Topic: Rock Sliders: chassis-mount or sill-mount? (Read 14013 times)

weeone · « **on:** December 08, 2009, 11:21:35 »

This is probably a bit like the "oil-v's-grease in swivel housings" argument :troll: .... but here we go:

I'm going to make some armour to protect the door/sills of my D1... but where to mount them?

The logic in my head is:

they are there to protect the body, therefore they should be mounted to the body.
If they are mounted to the chassis, they won't move when the body moves, resulting in gaps.... possibly of a negative size :(

What are other peoples thoughts on the matter?

Disco Matt · « **Reply #1 on:** December 08, 2009, 11:25:20 »

Mine (made by Guardian 4x4) are mounted to both the chassis outriggers and the body. They probably double the torsional stiffness of the truck! :lol:

THONG BOY · « **Reply #2 on:** December 08, 2009, 18:17:44 »

go for the body mate i have sean ones that arew mounted to the chsie rip of as its to brackets the body has a dosen or so bolts going through the body so wont move

james

Smego · « **Reply #3 on:** December 08, 2009, 22:43:38 »

Mine are chassis mounted i.e. the two solid girders runing the lenth opf the truck!

Budgie · « **Reply #4 on:** December 09, 2009, 11:56:00 »

All the sliders I've seen have the main mounts on the chassis outriggers as these are stronger than the body but, they also have a plate that mounts to the outside of the outer sill and bolts right through both in the inner & outer sill to tie the body into the structure.

If you only mount it to the body then there's a chance that you could damage the body or rip the body mounts from the chassis if you land on something hard or try to jack with them. ;)

Jas278 · « **Reply #5 on:** December 09, 2009, 17:02:51 »

Chassis everytime............. if you can mount to both even better..

Disco-andy · « **Reply #6 on:** December 09, 2009, 17:34:14 »

The plate on mine that goes on to the body ended up punching a hole through the sill, they were on both so something flexed.

If you are building them your self why not replace the sill with big box and sliders.

bogie · « **Reply #7 on:** December 10, 2009, 19:09:32 »

Your body is the weakest point,if it was strong you would not need a chassis!!! Disco 3 and new rangis are monocox (prob spelt wrong) like most cars these days. Put the motor on its side or get an impact from another vehicle and your body will be stuffed!

weeone · « **Reply #8 on:** December 11, 2009, 11:54:48 »

Quote from: Disco-andy on December 09, 2009, 17:34:14

If you are building them your self why not replace the sill with big box and sliders.

My sills already have 3mm box section inserts, so that part of the mounting is not an issue (other that drilling and sleeving half-a-dozen holes for the mounting :) )

I hadn't considered that the whole sill could crumple on a heavy landing, if the 'Slider was mounted to a sill with a weak floor.

:-'

Devon-Rover · « **Reply #9 on:** December 11, 2009, 22:33:14 »

Deffo has to be chassis mounted! Why anyone of a few manufacturers thought it was a good idea to have a body mounted needs their head testing.

You wouldn't jack up the motor on the body so just adding some steel to it isn't going to help.

As done on my series 2a. Does make changing tyres easier. ;)

Range Rover Blues · « **Reply #10 on:** December 12, 2009, 18:08:31 »

Quote from: Devon-Rover on December 11, 2009, 22:33:14

Deffo has to be chassis mounted! Why anyone of a few manufacturers thought it was a good idea to have a body mounted needs their head testing.

You wouldn't jack up the motor on the body so just adding some steel to it isn't going to help.

Agreed. The body "floats" on rubber isolators, all you are doing by fastening to both is defeat the isolators and put extra stress on the sills. Here's a tip, stress and corrosion conspire against you, mount rocksliders to your sills and you are stressing the welded joits and inviting rust home to stay.

Mount them to the chassis, do the job properly.

wizard · « **Reply #11 on:** December 13, 2009, 09:53:51 »

Quote

Mount them to the chassis, do the job properly.

I am glad about that, I am in the process of making 6 sets of chassis mounted sliders. :lol:

wizard

Range Rover Blues · « **Reply #12 on:** December 13, 2009, 12:56:31 »

Quote from: wizard on December 13, 2009, 09:53:51

Quote
Mount them to the chassis, do the job properly.

I am glad about that, I am in the process of making 6 sets of chassis mounted sliders. :lol:

wizard

Then I want to see pictures, would you mind e-mailing me some?

wizard · « **Reply #13 on:** December 13, 2009, 16:36:12 »

Will do as soon as i get a new camera."someone" broke my last one !!!!!

wizard

LiftedDisco · « **Reply #14 on:** December 14, 2009, 16:43:33 »

Anything that Wizard makes is 'Good Stuff'...

Photos (and more importantly, prices) are required! Methinks there is a need to ply 'Santa's little helper' with wine... at least until she parts with the funds...

All the best!

wizard · « **Reply #15 on:** December 21, 2009, 19:46:30 »

Heres a few pix.

Chassis to rock slider brackets.

Rock sliders ready for powder coating

Making sure they fit

Just got to powder coat them and put on the weather strip.

wizard

clover · « **Reply #16 on:** December 22, 2009, 15:35:56 »

I beg to differ with the received opinion that the only "proper" way is chassis mounted... for the simple reason that my Disco 1 has a 2" body lift so if I had chassis mounted tree sliders there would be a 2" gap between the slider and the sill. Which would look awful and would not protect the sills properly.

