Yayyy sliders have arrived! Nooo one is bent!

[PCH4R]

Received my Bud Built sliders!

After unwrapping, the driver side front frame mounting plate is bent back about .5 to .75 inch from the front edge to the first leg. Given that this is exactly the spot where the KDSS bolt goes, and the clearance is already tight, there is no way its going to fit without causing problems.

The package did not have damage to it, but could have been dropped at just the right angle, etc.

In any case, I'm figuring out my options.

The quickest idea is this.

1. Take slider and place it on a street curb facing "up" where the bent section is on the sidewalk and the rest of the slider is in the street to "level" it out.
2. put a wood 2x4 over the bent area
3. stand/kneel on slider
4. use hammer and/or sledge hammer and hit the 2x4 and hope the bent plate becomes flat between the wood and the cement. And hoping the rear plate doesn't bend...
5. install and proceed to hitting slider with rocks instead of hammer

thoughts?

 

[KidVermicious]

Pics? I think your best bet is probably a bigass vise and a large set of visegrips with a cheater pipe, but maybe I'm not picturing the damage correctly.

 

[wfo9]

It would help if you posted a picture to better explain the bend.

But I would say you need a vice and probably a heat source to bend it back. Even a simple propane torch would probably be enough.

Is it already powder coated?

It should have been strong enough to not bend in transit.

 

[bimrunner]

I'd call Budbuilt and get their input. They know their product best and will have a solution or send you a new slider. If you could bend it with 2x4 and the curb, I wouldn't install it. Just my $0.02. That being said, I highly doubt you could bend it without one of the other 2 methods mentioned.

 

[gm350reratliff]

I doubt you could get it right with a curb, 2x4, and a sledge hammer. Most likely you will need a acetylene torch with a rosebud tip to get it almost perfect. Even if it is powder coated, I would worry to much about the brackets. Just mask down a little from the bracket and sand, primer, and paint it.

 

[Intruder]

It should have been strong enough to not bend in transit.

Exactly. Call Bud and explain the situation. Take a pic to email to him. These things are designed to take some pretty serious abuse from rocks so I couldn't see them getting bent in transit unless someone was really trying.

 

[gm350reratliff]

Exactly. Call Bud and explain the situation. Take a pic to email to him. These things are designed to take some pretty serious abuse from rocks so I couldn't see them getting bent in transit unless someone was really trying.

See what brown can do for you!

 

[Antman]

This cracks me up.

Sliders are for what? To take abuse, right? To whack up against trees, rocks, etc....just bend it back.

You don't need a 2x4, or a torch. Just put the mounting plate on the concrete and smack it back into place with a short 5 lb sledgehammer. Will take all of about 60 seconds.

It's only mild steel so it will bend without too much effort- the overall design of the slider is what makes it strong.

 

[nevada]

This cracks me up.

Sliders are for what? To take abuse, right? To whack up against trees, rocks, etc....just bend it back.

You don't need a 2x4, or a torch. Just put the mounting plate on the concrete and smack it back into place with a short 5 lb sledgehammer. Will take all of about 60 seconds.

It's only mild steel so it will bend without too much effort- the overall design of the slider is what makes it strong.

my thoughts exactly.

after paying for them, I would also expect they showed up in good condition, and not damaged..

but, if its just a matter of a mount out of shape slightly, I would coerce it back into shape with a BFH, and move on....

 

[Apex Overland]

when my OPOR sliders came in one of the mounting plates were bent, just hit it with a sledge hammer until it was strait, don't over think the problem and solution.

 

[PCH4R]

resolved!

Haven't taken any pictures yet but will soon!

Talked with Bud and he offered a couple solutions
1. Have fedex pick it up, and they will build and ship me a new one no charge.
2. Hit it with a big hammer/2x4 (hah my idea wasn't terrible!) and see if it straightens. If this makes it worse, damages it, etc, then again, send it back and they will ship a new one.
3. Don't try to straighten it and see if will install.

Definitely the kind of customer service you hope for but rarely get!

Given the, "even if you ruin it we will give you a new one option", I decided to do just that.

Took it out to the curb to see if I could un-fedex it I think it helped a bit, but not much. I think the energy transfer wasn't direct enough/dissipated too easily even with weight/pressure on full slider.

In any case, I felt I was committed now and was time to try installation. Once I got it up on a jack, etc, I realized that the bent area was nowhere near the kdss and would not be an issue.

Just had myself, a floor jack, couple jack-stands, and various tools (so glad I bought some auto-ratcheting wrenches a while back for those tight spots where a socket will not fit!!!).

I decided to start with the passenger side without all the kdss line issues to see how the install would go. 30 minutes later it was done! It has more bolts than are certainly necessary, but no reason "not" to bolt every possible place

The driver side was another matter. Took a good while to figure out the game plan of how to get the slider in behind the front lines, between the rear lines and frame, and under the gas skid! Once I had the plan, the execution was again another matter. That was quite an install! I'd say from first bolt out to last bolt in was a good 2.5+ hours!!! Definitely earned my beer!

In the end, that front initial bend was an absolute non-issue. Was very easy to get all the bolts in place and bracket flush to the frame. The rear section was where the 2+ hours of time went. I think it was bent a bit too, just large enough to not notice, etc. I really had to fight to align a few holes, get the bolts started, use the floor jack to keep pressure off the partial bolts while using a sand-mallet to maneuver the bottom bracket in/up to align other bolt-holes. I finally got every single bolt in place and all the lines attached but it took a lot of patience and micro adjustments to ensure I didn't cross-thread or bend any of the bolts. When it was all complete, it was clean, and flush, but it was not at all as simple as the passenger side.

There is one kdss bracket near the rear where there is not hole in the slider to bolt it. Given its right above one of the slider legs, and the line is bolted just a few inches further in front and rear, I do not think it will be an issue. They definitely do not "move"! I guess I could slide a zip-tie through it and wedge the other end of the tie behind a nearby washer/bolt...

These things are awesome! They tuck in so well to my TE rocker trim, it feels like factory! The front, rear, driver and passenger is completely consistent and level in their space from the rocker, from the doors when open, etc. There are no droop there, too wide here, driver vs passenger anomalies, etc... It's just "OEM".

I'm really glad I opted for the matte black powder-coat. Looks great and avoided any grease / rust issues during install. And I think a flat matte rattle-can will do the job when a rock scuffs it up (soon I hope!).

There are the standard bump-out. Heaviest "55lbs" each I've ever seen. My guess is 65+ each and will withstand anything this vehicle see's. The beefy have got to be insane!

Things sliders hit all my criteria!
- Provide serious rock protection. While I do plan to lift, even 2.5 inches with this long wheelbase will get into contact easily.
- Give kids a step to get into the cabin and to the roof rails/gear/etc
- Give parking-lot patrons a reminder to treat others as you would treat yourself