Rock Sliders

Where are people getting them, how much and what qualities should I look for?

I've seen some extend out from under their X's (Antitree-Huggers) and some that are flush with the side of truck. Which is better and why?

I don't have them, but the ones from Calmini seem to be reasonably priced. They have a website. I think it's calmini.com

There are a couple sources I can think of off hand...

All J Products make them, as does EOE (Nissan Offroad).

Prices are about the same, but EOE's appear to be MUCH beefier (I don't have any, yet).

Mine stick out far enough that I can put a high lift on them without screwing up the paint. I had mine made at a local shop, cost is about $260.00

in some ways it would be better to have them under the truck more performance wise as rock sliders, they stick out that far to provide for hi-lifting as Antitree_hugger mentioned but also to provide a step to get onto the roof. the concern with them sticking out that far is that if you slam down on them like Mr T did, there is more leverage to bend the frame with. whereas if they were under the rocker panel more, there would be less leverage, in theory. but on the flip side, when they stick out that much you get a buffer from some of the rocks that low and skirting the side of the sliders. there are trad-offs either way. for the moment, i like mine the way they are, out a little.

I agree with the leverage effect, to minimize that effect you could use thicker walled tubeing. But that is about all you can do. You could try welding on a triangle brace, but that would hang down and defeat the "slider" part of it. :sun:

EOE's Rock Sliderz are gusseted to prevent this from happening, Mike and a few others have sets I made when I was doing them just for friends and the gussets are not there...yet. The tubing is 3/16" thick, there are more than a few slider makers that use 1/8" which I don't think will withstand years of punishment. Also it is recommended that the Sliderz be welded on to the frame, this makes them much, much stronger as you are not depending on two bolts per mount to prevent them from moving...well what happens is the frame can get bowed out at those holes. The other option is to drill through the frame so you are using both sides of the frame to brace the slider..this is a real pain to do and your local muffler shop can weld them on in a half hour or so. Some ask what happens when I want to take them off...I tell them why would you ever want to take them off...the only reason I can ever think of is if you sold your truck and wanted to put them on your new truck. The X/Frontier is unique in the fact that we have bolt holes...almost all trucks require sliders to be welded on.

This was a little challenging on my driveway which is sloped 10 degrees! The EOE sliders weigh about 50 lbs each. After install I welded the bottom edge and about 1" up each side. I am sure the fastners will hold, but if I use my Hi-lift to lift my truck I want to be SURE!

i did mine by myself as well. i set the slider on top of a cooler, slid them underneath there then bolted them in. i am sure it looked funny, but it did the trick.

do you have pics of the welding you did?

Synchro...here is the picture you requested of my welding skills.

It is hard to make out because I have put POR 15 on the bare metal. It is a rust preventative used by auto restorers.

nice!! i sure hope you never have to take them of. :eek:

I never will need to. Why would you want to take them off. We have everyone in the club take off their aluminum steps before they go 4 wheeling, that is to avoid damage.

Rick,

I see you installed your sliderz...They look really good.

I noticed you welded them to the frame...curious-why?

Any status on a lift for your X yet?

See Ya :hehe:

"Also it is recommended that the Sliderz be welded on to the frame, this makes them much, much stronger as you are not depending on two bolts per mount to prevent them from moving...well what happens is the frame can get bowed out at those holes. The other option is to drill through the frame so you are using both sides of the frame to brace the slider..this is a real pain to do and your local muffler shop can weld them on in a half hour or so. Some ask what happens when I want to take them off...I tell them why would you ever want to take them off...the only reason I can ever think of is if you sold your truck and wanted to put them on your new truck. The X/Frontier is unique in the fact that we have bolt holes...almost all trucks require sliders to be welded on."

That pretty much sums it up! ;)

philosopher had to take his off for reasons i will not go into here. gothamist will have to take his off in order to modify them so they fit correctly with the body lift. so sometimes u might needed to be able to remove them.

I really didn't get to used the sliders out on the first weekend out but I did put them to good use and a little bit of a stress test! I leveled the X for sleeping that evening and left the hi-lift in place for 12 hours! No deflection or anything! I know mine are welded on but it is still on hell of a sturdy design! :D

Reasons why you will have to take your rock sliders off:

One gets damaged over time from use.

Installation of a new body lift.

Fuel Tank repair or modification (may not necessitate removal of rock slider, I am not sure since the fuel tank is one of the few things I haven't removed yet).

There is a way around welding that I did with a Jeep I used to have. It requires removal of the fuel tank but guarantees solidity of the mount. Drill through both layers of frame and bolt it through both sides. With six grade 5 bolts going through two layers of frame, you won't break the bolts. I have used this technique on three vehicles now for tow hooks and one with rock sliders (or actually the equivalent) and it works like a champ. You will have to remove the tank to do the drilling, but for the strength it provides, it may be worth it.

It's just like welding on the ARB bumper with a Warn 9,000 lb winch attached. The Warn 9,000 is notorious for roasting thermal switches. To replace it, you will have to remove the winch. Removing the winch on a welded ARB although not impossible, sure would be incovenient. Something to think about.

Originally posted by warmonger

There is a way around welding that I did with a Jeep I used to have. It requires removal of the fuel tank but guarantees solidity of the mount. Drill through both layers of frame and bolt it through both sides. With six grade 5 bolts going through two layers of frame, you won't break the bolts. I have used this technique on three vehicles now for tow hooks and one with rock sliders (or actually the equivalent) and it works like a champ. You will have to remove the tank to do the drilling, but for the strength it provides, it may be worth it.


