I've just rebuilt the better one and am baulking at doing the bad one. The heads of the bolts are only held by a hexagonal hole in the step plate. Removing the plastic treads let you get at the heads. As soon as you get about two turns of the nut you can shove the bolt up and get a spanner on it. Replace them with stainless steel ones, but no longer than original or the step wont go back on.
The trim is (sort of) held on by tiny pop-rivets. The steel centre pins on mine would not drill out so I had to press the pins out in a big vice. Then the remainder of the rivets got drilled out. Replacements of a much larger size were used, along with washers below the heads. Hope to get more than 36 months out of them.
The end rivets also hold the end-caps, so once removed the caps just poll out and you can liberate lots of c p from inside. I chipped off much of the powder coating and wire brushed the metal bits of the step and liberally coated with hammerite. The alloy trim looked a bit tired so it got a similar treatment with spray rather than brush. Needed a big pop-rivet gun to do the rivets as the extending one won't fit straight apart from end ones.
I've been on to the local metal fabricator about a more advanced rebuild using RHS so that they will support the weight of the vehicle if struk off-road but look much the same from outside. I've asked what price might be on five sets as well in case others are having similar problems.A vaccine does not stop you catching a virus, or passing it on, or getting ill from it, really ill. It does reduce the likelyhood of you dying when really, really ill. Stay Alive - KEEP AWAY FROM PEOPLE.
21st Oct 2010 3:25 pm
J@mes
Member Since: 10 Nov 2008
Location: Bomber County
Posts: 4547
I'd get the combined slider/steps from a well known and respected firm run by Gary and Neil who make Vehicle Protection products 2014 D4 XS
2005 D3 SE - Gone
21st Oct 2010 3:27 pm
bambi
Member Since: 10 Apr 2009
Location: south yorkshire
Posts: 2059
Hi Mac, i refurbed some side steps from flinty ( ta flinty), stripped all the trim off, the plastics off,so i was left with a metal frame, i replaced all the bolts and nuts with stainless ones m8 i think ( i'll just go look) yup m8's on the step to bracket, these are under the plastic cover, i used 5.5mm long wide head pop rivets along with tiger seal to hold the trim on, the original rivets were 4-5mm so i had to re drill.
i liked the tubes as well but these were free to a good home, and the tubes dont stick out so far so as to prevent door dings in car parks.
21st Oct 2010 3:28 pm
NeilD
Member Since: 01 Dec 2008
Location: Sunny Surrey
Posts: 4845
Navigator wrote:
I've just rebuilt the better one and am baulking at doing the bad one. The heads of the bolts are only held by a hexagonal hole in the step plate. Removing the plastic treads let you get at the heads. As soon as you get about two turns of the nut you can shove the bolt up and get a spanner on it. Replace them with stainless steel ones, but no longer than original or the step wont go back on.
The trim is (sort of) held on by tiny pop-rivets. The steel centre pins on mine would not drill out so I had to press the pins out in a big vice. Then the remainder of the rivets got drilled out. Replacements of a much larger size were used, along with washers below the heads. Hope to get more than 36 months out of them.
The end rivets also hold the end-caps, so once removed the caps just poll out and you can liberate lots of c p from inside. I chipped off much of the powder coating and wire brushed the metal bits of the step and liberally coated with hammerite. The alloy trim looked a bit tired so it got a similar treatment with spray rather than brush. Needed a big pop-rivet gun to do the rivets as the extending one won't fit straight apart from end ones.
I've been on to the local metal fabricator about a more advanced rebuild using RHS so that they will support the weight of the vehicle if struk off-road but look much the same from outside. I've asked what price might be on five sets as well in case others are having similar problems.
Whatever you do to the step, its only as week as the brackets. It's those that bend (as well as a Banana step.
The RHS brackets would be a lot stronger (plus I hope we can get hi-lift jack points in as well) - the limit is how strong the attachment points the the vehicle actually are. Having a projecting step may just not work though as the moment it exerts on the mounting could cause failure. I've been looking for pictures of alternative tubes/rock sliders/tree sliders/whatever one calls them, to see if any would be any good as a step. The OEM step is actually far wider than it needs to be, so something narrower that fits onto top of a slider/tube/thingie might fulfil a lot of folks requirements (and also mollify a few SWIMBOs on the way)A vaccine does not stop you catching a virus, or passing it on, or getting ill from it, really ill. It does reduce the likelyhood of you dying when really, really ill. Stay Alive - KEEP AWAY FROM PEOPLE.
21st Oct 2010 4:03 pm
dsd1036
Member Since: 27 Feb 2010
Location: Surrey
Posts: 2692
@mac
Rock slider/steps mate!!I had doubts because of the kids getting feet stuck in between the tubes etc, but it were proved to me that this is unlikely,so i went for em!
I would like to have a look at a set of those - but you are too far to pop round for a look, Darrell. Anyone closer got a set to show off?A vaccine does not stop you catching a virus, or passing it on, or getting ill from it, really ill. It does reduce the likelyhood of you dying when really, really ill. Stay Alive - KEEP AWAY FROM PEOPLE.
21st Oct 2010 5:39 pm
AndrewS Tarquin of the Desert
Member Since: 06 May 2005
Location: Y...... because I can
Posts: 10438
Man Up and bin them In the Beginning there was nothing, which exploded.
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, the front edge where it bends round is loose and the rest is holding fine.
p from inside. I chipped off much of the powder coating and wire brushed the metal bits of the step and liberally coated with hammerite. The alloy trim looked a bit tired so it got a similar treatment with spray rather than brush. Needed a big pop-rivet gun to do the rivets as the extending one won't fit straight apart from end ones.
