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This Modification is not for the light of heart and not for everyone, but if you are looking for top notch performance without much cost to your pocketbook or to your ground clearance, this mod is for your consideration.
First thing to do is to remove the stock rocker panels. When doing this be careful of the B pillar (the one behind the front doors). You can easily saw right through them as the are so thin. I know this from experience. You will then get to spend extra time welding the B pillar back to the Unibody. My suggestion is to cut the top line first (the cut below the doors). Then you can peel the rocker down and get a better view of what is going on inside and avoid making my mistake (I did this on the second side and it worked out great). This is what it looks like with the Rockers removed.
Here is a close-up of the cut under the door. It is about 1 inch below the bend. I did not remove the plastic cladding I just cut right through that also.
Next step is to assemble the Replacements. I used 4x4x1/8 Square tubing with a piece of 1x1 angle to make up the difference in the depth of the old opening (which is 5 inches). In hindsight I could have cut one inch higher under the door and used 5x5, but I had 4x4 laying around the shop so that is what I used.
Now you measure up for the total length. Your will probably be different because I basically don't have any front fender left and have trimmed the rear quite a bit also. I then cut the 4x4 at a 45* angle to aid in sliding up onto things.
By now you should have a pretty good idea of what the next step is. Welding the 1x1 piece of angle to the inside bottom lip with the L facing toward the rocker (outside of the vehicle). Here are a couple pics, the first is looking at the top down and second is bottom up.
Now comes the trickiest part of the Build. Marking and notching around the A and B pillars. The best way to do this is to place the Rockers up on jack stands and get the right up against the pillars and mark them. Then measure the depth of the cut and mark that. Remember the old Adage: Measure twice cut once! Take them down and cut with a plasma cutter, torch or do like I did and use a sawzall (the 1/8th is pretty easy to cut with a new blade). Test fit and adjust until you get them to sit right were you want them to. Remember once they are welded on that little mistake is a permanent mistake so if you don't like it then FIX IT! Here are some pictures of the notches I cut.
If you like you can add a tube step like I did. It is simply schedule 80 tubing bent on each end and braced once in the middle. I had a friend hold it in place and I tacked it on then I pulled it all down and zipped it up tight. Not rocket science in any aspect. Here is finished pic.
Time to weld it to the body. Forgive the looks of the welds but you will see that welding to sheet-metal is a real Pain in the Ass. That coupled with my 235 Millermatic and I ran out of small wire so I used .35 wire makes for some rough going (especially when you are self taught farmboy Welder). Weld it tight to the body (full 5 feet) under the door and if you like you could bolt to the pinch weld, but I gave that a full length weld as well. Here is a pic of the final install.
And Boy oh Boy do they work.
