Demello Rock Slider Install

[Erik]

I installed Demello Rock Sliders last night. They took about 3 weeks to ship after I ordered them, but I'm glad I waited. Here are a couple of install tips:

Tools required:

Two 5-gallon Home Depot paint buckets
ratchet set with both normal and small-sized ratchet
worklight or flashlight

1. Demello shipped 16 sets of one bolt, two washers- perfect. The factory-drilled holes in the FJ frame are already threaded, so the install could not be easier. The Demello bolts were stamped 10.8, which should be very sturdy, especially considering each slider gets 8 bolts.

2. Make sure the threads on the FJ are reasonably clean before starting. I checked each hole by screwing in a bolt several turns, then backing the bolt out. This made it much easier to mount the sliders later.

3. Line up the sliders on the ground. It's obvious after you get started, but there is a Left and a Right slider, determined by the longest space between mounts being in the front. This is the only way the sliders will attach.

4. The sliders were heavy, over 40 pounds each. I found the easiest way to get the job done was to place the sliders on two 5-gallon Home Depot paint buckets, then slide the whole works into position under the FJ. You will need to twist the back of each slider a little in order to slip the mount under the brake line. In a non-lifted FJ, the combination of Home Depot buckets and Demello sliders is perfect. To line up the holes, you'll need to push up on the mounts just a little in order to get the bolts started into the frame. With this method, the slider install is easily a 1-person job.



5. I started with one bolt on the front, one bolt on the back, not fully tightened. This provides more than enough support to be able to wiggle the buckets out and access all of the holes. After all bolts are in, tighten all bolts, then re-tighten all bolts. There is one in the front that will require a small ratchet for best results.


Note about the brake lines:

I did not find it necessary to swap the brake line clips. I've read it's required with some of the other sliders. As-is, the Demello rails make the lines a little more tight, but the lines are not stretched or even slightly kinked, so they should be fine. What does everyone else think?

[CrustyDusty]

Good Work. I like the Demellos and the All-Pros, but am undecided. Why did you go with the Demello's?

[targa88]

CrustyDusty previously said:

Good Work. I like the Demellos and the All-Pros, but am undecided. Why did you go with the Demello's?

Prefer the design of the Demello - don't need the extra protruding neat the rear wheel.

[VoodooBrew]

thanks for the write-up. Good tip on the paint buckets and good to know about the brake lines.

[WhiteNoise]

These are completely bolt on? no welding? Sorry newb.

[targa88]

WhiteNoise previously said:

These are completely bolt on? no welding? Sorry newb.

Absolutely bolt on

[Erik]

CrustyDusty previously said:

Good Work. I like the Demellos and the All-Pros, but am undecided. Why did you go with the Demello's?

I went with Demello for several reasons. I didn't like the factory rails because they don't stick out far enough to be used as a step. At the same time, I didn't want rails that stuck out so far they had to be used as steps. The Demllo's width is perfect- I've been getting in without them and have no shin bruises. My son has suddenly found it's easier to crawl into the back seat.

This is a little controversial, but I wanted the rails powder coated, without having to take them to a seperate powder-coating company. Demello offers this as an option. Many of the other manufacturers require you to paint yourself. After using the rails several times on the trail this weekend, the powder coating still looks great- it's very durable. There's no way rattle-can would still be there. When the power coating does get a scratch, I'm confident I'll be able to touch up the bottom with some hammer paint it it will be fine. Plus, I think powder coating is a must if anyone is going to use the rails as steps. You don't want your little one slipping on wet rattle-canned rails.

In the end, I narrowed things down to Man-A-Fre and Demello. It turned into an easy decision after I got shipping quotes from these two California companies. I'm on the East Coast, and Demello's shipping was $165 less. I get the impression that Demello often doesn't have their rails in stock, so I would suggest getting some availability and shipping info before you get your heart set on one manufacturer. The Demello staff was very friendly and I never had trouble getting them on the phone, but it was difficult finding out true order status. I would recommend patience and ordering well in advance of any off-road events if you want to buy Demello.

This weekend I went to Rausch Creek, so the sliders got a workout. The park has lots of rocks, stumps, and trees. To make matters even more interesting, the FJ Trail Team was there, pushing all of us to our limits. I could not have been happier with the performance of the Demello sliders. It should also be noted that the factory sliders have also done an excellent job protecting other FJs both times I've been to this park.

There are many great sliders available for the FJ. What worked for me was to make a list of the features I wanted, ranked must-have to like-to-have, then read the full slider sticky thread in the 4x4 section of the forum. All the info is there to make the best choice. You can't make a bad choice.