Side bars help

Here goes another question, I have a piar of side bars (rock sliders) that I want to put on to my 3 door TD4, I bought them second hand so they came without bolts and insturctions. Bolts are no poblem to get however having a quick look I cant see where they bolt to (twas persistantly raining at the time). I can see a bracket might bolt to the back off the sill and the long arm to the box chassis section. Am I in the right areas or can anyone email me a fitting sheet of anything similar so I have a better idea of which area I am looking at. No holes lined up that I could see however it was a quick look.

Any help is much appreicated

Thanks

I had this trouble with my side steps. If the Side Bars are the same fixing method as the side steps then you'll need a speial tool and some nut-serts (riv-nuts). They're basically a rivet with a nut on one end. The special tool inserts these rivets into the chassis. Holes for these should be all ready be there under the undersealing membrane of the chassis, ususally a faint circle is visible where to remove the membrane.
I warn you now, the tool is not cheap and it's VERY hard to use, takes a lot of hand mustle power when under the car. By the time you've done 8 of these you'll need a sleep

Agree you will need the rivet nuts which when tightened up jam the nut and housing into the hole but there is no need to use any special tool.

Under your car you will see the chassis rails on either side of your propshaft, these run the length of your car, put the brackets loosely onto the side steps and pre-fit them under each side, you will see where they connect to the chassis rail really easily (small hole already in the middle of each chassis leg) the harder bit is where they bolt to the sill, as has been said look closely and you will see inline with the bracket holes from the chassis a piece of what looks like a plaster stuck to the sill, if you use a screwdriver you can punch a hole in the middle of it and the holes are the exact size of the 10mm rivet nuts which then just fit into the hole.

When you then attach the side sills tighten each bolt slowly into each rivet nut and they will cause the bolt to move forward up the metal collar which will in turn expand and fit tight into the pre-drilled hole and as they say' Away you go'

The key is to pre-fit them loosely first and make sure your happy before you tighten everything up properly.

Zippy

Zippy, are you sure you don't need the tool as the riv nuts I got from Land Rover were dam hard. I would have thought that if you just tried tightening the bolt onto the nut it would turn in the hole.
If you CAN get away with doing it this way then good job.

Mark,

I have fitted the steps to my wifes car and they fitted tight in the hole (Ooh Err) which allowed me just to tighten them up slowly and you can feel the collar compressing as you do it.

I have since removed the steps as they where rusting (Ebay specials) and the nuts are wedged tightly on the car, refitting after a re-paint was a doddle.

Zippy

Well that sounds like the best way to fit them Zippy. I used the special tool and now have fore arms like Popeye.
At least I'll know better for next time.

I have seen the said tool as a friend borrowed one and couldnt sqeeze it together at all to squash the nuts into the collar.

I was p#ssing myself laughing as he swore under the car trying to do it.

His face looked like this whilst he was sqeezing

Take care

Zippy

Zippy said:

I have seen the said tool as a friend borrowed one and couldnt sqeeze it together at all to squash the nuts into the collar.

I was p#ssing myself laughing as he swore under the car trying to do it.

His face looked like this whilst he was sqeezing

Take care

Zippy

Click to expand...

Was that the only substance that got released ??? (Under heavy efforts sometimes somethings happen ..... )

What, like turtle heads sqeezing out? That's not right

Tell me, when you were fitting the bars did they align up ok ?
I have just bought a set of bars and I have no problem with the one riv nut that is upside down from the chassis but they riv nut that is facing towards the iside of the vehicle I'm having great problem with. I can get the bolt inside but only just. It not straight and when I try to tighten it it keeps popping out ! The other riv nut is still very loose.
I'm going cazy !!!
Hope you can help.
Thank you

Yep i had the same problem i managed to fit one the next size up, but had to re drill it , the other way around the problem is to fit a couple of washers the correct size, it took me ages to get it on ,and i'm used to spanners and things. . .

BOLL_HOFS !
Work on the same principle, just more superior (to the crap Alloy ones i got from Simsonites)

Thanks a million. Back to it tomorrow. Trying not to swear this time ! ha

Hi all hear goes at last to my story updated - I purchased my side bars from ebay, (part flaking off I might add) had them grit blasted then plastic coated.

After looking at various tools etc, I visited my nut and bolt stockist who supplied M8 bolts washers and riv nuts. I made a bar 7 or 8 inched long with a hole so my M8 bolt would fit through it but the riv nut wouldn't.
I drilled the holes out on the landy to allow a snug fit of the riv nuts.

Inserted the riv nuts, bolt through the bar and tighten using a spanner using the bar to hold on to the nut griped and riveted its self up.

unscrewed the the bolts and fitted the bars job done with no expensive tools

Daren
PICS on Here http://www.runryder.com/helicopter/gallery/358/

Ref only - Nuts and bots from
Trevafield Fasteners Ltd
St Marks Street
Hull
HU8 7ED(Road Map)
Humberside
Tel: 01482 210360
Fax: 01482 213700

Nice pics of yer copters, i'm also a pilot, take a look at my rocket in the pics bit, fitted a warp speed mod on my own personal rocket, mind you i have got a fleet of em.Oh yes very good feed back on last thread with usefull info that what we need . .