You may not break the bolts but you sure as hell can bend the frame rails. Trust me, I've done it. You can drill through the whole frame but you'd better be installing some strong metal sleeves inside the frame for the bolts to go through so that the frame doesn't squish together.

You could always put a 1/4" steel plate on inside of the frame to brace it. This would/should eliminate the frame squishing/squeezing problems.

Also, a question for the welders among us. If the sliderz were welded on, couldn't the welds be ground off to remove them. With a little more welding and some cleanup work, I don't see why the frame could not be put back to original shape. At the very least, a potential buyer of the truck would have to look very hard to see where the sliderz were welded on.:frog:

You may not necessarily have to even weld the plate on the inside. You could use a 1/4" steel plate on the outside of the frame rails to more evenly distribrute the force. Obviously the X frame rails are a lot weaker than Jeep frame rails. I've never had them bend on my Jeeps I've owned.

Okay, here is my last statement on the subject. I am never planning to lift my X! My tires fit well under my X with out rubbing, so no suspension lift planned! I plan on a full set of skids from Skidrow so no gas tank problems. I don't plan on pushing my X as hard as some of you do! Damaging the slider which would damge the frame and possible other structures. I'll buy a Jeep if I want to trash something!!!

(Puts on asbestos jacket)

:D

I got my EOE sliderz today!!! I go them installed via the "Starr method"
I did it by myself and it only took about 45min to finish. I plan to weld them as soon as I'm convinced I won't need to remove them for some reason.

Here's a couple of pics

Can't wait to go wheelin' I know just the perfect riverbed to try these out in!! :D

Aqua!

Thanks for the credit! :D I didn't go with the big strip of grip tape though. I used three small pieces on each step. I'll post a pic tomorrow, if it stops raining!!!!!!!!!

If you just tack weld them in a couple of places, you can cut the welds with a die grinder in about 15 minutes if you ever need to take the sliders off. I agree with Philosopher, I don't think sandwiching the frame rails together is a good idea.

Well I have the EOE sliders and have had to take them off. I originally put on the grip tape but my wife complained that it was ripping up her legs. So I took the sliders off to remove the tape, repaint them and then put on some rino liner. There will come a day when you will want to repaint them and it is much easier with them off.

Richard.

Hey Aquamander,

Those sliderz look great...I like the tape idea.

Later:smoka:

Yeah Rick, I remembered you talking about installing the sliders that way. I did the same thing and I do believe that's about the best way to put them on. :D

Richard;
I was climbing out of the truck tonight, and I skinned the back of my leg. I think I'm going to peel the tape off of the side, that should do the trick.

Thanks Whistler, I think they are exactly what I myself needed in a slider. The tape is an added anti-slip measure. ( good for climbing up to the roof rack in the rain or dark etc.)

I'm happy!

the AQUA X is happy too!

Thanks EOE for a good product!

"Thanks EOE for a good product!"

Your very welcome, you might want to try keeping the tape on for a few days and just train your mind(and your wifes) to use the slider when exiting the truck. Wrapping the tape over the edge will keep the top of your sliders looking good a lot longer than just the powder coating alone as your foot is always sliding on the edge getting out, standing on the rack, etc. As far as the welding issue goes, a MAXC member just has the bottom edge welded which is a compromise. This would be easy enough to grind off but stiffens up the mounting a good amount.

i have climbed all over mine in rain, sleet and snow. now then i was wearing shoes or boots that are "siped" for a lack of better term, and have never had any problems with grip on the top of the sliders. so it isn't necessary. reminds me of my skate punk days though. :D

The tape is painful at first when you forget to either step on it or around it when exiting the truck. However, I've grown used to making sure I'm clear of the rails before putting my foot down. The way I look at it, come winter when everything is messy -- especially the sliderz -- I won't get my pants all dirty from rubbing the sliderz because I've been "trained" to not touch the sliderz. :smoker2:

Here is the grip tape I applied to my EOE Sliderz.

You can get diamond tread, etc., rubber step pads too...non-slip, and no abrasions if you forget they're there....Pep Boys, $11.

Also - On the flush - vs - sticking out issue...I like them out enough to act as a step, and to provide a place to pivot against when you need to grind a pivot turn around an inboard side rock for example...without grinding the doors.


- Lance

I Line-x'd mine. I like the coating but yes it will rub/abrade the back of your legs when you exit if you don't adjust for it.

I placed mine in strategic areas, I didn't see it necessary to do the whole slider. I opened up the doors and looked to see where I was stepping. I didn't want the skid tape to go over the edge and abrade my legs as I wear shorts about 11 months of the year!

I Herculined mine a little over a year ago and it works great! However, like Toyman mentioned, you have to swing that leg out getting in or you will hit em with your leg which is a great feeling with shorts on. I have to kick the leg even further now with the lift.

Got mine on today. The bolts lined up perfectly.

Taking Rick's Sliderz off is easy...Hand me that blowtorch jimmy !!!!:p

Schlud, did you climb up on them and see how you would be able to load up the top rack? I don't have a basket on top yet, I'm curious.

BTW, What kind of lights are those up there?

P.S. Removing about .5mm skin from the back of you're leg is a great educator. I extend that sucker out there now!!! My wife never had a problem with it.

:bloated:

I was adjusting my torsion bars last night, and noticed that one of my slider bolts was a good 1/4 away from the frame. I tightened that one down, and checked the rest. 4 more were still flush with the frame, but were already loosening.

Anyway, just a good thing to add to your pre-offroad checklist.

That is why I tack welded mine...just in case!! :D

But I'll check tomorrow when I load up and put a dab of blue Loc-tite on them! :)