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PART 7

PROTECTING YOUR SOFT BITS

So, Oscar has been lifted both suspension and body. Problem is that even though his delicate bits are up a lot higher now, there’s still the issue of his nice, soft sill panels.

What goes up must come down, and sill panels are basically the first point to land hard when you come down off a sideways angle. Thing is your doors are directly above them and you need these to get in and out of your fourby. Bend them, and it kind of makes this difficult. We needed to stop this happening as I am too old and ahh... short for my weight, to jump in and out of windows Dukes of Hazard-style. Not a good look.

Calmini had some ready to fit so we grabbed a set of those as well. They are nice and solid, and will basically bolt straight up.
Nick just sniggered again, Luffy went and hid in the bathroom and Stuart did that quizzical eyebrow thingy... umm... I get the feeling that my female-type optimism is about to take another hit.

They arrived prepped but unpainted, so I hit them with a few coats of undercoat and black paint at home in the carport (sorry honey, the paint will eventually wear off the concrete... and the boat... and the fence... and the garbage bins) and squeezed them into the X-90’s boot to drop off at Mannells. I will get them powder-coated later when time allows.

After checking the bars over, the boys decided to fit larger, stronger bolts than what was supplied. Whilst they were adequate, they could be better so some high-tensile bolts were picked out and heavy-duty backing plates made up to strengthen where they attached to the chassis.

Once laid up against the rails, some minor adjustments were needed to for a perfect fit, nothing that 5 minutes with an angle grinder couldn’t fix. Nearly ‘bolt straight in” but not quite.

All done! Looks pretty good, but modding your fourby is not about looks. It’s about making your 4WD more capable and ensuring you minimise damage in the process.
So now if I misjudge that rut and drop Oscar on his belly, I’m not going to mess up those expensive doors!