerf Bars
To: Toy4x4@tlca.org

At 05:24 AM 4/2/97 -0700, you wrote:
>I would have to disagree with this. I have heard the now-familiar "WHAM!
>bonnnng..." sound of my long-wheelbase pickup smashing down on a rock a lot
>of times in the 9+ years since I bolted on my Smittybilts. I recently
>replaced the bolts with some cad-plated grade 8's, but have not even
>painted them since they went on. I have used a Hi-lift on them numerous
>times with no problem. I don't thing they can be beat for the money. And
>Scott's right, the correct word for my truck is "abuse" not "use";
>likewise, substitute "neglect" for "maintain" in any situation except for
>fluid changes.
>
> - Nick
>
I have had my smittybuilt nerfbars for 4 yrs now and they have been used to
save the rocker panel many times. They are reasonably price, strong and
comes heavily powder coated for rust prevention. I'm not to sure if I can
use my hi-lift jack to lift it from the side though. As I remember it came
with grade 5 bolts but you can upgrade it to grade 8 easily. I believe it
has a  1/4" plate welded to the end and lines up with existing holes on the
frame. When I get a chance I will weld a better plate on the end so I can
bolt it from top and bottom, or a square plate with 4 holes so it would be
strong enough to lift it with a hi-lift jack.

_______________________________________________________
 Frank Di Giovanni             shoalseeker@geocities.com
 http://www.geocities.com/Baja/1228/pics.html
 1990 Toyota  4 Runner  SR5  V6  4X4   2dr.
 BFG All-Terrains,Trailmaster Invader sk,Warn combo winch bumper,
 Smittybuilt nerfbars, k&n air filter, Hi-lift jack, cb radio, wilson antenna,
 Aurora ignition
________________________________________________________
                               

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------------------------------

Date: Sat, 5 Apr 1997 20:09:43 -0600 (CST)
From: twogrls@ix.netcom.com
Subject: Oil Filters, Hi-lift Jacks, Nerf Bars
To: Toy4x4@tlca.org

Here is my collective knowledge saved up on a couple of recient subjects:

Oil Filter.....
On my 22RE I am now using a fram PH3600 filter instead of the PH3614 that 
the book calls for. It is twice as deep, but has the same diameter and 
threads.
The extra depth gives it twice the volume and twice the filter area. The 
extra  depth also makes it easier to twist it on and to get a filter wrench 
on it. I dont know about a anti drainback valve but it seems to work fine.

Hi-Lift Jack attachment.....
On the subject of Hi-Lift Jacks and where to attach them. Hi-Lift has a 
accessory that attaches to the jack flange and has a wide hook to go under 
any bumper. I saw it in a Hi-Lift catelog that I picked up last August at a 
show, I have since thrown the catelog out so I dont have a part number but 
it can most likly be special ordered from any distributor.

Smittybuilt Nerf Bars.....
I have to agree with the group that says the design is poor. One of my less 
than six month old bars have bent up and trashed my rocker panel and the 
front of my bed. Yes I do wheel hard, in hindsight the bars are for looks 
and not protection. I have bent them back to about the origional position 
and pulled the dents. For the time being I will pull the bars off and weld 
on some supports to provide reenforcement against twisting up. later on I 
plan on building some custom bars. The other Mike on the list here in San 
Antonio has some real nice bars made from 1 1/4" prox. rigid pipe. These are 
heavy units that sit in close to the rocker panels on his four runner and 
look like they will never bend. Lesson learned, If you are going to use the 
(newer?) smittybuilt nerf bars for rough rock climbing then first weld on 
some supports.  It looks like this:

                        Rear Attachment                         Front Attachment

                        Frame                                   Frame
                 -----                                  -----
                 [    ] ]                               [    ]
                _[    ] ]_                              [    ]
        Bolt    -[    ] ]-                              [    ]
Crossmember bolts
                 [    ] ]---------------                [    ]    Hold on
Nerf Bar 
                 -----  ]  Nerf Bar                     -----
                      / ]                           --------  Crossmember
                     /  ]----------------    /--------
           Weak Piont                               ------------------  Nerf
Brase
                                                                    /
----------------------
                                                        Weak Piont      Nerf Bar


                                                                        ----
------------------

It is easy for the bar to bend. Supports welded on from the bottem of the 
nerf bar that attach back up to the inside of the frame will keep it from 
bending up. One drawing is enough for tonight after I weld it up I will post 
a picture on my web site.


