Well, based on the advice of this forum I purchased sliders before I took the 80 out wheelin. All I can say is that I'm glad I did.
93-94 Version
Ordering:
I ordered direct from Metal Tech. Talked to a guy named Mark who was extremely pleasant and helpful. He was able to ship the sliders from Portland, OR to Tacoma, WA for about $90. I ordered them Tuesday morning and they showed up at my door by 5pm Wednesday. (results not typical)
Install:
- Front mud flaps do not fit. I looked at trimming them, but you would have to trim a whole lot and I'm not sure how well they would be mounted.
- On the DS, be sure not to crush the brake lines running along the frame. I had to remove 2 clips and bend the lines out slightly to get the U bolt between the frame and the lines.
- On the PS, the front bolts were a PITA. There is a hard line (rear heater I think) right up by where the plate wants to go. Be carefull not to jack the slider up and crush the line. (I dented mine a bit) Once you have the front in place, it was incredibly hard to get the bolts through the L bracket and threaded into the "cat guard" plate. I had jack up the inside while my buddy stood on the outer tube to get things to line up.
Function:
These things were great. I really don't have anything to compare them against, but I used them a bunch on my first trip out with 80.
- Managed to set my PS rail on a flat rock and get stuck. It was bearing enough weight to prevent me from getting traction. After getting pulled off the rock, there was barely a scratch.
- The kicked out rear came in handy. Really helped rotate the rear around a few stumps/roots.
- Place I went had huge holes (5ft deep, 10ft wide) dug into one trail. It was great knowing I wasn't going to rub my body panels when my front was in one hole and my rear in another.
93-94 Version
Ordering:
I ordered direct from Metal Tech. Talked to a guy named Mark who was extremely pleasant and helpful. He was able to ship the sliders from Portland, OR to Tacoma, WA for about $90. I ordered them Tuesday morning and they showed up at my door by 5pm Wednesday. (results not typical)
Install:
- Front mud flaps do not fit. I looked at trimming them, but you would have to trim a whole lot and I'm not sure how well they would be mounted.
- On the DS, be sure not to crush the brake lines running along the frame. I had to remove 2 clips and bend the lines out slightly to get the U bolt between the frame and the lines.
- On the PS, the front bolts were a PITA. There is a hard line (rear heater I think) right up by where the plate wants to go. Be carefull not to jack the slider up and crush the line. (I dented mine a bit) Once you have the front in place, it was incredibly hard to get the bolts through the L bracket and threaded into the "cat guard" plate. I had jack up the inside while my buddy stood on the outer tube to get things to line up.
Function:
These things were great. I really don't have anything to compare them against, but I used them a bunch on my first trip out with 80.
- Managed to set my PS rail on a flat rock and get stuck. It was bearing enough weight to prevent me from getting traction. After getting pulled off the rock, there was barely a scratch.
- The kicked out rear came in handy. Really helped rotate the rear around a few stumps/roots.
- Place I went had huge holes (5ft deep, 10ft wide) dug into one trail. It was great knowing I wasn't going to rub my body panels when my front was in one hole and my rear in another.
Slowly learning.
I echo all the positive review. I would have destroyed my rockers and side panels without them. Superior customer service. Excellent value. I installed by myself in an afternoon. 
