dadgummit

First of all the job sounds terribly complicated+ difficult but it was actually pretty easy. It was wet and rainy so I was not able to take any pictures but I can give some advice. First of all follow WOL's instructions which I modified because when the sliders are mounted you cannot drill into the frame with a standard drill (this only applies to the 5 holes per slider that are on the side) :

Copied from Wayolife's post:

1. bolt up your rocker guard to the few mounting points that use the factory bolts. The bottoms of the front and center brackets on each side.

2. place a floor jack under the sliders, put a 2x4 long and flat wise on top of it (maybe several 2x4's stacked depending on how tall you are) and then lift the rocker guard up so that it starts to lift your jeep. stand back and verify that it is sitting level. i have a 6-speed and needed to add washers to where the auto skid plate was in order to get mine level.

3. after making sure everything looks good, use the rocker guards as a template to mark the holes with a center punch where you will need to drill. Remove the slider.

4. if you are using standard drill bits, make a 1/8" pilot hole at all the mounting locations.

5. you can now drill the into your frame

6. using the tap provided, tap the holes you just drilled out. make sure to take your time and reverse your tap periodically to clean out the cut material. using some cutting oil will help make this job easier.

7. reinstall your rocker guard and secure it to your jeep's frame using the hardware provided.

that should be it

Here are my additions:

The front bracket on both sides uses a 1/2" x 4" bolt that goes through an existing hole in the frame (goes completely through and through the side). The hole on the inside of the frame is just barely smaller than the nut with a washer (not going to hold). Go to OSH or another hardware store and find some of these huge 2" x 2" square washers with a 1/2" hole. Fits perfectly. While you are at the hardware why not get a grade-8 1/2" x 4" bolt with a matching nut.

For marking the holes I took a 1/4" x 3" npt brass nipple which has a 1/2" OD and 3/8" ID (you can find them in the plumbing section). Then take a 3/8" drill bit for wood with a brad point and slip it through the nipple, It fits rather snug perfect for our uses. You can now place the nipple into the hole in the slider and tap on the drill bit with a hammer. Presto a perfectly centered mark for drilling.

For drilling the holes I was worried about getting the holes perfect. I used a 1/8" drill bit for the pilot hole. Then a 3/8" bit to do the actual drilling. It takes a while to get through the thick metal of the frame with a 3/8" bit and it will wobble a bit making the hole a little bigger than 3/8". (that is why you use the 3/8 instead of the final 25/64") Then use the 25/64" bit to clean up the hole and get it ready for tapping.

For tapping, go out and purchase a 7mm 12 point socket, take the tap provided and place it into the socket. It will be a really snug fit, you will have to tap (bang) on it to get it fully seated. Now you can use a socket wrench to tap the holes, works great this way!!

Don't buy or use cheap drill bits, you will be sorry!!!
You will burn through at least 2 of the 1/8" bits and 2 of the 3/8" bits. The 25/64" bit was fine for the whole job.

When threading the bolts into your newly drilled and tapped holes put some silicone gasket sealant on to the threads of the bolt, this will seal the metal from the elements preventing rust. (I forgot to do this so I will go back and do this maybe next weekend)

Shopping list:
Orchard Supply & Hardware:
2x grade-8 1/2" x 4" bolt with a matching nut
14x grade-8 7/16" x 1" bolt to replace the grade 5 fastners provided (optional)
2x 2"x2" square washers with a 1/2" hole
1/4" x 3" npt brass nipple
3/8" drill bit for wood with a brad point
2x 1/8" quality drill bit for metal
2x 3/8" quality drill bit for metal
1x 25/64" quality drill bit for metal

Pep Boys:
Silicone gasket sealant
7mm 12 point socket


Edit:

Some people voiced concerns about the strength of tapping into the frame. After running the tap through I looked and counted a minimum of 3 full threads in the metal and in some places 4 threads. That is plenty strong enough especially considering how many bolts hold these to the frame. I am totally sold on LOD stuff, the build quality is outstanding!!!

mgmavant

Nice write-up. Thanks for taking the time to put it all together. Can't wait to see some pictures!

So how do they work as a step? My wife needs something to step on to get the kids in, and this one is at the top of my list.

- mike

dadgummit

They only come out about 5" from the body, good enough for a step but not so far out that you drag your leg across them (transferring dirt to your pants) getting in.

REL1203

Awesome... Dying to see your pics man

dadgummit

here are some pics, sorry for all of the road grime, it has been raining alot lately.








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Choppus

Looks great. Thanks for the mini write-up. I went out and got one of each of the drill bits that you and WOL mentioned. They are carbide so I'm hoping they will last for the whole job. Just one of the bits was $16. Hoping to tackle this job this weekend.

Muffins

Looks great, thanks for the write up, I plan on picking these up this summer, I will use this write-up when I install. Thanks

Lt1wrangler

Thats a really nice job, thanks for the writeup!

tuber

Thanks for the pix and writeup.

- curious - does this style of slider help at all with keeping the amount of road dirt/mud/rocks etc kicked up across the doors?

Currently I have the factory Rubicon sliders right now - but would like rock sliders that will also function as a step, and also provide some door & door hinge protection.

racer83l

those sliders are sexy. If i didnt already have a set these would be on my JK.

Thanks for the write-up