604Bronco’s Build Journal

[paperboy]

Rock Sliders with Top Plates (From GOAT Fab):

So I recently removed my Gatorback mud flaps - I still have them in my garage, and I truly think they are the best looking mud flap option on the market. They have held up well for the 20,000 km or so they were on my truck, and protected it very well. Ultimately though I prefer the look of no mud flaps, and regaining the ground clearance.

That being said, I still wanted something to protect my doors from rock chips, as well as find a step for my wife to get in and out of my truck easier. I looked at many different options, from LineX spraying my rocker panels to PPF to steps that mounted to my OEM rock rails, and everything in-between. Then a bunch of you mentioned how great @GoatFab is, so I checked out their options. After much back and forth on which one to choose (I'm a bit in-decisive), I went with the rock sliders with top plates (powder coated).

First off, a shout out to @GoatFab - I have zero affiliation with them, but they are AWESOME! Not only did he answer my DM's, but he was gracious enough to look at some options to work with me. As you know, I live in Canada (just a friendly reminder for @Tricky Dick in case he forgot), and shipping from the USA is super expensive. At the end of the day I was very happy with efforts to work with me on this.

When the item showed up, it was very well packaged. One end was slightly opened, but that was due to the FedEx driver likely dragging it from his truck to my garage door. Inside was totally fine, and everything was safe and well wrapped. Once I unboxed it all, I laid out the hardware for the rock sliders and pinch weld cover. Uh oh - I was missing one of the bolts for the rock rails - NOOOOOO!!! I DM'd @GoatFab and he actually called me within 5 minutes - First to explain how to install the pinch weld cover and rock rails (I'm not very handy and wanted to ensure I was doing it right, as I was installing this alone) and he also mentioned he would mail me out a new bolt right away the next morning. However, upon installing my pinch weld covers, I glanced on the road way and saw the missing bolt! It has slid out of the box, likely when the FedEx driver was delivering the item. Issue resolved! But their customer service is top notch, and that alone goes a long way with me.

For the install, I first attached the pitch weld covers. Super easy, but one thing I screwed up on was installing them upside down. The holes are drilled slightly to one side of the cover, so you want to make sure the holes are on the "bottom" of the cover, closest to the ground. You'll see what I mean when you install it. If you do it backwards, the cover hangs slightly below the pinch weld. Also, you need to remove the two painted bolts (per side) from the front of the vehicle. This was a bit of a pain as it has a thick layer of paint on it. It's a 10 mm socket to do, and you may need to scrape away a bit of paint for it to come off. Reuse these washers with the new bolts that come with the cover, and you're good to go. I ended up having a few black washers from my mud flaps that worked, so I used those instead.

Once the pinch weld cover was on both sides, I installed the rock rails. Well... These are heavy as heck, and I was doing it myself. One quick win that saved my ass: Get two 5 gallon buckets - You can get these at most hardware stores, and you likely have one or two for washing your vehicles already. I placed these buckets under my truck on each end, placed a thick piece of cardboard on that, and then placed the rock rail on top of it It brought it up just under where it mounts, and if you have the brackets of the rock rail sitting inside the bucket, you have the ability to roll and turn it at the angle you need. Lifesaver! Crawled under the truck and used one arm to push the rock rail into place at the right angle, and attached a couple bolts loosely to hold it in place. The rest is straight forward. Do not tighten everything until the end.

I'm extremely happy with the build quality, customer service, and how quickly these arrived at my house. I'm hoping they offer the door protection I'm looking for from rocks, the accessibility for my wife, and just the overall protection of the vehicle - Plus they look bad ass. I love the look of my Bronco even more now, especially with the mud flaps off and these bad boys installed!

I've posted some pictures below of them installed, as well as a side-by-side picture of the GOAT Fab vs. OEM rock rails that came with the Bronco.

Any questions, please ask away!


Side-by-side GOAT Fab vs. OEM rock rails:

Front Bracket:

Middle Bracket:

Rear Bracket:

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[paperboy]

Nicely done and thanks for the details. Looks great and a strong possibility for my 2 door - rumoured to arrive in a matter of weeks (or maybe summertime?)

I am just missing the visual on the pinch weld cover. From your description it is a separate piece. I am not quite seeing it. Do you have photo of just the pinch weld cover installed before the slider? And, is it even necessary?

