The concept of grinding your Jeep over boulders for fun sounds pretty crazy to those who’ve never experienced the joy of rockcrawling. Sure, it’s a great way to peel back layers of sheetmetal and grind paint to oblivion, but it’s simply part of the off-road experience for many. One way to protect your rig’s sheetmetal is by equipping it with some sort of rocker guard protection. Since the rockers are one of the lowest areas on a given vehicle, they are often the first to get damaged off-road.
While there are a few effective ways at protecting your rocker panels, one of the most popular for the ’97 to ’06 Jeep Wrangler TJ is by attaching a set of sliders directly to the Jeep’s tub. By securing the sliders to the tub instead of the frame, you don’t sacrifice ground clearance. This isn’t always a feasible option on heavier vehicles, but given the TJ is pretty light, it works just fine. To get a closer look at one of the more popular rocker guards sets on the market, we stopped by to check out a set of Fab Fours TJ Rock Sliders being installed on our favorite Farm Jeep.
While the video above offers an overview into the install process, we’re breaking down the highlights in the article below.
Since the sliders were being mounted on a ’00 Jeep Wrangler Sahara, the Sahara’s side modeling trim pieces needed to be removed. While the outer portion is easy to slide off, you will need to drill out the rivets that keep the panel guide in place.
To install the rocker guards, use a floor jack and block of wood to evenly and firmly support the sliders under the Jeep’s tub. Once you have made certain that the sliders are level, use a center punch and mark the hole on the outside of the body.
Once you drill out the holes along the side of the tub, you can install the countersunk Allen-head hardware. At this point, you can snug the bolts and remove the floor jack from under the Jeep.
Taking the bulk of the load from below are a total of five grade 8 bolts spread along the rear and middle sections of the sliders. These accommodate the hardware, the holes will need to be drilled from beneath the Jeep. Since there holes are already cutout in the sliders, you’ll only need to drill through the Jeep’s sheetmetal.
Also securing the sliders in place from the bottom are a host of self-tapping sheetmetal screws. These offer a good source of added bracing without needing to tie the sliders to the frame.
An extra step that’s recommended is running a bead of RTV silicone along the top of the slider to help prevent debris from getting between the slider and the tub. We like to run a small bead with the silicone tube, then smooth it out with our finger.
The 3/16-inch steel rock sliders come fit with a two-stage matte-black powdercoat finish. This particular set were optioned with the 1¾-inch tube bar, which works great as a step and extra kick-out to prevent obstacles from damaging your door.
While there’s not a lot of rocks at the farm to bash the sliders against, it doesn’t mean they aren’t being used. For the added protection and easy of install, we definitely say Fab Fours is worth a look if your Jeep is in need of sliders.