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Mike Pelland                                    1994 Red Extracab Toyota
twogrls@ix.netcom.com                           31X10.5 BFGs, Lockrite,
RS9000;s            
San Antonio, TX                                         4.88's,Downey SC clutch,
Tread lightly, TLCA Member, SWFWDA                      Ramsey Winch,
 http://pw2.netcom.com/~twogrls/mptruck.html
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
------------------------------

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 28 May 1998 11:22:23 -0600 (MDT)
From: Scott Ellinger 
Subject: Re: truck armor

> 4) Some kind of rocker panel protection. I'm not sure what to do here,
> and this is where I probably need your input most. I want something that
> protects the rocker panels, so they don't get smashed and hold the door
> closed. A place on the side for using a highlift might be handy. It

I just finished (well, more or less; I haven't painted them yet) my nerf
bars.  They're also installed, and I'll try to relay the ideas I used on
them, and maybe some of my future additions to said bars.

First off, I made them out of 1.5" sch40 steel pipe.  It's about 1.9" OD,
so I just tossed it in the bender (I have a tube bender set up to bend 2"
OD tube, for my rollcage) and bent merrily away; worked fine for the
bends in the pipe.

I welded a plate to one end, and bolted that to the rear spring hanger
on the back end.  It comes straight out, runs along the rocker panel seam
under the door, and bends in again at the body mount up front, and is
attached to the back of the body mount under the firewall.

Then, I attached a chunk of angle steel to the bar along the length of
straight pipe between the bends, welded full-length to the bar.  I bolted
that (six bolts on the passenger side, seven on the driver's--the fuel
pump is on the passenger side, taking up one of the bolt holes) to the 
rocker panel seam.

I figure, this is about as strong as a nerf bar can be without being 
made of much larger tube.  And I didn't want to lose ground clearance
when I did this, so the bars are right up against the rocker seam.

I'm going to try to get some pics of this (and the rollcage, and the 
early Bronco flares installed) onto my web page sometimes soon.  But
as yet, they're not web-accessible.

- --scott
Scott Ellinger   ellinger@holly.colostate.edu   Larimer County 4WD Club
        Visit my Home Page: http://holly.colostate.edu/~ellinger
 '86 Toy pickup body, Ford 5.0, GMC NV4500, "slightly altered" RKSTMPR

============================================================================
Toyota 4x4 page: http://www.off-road.com/4x4web/toyota

------------------------------

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 01 Jun 1998 15:37:50 -0700
From: "Jay Kopycinski" 
Subject: Re: truck armor

knight@atmos.albany.edu (David J. Knight) wrote:

>I thought about something like this. I considered just getting some 1"x1/4"
>steel or aluminum. Put one piece on each side of the seam, and bolt them 
>together through the seam. This would result in no loss of ground clearance,
>and would at least assure the seam didn't bend. Wouldn't help much with
>the outer portion of rocker though - I could still hit a rock and find
>my door sealed shut by bent metal. I'm also a little concerned
>about rust, but figure I can probably seal up the holes in the
>seam well enough (silicon caulk?) 

>If somebody made a piece of strong metal pre-formed to the outer
>rocker contour I'd get out my checkbook in a second.

I had considered having some 3/16" plate bent to form three planes
that would conform the the rocker shape. I got a quote from a place
and could have had pieces for both sides made for about $75 or so.


>I still haven't decided how to protect my rocker panels. Here
>is your chance to tell everyone your solution...

Now I'm thinking of maybe using 2" x 2" x 3/16" square tube running
next to the rocker but tilted at 45 degrees to follow the rocker. I'd attach
it to the frame using similar box stock legs welded to the side of the frame.

Still open to ideas though........nothing bought, nothing cut......yet.

Jay Kopycinski    '85 Toylet  (ROKTOY)

------------------------------
------------------------------

Date: Tue, 9 Jun 1998 01:27:50 +0000 (GMT)
From: knight@atmos.albany.edu (David J. Knight)
Subject: rocker panel protection

james stevenson wrote:

> I used 100mm (4in) Stainless Tube with a 5.5mm wall thickness. I posted 
> some time ago How I did it so that's in the archive (I think under roll 
> bars). The mounts on the frame are made from 12mm and are welded to the 
> bars. The mounts are in a U shape and fit around the frame from below. I

> then bolt them on using stock size ubolts from the springs. 

This seemed like a great solution (except I'd use smaller diameter tubing).
No holes to drill in the frame, and no welding to the frame.  Then I went
out to look at the truck frame again. James solution will work fine on the
drivers side (except the ubolt treaded ends would have to hang down below
the frame and might be subject to damage - no problem I'd just plan to cut
them off if the need arose.) But not so on the pasenger side. At least on my
truck (94 xtracab) the fuel and brake lines, and wiring harness run down the
inside of the frame on the passenger side. James, how did you get around
this problem? How many ubolts did you use on each side? I suppose I could
space the brake and fuel lines away from the frame about 3/4 inch, but that
would leave them more vunerable to sticks etc, and I'd be a little concerned
about them getting flexed and chafed maybe leading to a leak sometime in the
future.

