Installation
When
the Crusher Corners arrived from Poison Spyder I was surprised
that there was absolutely no packaging/wrap
to protect the corners
during shipping. In fact, there were actually two “packages.” One
was a small box that contained the instructions and all necessary
hardware and the other was – well - the corners. No box.
No packaging. No nothing. Just two corners taped together with
a shipping label slapped on the side.
As I thought about it a little more the trip to my house from
Englewood, Colorado in a UPS truck would probably be least violent
trip theses corners would ever experience. I quickly realized
there was no reason to package the corners, because they are
nearly indestructible.
Crusher Corners
are laser cut from 3/16" plate
steel. To achieve the perfect radius to match the factory tub,
the steel
is formed on a roller die for a smooth unscored surface. Taking
a look at the label, the pair weighed in at 70 lbs, but the weight
is worth the protective benefits gained.
Once you
have unwrapped everything, it’s time to do a
dry fit. With the amount of body damage my tub had previously
suffered, this dry fit quickly exposed places where the sheet
metal need a little more ‘finesse.’ This was accomplished
with a small 2 lb. sledge hammer followed by more Rustoleum.
(NOTE: if your tub is still factory straight, the corners should
fit perfect the first time).
I used a
floor jack with a piece of wood for an extension and several
C-clamps to secure the corners in place. Once everything was
mocked up I marked where to drill the holes. Since I ordered
my corners to accommodate TJ flares (which are much larger
than stock CJ or YJ) the opening for the wheel well needed
to be enlarged. I marked the tub to match the armor and used
a jig saw to cut away more clearance for the tires. After drilling
and cutting on the tub, I followed everything up with a good
shot of Rustoleum.
All of the
fastener hardware is easily accessible with the exception of
two. On my CJ there are two fasteners
that go near the bottom
of the tub next to the tailgate. This portion of the tub is boxed
from behind so it is impossible to reach it with a bolt. As a
result, it will be necessary to drill an access hole in the bottom
of the tub. I used a 3/4” hole saw to cut an opening just
large enough to reach through with a socket.
Now that
the corners were mocked up, it was time to cut openings for
the new oval LED tail lights. To do this,
I started with
a piece of scrap Masonite. I used a jig saw to cut a hole the
exact size and shape (via trial and error) so the LED and grommet
would fit perfectly. Once I had the cut-out, I transferred the ‘image’ to
a piece of scrap paper to use as a template. After marking where
to cut the corners, they were removed from the Jeep and a jigsaw
and grinder were used to cut the holes in the 3/16” steel
corner. Finally, using only a few of the fasteners, I bolted
the corners to the tub and used an air body saw to cut holes
in the tub that matched those in the corners, followed up by
more Rustoleum on all the bare metal edges.
The corners come from Poison Spyder as unpainted bare metal.
I used steel wool and paint prep to clean the metal and then
I shot them with two coats of primer, lightly sanding with steel
wool between coats. Then it was time for paint. Be sure to prime
and paint all surfaces of the corners before painting (inside,
outside, and edges). Of course, you can also choose to have your
corners powdercoated.
By this time,
you will have already installed and uninstalled the corners
a couple of times so this part
of the job is pretty
easy. Take the supplied hardware and start bolting it all together.
In some instances you might want to use an alignment bar to help
line the holes up to the same location as when the c-clamps were
holding it flush. You wouldn’t want to use C-clamps here
because they can mark or scar your paint job.
Trail Testing
For testing, I decided to travel to Clayton, Oklahoma for the
2004 Memorial Day High Country Trail Ride sponsored by FWD-FWD. Clayton is one of my all-time
favorite places to wheel and FWD-FWD always put together and
excellent event. Memorial Weekend was no exception.
To be honest,
I was not expecting to test the Crusher Corners. They are so
stout, their strength is obvious.
My Jeep, however,
had other plans. It turns out that the only thing that suffered
the abuse dished out while running trails like Green Mambo, TSOB,
and Feriling’s Staircase was my paint job. Even it survived
fairly unscathed.
The Bottom Line
If you want to protect your Jeep’s sheet metal, get a set
of Crusher Corners. If you have already abused your Jeep and
you’d like to straighten some of the mangled mess that
used to be your tub, get a set of Crusher Corners. To make your
Jeep even more bulletproof, add a set of Rocker Knockers to protect
the tub’s rockers. Stay tuned, and soon you can read about
installing Rocker Knockers from Poison Spyder.
RESOURCE |
Poison Spyder Customs
2140 W. Dartmouth
Englewood, CO 80110
Phone: 303-777-4820
www.spydercustoms.com |
|
Steve lives in Southwest Houston where he spends weekdays as a college professor and weekends trying to keep all four wheels of his Jeep on the ground.
Contact Steve at steve@southernhighrollers.com |