Kevin's Rock Sliderz
	Category:	Armor
	Author:	Eric
	Date:	March 16th, 2004

When someone on a budget has it in their mind to upgrade their 4x4, armoring their rig is usually something of an afterthought. This can potentially lead to a very expensive mistake. Many people initially reach for the lifts and bigger tires leaving their rocker panels vulnerable. Why not first protect your vehicle?

This is where Kevin Fell of KevinsOffroad.com comes in. One of the most vulnerable parts of your vehicle is the rocker panel. Kevin, who was originally a hotelier by trade, began making his own Grand Cherokee parts back 2000 because there was little available. After posting a "How To" page on the web for others who wanted to build their own rocker panel protection, Kevin began getting e-mail from other Grand Cherokee brethren who found his website and wanted him to build a set for them. Three years later, Kevin now sells hundreds of Grand Cherokee, Cherokee, and Wrangler products, many of which he still builds by hand. It was and still is his Rock Sliderz that put him on the map.


Kevin hand fabricates each set in about a week. I received his top of the line Extreme Duty LP-1 Rock Sliderz for my 1998 ZJ. This model is made of square tubing aimed to distribute the force of an impact evenly over the whole area of the rails rather than one single edge on competing round tube designs. The Extreme Duty has beefier mounts than the standard Heavy Duty LP-1, which requires the pinch seam on your rig to be slightly trimmed in order to mount them flush against the rocker.

Upon receiving my Sliderz, I was very impressed with the quality of construction and design. They arrived un-finished, so I had to prep the surface and paint them. Kevin can powdercoat them for you if you want a nice finish that you don’t plan on abusing. I took Kevin’s recommendation and used a can of spray paint so they can be easily touched up when scraped on the trail.

Rocker panel prior to installation

The installation went smooth, but I came across a few things I might pass along.

As with any metal work, make sure to wear good eye protection when drilling the holes. I did not and had to go to the hospital to have a metal shaving literally drilled out of my eye. Not fun, let me tell you.

The install instructions said to set the Sliderz where you want them to go, mark the holes and drill them with the Sliderz removed. I did this on the first side and found my holes weren’t always on the mark, which made it difficult to get the self-tapping bolts started. On the second of the two Sliderz, I drilled the holes with the everything where I wanted it. This went much faster drilling because I didn’t have to spend a lot of time getting the holes started. It was also faster installing the bolts because the holes lined up perfectly with the Sliderz’ holes.

The Sliderz installed

I stopped for this photo op while crawling over a boulder.

Shortly after the installation was complete I went on a couple of runs near my home. I found security in knowing that it is basically impossible to damage my rocker panels. I did once come down off of a rock too fast and hit the Sliderz and was not phased one bit.

Here you can see just how far the outer rail extends from the vehicle.

Sliderz are available in four models.

The LC model consists solely of the main body rail excluding the outer rail. The outer rail provides lateral protection in the event that you graze a rock on the side. They will keep your doors away from the obstacle. They are also beneficial for getting into and out of your Jeep while making it easier to reach your roof-rack.

If you like the aesthetics of a round tube, take a look at the RP model which is basically the same as the standard LP model but with outer rail made with round stock rather than square. To overcome the weaker round-tube design, Kevin uses steel tubing with much thicker walls.

The LP-1 has the same body and outer rails as the Extreme Duty LP-1 that I tested, but has normal strength mounts.

Every model with outer rails has the added functionality of having a great point to set your high lift jack. It is definitely strong enough for such a task.

For ordering information, check out Kevin’s website, KevinsOffroad.com. You can email him here or call 602-841-3355