Rock Sliders
Introduction
Classic Rock Sliders
4.0/4.6 Rock
Sliders: New Alan Bates
Design
4.0/4.6
Sliders: Jack Poehlman's Design
Introduction
Rock sliders
protect the vulnerable sill and lower door panels on vehicles used off
road. They are also great for jacking up one side of the vehicle with a
hi-lift jack. Aftermarket companies have long since come
through with some options for the Classic Range Rover but have been
slow to
develop accessories for the 4.0/4.6 -- perhaps failing to recognize its
superiority as an off road machine! Recently however, two designs have
appeared for
rock sliders for the 4.0/4.6. (Photo
at top right: 4.0/4.6 sliders designed by Jack Poehlman).
A version from Atlantic British
attaches to both body and frame.
Classic Rock Sliders
Several
companies make sliders for the Classic. One of the strongest, neatest
and least expensive designs is the one offered by Atlantic
British
(pictured at left). These all-steel sliders are secured to both the
body and the chassis, and look almost like the stock plastic trim
panel. Cost is about $499. Some drilling is required but installation
is easy. Rovers North offers a
similar design but which protrudes further out the side. Safari Gard and
Rovertym
both make sill guards for $550. For
somewhat more the Safari Grd ones can be modified to double as on-board
air supply tanks. (To me the wisdom of
using parts like bumpers and sliders which are designed to take damage
from rocks as air tanks seems questionable, but it is not uncommon
practice in the 4x4 world!). British
Bulldog makes a heavier version for the Classic which also
incorporates
hi lift jacking holes, and Rockware
makes their own version of sill guards that attach to the chassismas
well as an array of other protection devices such as
modified
trailing links and extra strength steering links.
4.0/4.6 Rock Sliders: New Alan Bates Design
Alan Bates, designer of the sleek new 4.0/4.6 winch bumper described
on the Brushbars and Bumpers section,
is now in the process of gearing iup production of his new design for
rock sliders for the 4.0/4.6 models. These new sliders (see drawing
above right) have both frame and sill mounting brackets which will make
them almost
indestructible and impervious to any bending. The
combination of the sill and frame mounting
makes these sliders one of the strongest designs for any Rover model.
They double as side steps without the reduction in ground clearance
caused by the stock side steps/running boards.
Alan is currently in the process of putting these sliders into
production. If you are interested in getting a set, please Email
him for more information on pricing and availability.
Jack
Poehlman's 4.0/4.6 Rock Sliders
Jack
Poehlman fabricated his own
rock sliders (see photo top of this
page) and is making them available to
fellow
enthusiasts. He used 2" x 6" x 1/4" wall box tube welded
to a
pair of U-shaped custom mounts made of 1/4 inch steel that encompass
the frame rail, (bottom and each side) with each mount held
in
place by a 3/4" bolt that goes through existing holes in the frame. The
forward bracket
is located where the transmission cross member connects, and the
rearward one is where the rear-trailing arm
bolts to the
frame. The
box tubing sits about 1/4" under the stock sill and the outer edge is
in line with the outer edge of the tires. The bottom
of the
slider is
slightly below the bottom of the frame to help protect the
transfer case and exhaust system.
As shown in the photo, the sliders are strong enough to use as a
jacking point. Jack is making these sliders available on a
limited
basis for $700 a pair -- email
Jack
or see his page at http://www.poehlman.net/p38aslider/.