Sliders

[Justin]

I'm taking feelers on custom rock sliders. They'll be made from 3/16" 2x4 tube with a 1"-1.5" diameter nerf rail similar to these: http://www.dufftuff.com/1_4_Rocker_Guar ... p/7013.htm. They'll come cut to your desired length, mitered to the angle of your wheelwell capped, and fully welded for $250. I'm also willing to complete or help with the installation if your inner rockers are in decent shape, and they can be tied into the frame for some additional money. I'll need 2 people to commit to buy to make'em. Any interest?

[Moab Mike]

I'll need sliders for the 74' but I'm still trying to get the 76' EFI done. I can let you know by next month.

[B.O.B.]

I would be game

[Justin]

Bob, PM to you.

[Dukietown]

Sorry for the quasi threadjack but it is related. I'm just curious as to why Bronco sliders all seem to be body mounted in place of the rockers? I have a Tacoma for my DD and browse the forums and the style that seems to be popular for the newer trucks is a square or round tube slider that is welded to the frame. Something like this: https://www.allprooffroad.com/05tacomat ... ocksliders Just thought it was interesting that that nobody seems to make something similar for the EB.

[Justin]

I could absolutely build a set like that for you, and many folks opt to mount their sliders to the frame as well as the body. I suspect that at least part of the reason EB owners cut the rockers is that there is lots of dead space in there that can give more clearance if removed. Mounting the sliders below the rocker would result in at least 3" less clearance as compared to replacing it. I don't think that modern vehicles have as much, and it's also probably tougher to do. Some of the Cherokee guys are starting to cut out the rockers on their vehicles and boatsides on Jeeps are increasingly common.

[Dukietown]

Gotcha, that makes a lot of sense. Thanks!

[BNC04]

Great work!
I Pm'd Justin after this post as I had been considering sliders on the Bronco due to some rust starting to show it's ugly head in the rockers. We met to take a look at the rust situation and decided it was feasible.
A time was set and last Saturday I showed up at Justin's place to begin work. Note: kirk was also coming to do some fab work on a bumper for me.
We planned out the build needs and possibilities. I was using 2x5 tube and having it welded to the body
Wheels off, prepping for cuts


Cut about 1" below door sill



Plasma on the rear rocker portion


Justin is very meticulous with his work and much time was spent in cleanup of the rusty sposts and how best to make sure there was good metal to attach to as well as all rust removal to prevent future issues.
The lip was folded under forming a double thickness of door sill material then drilled to be plug welded to the top of the slider.

Grafetti.... Prepping for plug welding from the inner rocker to the slider

test fit


Welding caps on


Installed. Some cleanup and seam sealer will be applied. We ran out of time to paint and will all meet again to paint the bumper and sliders. I'll do a little grinding on the inner rocker welds and apply seam sealer to it as well leaving a weeping hole for any moisture that may fins it's way in there.




Justin was having a blast welding under the bronco and has a few new holes added to his clothing now.


Late in the day- Justin was wishing the bronco had a much bigger lift!



I will add some more pics of the door area etc and the finished product. It turned out exactly like I wanted and the quality of work was second to none. If your thinking about getting sliders installed, Justin is the man!


Brett

[Colorado75bronc]

Looks great! Justin you're becoming quite the fabricator since I first helped with your bumper build!


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[Justin]

Thanks to both of you! I had a great time getting to do this Saturday. Brett, thanks for trusting me with your rig!

[Stubborn3]

Hey Justin, What would sliders like that run me? My rockers are cancer ridden and want to get rid of them. I need to pull my auxillary still but after that. Can they be done without welding them to the body? Thanks for everything you do here.

-D

[Justin]

Quite welcome! The club has given loads to me, I like being able to give back. Re: your rockers, it'll depend on how rotted they are. If there is good metal to work with, we can figure something out. I'm not currently in a position to do the bodywork required if they're really bad. We can get together and I can take a look at them. I suppose you could do them without welding, but the rockers provide a decent amount of stiffening that's lost if something isn't put in their place. Let's set up a time for me to take a look at your rig and we can go from there. I'll need to price out the steel as well and it'll depend on whether you want me to paint them after they're installed.

[Stubborn3]

Awesome... I've got my last final exam on monday but after that we will have to get together. The rockers arn't the worst I've seen but it's time to ditch them.. If the sliders are welded what sort of vibration should I expect and how hard will future body work be?

[Justin]

Vibration and noise shouldn't be affected at all. The way we did BNC04's they're not welded to the frame, so all the vibration isolation provided by the body mounts is intact. There are ways to do that without hugely increasing vibes, but I wouldn't bother for anything that wasn't a hardcore trail rig. Future body work will depend on what it needs, and we can talk about that more once I've gotten a look at it. Shoot me a PM when you have some time available to get together. If you're going to be at breakfast on the 17th that could work.