Freelander Sliderz Installation

Not long after installing the original Land Rover side protection bars, I did some pretty extreme off-road driving. The side protection bars came in useful and made it through a long weekend of sometimes extreme wheelin' action. The problem arose when I went off-road where
there are rocks. Huge mistake! The side protection bars got me hung up a few times before they were torn almost completely off.

DAP up in Vermont has long been a supplier of REAL off-road accessories for Land Rovers. Unlike many Land Rover shops, they embraced the Freelander immediately and brought a product line to market that was more than aesthetics... real off road gear.

July of 2003 the DAP Sliderz were born.
Hand made from heavy duty steel to take the punishment of off-road use, but attention to detail evident in the compound curves in the side protection tubing and powder coat finish. The Freelander is at a slight disadvantage with ground clearance (unless you install DAP's lift kit), so from their experience with their own test and development Freelander they knew these had to really actually work- not just look as if they do like the oem bars.

Paul and I got the first two production sets, but I couldn't wait for the weekend and started on mine the day they arrived.
Unpacking the bars took about the same amount of time as installing the first one. Within 15 minutes I had the first one attached, minus the plate which goes under the carpet in the rear floor. These bars were designed so no drilling into the Freelander is required other than the replaceable drain plug on the rear floor between the rear and front seats.


	The first thing you have to do is remove the plastic sill covers. It's held in place by these messed-up plastic screw things. I just cut them off since there was no easy way to get them out. The detail doesn't really show well in this picture- but these things were mangled! What was Land Rover thinking putting plastic in a place where you need metal?

			Here's what I found leaning against my garage when I got home from work. It's kinda like a big slider cocoon. One set looked as if it had been dragged by the shipper, but we aren't wusses- they're going to get scratched when they get put to use. Posers who care about little things like that don't need these.

			Here's a look before putting them on. Each plate has a hole that lines up with an existing hole in the Freelander and a small metal plate that you insert into the Freelander frame that holds the slider in place.

	No Rivnuts! The backing plates are also designed to fail before any damage comes to your Freelander frame in case you make a mistake off-road. The plate can be replaced, your Freelanders frame is another story.

			The carpet has to be partially pulled up before drilling up from underneath so as to avoid catching the carpet with the drill. This was the most time consuming part of the installation, but still only took a few minutes.

	This is the view of the backing plate under the carpet. If you removed your Sliderz to trade or sell the vehicle, the drain plug that is drilled could be removed and replaced. When doing this part, it's easier with an assistant. Sealing the bolt and hole with silicone is an important step. You don't want mold setting in under your carpet.

			The side of the sliders has side protection bars built in. The prototype bars were installed on DAP's Freelander and they used the side bars to pivot the vehicle. That's exactly what they are for- Freelanders are fantastic on tight trails where Discos and Defenders can only dream of passing through. With side protection bars, you can use trees to pivot in tight spaces. Since the bars are small diameter, they don't cause the problems with fouling your pant legs on wet days like the huge oem side protection bars.


			Here's Paul trying out his side protection bars on his Sliderz. This was also done during the development, but please- if you don't know how to operate a Hi-Lift properly don't try this! If the vehicle shifted to the side, the jack would take out a window or destroy your door skin. Paul is a professional... The bar flexes slightly under the weight of the truck- don't be alarmed, it's supposed to.

			In action! Once again the Sliderz are put to the test in North Carolina. Not sure if it was intentional though... :)

			Muddy! The proper way to display the new addition to your Freelander. No negative results so far has been noted by either of us. I only wish these were around when I wasted my money on those lousy Land Rover oem side bars- which by the way I'm giving away to the first person to get that junk out of my garage!

Our thanks to DAP Inc. for making these for us. It's nice to have the
support of a tried and true Land Rover shop that's been around awhile.
Considering how much damage these will save us from and the hand-made
construction they'd be a bargain at twice the price. If you'd like more
info on these, contact Al at http://www.dap-inc.com