Thanks

 

[Chritaka]

Rock Sliders with Top Plates (From GOAT Fab):

So I recently removed my Gatorback mud flaps - I still have them in my garage, and I truly think they are the best looking mud flap option on the market. They have held up well for the 20,000 km or so they were on my truck, and protected it very well. Ultimately though I prefer the look of no mud flaps, and regaining the ground clearance.

That being said, I still wanted something to protect my doors from rock chips, as well as find a step for my wife to get in and out of my truck easier. I looked at many different options, from LineX spraying my rocker panels to PPF to steps that mounted to my OEM rock rails, and everything in-between. Then a bunch of you mentioned how great @GoatFab is, so I checked out their options. After much back and forth on which one to choose (I'm a bit in-decisive), I went with the rock sliders with top plates (powder coated).

First off, a shout out to @GoatFab - I have zero affiliation with them, but they are AWESOME! Not only did he answer my DM's, but he was gracious enough to look at some options to work with me. As you know, I live in Canada (just a friendly reminder for @Tricky Dick in case he forgot), and shipping from the USA is super expensive. At the end of the day I was very happy with efforts to work with me on this.

When the item showed up, it was very well packaged. One end was slightly opened, but that was due to the FedEx driver likely dragging it from his truck to my garage door. Inside was totally fine, and everything was safe and well wrapped. Once I unboxed it all, I laid out the hardware for the rock sliders and pinch weld cover. Uh oh - I was missing one of the bolts for the rock rails - NOOOOOO!!! I DM'd @GoatFab and he actually called me within 5 minutes - First to explain how to install the pinch weld cover and rock rails (I'm not very handy and wanted to ensure I was doing it right, as I was installing this alone) and he also mentioned he would mail me out a new bolt right away the next morning. However, upon installing my pinch weld covers, I glanced on the road way and saw the missing bolt! It has slid out of the box, likely when the FedEx driver was delivering the item. Issue resolved! But their customer service is top notch, and that alone goes a long way with me.

For the install, I first attached the pitch weld covers. Super easy, but one thing I screwed up on was installing them upside down. The holes are drilled slightly to one side of the cover, so you want to make sure the holes are on the "bottom" of the cover, closest to the ground. You'll see what I mean when you install it. If you do it backwards, the cover hangs slightly below the pinch weld. Also, you need to remove the two painted bolts (per side) from the front of the vehicle. This was a bit of a pain as it has a thick layer of paint on it. It's a 10 mm socket to do, and you may need to scrape away a bit of paint for it to come off. Reuse these washers with the new bolts that come with the cover, and you're good to go. I ended up having a few black washers from my mud flaps that worked, so I used those instead.

Once the pinch weld cover was on both sides, I installed the rock rails. Well... These are heavy as heck, and I was doing it myself. One quick win that saved my ass: Get two 5 gallon buckets - You can get these at most hardware stores, and you likely have one or two for washing your vehicles already. I placed these buckets under my truck on each end, placed a thick piece of cardboard on that, and then placed the rock rail on top of it It brought it up just under where it mounts, and if you have the brackets of the rock rail sitting inside the bucket, you have the ability to roll and turn it at the angle you need. Lifesaver! Crawled under the truck and used one arm to push the rock rail into place at the right angle, and attached a couple bolts loosely to hold it in place. The rest is straight forward. Do not tighten everything until the end.

I'm extremely happy with the build quality, customer service, and how quickly these arrived at my house. I'm hoping they offer the door protection I'm looking for from rocks, the accessibility for my wife, and just the overall protection of the vehicle - Plus they look bad ass. I love the look of my Bronco even more now, especially with the mud flaps off and these bad boys installed!

I've posted some pictures below of them installed, as well as a side-by-side picture of the GOAT Fab vs. OEM rock rails that came with the Bronco.

Any questions, please ask away!


Side-by-side GOAT Fab vs. OEM rock rails:

Front Bracket:

Middle Bracket:

Rear Bracket:

Nice job, looks great! Adam @GoatFab is awesome.

 

[604Bronco]

Nicely done and thanks for the details. Looks great and a strong possibility for my 2 door - rumoured to arrive in a matter of weeks (or maybe summertime?)

