After experiencing a close-call at last year’s Mid-Atlantic Rally, I opted to install some sill protectors for my Discovery. I must admit that, out of all of the accessories I have ever installed, these were the biggest pain in the neck. The best thing you can do is find a buddy to help install these. I did it alone, and I think two folks would have made it happen much faster. I decided to take some photos to perhaps save others some time and misery when installing them. Once installed, they are incredibly strong, and they will definitely enhance your confidence off-road. I used Jack Poehlman’s excellent article in the tech section on the Atlantic British sliders as a guide, and this is basically an addendum with some discoveries (no pun intended) I had while installing. However, I thought that a few other angles/photos may help. DEFINITELY follow Jack’s overall installation instructions, as they are much better than what you get from the manufacturer, which provide mediocre illustrations at best.

Pictures 1-4 below show the plastic/fiberglass side sill "protector" standard on the SI Discovery (and my oil leaks and large starboard trail scratches).

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I chose to drill the little plastic rivnuts out. Picture 5 shows the OEM sill protector after its removal.

PICTURE 5

Pictures 6 and 7 below show just how much mud and garbage gets caught up in there, so it’s a great idea to go ahead and clean and wax the painted surface.

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Picture 8 below shows the clean and waxed surface.

PICTURE 8

In Picture 9 below, it looks pretty tough without the sill protectors – too bad it’s so vulnerable.

PICTURE 9

Now, it’s time to fit up all of these parts and try to figure them out before drilling. Like Jack, I chose to drill the holes completely through and use Grade 8 carriage bolts. I never liked rivnuts (it must be a bad taste left in my mouth from the rear ladder install). Picture 10 below shows the hardware you will get with the MANTEC kit. Loosely assemble the pieces and get a picture in your mind on how they need to go on before even touching your Land Rover.

PICTURE 10

Now, time to use your brain - get out your floor jack, wood block, and jack the sliders up to each side – the fitment part SHOULD be easy, unless you get a set of sliders that have an "arc" that’s off (like mine). It took me many frustrating hours to figure out how to get an even space along the sliders, as no matter how I adjusted them, they kept rubbing either under the front door or back door. This by far will be the longest and most difficult part of the installation, if you end up in my situation.

Finally, I figured it out. If you look at Picture 11 below, you will see that by strategically bending the stamped steel plates on each slider (the two pieces with the holes in them welded to each slider), you can "skew" the arc and get a near-perfect fit. Use the BFRM for this – the Big <you know the F word> Rubber Mallet. This is REAL simple, once you visualize it. This observation is the primary reason I drafted this article.

PICTURE 11

Now, install the frame brackets, T-pieces, and carriage bolts in accordance with Jack’s instructions. Put everything together loosely, as it is difficult to assess which frame brackets are the front and which are the rear. I provided some further photographs below in Pictures 12-14. Ensure the body bolts are very snug, as mine creaked for a while until I realized I had to tighten them even further.

PICTURE 12 – Right Front Mount

PICTURE 13 – Right Front Mount

PICTURE 14 – Right Rear Mount

All done – but wait, there’s more…I next decided to try the jacking point – upon jacking it up, I realized that the sliders shift under the weight of the vehicle. The result is that the sliders butt up against the bottoms of the doors, because the holes in the stamped steel brackets on the sliders are slotted and only about four total lined up correctly. This little problem effectively disables the doors!

Being the paranoid "over-engineer" that I am, I re-adjusted the sliders and drilled 6 extra brand new ½" holes (3 on each slider; 2 under the front door section and 1 under the rear door section) fresh through the sliders and the body. This prevented the upward shifting of the sliders when the weight of the vehicle is on them. Pictures 15 and 16 below show that they are now tough enough and don’t budge under pressure. I do not plan on using the jacking points much, however, it’s definitely peace-of-mind having access to them and knowing they won’t fail.

In closing, though the MANTEC sliders (sill protectors) are what I would call a difficult installation, the end result is MOST DEFINITELY worth the work. They are extremely strong, and they truly will increase your confidence should you find your sill sitting on a rock. I am pleased with the strength that MANTEC built into these units. I did this installation with very basic tools, a half inch drill, and les matter gris (though there are those that would debate that). I also intentionally left out the picture of the hole in the wall where I got mad and threw a wrench through the sheetrock. I now have my tin Land Rover Series I sign covering the spot.

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PICTURE 16