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Was surfing around looking at rock sliders. One very reputable, very high end vendor had a photo of a Discovery with rock sliders. Above the rock sliders was very substantial looking diamond plate that extended from the sliders up to the first crease in the body; about 10” from the front to the back. The plate was riveted into place and looked like it affords great protection. Also looks pretty damn cool. Which grade of black, steel diamond plate would be appropriate for this and is it a difficult thing to work with? I found some resources online and there are many, many different types and grades of diamond plate. I know I want steel but suspect the heavier grades are more difficult to work with. Does anyone have experience with this? Any pointers would be appreciated. I imagine riveting is fairly straight forward but correctly cutting and placing the plate could take some skill.
Yes, I have seen that kit. It is aluminum and looks rather cheaply made. I will attach a copy of the photo I saw and liked. It looks to be steel and looks more substantial. It also pairs very well with the rock sliders.
Just looks like something that would cause further damage in the event of a rock strike to the body. All of the bolt on slider options are prone to bending up into the doors and quarter panels which would then also push these plates up further and those rivet holes would expand or rip up as the body is just thin aluminum. Now if just worried about debris kicking up and damaging the body then they might be helpful....but then you just riveted through the doors to get the panels there which is more damage than road gravel scratches imo.
The rock sliders are made by RTE and are some of the better ones available. I have trouble imagining the scenario you envision. They only make high quality products that do what they are intended to do. My question is really about the diamond plate. What grade of steel plate would be suitable and what would be needed to work with it? Would it require special cutting tools that are expensive or are there readily available tools that will do the job? With cheap components, I'm sure you have a point. I'm confident these rock sliders will do their job well.
I have those exact sliders. I promise you they bend into the quarter panel. Cutting sheet metal does not require fancy tools. A grinder with a cut off wheel or snips depending on thickness.
Cutting is the easy part, bending and shaping them to the body is a different story. I think these are a visual piece at best so why not just use the aluminium offering already available to purchase? being riveted these won't stop any serious damage to the doors and you are still "destroying" the doors by drilling holes for the rivets.
Diamond plate lower doors