I am just missing the visual on the pinch weld cover. From your description it is a separate piece. I am not quite seeing it. Do you have photo of just the pinch weld cover installed before the slider? And, is it even necessary?

Thanks

Sorry, I didn't actually take a picture of the pinch weld cover. It's essentially a flat piece of metal, which is powder coated. It bolts onto the Bronco with existing holes.

In hindsight, I don't think it's needed. The pinch weld isn't really visible on 98% of the vehicle with the new sliders, as they sit tighter to the truck vs. the OEM rock rails did.

However, they came free with my order so I installed them.

 

[604Bronco]

Nice job, looks great! Adam @GoatFab is awesome.

Agreed! And thank you - You were one of the main reasons I ordered these, and have been super helpful throughout with my numerous questions.

Much appreciated!

 

[paperboy]

Sorry, I didn't actually take a picture of the pinch weld cover. It's essentially a flat piece of metal, which is powder coated. It bolts onto the Bronco with existing holes.

In hindsight, I don't think it's needed. The pinch weld isn't really visible on 98% of the vehicle with the new sliders, as they sit tighter to the truck vs. the OEM rock rails did.

However, they came free with my order so I installed them.

Ok, thanks. I suspected that but if they come with the order then why not!

 

[604Bronco]

Ok, thanks. I suspected that but if they come with the order then why not!

You're welcome! And I forgot to say congrats on your Bronco being so close. I'm sure you're excited and hopefully we get to meet on the trails when it arrives!

 

[paperboy]

You're welcome! And I forgot to say congrats on your Bronco being so close. I'm sure you're excited and hopefully we get to meet on the trails when it arrives!

Finally. But because mine is a manual, I actually wanted it to be delayed a few more months while they work on a fix. Unfortunately that is not the case, and I will be buying into a known problem. Oh well, I'm shrugging my shoulders on this one!

I'm looking forward to meeting up with all of you at some point.

Cheers.

 

[GoatFab]

Thank you!! Much appreciated!

Adam

 

[paperboy]

Ok, thanks. I suspected that but if they come with the order then why not!

Just thinking about this... are the Go Rhino's RB20s and 30s frame mounted? Did you consider these as an option? I thought I could benefit from your research and just follow right along!!

Thanks

 

[604Bronco]

Just thinking about this... are the Go Rhino's RB20s and 30s frame mounted? Did you consider these as an option? I thought I could benefit from your research and just follow right along!!

Thanks

Well you quoted yourself, so that's a bit weird asking yourself a question - LOL kidding.

I didn't really consider those ones, no. I actually started a thread you might find helpful with some recommended options, as well as some B6G members feedback:

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/poll-rock-slider-suggestions.70957/

 

[Squatch]

Rock Sliders with Top Plates (From GOAT Fab):

So I recently removed my Gatorback mud flaps - I still have them in my garage, and I truly think they are the best looking mud flap option on the market. They have held up well for the 20,000 km or so they were on my truck, and protected it very well. Ultimately though I prefer the look of no mud flaps, and regaining the ground clearance.

That being said, I still wanted something to protect my doors from rock chips, as well as find a step for my wife to get in and out of my truck easier. I looked at many different options, from LineX spraying my rocker panels to PPF to steps that mounted to my OEM rock rails, and everything in-between. Then a bunch of you mentioned how great @GoatFab is, so I checked out their options. After much back and forth on which one to choose (I'm a bit in-decisive), I went with the rock sliders with top plates (powder coated).

First off, a shout out to @GoatFab - I have zero affiliation with them, but they are AWESOME! Not only did he answer my DM's, but he was gracious enough to look at some options to work with me. As you know, I live in Canada (just a friendly reminder for @Tricky Dick in case he forgot), and shipping from the USA is super expensive. At the end of the day I was very happy with efforts to work with me on this.

When the item showed up, it was very well packaged. One end was slightly opened, but that was due to the FedEx driver likely dragging it from his truck to my garage door. Inside was totally fine, and everything was safe and well wrapped. Once I unboxed it all, I laid out the hardware for the rock sliders and pinch weld cover. Uh oh - I was missing one of the bolts for the rock rails - NOOOOOO!!! I DM'd @GoatFab and he actually called me within 5 minutes - First to explain how to install the pinch weld cover and rock rails (I'm not very handy and wanted to ensure I was doing it right, as I was installing this alone) and he also mentioned he would mail me out a new bolt right away the next morning. However, upon installing my pinch weld covers, I glanced on the road way and saw the missing bolt! It has slid out of the box, likely when the FedEx driver was delivering the item. Issue resolved! But their customer service is top notch, and that alone goes a long way with me.

