ek1
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Trying to install the damn rock sliders....not having a lot of fun. Following the document here: https://lodoffroad.com/assets/pdfs/JRS1814INS.pdf
Got the brackets installed without any issues. The problem is attaching the rails. The manual says " Install the Backup Plate from inside the Slider Body and secure with the 3/8” Carriage Bolt, Hex Nut and Washer ". That's a GREAT idea, except there is nothing that holds the bolt to the backup plate, so basically you need to somehow hold the bolts AND the backup plate together, WHILE trying to insert it into the small opening in the rail. I can do it relatively easily with the rail resting on the floor (especially if I use masking tape to hold the bolt and the backing plate together. However, there is no way I can do it when the rail is sitting next to the bracket. There is no way I can get my fingers in there. And this is with the front and middle brackets. With the rear it's much worse because it has very little space inside.
I am doing this with the Jeep sitting on the ground and I do not have a lift. I even tried stuffing a bunch of bubble wrap inside the rail to hold the backing plate and bolts to the surface of the rail, but I can't manage to get all 10 bolts to align with bracket holes at the same time.
Anyone has any suggestions/tricks/hacks? I wasted an hour today trying to get one rail mounted and could not do it.
This is a really idiotic design. They should have used bolts with heads that can be held by a socket and should have made a small hole in the body of the slider adjacent to each bracket slot , so you can stick a ratchet extension in and hold the bolt in place. Magnetized bolts would have been nice too.
Got the brackets installed without any issues. The problem is attaching the rails. The manual says " Install the Backup Plate from inside the Slider Body and secure with the 3/8” Carriage Bolt, Hex Nut and Washer ". That's a GREAT idea, except there is nothing that holds the bolt to the backup plate, so basically you need to somehow hold the bolts AND the backup plate together, WHILE trying to insert it into the small opening in the rail. I can do it relatively easily with the rail resting on the floor (especially if I use masking tape to hold the bolt and the backing plate together. However, there is no way I can do it when the rail is sitting next to the bracket. There is no way I can get my fingers in there. And this is with the front and middle brackets. With the rear it's much worse because it has very little space inside.
I am doing this with the Jeep sitting on the ground and I do not have a lift. I even tried stuffing a bunch of bubble wrap inside the rail to hold the backing plate and bolts to the surface of the rail, but I can't manage to get all 10 bolts to align with bracket holes at the same time.
Anyone has any suggestions/tricks/hacks? I wasted an hour today trying to get one rail mounted and could not do it.
This is a really idiotic design. They should have used bolts with heads that can be held by a socket and should have made a small hole in the body of the slider adjacent to each bracket slot , so you can stick a ratchet extension in and hold the bolt in place. Magnetized bolts would have been nice too.
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