Why rock sliders?

When I bought my Jeep I had one thing in mind, exploring the wilderness that is New Mexico. And I have done lots of that but I have also done a lot of rock crawling and mudding. This has forced me to consider some modifications I never thuoght I would do and the first up is rock sliders. Instead of explaining why this will be the first, I think it would be better to show you.

I had bumped lots of rocks with my Jeep but never on a body panel. Not only did it break off my side step and tear off the plastic side piece, it bent up the front step mount into the side of the body. Until that moment, I had never seen much of a need for rock sliders. Now I know better.

Which rock sliders?

I started the search by opening a Quadratec catalog. As I compared all the available models in the catalog, I was impressed most by the sliders made by Warn. They not only looked the nicest but also looked like they were built the best. I was just about to order a set when I stumbled across the Shrockworks web site. They make a set of rock sliders that not only protect the side of the Jeep but also the underneath. The attach using 6 bolts through the side and 6 more through the floor. They are a little more expensive than the Warn set but since I live my life by the phrase, "If you are going to do something ... do it right", I was more than happy to pay the little extra for a better product. The base price is $279 but I opted for the $20 flush side bolts option. They have a $55 powdercoat option but I decided to save the money and paint them myself. The total cost including shipping was $353 and they were laying in my living room (I do not have a garage) 10 business days after I placed my order.

My initial impressions.

They came in a rather large box that weighed 98 lbs. says FedEx. Once I started opening the box, I found that they were very well packed and I got my first look at the size of them. They are beefy for lack of a better word. Since they are raw steel, there was a fine coat of oil covering each. Also in the box was a bag of hardware, 6 mounting plates, a Shrockworks sticker, and some very basic instructions.

Preping the sliders.

The first thing I had to do was clean the sliders and then paint them. I started by scrubbing them down and letting them dry. Then I sprayed on a primer and then 2 coats of flat-black paint. Next I called a friend because this was definitely going to be a two man job.

Installing the sliders.

I am not going to go into detail on how to install these sliders but I would like to touch on a few areas that I feel are not well documented on the web.

The first thing we had to do was remove the step, plastic side piece and accompanying attachment rail. Then we cleaned the area and removed all the mud that was in our way. Note: If you are planning to install something on the exterior of your Jeep, do not go play in the mud the week before.

Once we got the areas clean, we test fit the slider in place. Note: Be very, very careful not to scratch up the fenders and side of the Jeep when placing the slider. It fit great. We then drilled a couple holes, secured a couple bolts and drilled the rest. We then removed the slider and filled all the old holes with silicone sealant.

Before bolting the slider in place forever, I decided to do something different. I placed a washer between the slider and the body. This not only helps with drainage but also spaces out the slider a little bit to help with the fact that Wrangler bodies are the perfectly straight down the side. I used silicone to hold the washers in place while we bolted the slider in place. This ended up working out wonderfully and I am glad I did it. Another thing I did differently was use nylon locking nuts instead of the supplied standard nut with lock-washer. I just feel that they hold better.

After we installed all the bolts on the side, it was time to go underneath. Soon we had all the holes drilled and the plates bolted in place. This is an area of the install that is not cover well anywhere online. We are told that the kit comes with plates but where do they go and what do they look like after they are installed? Again, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Using a Dremel tool and many cutting wheels, I cut off the tails of all the bolts on the floor. Next I plan to get some carpet pad to install around the plates. I hope to save my carpet from getting damaged by the new metal sticking up all over the floor.

My final thoughts.

The price is right, shipping was better than expected, build quality is great, installation is easy, they look great and I am sure they perform even better. What more could I want? Nothing.

Some pictures of the finished project.

More to come.