[YellowIH]

Looking to ditch the doors and add inserts for some protection.

Anybody got gripes or tips on the SSII inserts?

Pros and Cons? This is for a trail truck.

Thanks

 

[ChiScouter]

I have read posts about guys beefing them with 2x4's and such to allow stepping on them without busting them apart. Mine are the smooth style fiberglass from Kentrol. I used a ton of pop rivets on them. Strong as shit and have held up fine for about 5 years now. I can jump on flat area and they don't even budge. I am happy with them. Get the rivets from Speedway.

 

[Joe V]

I wouldn't go any other way. S2 hard doors are :rainbow:

I am installing another set right now. This time I am going to weld a tube at the bottom of the rocker to add some longevity to the bottom of the insert. It tends to breakup and crumble on the rocks.

Don't forget to mount the hinge on the insert before you mount it.

 

[Hayraker]

My only gripe about them is the price, so I am making my own out of tube and sheet metal. I'm almost finished.

 

[Hooper]

Tough

They are very tough. I have Kentrol inserts. I lean them against trees and rocks all the time, without breaking. I reinforced the bottom flat area of mine, and reinforced the door bracket back to the hinge. Folks ALWAYS lean on the doors to climb in and out.

They don't keep the water and wind out real well, but the convenience of being able to yank them and throw them in the bed is worth the trade off.

 

[jpeater]

What about converting the steel doors?

If you have a pair of stock steel doors that you don't mind cutting why not make your own SS doors? With a pattern supplied by Hooper I am going to cut up some already damaged doors, already cut on a friends doors for practice. Will weld in some steel reinforcing between the two sides then probably fiberglass the gap, but might bend some sheet metal, not sure. The doors are a lot lighter now as well, comparatively anyway, to the stock doors.

Dirk

 

[Pjs]

done.

pics here:

1
here:
2

i eventually ground it all down, and painted them drab green.
pat

 

[Hooper]

Weight

What is the advantage? You are not saving that much weight.

But, it does allow you to climb in and out without having to open the door.

But, you can't roll the window up....

Now the steel inserts for soft doors make sense. You are avoiding the expensive fiberglass. But the doors with just a small divot don't make a lot of sense to me. I am probably just not understanding something though.

I really like being able to put the doors on when it starts raining, and then take them back off again when the sun comes out 5 minutes later. The SSII form steel doors you can do that, but the doors with just the divot taken out of, you have not saved much weight, and you get wet when it rains.... Only benefit I see is that it is easier to hop in and out, vs solid doors.. and a marginal weight savings...

Not trying to dis the cutout doors, I just don't understand the advantage....

Only aside to that is that being able to hop in and out without opening the door is a big benefit if you are off camber. Trying to open, or close, scout doors when tilted to the side can get tough!!

 

[Mechanos]

Well, Hoop... I can see where you're coming from about not being able to hop in and out easily, but they do allow for improved visibility.

 

[Hooper]

Visibility

Well, Hoop... I can see where you're coming from about not being able to hop in and out easily, but they do allow for improved visibility.

Ahh, yep. No question on that. A lot easier to stick your head out the side and see what the tires are doing.. can't do that very effectively with a full size door, even with the window rolled down.

Good point. That makes sense.

But, why not just go with the inserts, aside from the money saving aspect, and that is a huge issue, cuz the inserts are pricey... I guess the metal doors dent and can be bondo'd vs the fiberglass which may crack (mine haven't yet) and that is an advantage also.

Plus, some folks don't like the *look* of the fiberglass....

 

[tsm1mt]

Well, Hoop... I can see where you're coming from about not being able to hop in and out easily, but they do allow for improved visibility.

Michelle was driving my SII in the snow on our run on 3/1 and while watching her and telling her "turn your tire left" and such, I realized she's handicapped in my SII. Her shoulders are probably even with the bottom of the door glass (/top of door) so looking out to watch the tire and make sure it's "straight" or "left" or "right" isn't going to happen.

Must be why we got her an 800. (Now if her mechanic would just get around to working on it a bit more often instead of his own junk..)

I like the idea of cut steel doors, particularly if you're able to retain the door latch (even just the outside handle) and the stock hinges.

It would make converting back to "full doors" relatively straightforward.

I'd like to go back to my steel top in the winter some day (after I repair my trashed body).

Maybe my wrinkled doors would make good cut-outs for SSII soft-doors.

I even have a set of SSII inserts I can just slap against the steel door for a template.

