I'd like some 'disguised' rock sliders that look like normal sills, do they exist?

Hi guys,

I'm a huge fan of the idea of rock sliders; nice bit of protection off road, bit of extra side-impact protection, something substantial for other people to bash their doors into in car parks, etc.

I can also understand the appeal of the looks. The agricultural engineering ham-fisted part of me knows they look great, galvanised with tree bars...cool.

But the truth is they look crap and ruin the shape of the Defender. Try painting them body-coloured and they look worse. SO, does anyone know a company that fabricate rock sliders in the same style and shape as the original sills? ie. nice and curved at the ends, don't stick out of the bodywork etc?

Failing that, I know there are an awful lot of clever people on this forum, does anyone feel up to the challenge of building me a pair? With the appropriate remuneration of course

Thanks guys!

Oli

like these?
TF803 - Defender 90 Rock Sliders

Not quite, once fitted they'll look a bit like this:



The result I'm hoping to get is something like this (but an awful lot stronger):

paint em then lol

Yes ok the subtlety of the differences between a length of box section and the original pressed sill may be lost. But it's very much there..

what will you do when it gets a few dents?

knock them out, fill them and paint them, then thank my super-duper special secret rock sliders for preventing worse damage... if I can find a pair...

It's a traccta they looked **** when they left the factory, The panel gaps make a childs carboard box "car" look well made

What poosible difference can a pair of rock sliders make.?? Next You'll be asking if anyone has found a way to hide a boom box and 700W amp in the back. or fitted 20" RR alloys to one..

Kind of the opposite redhand. I want to make it look like I haven't made any modifications to it. It's not about being well made, it's about me not ####ing up a 60 year old body shape that I think looks good like it is.

You may not understand, which is fine.

it's a ****ebox with the aerodynamics of a brick. believe me there isn't anything you can do to make em look worst well apart from plastering it in CP..

oli1 said:

Kind of the opposite redhand. I want to make it look like I haven't made any modifications to it. It's not about being well made, it's about me not ####ing up a 60 year old body shape that I think looks good like it is.

You may not understand, which is fine.

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well to answer your question, ive never seen some which match your requirement.

id try someone like csk land rovers. they do blingy bits like this, or may make one.

Yer wants chunky ones

redhand said:

it's a ****ebox with the aerodynamics of a brick. believe me there isn't anything you can do to make em look worst well apart from plastering it in CP..

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ok so you definitely don't understand!!

mikeh501 said:

well to answer your question, ive never seen some which match your requirement.

id try someone like csk land rovers. they do blingy bits like this, or may make one.

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Thanks will try them!

But bling? Does modifying a Land Rover in a way that makes it look completely standard called bling now?
Good lord I'm getting old. Or young. Or something

oli1 said:

Thanks will try them!

But bling? Does modifying a Land Rover in a way that makes it look completely standard called bling now?
Good lord I'm getting old. Or young. Or something

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well i kinda meant that they do bits which are more form than function and powder coated in whatever colour you fancy.

These are what i put on mine. i wasn't sure of them at first but i wouldn't use any others. these are invaluable on those narrow green lanes when you have to climb out and stand on them. I can't count how many times they've bounced off rocks, trees and mounds and left the bodywork unscathed.
A real practical mod for your landy and an absolute asset in the car parks!

Dr_evil said:

Yer wants chunky ones

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are they for a ship lol. they look ridiculous.

mikeh501 said:

are they for a ship lol. they look ridiculous.

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They is for my series and is fecking chunky

If they sit with the same outside dimensions as the factory sills do, then they are not really tree sliders, you wouldn't want to be sliding anything along them as the door hinges and handles would stick out further.

I think you just want a heavy duty sill as the factory ones are a tinny and don't do anything in the event of an impact - why I now have my own custom made, low profile sills (but do stick out a bit).

To make what you are proposing I would take the old ones off, and go down to the local metal suppliers and but some 80x8 flat bar cut to length, shape it with an grinder, weld on a bracket to catch the bulkhead bolt, and mount a rear bracket to catch the tubular outrigger. I would also weld something along the bottom of it to reinforce it, such as a piece of angle, as 8mm flat bar will flex a bit over that distance.

Colour match it and to all intents and purposes it will look like the same, but if someone gives it a bump, it's not going anywhere.

They will be pretty heavy, you MIGHT be able to get a piece of thin box section, say a 3mm wall 10x80ishmm box section, depends on the clearance you have at the back to the inner sill.

oli1 said:

ok so you definitely don't understand!!

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I've had a 90 and 2 x 110's, as well as 2 109 series 3's. and several disco's. I understand perfectly. They are pretty good offroad, and they are easy to work on (just as well given the build quality) after that They're ****e..