Rocky Road Rock Sliders

Discussion in 'Renegade Modified Tech' started by David Wong, Aug 6, 2019.

  1. David Wong

    David Wong Member

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    So I have a set of the Rocky Road rock sliders. Drilling through the seams are killing me. I spent almost a hour drilling for one hole and the non-hole won. For those of you that have installed these themselves, do you have any suggestions on what I can do to make the drilling a bit easier? Type of bits, drill, drill speed, anything.

    Also, I used a step bit for the 9/16 hole and the bit got away from me. Now I have a couple of the rubber inserts somewhat loose. Do you think the bolts on the seams will hold this up as long as I have a few of the rubber inserts that are snug? Or do you have a recommendation to fix this?

    I know, this is a debacle. :)

    Thank you in advance.
     
  2. zuke

    zuke Active Member

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    I would not depend on the seam bolts to hold it up, the sagging rail will have a LOT of leverage on them... I'd go to https://www.mcmaster.com/rivnuts/=1b10b8c05f2b42a8a7ba2a124ad5640bjz09h346 and order the appropriate size for the holes you accidently oversized, They aren't expensive, and they'll give you a lot more peace of mind.

    For the Pinch Seam holes. Try to avoid drilling directly on spot welds where you can, Use good quality cobalt bits, https://www.mcmaster.com/3069A25 ,and cutting Oil, https://www.amazon.com/CRC-14050-Cutting-Thread-Lubricant/dp/B000M8NYIU, Just about any drill will work, as long as you can get a straight shot at the pinch seam. You want pressure, not speed, Don't push so hard you are worn out in 5 minutes, but put decent pressure on it. Go what seems painfully slow, like 60 to 120 rpm, and you should see the metal come off in a single twisty ribbon. Go to fast and you'll wear out the bit in no time flat.
     
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  3. David Wong

    David Wong Member

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    Thank you so much for the advice and the links to make my work easier. You don't know how much I appreciate this after a frustrating day. Much appreciated!!!
     
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  4. zuke

    zuke Active Member

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    You're quite welcome! Full disclosure, Here are my Rock Rails in the shop I haven't had time to install yet!

    But I've drilled many a pinch seam, and overdrilled many a hole so I definitely feel your pain! ;)
     

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  5. David Wong

    David Wong Member

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    What's holding you up? I want you to feel my pain lol. I'm sure you will get it done a lot easier than me. I'm not mechanically incline but willing to do the work.
     
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  6. zuke

    zuke Active Member

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    Time and too many projects is definitely what's holding me up :D ATM I'm putting new rear axles in the Wife's Wrangler Rubi, Then Changing the oil in the Renny once the Wife's jeep is off the lift, then going home to charge the battery in the Wife's Mustang, then tomorrow putting new brake lines in the Wife's pickup, If I get all that done, Friday I might get to start on the rock rails! notice the trend? The wife's toys get all the attention! (In all fairness, I broke the axle in the Rubi :) )

    Oh well, Happy Wife, Happy life, and she doesn't complain a bit about all my toys!
     
  7. David Wong

    David Wong Member

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    So I have a question. My drill doesn’t have a setting for rpm. How do I know if it’s at 60-120rpm? Sorry, but not mechanically incline.
     
  8. zuke

    zuke Active Member

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    Basically, start off going as slow as you can, I'm assuming it's a variable speed drill that the speed changes depending on how hard you pull trigger, it would have to be a very old drill indeed to be fixed speed, but they were common 30 plus years ago...

    60 rpm is one rotation per second, this is pretty perceptible as slow. Basically pick a spot on the chuck, (The part of the drill that holds the bit) and put a clear mark on it that you can see, then run the drill without drilling anything and count 'one mississippi - two mississippi - three missisippi' and get a feel for when the the mark comes around at the same spot with each count, that will give you a good feel for 60rpm... Once you get that feel, you oughta be able to drill at that speed without having to count... once you feel confident you know 60rpm, you oughta be able to go anywhere from there to double the speed (120rpm) by the sound of the drill.. Somewhere in between those two speed is where you'll likely find the sweet spot that removes the most material with each rotation...

    Here's a good video on it, though this guy actually goes a bit faster than I like;

     
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  9. David Wong

    David Wong Member

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    Thank you so much for your help!
     
  10. GoRuggedTrails

    GoRuggedTrails Member

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    What 9/16" bit do people recommend? I am putting on my Rocky Road Super Sliders on Sunday, and going shopping for supplies.
    Don't want to do a step bit, as I don't want to make the holes too big....
     
  11. zuke

    zuke Active Member

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    For that size hole I really prefer a step bit, but for drilling through multiple layers, Like drilling out a track bar hole, I use Dewalt Titanium's. PRetty easy to find at most Lowes or Home Depots
     
  12. GoRuggedTrails

    GoRuggedTrails Member

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    Just installed my Rocky Road Super Sliders.
    Please see the before an after pictures.

    First off, you need the correct bits to make this go smoothly.
    I first bough some titanium bits from Harbor Freight.....and after about 1 hr of not even punching through one hole on the pinch seam, we went to Lowe's bought some DeWalts Cobalt bits - a little better, but not much.
    Then we had a friend come over and he brought some Milwaukee's Titanium Bits and man did these bits make a difference. We noticed them tearing up the pinch seam instantly, and once we started drilling with them, it took us 45 minutes a side!!! Wish we had those for the previous 3 hours we were working.
    The first side took us 6 hours to complete. The second side took us 2 hours.
    The lesson I learned from this was making sure you have the correct tools.

    I love these rock sliders, and it is going to take some time to get used to them. I keep rubbing my calf on them as I get out of the Renegade, but I will get used to that.

    Before.jpg After.jpg
     
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  13. David Wong

    David Wong Member

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    Happy for ya! I’m still working on mine and maybe it will get done by the end of the year . Thanks for the heads up on the type of bits you used.
     
  14. IDoMy0wnRacing

    IDoMy0wnRacing Well-Known Member

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  15. David Wong

    David Wong Member

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    I finally got it done. I want to thank IDoMyOwnRacing, zuke and GoRuggedTrails for your postings that helped me. Special thanks to IDoMyOwnRacing and zuke for your personal responses to assist me. The Milwaukee bits, wow, what a difference. At least for me. Installation wasn't hard, drilling is what takes forever. Cheers!!!
     

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  16. zuke

    zuke Active Member

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    Glad you got'r'done, David, perserverance paid off!
     
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  17. GoRuggedTrails

    GoRuggedTrails Member

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    Glad those Milwaukee bits worked out. They are a difference maker! Looks great!!!
     
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  18. IDoMy0wnRacing

    IDoMy0wnRacing Well-Known Member

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    No problem. I'm glad you got it done.
     

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