Raptor Running Boards

[MagicMtnDan]

Take a look at this picture and see if you notice anything out of the ordinary (except for Brian's body lying underneath it).



Did you notice anything different about Brian's Raptor? He removed his Raptor's running boards. Rumor has it that he's going with some custom fabricated rock sliders that will be designed to bolt to the frame. it's something I've been talking about since my first posts on the other forum. Rock slider rails under the body and then another rail outboard of that with sheeting or decking wrapped over the decking to provide the protection the factory running boards provide. If the rock rails (sliders) are constructed well enough and mounted properly they should be abler to handle the weight of the Raptor which will provide lifting points for a Hi-Lift Jack (yoo-hoo, Jason!).

 

[MagicMtnDan]

Here's an example of the rock sliders or rails I'm talking about. They could be square tube or rectangular tube as well.

 

[bstoner59]

BTW i'm going to invest in some clear number-plate background I use on my bike to cover the body down there. Washed the truck today and noticed a few rock chips...a lot where the bed meets the cab on the drivers door. Should keep it safe for a bit.

 

[NoCaDiver]

Square tubing for the mounting points going to round stock would look best in my opinion. I certainly would not put square tube rock sliders on my Raptor. Opinion only.

 

[KaiserM715]

I like the way this is heading!!

 

[bstoner59]

yes I am going to stay away from square edges...don't want anything grabbing. Maybe I can get Kyle on here and give us an idea of what he has planned.

 

[MagicMtnDan]

Hey Brian, any update on your rock slider project?

Here's one I like (and it bolts to the frame - shown on a Jeep). You could put some nice looking metal decking over the top to close the gap between the square tube and round tube which would keep the debris from flying through there. And Jason's Hi-Lift Jack dream can be realized since these step/sliders will offer many lifting points!



So I went to this company's website (www.shrockworks.com) and they don't show any Raptor products so here's what their site says about their Nissan product:

ShrockWorks ShrockBars Rock Sliders are the ultimate in serious protection, functionality and great looks for your Nissan.
The most vulnerable area on any vehicle while off-roading is the rocker panels. The factory tube nerf bars & typical aftermarket step bars on the Frontier look nice, but they are made of a thin material and will quickly buckle with even a moderate blow while driving offroad.

ShrockBars are the strongest rock sliders available for your Nissan Frontier. Only the best and strongest materials are used. The tube portion is 1.75" x 0.134 thick DOM tubing. DOM tubing has a very high strength to weight ratio and is used in applications such a roll cages for race cars. ShrockBars will allow to charge ahead offroad with no fear of damage to your rocker panels!

ShrockWorks Rock Sliders also function as excellect steps to get in the vehicle or reach the roof rack! Most designs do not stick out far enough to be useful for this.

Protecting your rig does not have to mean giving up a lot of ground clearance either. The 30 deg. angled sweep of the side tubes on ShrockWorks rock sliders allows for excellent clearance and also provides great protection for fending side impacts. Side impacts are another extremely common source of damage offroad. If you are in a tight spot and slip sideways, it is often your door which takes the blow. The stick-out of the tube portion fends off side impacts while also provide a convenient step up into your rig.

Installation: They bolt to the frame to the factory threaded holes. All new Grade 8.8 hardware provided.

They're in Houston so maybe one of our Texas members will contact them and loan them their Raptor for rock step/slider development.

 

[bstoner59]

we looked at it and decided the sliders will have to be welded on. The boxed frame makes it difficult to go with the bolt-on design. The cost for a one-off set was a little discouraging. So at the moment the project is on hold. I have another project I'm working on at the moment that I will reveal at a later date

 

[Nacho]

I like that look ALOT. I believe going custom would be the more economical way as well since most places have them for ridiculous prices.

 

[BigJ]

I dunno what I'm talking about, but after pulling off my boards (thanks again B for the push to do so), and after crawling around under there trying to figure how to mount sliders I tend to agree with B and Kyle; welding on would seem to be the way to go.

I've got both square and round stock in various sized on my materials rack. Anyone got a suggestion on design? Maybe we can look at fabbing something up here...