How to install your AtoZ rockers

By yzergod

Well, the day had come and my rockers from AtoZ Fabrications had finally arrived. I was like a kid who knew he was getting a new bicycle! I prepared my TJ by washing the area the rockers were going to be installed on (not the whole Jeep as that would have taken too much valuable install time) and gathered the needed tools.

Here is a “before” picture of the yzership with my newly cleaned rocker area…

Here are my pre-drilled and counter sunk, primered rockers fresh out of the package, ready for paint…

Upon close inspection, I was quite pleased with the quality and beefiness of the AtoZ rockers. I was extremely pleased with the step bars and the counter-sunk holes! After exhaustive research (staring at my options in Home Depot), I chose Rust-oleum “Hammered” in black. Here is a pic of what I picked…

After several coats, I was pleased with the color and finish. Hopefully, touch ups will only require a quick spray from the can. The first couple of coats with this paint left tiny pinholes that showed the primer color. This is normal for this paint. Here is a pic of the first coat with the pinholes…

And here is a pic of the finished paint job…

Once the paint was dry (actually, the next day) it was time to install the rockers. I gathered up the needed tools.

Here is what I needed for the install:

- Drill & bits

- Allen wrench

- Socket wrench

- HiLift jack

Some additional items I got were:

- Tube of silicon caulk & caulk gun

- 12 fender washers

- 7 feet of 1” wide tread grip tape

The first thing I did was to put a rocker onto where it goes on the Jeep with the HiLift jack. I stuck a piece of foam rubber between the jack and the rocker to keep from chipping up the great paint job I laid on the rocker. Once I got it into position (a helper is great to have here), I drilled pilot holes where the boltholes are supposed to go. Take care to center the rocker between the fender flares. Here is a pic of the rocker on the jack in position…

After the pilot holes were drilled, I took the rocker off and drilled the holes to fit the 5/16^ths bolts that were included in the package. Note in this next picture the giant gouge in the fender flair. This is due in part because the rockers are beefy, 25+ pounds each. The other part is because I was working by myself and lost a good hold. Here is the gouge with a drilled out bolt hole…

Here is the bolts/hardware ready for install…

You can barely see in the picture in the hardware bag is a dozen 5/16^ths fender washers that are about the size of a silver dollar. Included from AtoZ are regular washers but since I wheel my Jeep hard, I wanted the extra security of the fender washers. Especially if I use my rockers as an attachment point for a yank strap! Here is an inside view of the untightened bolts…

Something else I decided to do was to put some clear 100% silicone caulking on the inside of the rockers (where they meet the body of the Jeep) and the boltholes. I added the silicone since my Jeep body had some damage in that area and I didn’t want to worry about rust. The silicone should keep the rust at bay and prevent sand and such from working behind the rocker. Once attached (again a helper works wonders at this point), I tightened the bolts from the center of the rocker outward. Here is the finished installed rocker…

These rockers wrap under the Jeep to protect the body from damage when smacking down on an obstacle. The next pic shows how the rocker protects underneath…

Next, I wanted some tread tape on the step rails to prevent family members from doing a header into the Jeep when the elements include mud or wet stuff. My local hardware store sells 3M-brand tread tape for $1.29 a foot. A good investment in my mind as kids (or short mother-in-laws) teeth aren’t cheap to replace! Here is a pic of the tape ready for install…

Here is a picture of the tape installed…

The last major part of the install was to apply the great decals included with the kit. Notice how close the silver decal matches the silver factory Jeep decal! I ordered yellow decals as well and used those underneath to add a bit of a shadow. Here is where and how they ended up…

My suggestion would be to apply the decals, tread tape, and then put on a good coat of wax. A quick wash and wax job and with the new rockers, my Jeep looks like a million bucks!! Here is the “after” picture…

I am extremely pleased with the fit and finish of the rockers and the great service of AtoZ Fabrications!! Thanks, ZachV!!

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