So for those of you who know or may remember, we got a set of EVO frame mounted rock sliders for BANDIT quite some time ago. We got them powder coated and ready to install but just as I started to get them installed, there were a few issues I came across and so I ended up putting them on the back burner or at least, until now.
Unlike the installation on a JL Wrangler, which really is as easy as what you see in this video...
...there were a few unexpected things that I needed to address to make the install work. And, before you ask, there will NOT be a video on this as I had assumed the install would be pretty much the same as a JL Wrangler and didn't plan for it. Also, all the trouble shooting I had to do made it too difficult to go back and start a video. Needless to say, I apologize for not having one but hope the tips I show here will help you.
First and foremost are gussets on the middle body mount that get in the way of the rock slider mounting arms.
These are not present on a JL Wrangler and do need to be trimmed along with the flares on the mount in order to get the rock sliders installed.
I don't know if there was a change in 2023 or what but the other issue I came across was that the bottom of the rear most rock slider arm mount sat a bit too high and once everything was secured in place with the factory bolts, the rock sliders looked visibly sloped down toward the back. And yes, I know the body is curved and that is part of what I was seeing but even getting it on was kind of a pain and I almost felt like the slider was bowing a bit.
I tried really hard to make things work and even used washers to help level things out and while it did help, I really didn't like that as a solution being that I was correcting a majority of the mounting points to address a problem that just one was creating.
So, what I chose to do instead was cut off the base of the rear most mounting bracket so that it would no longer pull it downward. And, this did the trick. I should note, there are still 2 holes on the side of the frame rails that you need to drill to secure the rock slider to it and I was much happier about doing this once the rocker guards looked straight. I figure, if needed I can always weld the base of the slider arm mount to the frame rail.
And, in case you're wondering, yes, this was an issue on the passenger side as well and one that required the same fix.
Finally, there was one other thing that I encountered and wasn't expecting and that was a factory L shaped bracket that's located close to the forward most passenger side rock slider arm mount. Again, this was not something I had to address on my JL Wrangler and it needed to be cut off in order for the slider mount to sit flush with the frame rail.
With all that said, here are a few pics of what the EVO Rock Sliders look like installed on our Jeep Gladiator.
Unlike the installation on a JL Wrangler, which really is as easy as what you see in this video...
...there were a few unexpected things that I needed to address to make the install work. And, before you ask, there will NOT be a video on this as I had assumed the install would be pretty much the same as a JL Wrangler and didn't plan for it. Also, all the trouble shooting I had to do made it too difficult to go back and start a video. Needless to say, I apologize for not having one but hope the tips I show here will help you.
First and foremost are gussets on the middle body mount that get in the way of the rock slider mounting arms.
These are not present on a JL Wrangler and do need to be trimmed along with the flares on the mount in order to get the rock sliders installed.
I don't know if there was a change in 2023 or what but the other issue I came across was that the bottom of the rear most rock slider arm mount sat a bit too high and once everything was secured in place with the factory bolts, the rock sliders looked visibly sloped down toward the back. And yes, I know the body is curved and that is part of what I was seeing but even getting it on was kind of a pain and I almost felt like the slider was bowing a bit.
I tried really hard to make things work and even used washers to help level things out and while it did help, I really didn't like that as a solution being that I was correcting a majority of the mounting points to address a problem that just one was creating.
So, what I chose to do instead was cut off the base of the rear most mounting bracket so that it would no longer pull it downward. And, this did the trick. I should note, there are still 2 holes on the side of the frame rails that you need to drill to secure the rock slider to it and I was much happier about doing this once the rocker guards looked straight. I figure, if needed I can always weld the base of the slider arm mount to the frame rail.
And, in case you're wondering, yes, this was an issue on the passenger side as well and one that required the same fix.
Finally, there was one other thing that I encountered and wasn't expecting and that was a factory L shaped bracket that's located close to the forward most passenger side rock slider arm mount. Again, this was not something I had to address on my JL Wrangler and it needed to be cut off in order for the slider mount to sit flush with the frame rail.
With all that said, here are a few pics of what the EVO Rock Sliders look like installed on our Jeep Gladiator.