 

[Hooper]

Switching Doors

Michelle was driving my SII in the snow on our run on 3/1 and while watching her and telling her "turn your tire left" and such, I realized she's handicapped in my SII. Her shoulders are probably even with the bottom of the door glass (/top of door) so looking out to watch the tire and make sure it's "straight" or "left" or "right" isn't going to happen.

Must be why we got her an 800. (Now if her mechanic would just get around to working on it a bit more often instead of his own junk..)

I like the idea of cut steel doors, particularly if you're able to retain the door latch (even just the outside handle) and the stock hinges.

It would make converting back to "full doors" relatively straightforward.

I'd like to go back to my steel top in the winter some day (after I repair my trashed body).

Maybe my wrinkled doors would make good cut-outs for SSII soft-doors.

I even have a set of SSII inserts I can just slap against the steel door for a template.

Good point. It is easier to switch from regular steel to the cutout steel, then from inserts to regular... and no left over holes in the sheet metal from the inserts

 

[Tony Sobrito]

my ssII outers are totally hammered. next time they will be metal. i dont run a top or doors. this is a trailered rock rig, lots of pivot turns and boulder bashing

 

[troutbum]

done.



i eventually ground it all down, and painted them drab green.
pat

That is a lot of work for only a couple of inches of cutout... you should have at least grafted a drink holder into the flat sheet that covers the gap...:flipoff2:

 

[slipscomb]

I love the inserts. Been running the Kentrol fiberglass inserts for a few years now and have had pretty good luck with them. I started with the factory abs plastic inserts but after 30 years they are old and brittle and break alot easier. The fiberglass has held up quite well. I have gouged them out a bit and knocked them off a few times from rollovers but they really are pretty durable. Great visability, light weight and flexible.

 

[snoop dogg]

it would be nice to have a pair...but i like just plain, no doors at all...easier to get in the inserts. But the inserts look bad a$$....

by the way, sean...how much longer till the rockwelled scout is done?

 

[Pjs]

That is a lot of work for only a couple of inches of cutout

it doesn't look like much, but the door ledge that i made sits at the same level as the seat bottom. cutting any less wouldnt help, and the door just gets weaker.

the visability is much beter now, especially with the full width axles in there.

after the scout doors were gutted, and cut, they really dont weigh that much. but they are VERY FLIMSY at best.
i build a 1" box tube frame inside the half doors for support.
i use the door sill as a step.

i was unable to save the stock latch setup. i actually welded up all the holes in these doors (lock and handle). i then bent the door latch linkage and made it so that i can push down on the manual lock button and the door latch releases. i made up my own handle to manually lock the doors so they dont pop open if i accidentally bump the button. the only time they get opened is to remove them anyway.

pat

 

[slipscomb]

by the way, sean...how much longer till the rockwelled scout is done? [/B][/QUOTE]

Going to pic up another set of Rockwells today to trade to my cage builder for the work. fabbed the body/cage mounts last weekend. Waiting on the patterns to get back from Cali. getting them put on disc in "autocad" so the plate cutter can cut them out for the dual t-case adapter. Decided to leave the 345 in for now but holding on to the Vortec 350. Maybe later this year. I got some pics scanned and started to upload to "Montypics" but ran out of time and their server is down until next week so you guys will have to wait. I might send them to Hoop to post if he wants to. By the way Hoop, did you get those articles "archived" for me? Thanks in advance...

Sean

 

[Hooper]

Archives

by the way, sean...how much longer till the rockwelled scout is done?

Going to pic up another set of Rockwells today to trade to my cage builder for the work. fabbed the body/cage mounts last weekend. Waiting on the patterns to get back from Cali. getting them put on disc in "autocad" so the plate cutter can cut them out for the dual t-case adapter. Decided to leave the 345 in for now but holding on to the Vortec 350. Maybe later this year. I got some pics scanned and started to upload to "Montypics" but ran out of time and their server is down until next week so you guys will have to wait. I might send them to Hoop to post if he wants to. By the way Hoop, did you get those articles "archived" for me? Thanks in advance...

Sean [/B][/QUOTE]

Yep. I got them. Need to put them on a page still though. Maybe today or tomorrow...

 

[Ben Segrest]

Re: Weight

What is the advantage? You are not saving that much weight.

I've thought about cutting a set of doors a lot. It would make it oh so much easier to put groceries in when both hands are full :flipoff2:

I would like to get a template of some inserts, though. Dirk just proved what I've been thinking for a while.