prepping for rock sliders

well I got the bolt inserts out. How ? i took a small punch and slid it up into the insert and pried it out in a circular motion. it didnt make much a mess at all and i just tapped the hole area back in to make it smooth with the side panel on the jeep. Took 10 mins.
 
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well I got the bolt inserts out. How ? i took a small punch and slide it up into the insert and pried it out in a circular motion. it didnt make much a mess at all and i just tapped the hole area back in to make it smooth with the side panel on the jeep. Took 10 mins.

Alright! Mine's already got some battle scars so I didn't care too much about a scratch or two. Post a pic when you got them on, love to see what your putting together.


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Alright! Mine's already got some battle scars so I didn't care too much about a scratch or two. Post a pic when you got them on, love to see what your putting together.


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will do. ill do a step by step. i found a company out in Nevada that make a strong and good looking slider w/step. ( stout fabrications) i will get them in 2 weeks .
 
Which are what type?
They were from a small shop called Rock-It-Man that's no longer around, but the design from Shrockworks is very similar. I think the market slump years ago killed off a lot of small operations when people's discretionary funds dried up.

Rock-It-Man
Rim_rocks2.webp

Rim_rocks6.webp

and the Shrockworks:
d_1112.webp


There was a lengthy thread 10 years ago about the forces involved when a slider hits a rock at different angles. If it's just covering the outer face of the rocker, with a single row of bolts, and has any kind of tube or step integrated into it, the tube acts as a lever to peel the slider away from the body and bend the rocker panel behind it. If it has no tube, it can bow if hit from the side. By wrapping it under the tub and bolting to the torque box it's essentially like bolting an 8" wide 3/16" thick chunk of angle iron to the tub. The 3/16" backing plate in the tub prevents the bolts from shearing through the sheet metal if the forces try to pull the slider away from the tub.
 
I had this bumper and it's definitely not rated for towing period. Just got rid of it and picked up https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001CF5ED0/?tag=wranglerorg-20
A lot of people give smittybilt crap but you can't go wrong with 1/4" steel with frame tie-in. D-rings are welded through and solid definitely wish I'd have gone with this one from the start.


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I also had that bumper on my previous tj. It was OK but nothing special. People say the things they do about shittybilt because of their powder coat. It is pure a$$. Mine chipped in various places within months. I would put a clear coat over it when you get it.
 
well i just wanted to finish this thread with my choice and install of the rock sliders i went with. I just felt like the quality of this rocker guard and price where where i needed to be. They are from Stout fabrications in Las Vegas. We have sanded them down primed them and painted them with bed liner spray. I installed the sliders so I could pre drilled the holes in the jeep before painting the sliders. Here are a few pictures so far and we are supposed to install them Wednesday and i'll post those pics then.
 
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Well they are a little less expensive, and if you will notice the stout's angle of the tubing, which helps to slide off of things. the steps look to be about the same. The sliders not only anchor on the side panel of the jeep , there are 2 locations that attach through the bottom of the jeep tub ( out of the way ) and then there is a backer plate also. im sure the SW's are nicely build also, but with the combo of all the quality points plus the $ it was good for me.
 
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keep in mind that three of those side holes i have decided to use nutserts to secure the bolts. The (nutserts) for the 3/8 x 16 bolts I am getting from fastenal ( 0125625 ) and the drill bit size for those 3 holes on each side are a 17/32 . I will confirm those sizes when they come in wednesday. I also took a angle grinder with a cut off wheel and cut the angle of the slider on one side to fit exactly the angle of the fender flairs. So it should fit like a glove.
 
Are the nutserts to prevent having to use a hole saw to access the nuts in three of the mounting locations? Also, where does the backing plate go?
 
Are the nutserts to prevent having to use a hole saw to access the nuts in three of the mounting locations? Also, where does the backing plate go?
yes for the 3 nutserts. I didnt want to use a hole saw unless I absolutely have to. So im going to try this and use lock tight. If they dont hold ill use the hole saw.
The backing plates go on the inside of the jeep using 3 of the bolts to sandwich the jeeps side panel (rocker panel) between the slider and the 1-1/2 x 17" backing plate.
 
I agree y'all. I learned there is not many things that are plug and play. But that's the fun of it. Take your time and enjoy the install because once it's done you don't get to do it again. My son helped along the way and that was great too. I had to learn how to install nutserts and cut a different angle for my fenders to match up. Thank y'all for the encouragement!
 
Speaking of which, how was the nutsert installation experience? I know they have driven some people whacko trying to get them right, and for others, it was a breeze. Did the Fastenol nutserts just come as is, or do they provide some sort of installation tool or recommendation?

Looks like you also trimmed off the bolts that mounted through the floor...