I getting to the point where I'll have to just do something, and stop
thinking and planning. So far my best options seem to be:

cross-section drawings
     option 1                            option 2
fuel,   _____                         fuel,   _____           
brake O|    ||                        brake O|    || 
lines O| f  ||<-- J shaped mount      lines O| f  ||<-- I shaped mount
 -->  O| r  ||                         -->  O| r  ||    welded to frame
       | a  ||_____                          | a  ||_____  
      || m  ||                               | m  ||             
bolt->|| e  ||                               | e  ||    nerf tube
trough||    ||      < tubing for             |    ||
frame ||____||        "nerf bar"             |____||______   
and   |______|_____                                                
mount

Option 1, the mounting for the nerf bar would be sort of J shaped. A bolt
would be put through both sides of the mount, and through the frame. One
bolt on each side of the nerf tubing. Two mounts per nerf bar. Probably 3/8
inch grade 8 bolts. This would mean I'd have to drill (or have drilled)
holes in the frame.

Or the second option is to just forget the J part, and have the mouting
plate welded directly to the frame.

Frankly I'm not really wild about either option. But, probably either would
end up working OK. I'm concerned mainly about rust, strength, and long term
durability. Since I don't weld I'm going to have to pay for this anyway...

Thoughts, comments, suggestions

Thanks again.
David (this will be the last time for this question) Knight
knight@atmos.albany.edu

-------------------------------------

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 11 Jun 1998 01:36:17 EST
From: "james stevenson" 
Subject: rocker panel protection

David  Wrote
>fine on the drivers side (except the ubolt treaded ends would have
> to hang down below  the frame and might be subject to damage -
> no problem I'd just plan to cut them off if the need arose.) But not 
so
> on the pasenger side. At least on my truck (94 xtracab) the fuel and
> brake lines, and wiring harness run down the inside of the frame on
> the passenger side. James, how did you get around this problem?
> How many ubolts did you use on each side? 

The bars were kinda hard to make due to the 100mm tube. I used a 5.5mm 
wall thickness too so they are very strong. The Brackets are U shaped 
and go around the frame. To make the bolts point up, the main bracket, 
fitted around the frame, is level with the top of the frame. Then I use 
a 12mm plate above the frame and drill 4 holes for the ubolts. The plate 
is also in a U shape so it locks around the outsides to the main 
bracket. U bolts go in from under the frame and tightens above. The 
front bracket is mounted 5mm behind the rearmost position of the 
shackle. The back bracket is hard up angst the rear spring hanger 
(Double cab Hilux). The tube that can bee seen running down the side is 
position as close to the tyres as possible and down the centreline. Its 
is also dropped so the lower edge of the tube is level with the lower 
edge on the Tcase crossmember (at the frame) so as to protect that. The 
shape of the bar it self is a little weird and took heaps of tome to do. 
>From the front mount about 6inch of tube extends out but slops down by 
10 degrees and forward by 5(allows the tube to clear the body. The I 
then turn up and increase the angle forward (the mount is about 12inches 
behind the front of the bar that that is visible) next is a 145 degree 
bend to connect to the main tube running down the side. At the rear is 
easier, it's a 180 degree bend than slopes down slightly. The side of 
the tube is welded to the bracket and the end capped. I have 3 tubes 
welded through the end cap for the water supply. As they are stainless 
steel they are also setup as water tanks. The brackets are made from 
12mm thick stainless steel plate. Down the rivers side you have the 
wiring, brake and fuel lines and the handbrake on the rear to coned 
with. On mine I also had the fuel tank to clear. On the front mount I 
just removed the clips that hold the lines on and bent the tube out 
12mm. I then go another clip form the dealer and drilled a hole in the 
bracket and mounted the clip their. The drivers rear was a bit tricky. I 
had to disconnect the handbrake cable and drop it to the floor to get 
the bracket on then reinstall the cable. I used 2 stock U bolts per 
bracket for the attachments. As the tube could no be bent I welded each 
joint and polished smooth. Before welding I used the lathe to cut I 
remove 3mm from the inside of the tube. Before welding I shrunk fit a 
tube in between the outer tubes. A 45 degree angle was cut into each of 
the mating faces prior to shrink fitting so I then HP welded the V cit 
and filled to above the tube. Last up I polished the weld down so you 
cant see a join. When complete the entire bar was mirror polished 
(chrome thing)