My mate has chassis mounted sliders and they are always bending where as mine do not. He is regularly getting the sledge hammer out to them so he can open the doors. Chassis mounted ones are only as strong as the brackets that hold the to the chassis which in most cases are pretty crap in my opinion. How can 2 poncy steel plates compete with full length wrap around and bolted sill guards.

Don't get me wrong you have to have sound sills to bolt them too. Which on a disco is pretty rare but its better to get corroded sill welded up anyway. About 8 bolts straight through the sills on both sides. The back of the sills is reasonably strength. There is NO sills like on a Disco on a series or a defender. If you engage you brain all monocoque bodyshells on every vehicle have the jacking points on the sills so there must be some wisdom in it.! They have been through hell and high water for the last 3 years on my D1 and no signs of corrosion yet!

If I did want to strengthen them further I could weld tube to the chassis from the back of then but as they work perfectly fine on stannage edge and other rock strewn roads I don't see the point.

I bought mine from Disco parts which are not trading any more... You used to be able to get them from scrapiron racing but i don't think they are trading anymore either.

Someone must be producing then...

Range Rover Blues · « **Reply #17 on:** December 22, 2009, 19:51:45 »

Possibly they went bust after all the claims for damaged bodyshells with rock sliders bolted to the paintwork ;)

wizard · « **Reply #18 on:** December 22, 2009, 21:07:41 »

Quote from: Range Rover Blues on December 22, 2009, 19:51:45

Possibly they went bust after all the claims for damaged bodyshells with rock sliders bolted to the paintwork ;)

And there's me planning on making a few sets of sill mounted sliders early next year....

wizard

clover · « **Reply #19 on:** December 23, 2009, 07:43:02 »

Well I've got no complaints and no damage to my body shell as a result of using them.

I would have thought there are more people out there concerned with the state of their sills once the plastic trim is removed and half the metal work on the sill comes away with it! Which you ought to something about whatever your plans are for sliders.

I think there are other reasons for them going bust. I have found other people that produce them but they are small outfits that make them to order.

Chassis mounted tree sliders are good for Series and Defenders because there is little else that you can fit being as they are not monocoque welded body shells and as such don't have welded sills. But I insist that for a Disco there are other equally valid options.

Seeing as I bought my body lift kit from you wizard what do you suggest for your many customers who have bought them for their Discoveries and may want to buy your tree sliders and may be some what disappointed when they fit them and find the 2" gap?

I'm not having a go as your stuff is great. Are you planning to over come this with a different fitting kit? I would have thought it is not too impossible a mountain to overcome...

wizard · « **Reply #20 on:** December 23, 2009, 17:00:15 »

Quote from: clover on December 23, 2009, 07:43:02

Seeing as I bought my body lift kit from you wizard what do you suggest for your many customers who have bought them for their Discoveries and may want to buy your tree sliders and may be some what disappointed when they fit them and find the 2" gap?

I'm not having a go as your stuff is great. Are you planning to over come this with a different fitting kit? I would have thought it is not too impossible a mountain to overcome...

Good point.

If you have a body lift then sill mounted sliders are the easiest option, but it wouln't be to difficult to off set the mounting brackets by 2 inches for those that want chassis mounted ones.
I'll have to plan that for later in the year, once the tank guard, winch bumper and lowerd front shock mounts are out of the way.

I got the sliders back from the powder coaters today, they look great in satin black. I can only get the weather strip in January though which is a bit of a [!Expletive Deleted!].

wizard

J.D. · « **Reply #21 on:** December 25, 2009, 13:10:37 »

Quote from: wizard on December 21, 2009, 19:46:30

Heres a few pix.

Chassis to rock slider brackets.

Rock sliders ready for powder coating

Making sure they fit

Just got to powder coat them and put on the weather strip.

wizard

They look familiar to a set I had :D :D :D

Devon-Rover · « **Reply #22 on:** December 27, 2009, 13:33:09 »

I will stand by the claim that chassis mounted is best. The disco body shell isn't the best known of being corrosion proof. So asking it to take the weight of the motor is a little mad. IIRC the body is attached to the chassis at six points and they would have to be A1 to support the weight of itself Plus the chassis. After all if the bodyshell was that strong to support a set of rocksliders, then why didn't Land Rover do without the chassis and go for a monocoque construction from day one?

I might suggest to the poor chap with the chassis one's that need modifying even time he touches a butter cup so he can open the door has been taken for a ride. As shown above my series has a set that was home made. (No company made them at the time) And i have raised the motor on them. And used them to turn around on. and oddly enough saved the door being stoved in when i dropped off a step onto a rock!

wizard · « **Reply #23 on:** December 27, 2009, 13:49:35 »

Quote

IIRC the body is attached to the chassis at six points

I think its 10 points ;)

wizard

LiftedDisco · « **Reply #24 on:** December 27, 2009, 15:58:11 »

Wizard...

Have you cut & bent your sliders so that they follow the bottom line of the doors/front wings or are they left straight?

Are you also thinking of doing tree sliders (with tube, not square section)?

If so, can you let me know a price please?

Thanks, Rob

wizard · « **Reply #25 on:** December 27, 2009, 16:46:34 »

The sliders are cut & bent to follow the Disco body line.These ones are just plain with jacking points front and rear.
Pricewize they will be £153 to MC members (including the 10% discount offer)
The next batch i make will have tubular tree sliders on and jacking points.
I will also make sill mounted ones with tree sliders attached

These will retail for £170.00 ish

Regards
wizard :twisted:

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AuthorTopic: Rock Sliders: chassis-mount or sill-mount? (Read 14013 times)