How long to install Rock Slide Engineering Steps?

[Overwatch]

Hey there! So I got in my RSE step sliders, the new Gen 3 models. I was going to install them myself but they are really long and I’ll need help. Add in all the wiring and I was considering going to a shop. The one I called said they have done this a lot and it’s a ten hour job. That seemed really long for this project. Anyone done it? How long did it take you?

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[CpT Papa]

RSE states 3 hours. Any shop that has experience should be able to get close to that. I am considering them and would do them myself. It will probably be close to the 10 hours they quoted.

 

[Overwatch]

RSE states 3 hours. Any shop that has experience should be able to get close to that. I am considering them and would do them myself. It will probably be close to the 10 hours they quoted.

I told them about the stated time from RSE and the shop said they artificially lower the time so you will buy the rails. I’m not sure I believe that, but 10 hours for a Jeep building shop just seems really high to me.

 

[X-Treme]

Hey there! So I got in my RSE step sliders, the new Gen 3 models. I was going to install them myself but they are really long and I’ll need help. Add in all the wiring and I was considering going to a shop. The one I called said they have done this a lot and it’s a ten hour job. That seemed really long for this project. Anyone done it? How long did it take you?

My husband put my steps on. He is very inexperienced on fitting accessories onto any vehicle but has learned a lot from adding bumpers, winch, compressor and other things that i bought for my jeep. He wanted to try putting my steps on and he watched many videos first so that he knew what he was facing. He was pleasantly surprised at how straightforward it was. He just worked his way through the instructions, watched the videos when he was unsure and he did an awesome job. It took him daylight hours on the weekend. It was ready for me to drive on Monday. When he had issues he got in touch RSE and they were fantastic at helping him when one of the steps was slow to drop. He followed their advice and the step now deploys as it should. He said if you take your time and work through the instructions, get all your tools ready and something comfy for your back you should be able to do this yourself. They are a fantastic addition to my Jeep! Good luck!

 

[Atom631]

I did it all myself. I would say it was about 6-7hrs. The longest part is looseing the body bolts. I took my time with them bc of all the stories about breaking them. Once they were loose, the steps go on pretty quick. Its the wiring after that which took a while. .

 

[Suffolklou]

The way that the steps hang from the pinch seam makes installing them by yourself pretty easy. I have the Gen 2 steps, so I cant speak to the wiring because they are different.

 

[jaymz]

I told them about the stated time from RSE and the shop said they artificially lower the time so you will buy the rails. I’m not sure I believe that, but 10 hours for a Jeep building shop just seems really high to me.

Run away (don’t walk) from that shop and never look back. That’s the biggest load of BS I’ve heard in a while. If they can’t install those in 3-5 hours, they aren’t a competent shop.

 

[Overwatch]

Thank you all for the advice. Clearly the shop was trying to charge me way too much. I did my own bumpers, winch and some smaller stuff so I will get a friend and give these a try!

 

[X-Treme]

I did it all myself. I would say it was about 6-7hrs. The longest part is looseing the body bolts. I took my time with them bc of all the stories about breaking them. Once they were loose, the steps go on pretty quick. Its the wiring after that which took a while. .

My husband says this was one of the most taxing parts. He says to go easy on them as you do not want to break them off.

 

[X-Treme]

Thank you all for the advice. Clearly the shop was trying to charge me way too much. I did my own bumpers, winch and some smaller stuff so I will get a friend and give these a try!

You can do this! Good luck and come back and show us when they are on!

 

[Left Field]

If you've done your own bumper and winch I don't think you'll have any trouble.

I started installation of a set of the Gen 3 version today. The instructions are fair, RSE has a video that's not bad, but the best is the Gen 2 video from Northridge 4x4. It's for a Gen 2 set but pretty similar and provides a lot more detail.

I started worked on it this afternoon, putting in the wiring harness. As a strong believer in Murphy, I'm pretty meticulous on wiring, so have been especially careful on routing and securing the wire harness. I'm probably going to be into the harness about two hours. Nothing much technical about it. Some Harbor Freight trim removal tools for $5 are a great investment.

I added zip ties in extra places to prevent any strain, flexing or chafing. Also added zip ties and cross bars to support and secure the wire bundle as it passes through the floor grommets. I will be using silicone to seal them.

The advantage of doing it yourself is that YOU care - your installation is probably going to be much better.

I'll add an update when I mount the sliders.

 

[DavidArmen]

Lmfaooo they say they are a shop and they have done this a lot and then they quote ten hours? Shame on them. They are either extremely greedy or extremely incompetent.

 

[KNN]

It took me while but 10 hrs seems high for a professional shop. I had to enlarge/clean some of the holes on the pinch seem and removing the body bolts was terrifying but totally doable.

Rock Slide Engineering customer service has been amazing to deal with. One of the best companies.

 

[Fleet]

My son and I did the Gen 3 sliders install over Christmas break as he was home from college. It took 5-6 hours all total the best we can figure. The next set we could probably do in three hours, bend a pak lift was a huge time saver too. We heated the body bolts with a cutting torch for easier removal, removed the washers from body bolts with a bench grinder.

 

[Left Field]

@Overwatch

Finished installation of the RSE Gen 3 sliders today. Wiring harness installation and step mounting took me about the same time and total was about 7 hours. Next set I could do in 5.

Nothing complicated for the wiring harness or the step installation, just takes some time. Body bolts came loose fine, just went carefully with a few back-n-forth if there was any binding.

You need a decent selection of tools:

1/2 drive ratchet or breaker bar, a 3" x 1/2" drive extension & an 18 mm socket
1/2 drive torque wrench

3/8" drive ratchet, flex joint and a short extension
3/8" drive torque wrench
7/16" & 1/2" standard sockets
10mm, 7/16" & 1/2" deep sockets

Some tips that might help:

1) Instructions say to loosen the body bolts 1/4". What you really need is about an 1/8" between the head of the bolt and the washer. That's the trick, as the washer is not always enthusiastic about making room on the bolt. Some of my mount brackets slipped right in, a couple tapped into place with a rubber mallet, and one required removal and filing the threads near the washer a little. Put on the brackets and lightly tighten them just to hold the brackets in position.

2) The bolt tightening sequence indicated wasn't entirely clear. Correct order is pinch seam bolts, bracket bolts, body bolts. The last two pinch seam bolts (OEM/10mm) have to go in with the steps deployed.

3) The connectors for the lighting do not come with caps. If you don't install the lights you may want to cover the connector and zip tie it up out of harms way.

LF

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