For the install, I first attached the pitch weld covers. Super easy, but one thing I screwed up on was installing them upside down. The holes are drilled slightly to one side of the cover, so you want to make sure the holes are on the "bottom" of the cover, closest to the ground. You'll see what I mean when you install it. If you do it backwards, the cover hangs slightly below the pinch weld. Also, you need to remove the two painted bolts (per side) from the front of the vehicle. This was a bit of a pain as it has a thick layer of paint on it. It's a 10 mm socket to do, and you may need to scrape away a bit of paint for it to come off. Reuse these washers with the new bolts that come with the cover, and you're good to go. I ended up having a few black washers from my mud flaps that worked, so I used those instead.

Once the pinch weld cover was on both sides, I installed the rock rails. Well... These are heavy as heck, and I was doing it myself. One quick win that saved my ass: Get two 5 gallon buckets - You can get these at most hardware stores, and you likely have one or two for washing your vehicles already. I placed these buckets under my truck on each end, placed a thick piece of cardboard on that, and then placed the rock rail on top of it It brought it up just under where it mounts, and if you have the brackets of the rock rail sitting inside the bucket, you have the ability to roll and turn it at the angle you need. Lifesaver! Crawled under the truck and used one arm to push the rock rail into place at the right angle, and attached a couple bolts loosely to hold it in place. The rest is straight forward. Do not tighten everything until the end.

I'm extremely happy with the build quality, customer service, and how quickly these arrived at my house. I'm hoping they offer the door protection I'm looking for from rocks, the accessibility for my wife, and just the overall protection of the vehicle - Plus they look bad ass. I love the look of my Bronco even more now, especially with the mud flaps off and these bad boys installed!

I've posted some pictures below of them installed, as well as a side-by-side picture of the GOAT Fab vs. OEM rock rails that came with the Bronco.

Any questions, please ask away!


Side-by-side GOAT Fab vs. OEM rock rails:

Front Bracket:

Middle Bracket:

Rear Bracket:

I really thought it would stick out obnoxiously, but they look really good.

Finally. But because mine is a manual, I actually wanted it to be delayed a few more months while they work on a fix. Unfortunately that is not the case, and I will be buying into a known problem. Oh well, I'm shrugging my shoulders on this one!

I'm looking forward to meeting up with all of you at some point.

Cheers.

I don't have any issues with my manual and I hope you don't as well.

 

[604Bronco]

I really thought it would stick out obnoxiously, but they look really good.

Great, now all I can picture is a Bronco with airplane wings attached to it. Maybe that'll be my next mod... @Rick Astley - How's your aircraft mechanic skills?

I wanted them to stick out a bit, and I like that they're slightly angled up. I wanted a "running board" kind of function, without the running board look - Makes sense, right? lol. I don't doubt that these can take some serious abuse, but also be super functional as a step and prevent door dings too - Both from rocks and car doors.

 

[paperboy]

Well you quoted yourself, so that's a bit weird asking yourself a question - LOL kidding.

I didn't really consider those ones, no. I actually started a thread you might find helpful with some recommended options, as well as some B6G members feedback:

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/poll-rock-slider-suggestions.70957/

Ok, thanks. Will read the thread tonight.

Just too many computers going here and on the work phone as well. All that while I am trying to focus on Bronco parts...who says I can't multi-task, ha ha

 

[Rick Astley]

Great, now all I can picture is a Bronco with airplane wings attached to it. Maybe that'll be my next mod... @Rick Astley - How's your aircraft mechanic skills?

I wanted them to stick out a bit, and I like that they're slightly angled up. I wanted a "running board" kind of function, without the running board look - Makes sense, right? lol. I don't doubt that these can take some serious abuse, but also be super functional as a step and prevent door dings too - Both from rocks and car doors.

Nearby Boeing measures in the millionth of an inch.

My personal garage motto is:

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