Are my rock sliders tweaking my tub?

williambmac

williambmac

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Anyone ever have a problem where their rock sliders tweak the rocker panel? For a while now I've been having an issue with my driver's door not wanting to close completely. I also have to push in on the door while pulling on the door handle to open it. I originally thought it was because I installed a new door weatherstrip. Over the weekend I removed my slider so I could get them media blasted. Upon removal I notice that the rocker looked to be slightly bowed right below the door. I chalked the weatherstrip and it looks like the front lower section of the door is making heavier contact with the tub than the rest of the door.
I was thinking that my 230lb ass climbing on the step every day has caused this. I plan on bolting the slider back on and using a length of 4X4 and a floor jack under the step to see if I can tweak it back in.
 
I'm trying to envision this. When you say tweak are you sighting down the tub? If the tub surface was flat when the rock sliders were installed I don't see how the rock sliders alone could tweak anything?

How do the rock sliders mount?
 
Post pics from the side and from below showing how they mount.
 
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williambmac said:
Anyone ever have a problem where their rock sliders tweak the rocker panel? For a while now I've been having an issue with my driver's door not wanting to close completely. I also have to push in on the door while pulling on the door handle to open it. I originally thought it was because I installed a new door weatherstrip. Over the weekend I removed my slider so I could get them media blasted. Upon removal I notice that the rocker looked to be slightly bowed right below the door. I chalked the weatherstrip and it looks like the front lower section of the door is making heavier contact with the tub than the rest of the door.
I was thinking that my 230lb ass climbing on the step every day has caused this. I plan on bolting the slider back on and using a length of 4X4 and a floor jack under the step to see if I can tweak it back in.
Click to expand...

Poison Spider versions can easily do that. Well designed versions, not so much.
 
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williambmac said:
Mine are an older set of A-to-Z fabrication sliders. They bolt to the rocker and up through the floor.
Click to expand...

Is there a substantial backer right under the door to spread the load out over that whole distance?

When you say up through the floor, is that between the torque box and tub face? Or does the lower edge land on the bottom of the torque box and then long bolts go through that? If the latter, what do they use for bolt sleeves to stop from collapsing the inner floor downward to let the bolts loosen?
 
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P man said:
Any chance the tub was tweaked before and you just didn't notice?
Click to expand...

Nope. everything was fine. I ran it for years with the stock rock rails. These sliders have been on for quite some time, but I started noticing the door issue about 8 months ago.
mrblaine said:
Is there a substantial backer right under the door to spread the load out over that whole distance?

When you say up through the floor, is that between the torque box and tub face? Or does the lower edge land on the bottom of the torque box and then long bolts go through that? If the latter, what do they use for bolt sleeves to stop from collapsing the inner floor downward to let the bolts loosen?
Click to expand...
Not sure what you mean by backer. The lower edge lands on the bottom of the torque boxes. The sliders came with long bolts to run up through the torque boxes into the floor. I didn't use them because I thought it was a bad idea. I lined everything up and drilled into the torque boxes, then installed nutserts.
This weekend I'll bolt the slider back on using only the upper bolts and see if a floor jack and a 4X4 can tweak it back into position.
 
Mr Blaine is asking if the bolts that hold the slider to the tub have another piece of steel in the passenger compartment under the door to help spread the load across the sheet metal of the tub. The slider and backer would “pinch” the tub sheet metal
 
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Mike_H said:
Me Blaine is asking if the bolts that hold the slider to the tub have another piece of steel in the passenger compartment under the door to help spread the load across the sheet metal of the tub. The slider and backer would “pinch” the tub sheet metal
Click to expand...

OK got it. They did come with anything like that.
 
williambmac said:
OK got it. They did come with anything like that.
Click to expand...

Guessing you meant did NOT? If that is true, it won't hurt anything to change that to do have now. As an example, this is the deformation caused by just removing a rock slider that had been sealed at the top with a small bead of silicone.

1667966693508.png
 
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P man said:
It sure is..but the question still lingers. How does a bolt on rock slider cause that? Get all sciencey and shit
Click to expand...

Bull dozer bolting pattern versus aircraft fastening. The tub is thin sheet metal. Flat unsupported area like under the doors need an internal backer to spread the load out over a larger area and the fastening schedule needs to be smaller and a lot more of them.
 
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mrblaine said:
Guessing you meant did NOT? If that is true, it won't hurt anything to change that to do have now. As an example, this is the deformation caused by just removing a rock slider that had been sealed at the top with a small bead of silicone.

View attachment 374962
Click to expand...

You are correct. What do you recommend to straighten it? I’m thinking of reinstalling without the lower bolts , then jacking up on the tube step.
 
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