James Stevenson (TonkaTuf)

------------------------------

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1998 12:50:38 -0500
From: "Lance Morin" 
Subject: RE: Rocker Panel Protection

I built some custom "rock bars" or "rock sliders" for my 1998 Toyota Tacoma.
I went to a local steel supplier (specilizing in used or excess steel for
farmers and/or builders) and purchased 2 pieces (72" long) of 2" x 3" x
3/16" rectangular tubing. I also picked up about 6 feet of 2" x 2" x 1/4"
square tubing for the braces. The Tacoma frame is very straight, so I just
cut three braces per side. (all at the same length of 9". The actual sliders
are 70" long. The whole unit is welded directly to the frame. Some people
use smaller tubing or bolt the bars on, but I figured I wanted to protect
the '98 truck and would never bother taking them off. I've got a few
pictures I can post to the following site :
www.cyberramp.net/~siralf/rockbars

The project cost me a total of $22 and some change for the material, while a
went to a buddies house to weld up the project. Actually, I wen to a couple
buddies' houses, since we ran out of gas at the fist place :)  I'd image you
could layout and mark everything and have a welding shop or muffler shop put
them together for you for about $50.00 if you supplied everything ready to
go. If you decide to bolt them on, just weld the support members to a
predrilled piece of flat bar about 3/8" to 1/2" thick. When using bolts,
remember that Grade 5 bolts tend to bend before they break, but Grade 8 will
usually just shear off. Some people prefer one to the other. Personally, I'd
rather the bolt bend and maintain some protection (you can always cut them
off). However, I just welded those babies straight to the frame for maximum
security. I'll have to get a full write up of that soon...

Lance M. (FWD-FWD)

========================
------------------------------

Date: Wed, 3 Jun 1998 12:50:57 -7 GMT
From: "Leo G. Divinagracia III" 
Subject: Re: Nerf Bar Question          

> From: Barney McNamara 
> 
> I have yet to try lifting the truck using the nerf and have wondered
> about the ability of the hi-lift to grab the round bar, and lift 
> without crushing the tube. Rather than test it in the driveway, I
> thought I would wait till I need it, then crush (or dent) the tube 
> if that is what happens.

how about a little piece of angle iron placed under the nerf bar, so 
the tongue of the hi-lift would put the pressure on that.  this way, 
it would spread the load instead of just the inch or so of the width 
of the tongue.

say, like a 5" long 90 degree piece?

Leo G. Divinagracia III   

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1998 12:31:04 -0700 (PDT)
From: Luke P Miller 
Subject: Re: custom nerf football guards

1/4" wall is probably thick enough for most anything you'll hit.
I used 1/4" wall, 1.5" square tubing welded to the frame with three
outriggers. Works well enough, but I did manage to bend one up slightly
because I didn't brace the frame mount enough. But now it's plenty sturdy
in its tweaked position. Perhaps you can go thinner than 1/4", but I'll
leave that for someone else to speak up about. Maybe 1/8" is fine. It's a
bit late for me to experiment right now. 

Do you have any body lift? It makes it nice and easy to be able to use
straight outriggers, instead of trying to make them dip down under the
lip of the rocker panel, or cutting into the sheetmetal.

On Thu, 15 Oct 1998, BUTER BRADFORD RYAN wrote:

> what kind of metal tubing is best for this.  I guess steel is the only
> option so it can be welded to the frame, but what diameter and wall
> thickness would be best?
> Anyone who has had some rocker panel protection welded up and could give
> me any pointers on the design, lessons learned, etc would be appreciated. 

________________________________________________________________________
Luke Miller
umilll02@umail.ucsb.edu   Santa Barbara, CA
85 4Runner SR5 22RE 3" front Alcan lift, 3" rear mazda spring conversion,
25.4 mm body lift,  RS9000's, rear lock-right, 32" Michelins, #276, other
ugly garbage
________________________________________________________________________


============================================================================
Toyota 4x4 page: http://www.off-road.com/4x4web/toyota

------------------------------
------------------------------

Date: Thu, 05 Nov 1998 17:40:24 -0600
From: Stricklin@tomah.com (Lisa Stricklin)
Subject: nerf bars

I own a shop in Wi were I build nerfs.  I`ve always used 2" water pipe.
It has approximatly a 1/4" wall thickness and are about 2 5/8" O.D. I
think.  It`s been awhile since I`v measured it.  You can either weld it
to the frame or use tabs welded to the ends.  I put tabs on the tubes so
they can also be bolted to the body flange.

Ken
stricklin@tomah.com

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