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ACE Slider Install - Hints from fellow JL/JLU Owner's

heykoolaid3

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Hello! I was ready to tackle this on my own but after reading every post and knowing my luck I brought them to my dealer to install.

They just called and said there was no way to put them on with the Rubi rails. Whenever they cinched the rails up they were hitting the Rubi rail.

I gave them the link to the ACE website and this forum section.

Any hints from those who have done this on their own? I will call ACE in the morning. There is so little to this installation beyond the 6 bolts I'm not sure what the problem could be.

Thanks,

Kenny

What did your dealer charge you to install them? I like this method as I don't have the tools, but don't want the burden if I break a bolt.
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mgroeger

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Mine should be shipping in the next day or two. Am I missing something here regarding taking off the factory steps? Are these bolts really that hard to break free? A breaker bar, good penetrating oil (I like Kroil by Kano labs) and some heat and just about any bolt has come loose for me. In terms of heating it all you need is a propane torch like a plumber would use for sweating pipes and you don't need to get the thing cherry red.
 

mgroeger

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Ace sliders installed... a couple of more pics..




20181025_134954.jpg


20181025_135432.jpg
Mine will be here today!!! How did your install go? I watched the video and the tips about the locktight will come in handy. Did you encounter any hiccups along the way?
 

Rhinebeck01

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@mgroeger

I have done the install on 3 JK's but this time opted to pay a tech with a heat induction tool to do the install.

I also had promise if body bolt was broken it would be taken care of by the Tech's employer.

So, cost me $75 plus $20 tip to tech. I thought of this cash layout as cheap insurance.

Tech had a bad time with driver's front. Did get out but... Actually, all were a pain but driver's front was really an issue.

I opted to replace all body bolts with new as both tech and l agreed it was prudent. Those bolts undoubtedly, were compromised.

Can tell you it was worth the headaches. The Ace's really look great. Fit is very good on the revised 2dr. Sliders.

.
 

mgroeger

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Thanks for the info. I still plan on doing myself but will take all the info into consideration. If all bolts turn out smooth I will reuse and put blue locktight on them. If they are very hard and get stressed I will replace them. Good thing is these are critical integral parts on the jeep so a bolt failure would not be catastrophic.
 

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Rhinebeck01

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Thanks for the info. I still plan on doing myself but will take all the info into consideration. If all bolts turn out smooth I will reuse and put blue locktight on them. If they are very hard and get stressed I will replace them. Good thing is these are critical integral parts on the jeep so a bolt failure would not be catastrophic.
I ordered the necessary body bolts in advance of the install. The agreement with the shops General Manager was that they would only do the install if new body bolts were used. They were just as worried about a compromised bolt breaking when reinstalling, as they were worried about them breaking in the removal process..

The necessary body bolts took about 10 days to get. Different part numbers and one in particular, was very hard to acquire.

As for a bolt failure not being "catastrophic" .. Do you know what is or could be involved to get a broken body bolt out of a JL... the man hours required at $80+ an hour. A broken body bolt can set you back a lot of $.

Anyway, with the removal, do go counter clock wise and then clock wise, then repeat... and on and on til you get the bolt out. Trust me, it will scream all the way out. No, I am not exaggerating.

.
 

Msmiljanic

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Thanks for all the advice from everyone. Here are my lessons learned from completing install on a JLR

Removal of bolts
-Used a 3/8”! wrench with a 12” handle. I felt that I had better control of not over torqueing.
-I went slow. A couple clicks at a time. I did hear some pops and reserved direction a few times. Yes it was hard and took a while. Probably 50lbs of torque after the first turn most of the way. I did not use any heat treatments on the bolts. I would only use a wrench and not an impact - you only have to do it once, take your time.
-I used a real good 18mm socket from Sunex to make sure I had good contact on the bolt
-After the bolt was free, I applied down force on the bolt while spinning it with a cordless
-one side at a time


Install prep
-I bought both new bolts recommend in this thread and the 12mmx1.75 die. Perfect match on new bolts from qualitymoparparts.com
-The die took A LOT of metal off the bolts. That made the decison not to reuse the bolts. Either the die is not an exact match or the bolt was messed up. I think it’s the former. My advice when working on a 40k car is to spend the $40 on new bolts.
-The oem bolts came with locktite which I did not remove

