Rock Sliders and Side Steps

Hi all

I have some questions about my Defender 90 tdi (being delivered on Thursday)...apologies if these are stupid questions, I'm a Defender Newbie and mechanical idiot:

1) My Defender appears to have had the Sills removed...why would the previous owner have done this? It has been restored with new doors fitted so is it likely that it is due to rust? Are there any other good reasons to not have sills?

2) Instead of fitting sills, I would like to fit Rock Sliders to provide added protection (I'm unlikely to go proper off-roading due to lack of skills, but will likely do some Greenlaning, although lacking skills for that currently as well!)...how easy are these to fit?

3) My good lady will be using the Defender on the road a lot and would like a side step that hangs down a little (the tubular sort with chequer plate as seen on any pimped Defender!) to help her get in (hence why I don't want rock-slider / step combo...are these easy to fit to Rock Sliders...and more importantly, easy to remove for when I take the Defender Greenlaning?

Cheers, Token

1. They could have been removed for any reason, the previous owner may have had rock sliders fitted but kept them when he sold the vehicle or the sills could have been damaged and removed at some point.

2. They are very easy to fit, remove old sills (already done in your case) knock the main bolt that holds the bulkhead on back towards the front tyre, place tube of slider into chassis outrigger (copper grease is your friend and a big hammer/wooden block will help) once fully in knock the main bulkhead back through the bracket on the slider and tighten. Some people also drill and bolt the rear end of the slider into the chassis also.

3. There is nothing to stop you bolting fold down steps to the sliders, they may not fit together but nothing a grinder, hammer and some bolts can't fix. Failing that you could make something as in the photo.

HTH Harry

1) Missing sills = either previous jackable versions were fitted or the originals were rotten, most likely teh former.

2) Jackable sills/Rock Sliders come in varying shapes and sizes - but most are a bolt on at Bulkhead and tubed into the Outrigger

3) The bling cosmetic tubular side steps are an either/or option to jackable sills - meaning you would have to reinstate the missing sills and fit the tubular cosmetic steps (reduces your clearance but will help the other half!)

Hope that helps

Thanks for the replies guys...

Slomofo...loving the username...class!

Think I will have to go for a hybrid...Boris...do you know where I could get something like your picture made up? If the step was to be a touch lower it would probably be ok and I wouldn't be sacrificing much clearance (should certainly still have enough for the greenlaning I will do)...and if I don't as long as the step bends but the rock slider is ok then who cares.

I'm afraid not. I met the bloke on a trip to Wales but I think he bought some standard sliders then added the slider/step on himself. There is no reason why you could not do the same. Even if you were to pay someone to do it for you then I doubt it would be very expensive.

Failing that you could always get some 12mm thick steel bar, place it in a vice and bend it into a I_I shape and have it welded to the bottom of the slider. That way you would have it at the right height and width you choose. Best of all if you bend it when out laning then a ratchet strap/solid object or a large hammer would straighten it out in seconds

Harry

are you sure that you mean the sills and not the ally sill panels (thin flappy things as opposed to thick steel open bottom box section?