T44 rock sliders - Test fitting (long post)

So I went to see the fellows at Tactical 4x4 this morning, to get a test fit of their rock sliders on my 2013 LR4. As they expected, Land Rover made some recent changes to EAS compressor and mount, which required them to make some modifications to their own sliders to insure proper fitment on MY2013+ LR4s. Once implemented, the mods will make their sliders compatible with both LR3 and LR4, regardless of model year.

The main issue is that Land Rover is using a new design compressor held in place by a very sturdy, and very chunky, aluminum L-bracket. The compressor rests over the bracket on rubber and spring loaded "shock absorbers". The bracket insures better air pump protection from accidental *********** of rocks, floor jacks, etc., through the plastic cover. Also, the new bracket was obviously designed to minimize noise and vibrations when the pump is running, so much so that the plastic cover is no longer stuffed with insulation like in earlier model years. The problem is that the new bracket protrudes down from the chassis quite a bit, decreasing ground clearance and getting in the way of the sliders' steel plate designed to protect it along with the whole surrounding area.

After careful consideration of all options, the guys at T44 decided to fabricate a new compressor bracket, made of 3/16" stainless steel, and modified just enough to push the pump up a bit inside its well, just enough to allow their sliders to fully engage with the chassis without any contact between the pump and the chassis or the sliders, which would otherwise generate unwanted noise, vibrations and friction.

I was totally impressed by the expertise of the owners, they are a pleasure to watch at work. Out came plasma cutters, sanders, welding torches, and all sorts of tools. In no time, they had an exact replica of the bracket made of steel, which they then modified until they got exactly what they wanted. Test fitting the slider after each small modification was no fun (that baby is nearly 100 lbs), they went through at least 5 fittings before being fully satisfied. This template will now be used to produce the finished steel bracket that they will use and/or supply when installing their sliders on MY2013s and newer LR4s (and possibly RRS, which likely uses the same design bracket.)

In 2 to 3 weeks my modified sliders and pump bracket should be ready to install, I'll pay them a follow up visit and take photos of the end results (they will also be installing a fuel tank and transmission plate along with the sliders on my car, no mods required for those.)

I took some photos today for those interested.

Here are a couple of shots of the "new" compressor mount with the cover removed. You can make out the compressor above the aluminum plate with sprung rubber shock absorbers on each corner.



This is the cover for the compressor, which is basically just a plastic shell now. No more sound insulation as the compressor runs with very little noise and vibrations over the redesigned bracket.


After lots of contortions to get to the 3 bolts securing the bracket to the chassis (the top bolt in particular is a real b*tch to get to...), the sucker came off. Very substantial aluminum piece offering good protection to the compressor resting above it and minimizing noise and vibrations when the air pump is running.


More to follow (4 photos limit per post.)

Another shot of the aluminum bracket. While sturdy, the bracket is also very thick and hangs low under the body, compromising ground clearance somewhat. It was decided to fabricate the bracket in "skinnier" steel, modifying the design as required to insure a proper fit of compressor and sliders below.


After tracing the bracket and all holes on a cardboard and then on a sheet of 3/16" steel, out came the plasma cutter:


And after some sanding, drilling and welding...


The modified bracket template is ready for manufacture, including some clever cutouts on the bottom corner to make reaching and tightening the lower bolts easier:

While the guys were at work on the bracket, I took a couple of shots of the new AMK air pump, temporarily supported by a block of wood:



These are the unfinished rock sliders they used to test fit. 95 lbs beasts! They had to be modified slightly as well on the rear inner corner, as there was slight contact with the exhaust, which could have generated noise with the engine running. You see the two main chassis mounts popping up. Sliders will be powder coated in black and small nerf bars welded along their length (I requested those - they are optional) before final installation.

sweet thanks for the post! I'll be in line for these.

wow. awesome. cant wait to see the finished product. i am curious as to what the 2012 compressor set up looks like. will be crawling under my car sometime this week.

FYI, i sent an email out to tactical rovers before your response to me on your last post asking about 2012 fit, and pricing. They responded that they were doing some lr4 R&D this weekend!

Very interesting. Thanks for documenting all this. I still like the look of the round voyager rack sliders with steps, but they dont protect the underside inward as much. I wonder if they could add a bit to that.

I want my side steps to match my rack, which I am thinking I will work with voyager on this summer.

bromhead said:

i am curious as to what the 2012 compressor set up looks like. will be crawling under my car sometime this week.

Click to expand...

If it's a later build 2012, there is a 50/50 chance you may have the new AMK compressor / bracket installed already (I think that's the model year they started switching from Hitachi - old bracket - to AMK compressors.)

are all sliders that heavy? That's making me think twice on adding this part...

It's always a tradeoff with underbody protection. There are lightweight aluminum sliders (more like lower door guards), such as the Rastas, that offer limited protection but are inconspicuous and way lighter than steel, probably 20-30 lbs max. Tough rock sliders with steps / nerf bars that don't extend that far under the car are usually made of heavy gauge steel and may weigh 50-60 lbs or so each (just an approximate guess), the further they extend under the chassis the more stuff they protect - and the heavier they are. The Rover Specialties sliders I had on my Sport were nearly 300 lbs hunks of steel, but boy were they worth it... Your gas mileage and 0-60 times won't improve much, though. It's like driving a fat guy around 24/7.

This is an AWESOME post - umbertob, you are very helpful.

Can't wait to read/see more.

-David