Install
-added an extender to my long socket.
-used a floor jack to put one rail in place. On the other side, the wife held up one side. Both worked, depends if you have a helper.
-upon bolt insertion, applied a lot of upward force with one hand on the back of the wrench while turning with the other. Worked flawlessly on all four bolts
-all four bolts went in like butter-maybe 20lbs torque most the entire way.
-Used torque wrench to 80lbs on bolts

Fit
-Only one spot of contact. One side has the bar barely touching(can’t put a drivers license through) the rubi rail. The other side has an 1/8” of clearance. Since these are fabricated, I imagine that’s within tolarance
-On the road test, no squeaks so I will probably leave it alone

Part Numbers
2 - 6511826AA Hex Flange Head Lock Screw $2.09
2 - 6508326AA Hex Flange Head Screw And Washer $12.76
 
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Jondrew

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2 - 6511826AA Hex Flange Head Lock Screw $2.09
2 - 6508326AA Hex Flange Head Screw And Washer $12.76
I assume the first part number is the front bolt (Red Loctite stripe) and the second the rear (blue Locktite)?

I wonder it the 4-door version are the same numbers except I’d need 4 of the second PN?
 

Msmiljanic

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I assume the first part number is the front bolt (Red Loctite stripe) and the second the rear (blue Locktite)?

I wonder it the 4-door version are the same numbers except I’d need 4 of the second PN?
Sorry no idea, I didn’t take note of that. By looking at them, there is no reason why one would cost 6 times more. I think it’s best to call the parts store and ask them to recommend the bolts based upon the 4 door diagrams unless someone knows what they are on this forum.
 

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mgroeger

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@ACE Engineering... WOW! Just put them on today, man are those things solid! Video tips were good. Had one front bolt that needed to be loose/tight/loose, oddly it was the only one of the six to have red loctite where the others had blue. This is the Mrs'. Jeep and she loves them. We both agree it's easier to get in and out with these vs. the factory side steps. As soon as I had them on I called the guy waiting to buy mine and he picked them up and had them on two hours later. Everyone was happy :)
 

Supercharged

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Installed my @ACE Engineering sliders Saturday morning. Hit the front bolts with the heat gun for a few minutes then went slow and easy with the breaker bar. Loosen then tighten and loosen some more. Took my time and did it all by hand. Thankfully there were no broken bolts this way and turned out great.

IMG_20181216_221006_860.jpg


20181215_073321.jpg


20181215_073351.jpg


20181215_073338.jpg
 

mgroeger

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Installed my @ACE Engineering sliders Saturday morning. Hit the front bolts with the heat gun for a few minutes then went slow and easy with the breaker bar. Loosen then tighten and loosen some more. Took my time and did it all by hand. Thankfully there were no broken bolts this way and turned out great.

IMG_20181216_221006_860.jpg


20181215_073321.jpg


20181215_073351.jpg


20181215_073338.jpg
When you did yours did you get any clicking, almost like the bolt slipped or jumped? I got a lot of clicking on the driver's front and realized I needed to tighten/loosen. Same here with the breaker bar, slow and easy until I could use the ratchet. What did you torque yours to? I did it by hand with a breaker bar until it felt like they were when I took them off. They weren't binded at all when I took them off, the breaker immediately started to turn.
 

McCloude

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When you did yours did you get any clicking, almost like the bolt slipped or jumped? I got a lot of clicking on the driver's front and realized I needed to tighten/loosen. Same here with the breaker bar, slow and easy until I could use the ratchet. What did you torque yours to? I did it by hand with a breaker bar until it felt like they were when I took them off. They weren't binded at all when I took them off, the breaker immediately started to turn.
When I installed, I had a ton of clicking/slipping from the front passenger bolt. It made scary sounds and took me a lot longer to remove it by hand with the breaker bar.
 

mgroeger

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When I installed, I had a ton of clicking/slipping from the front passenger bolt. It made scary sounds and took me a lot longer to remove it by hand with the breaker bar.
Yeah freaked me out! That was the bolt I was so worried about snapping so I tightened it back up and then loosened it really slowly with a breaker bar.
When you tightened them up did you torque them or just use common sense?
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