Project Silver Bullet Part 3

Project Silver Bullet Part 3 Jeep Wrangler Front Three Quarter

Thanks to lightweight aluminum bumpers and rock sliders, the Silver Bullet is easy to pilot through boulder fields like this one on Fruity Pebbles Trail in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Thanks to lightweight aluminum bumpers and rock sliders, the Silver Bullet is easy to pilo

Until the JK came along, steel was the favored choice for all types of body protection on Jeep vehicles—and for good reason, too. Steel is resilient and offers unrivaled protection for bodywork. The compromise to steel is its mass, and its propensity to rust if left unprotected. Tipping the scales at nearly 5,000 pounds (hardtop) in stock form, the JK Unlimited can benefit greatly from low-mass aluminum accessories. Thankfully, the aftermarket has addressed this concern with a virtual smorgasbord of bolt-on aluminum parts. Utilizing aluminum in place of steel can shave significant weight off a build. But is the weight savings worth the vulnerability to rock rash? It’s a question we’re out to answer with this project.

In this segment, we’re focusing specifically on rocker panel protection. All Jeeps have a section of sheetmetal below the door openings, just waiting for a trail obstacle to come along and crinkle it up. In the case of the popular four-door JK, the longer wheelbase greatly increases the need to cover up the at-risk area. The added length requires additional material and even more added weight to properly protect. It’s a trickle-down effect that plagues the JK owner, and while lightweight solutions are available, most are costly and unproven in the rough. We decided to take a chance and see if aluminum rock sliders would hold up to the abuse of consistent trail use. We picked up a set of RockGuard Rock Sliders from TeraFlex because they are the lightest available today. At just over 18 pounds per side, these bolt-on sliders have little effect on vehicle mass, yet they cover up the entire rocker panel and provide a deflective angle to ward off any would be rock bites. Check out the highlights from the installation process performed by the professionals at Jack-It in West Valley City, Utah.

This is how the Teraflex RockGuard Rock Sliders looked after they were unboxed. We like the fact that these rockers are made from extruded aluminum because there are no welds to fail, and they match the slightly bowed exterior body contour of the JK.
This is how the Teraflex RockGuard Rock Sliders looked after they were unboxed. We like th
Prior to installation, we took the vehicle through Rattlesnake Trail near Lehi, Utah. Our plan was to demonstrate the kind of rocker damage a stock JK might encounter on an average trail. As you can see, the damage was quite noticeable.
Prior to installation, we took the vehicle through Rattlesnake Trail near Lehi, Utah. Our
Once back at Jack-It’s installation center, we opened up the package containing fasteners. The system uses nut inserts that install directly into the factory sheetmetal.
Once back at Jack-It’s installation center, we opened up the package containing fasteners.

With the vehicle secured on a lift, each rocker was held in place to figure out exactly where each mounting flange would be located. Once each location was determined, a strip of masking tape was applied to protect the finish. A center punch was used to mark hole locations. We were ecstatic to learn that all trail damage sustained during our trail run would be covered up by the new sliders.
With the vehicle secured on a lift, each rocker was held in place to figure out exactly wh
In order to make the rockers fit properly, we had to massage the damaged areas near the pinch seam. Obviously, this step wouldn’t apply to a vehicle without existing damage.
In order to make the rockers fit properly, we had to massage the damaged areas near the pi
With mounting locations marked, the next step was drilling seven holes in each rocker panel for the nut inserts. Great care should be taken to ensure that the drill bit doesn’t catch any wires or loose objects inside the vehicle.
With mounting locations marked, the next step was drilling seven holes in each rocker pane

The included nut insert tool is a simple yet ingenious device. The three-part system works similarly to a pop-rivet and enables permanent installation of a threaded and flanged nut.
The included nut insert tool is a simple yet ingenious device. The three-part system works
Despite following the step-by-step instruction included with the sliders, it’s still very easy to foul up a nut insert during installation. Great care must be taken to ensure that the expandable portion of the insert expands properly to provide a secure fit. The trick is steady pressure and a close inspection of the two mating surfaces as the fastener starts to bite into the sheetmetal.
Despite following the step-by-step instruction included with the sliders, it’s still very
Once all the nut inserts were in place, the masking tape was removed and the sliders were supported by screw jacks. The top portion of the sliders bolt in place with stainless-steel button-head Allen bolts and washers. A special gasket must be positioned carefully as the Allen bolts are tightened. This can be very tricky without an extra set of hands to help re-align the gasket as the slider is tightened. Once all the rocker panel bolts were in place, three additional through-bolt holes were drilled on the underside of the body. This requires that the interior carpet is temporarily pulled aside between the seat and the rocker panel. With the final mounting holes in place, three long through-bolts were added to clamp the bottom of the sliders to the underside of the body.
Once all the nut inserts were in place, the masking tape was removed and the sliders were

Project Silver Bullet Part 3 Front Of Rock Slider

The first thing we noticed about the new sliders was how mud and road debris no longer ended up on the sides of the body. The deflective angle on the bottom of the sliders helps direct pebbles and other debris away from the body. The new step surface made vehicle egress much easier, and it even allowed us access to the hard-to-reach rooftop—particularly handy when removing or installing the front sections of the hardtop.

The first thing we noticed about the new sliders was how mud and road debris no longer end

Our Take
The Teraflex aluminum sliders may not be the toughest rocker protection available for the JK, but they are the lightest, and they come with a very handy step surface. If we had to do it all over, we would stick to our ultra-light strategy and possibly look into the idea of filling the inner void of the sliders with high-density expanding foam to help ward off deflection. That’s not to say that our sliders are not holding up well, because in actuality they are, especially when you consider how many times they have been used to pivot the vehicle around obstacles on the trail. However, we don’t think the aluminum sliders will take three more seasons of use at the current level, and at some point they are going to need to be replaced.

Our first trail test with the new sliders in place was the Rubicon during Jeeper’s Jamboree. We subjected the aluminum sliders to all kinds of torture during that trip, and despite some deep gouging and slight deflection at the ends of the sliders, overall the units maintained their intended shape well and kept the factory sheetmetal out of harm’s way.
Our first trail test with the new sliders in place was the Rubicon during Jeeper’s Jambore
Our next test was customizing the sliders to work with MetalCloak’s new tubular fenders.Thanks to the rigidity of the extruded aluminum sliders, the process of removing them from the rockers, trimming the necessary clearance, and re-installing them was pretty straightforward.
Our next test was customizing the sliders to work with MetalCloak’s new tubular fenders.Th
However, in doing so, we decided to remove the gaskets from the equation because they didn’t seem to want to stay in place on the driver-side. Perhaps some adhesive would have helped hold the gasket better, but we did not want to fuss with it.
However, in doing so, we decided to remove the gaskets from the equation because they didn

The Bottom Line
If you drive your JK every day, don’t do much hardcore wheeling, and don’t want to weigh it down with heavy steel parts, RockGuard Rock Sliders from Teraflex are the perfect balance of protection and mass for average street and trail use. If you build your JK specifically to tackle extreme rocky terrain, stick to steel sliders and accept the weight penalty.

SOURCES
TeraFlex 5241 S Commerce Drive Murray UT 84107 801-288-2585 www.teraflex.biz	Jack-It 1800 West 3500 South West Valley City UT 84119 888-452-2548 www.jackit.com