We finally decided to replace the damaged tube rails on the Jeep. The passenger side was dented heavily and was pushing against the pinch joint towards the rear wheel. Another good bump could easily cause body damage. It took quite a bit of time to decide on the new rock sliders. We had chosen a few but there were long lead times on getting them due to manufacturing delays.
Eventually we found the Smittybuilt XRC Atlas Rock Sliders at 4 Wheel Parts. They had them in stock at their local distribution center for us to pick up in will call. We made a day of it, ate lunch, and picked the part up. These things were heavy. Not like the lightweight tube rails that were currently on the Jeep. I had to slide the box to move the new parts because I couldn’t lift it by myself.
Installation was quite easy. It seemed taking off the old tube rails was more difficult. After getting them off I could see why they dented so easily. They were probably only 1/32″ rolled steel and I was able to carry both of them with one arm easily. It only took about an hour to install the new rock sliders. The only tip to offer would be soak the bolts they mount to for a couple days with some thread penetrant. This will make it easier to remove the nut if there is a build up of rust on the bolt. I even took a wire brush to the bolt to knock off any surface rust. When it was time to remove the nut it came off without issue.
We really like the look of the new rock sliders. They are 3/16″ steel with reinforcement on the inside to prevent crushing. They are smoot along the bottom so no rocks can get caught in a mounting bracket. The step is a bit high. Since it doesn’t have the step that hangs below there wont be a problem with it getting caught on rocks. We like the way it contours to the Jeep without looking like a stick on part. They styling also matches with our front and rear bumpers.
Were looking forward to trying them out soon. The first run with them will be at Crossbar Ranch in Davis, OK. Then in a couple weeks a group were part of is heading to Hidden Falls so I am hoping we can make that run as well. This is a video of the install process:
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