Greenlane Offroad slider installation challenges

I have a 2020 Tacoma and recently got some Greenlane Offroad aluminum sliders. Started installing them tonight and went through a whole list of swear words before calling it quits. I used to own a 2014 FJ Cruiser and the slider installation on that vehicle was straighforward. My problem is that the Tacoma frame is open (whereas the FJ's was tubular all around) and the driver's side has rigid brake lines running on the inside of the frame exactly where the sliders are supposed to be bolted to. The brake lines also obstruct access to the 1st bolt at the front of the sliders and there is no way I can get a wrench in there to hold the nut. I was pulling on the brake lines and started to think I needed to remove them in order to get the sliders on--and that's when I decided to stop. I know folks here have installed sliders and I'd really appreciate feedback on what I might be doing wrong. There is one hole on the Greenlane sliders that do not match up with any of the holes on the Tacoma frame--and I found this to be peculiar. If anyone here has installed the Greenlane sliders on their 3rd generation Tacoma (assuming the frame is exactly the same for all 3rd generation years), please let me know how you did it. The instructions from Greenlane make it seem like it is easier than changing the air filter.

Thanks!

 

https://static1.squarespace.com/sta...18/TACOMA+SIDESTEP+&+SLIDERS+INSTRUCTIONS.pdf

 

Thanks. Those are the instructions I have. I read through them several times and there's nothing in there about how to deal with the brake lines. Then there's that hole in the sliders that does not line up with any hole on the frame.

 

I would contact the vendor for support, they should be able to answer all of your questions. When I installed my Caliraised sliders, there were a number of great videos that helped me to visualize things and made the install much easier. I did a search on Youtube for your Greenlanes, unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any installation videos there.

 

The RCI sliders I put on have the same challenge. You gotta loosen off all the brake line brackets and painfully wiggle your hand in there. That’s what I did. It was also a day of curse words.

 

If those instructions don't help you much, I'd get on the good ol' youtube and look at how others installed their sliders, regardless of brand, just to give you different installation techniques and ideas.

 

There’s a couple holes in the frame that are covered by a sticker/plug thing that looks almost invisible unless you’re looking for it... check to see if the that’s where your missing hole is and remove them.

And yes, you probably need to unbolt the brake line bracket and reach your hand/arm way into the boxy part of the frame. I nearly gave up thinking it was impossible until I found the magic way to position my body on the ground and suddenly I was able to reach right in and get the bolt started. I did have the help of a buddy to tighten the bolt while I held it from the inside with a wrench, though.

 

Thanks for the suggestions! I have an email out to the vendor on the chance that they might have a solution. But what I'm seeing here is probably the way to go. Kherron: I checked and no plug--but I wish that was the case. It's all steel frame where the slider hole is. Can y'all give me ideas on how to secure the brake lines after I hopefully get all the bolts in? I plan to do off roading and I'd like the brake lines to be firm. Cut off the part of the white plastic anchors that go into the hole then use superglue to anchor that flat end to the inside of the frame?

 

When I installed my sliders I believe I loosened or removed the bolt(s) for the brake lines and once the slider was positioned and bolted down, I replaced/tightened down the mounting bolt. You shouldn't have to cut anything.

 

This. I still need to hook up the front bolt on my SOS sliders, then put the frame plug back in. Then I'm going to get some sticky foam pad and place over the bolt that is touching the brake lines.

 

Everyone has pretty much covered it, but even with my weld-on sliders I loosened or removed many of the brake line attachments to the frame and moved it out of the way. There are rubber/soft hoses on either end, so you have some play, just don't go crazy!

 

If I remember correctly, I put the slider frame bolt in backwards where the brake lines were touching the bolt so that only the head was sticking out on the inside of the frame. This alleviated the problem.

 

That's what I did as well but it still touches. Ounce of prevention, etc.

 

Update. I heard back from the manufacturer and they said they forgot to include the instructions about the brake lines and basically said what everyone is saying here. They also said that they only remove 1 of the 3 white clips that hold the brake lines to the interior of the driver's side frame. This results in not using all the supplied bolts and they said not to worry. At my count, this means I'm only using 6 of the 8 supplied bolts for the driver's side. The passenger side uses all of the supplied 8 bolts. I also noticed in other slider installation videos that there are speciality brackets provided. With Greenlane, there are none. Just bolts and a few oversized washers to cover some of the large holes on the frame. This could be because the Greenlane product is made of aluminum and is not has heavy as steel sliders are.

They did not comment on the misaligned hole placement on their slider so I'm just going to leave that alone.

Will see how this goes.

HNY everyone!

 

Glad to hear you got a response and resolution to your issues! HNY as well!

 

Quick update: Got the sliders in. Used 6 bolts on the driver's side and 7 bolts on the passenger side. Minimum is 6 bolts per side so I'm good. I also drilled a new hole in the driver's side slider (it is aluminum so the drilling was super easy) so that it would match up with a frame hole and allow me to get the minimum 6 bolts in. Fyi, as these sliders are aluminum, there's a bit of a give to them when you stand on the rearmost section. I used to have steel sliders on my FJ Cruiser and those were solid. No give at all. No worries tho. These aluminum sliders are nice.

I've now moved onto installing the Greenlane front stump bumper and just ordered some door edging for where I did the bumper trimming. Other stump bumper manufacturers provide the door edging. Greenlane doesn't. I trimmed really careful with a dremel style tool but it still does not look finished / professional. The door edging should take care of that. I also have a question in to a member here about where to do the bumper cut as Greenlane's bull bars lean towards the vehicle pretty close and the instructions say to cut a curved piece out at the top of the plastic bumper for bull bar clearance. This would make using the door edging difficult and not give it that nice straight look I want at the top.

Take care everyone.

 

I would love to see some pictures and hear some feedback on how these sliders have been working for you. I’m strongly considering buying these.

 

Hey Haun0002,

I absolutely love the aluminum sliders. I also love the front stump bumper and plan to buy the Greenlane Offroad LCA aluminum skids once they are available (Greenlane mentioned they are in the process of redesigning them so that they will have clearance for the front TRD skid plate and possibly other front skid plates). Everything feels solid and very well made. I also love the fact that they will never rust and the weight savings appeal to me. I'm also installing RCI's aluminum skids and am waiting for the weather to warm up a bit here in CT so I can prime and paint them.

Will try to get some pics posted up soon.

 

Would love to see some photos!

How have the sliders and bumper held up to offroad abuse?

Rust is a big consideration for me as well.

I was considering getting the same bumper. How was the install for that? Do you have a winch mounted to yours?

 

This is how it looks right now. I have not tested the bumper / sliders with rocks yet but everything seems very solid. It will not be as strong as steel, tho. No winch yet--will do that probably next year. Front bumper install was pretty straightforward but not the cutting part. That part took a while and adding the trim edging made it look like the truck came that way from the lot.