- May 25, 2022
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- Current Ride
- 2022 Bronco Raptor
- Current Ride #2
- 2023 Land Rover Defender 110
I ordered RCI frame mounted 20 degree rock sliders for 4 Door Bronco knowing these were not Raptor specific.
They arrived in 12 weeks when lead time was given as 6-8 weeks. Oh well. They arrived in good condition, workmanship looked great and they are super stout.
However, they shorted me two bolts (which should have been there, but the Raptor has bolts for gas tank skid that can be reused so I didn’t need them). RCI was already sending more by the time I figured that out. They did give me two packs of tread plate hardware. And I had a similar issue on pinch seam covers so count your hardware immediately when ordering from RCI.
The install was surprisingly easy, with a couple twists vs. regular Bronco.
First, you’ll have to remove the bracket that supports the front wheel mud flap and also screws into the OEM slider. You’ll also need to trim the liner a little as it bunches into the RCI slider just a little. I did remove all my mud flaps previously so there could be more issues if you left them on.
Second, there were a number of reports in other forums about dropping the gas tank. I did not have to. I removed the two skid plate bolts per instructions and fully loosened to two other adjacent skid plate bolts to create more space to slide the slider bracket between the skid plate and frame. I had a full tank of gas, weight was not an issue.
The hardest part might be making sure the wiring harnesses and fuel lines are out of the way as you slide the brackets onto the frame. This is definitely a two man job. Not hard, but the sliders are heavy and there are a few things to keep track of while trying to slip them into place.
There is another tricky part. You have a bracket with three speed clips that have to be inserted in the frame and the orientation is critical. Repeat critical. I got mine in right (instructions are good) but if you screw this up it would be a major PITA to fish that assembly back out I think. I used a piece of heavy gauge wire to hook the bracket and drags it into mounting position.
Finally something that I thought would be hard that was easy despite tight spaces was getting the hardware that goes through the frame in place. Very easy, but due to limited space it took a loooonnng time to tighten the hardware down, one ratchet click at a time. Oh the bolts that mount from bottom are super easy.
Final tip, leave everything a little loose until you get everything in place.
It was maybe two and a half hour install with a friend. I did it on my epoxy floor ( easy to slide around) and plenty of space to work. An advantage at being in the ground is I used various tool boxes and wood to get the rails at exactly the right height to slide in onto the frame. Like I said, there’s a few things too few an eye on and not having to hold up the sliders made it way easier. They weigh about 65 lbs per side.
In the end I think they look fantastic. Ford should have had an option for something like this instead of the OEM steps/rails that most people would want for every day. That said, the rails have enough room to serve as a step. So I’m pretty happy I have real sliders and a step for my wife and me too (at 6’2”) to be honest!
Finished product:
The bracket that needs to be permanently removed
The Liner that needs to be trimmed. I’m soaking in it before I start cutting
This is for @TurboS the gap between slider and pinch seam cover
It’s a step, not the huge OEM platforms for very workable for me
Tread plate
They arrived in 12 weeks when lead time was given as 6-8 weeks. Oh well. They arrived in good condition, workmanship looked great and they are super stout.
However, they shorted me two bolts (which should have been there, but the Raptor has bolts for gas tank skid that can be reused so I didn’t need them). RCI was already sending more by the time I figured that out. They did give me two packs of tread plate hardware. And I had a similar issue on pinch seam covers so count your hardware immediately when ordering from RCI.
The install was surprisingly easy, with a couple twists vs. regular Bronco.
First, you’ll have to remove the bracket that supports the front wheel mud flap and also screws into the OEM slider. You’ll also need to trim the liner a little as it bunches into the RCI slider just a little. I did remove all my mud flaps previously so there could be more issues if you left them on.
Second, there were a number of reports in other forums about dropping the gas tank. I did not have to. I removed the two skid plate bolts per instructions and fully loosened to two other adjacent skid plate bolts to create more space to slide the slider bracket between the skid plate and frame. I had a full tank of gas, weight was not an issue.
The hardest part might be making sure the wiring harnesses and fuel lines are out of the way as you slide the brackets onto the frame. This is definitely a two man job. Not hard, but the sliders are heavy and there are a few things to keep track of while trying to slip them into place.
There is another tricky part. You have a bracket with three speed clips that have to be inserted in the frame and the orientation is critical. Repeat critical. I got mine in right (instructions are good) but if you screw this up it would be a major PITA to fish that assembly back out I think. I used a piece of heavy gauge wire to hook the bracket and drags it into mounting position.
Finally something that I thought would be hard that was easy despite tight spaces was getting the hardware that goes through the frame in place. Very easy, but due to limited space it took a loooonnng time to tighten the hardware down, one ratchet click at a time. Oh the bolts that mount from bottom are super easy.
Final tip, leave everything a little loose until you get everything in place.
It was maybe two and a half hour install with a friend. I did it on my epoxy floor ( easy to slide around) and plenty of space to work. An advantage at being in the ground is I used various tool boxes and wood to get the rails at exactly the right height to slide in onto the frame. Like I said, there’s a few things too few an eye on and not having to hold up the sliders made it way easier. They weigh about 65 lbs per side.
In the end I think they look fantastic. Ford should have had an option for something like this instead of the OEM steps/rails that most people would want for every day. That said, the rails have enough room to serve as a step. So I’m pretty happy I have real sliders and a step for my wife and me too (at 6’2”) to be honest!
Finished product:
The bracket that needs to be permanently removed
The Liner that needs to be trimmed. I’m soaking in it before I start cutting
This is for @TurboS the gap between slider and pinch seam cover
It’s a step, not the huge OEM platforms for very workable for me
Tread plate
