Diy rock sliders, how to attach to frame?

Just wanting to get started but wanted to ask the best method to attaching the rock slider supports to frame. Would it be best to weld a plate to the frame and weld sliders to the plate or should i do a plate and drill holes for bolts?

 

I made brackets in the shape L to wrap under the frame and welder it to the frame

 

I would recommend using frame plates to attach the sliders to the frame, and welding the plates to the frame (not bolted). The frame is thin enough as it is, the smaller point load from just welding the slider legs directly to the frame could cause the frame wall to buckle, and there are concerns with bolt tear out through the frame wall with a bolted connection.

It's also much easier to get a good full pen weld around the slider leg to a frame plate when it's off the truck, and add gussets, then just clamp the whole assembly to the frame and weld the frame plates as much as possible.

 

I'm with @drr. You can see how I added sliders to my 4Runner here. Process would be identical.

Fabricating Sliders for the 4Runner

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Great, thanks everyone!

 

Hey all,

Looking to get sliders made (I have a couple of welder friends who do precise work in furniture/gates/etc...) that are pretty inconspicuous.

It seems, to me at least, that sliders are the fist line of defense when tackling obstacles with your daily driver, with front and real bumbers being the second place to receive damage. Does that ring true to you?

So are there templates/ideas/examples out there for super low profile sliders and maybe a tube or two that could be well placed for shielding stock bumpers (especially the rear) when that departure and doesn't allow a smooth exit?

Any big issues to keep in mind when designing my own sliders?

Thanks!

 

Great wright up, 1 question What angle are the sliders kicked up at compared to the mounting legs? I was thinking 10 degrees Is that correct?

 

I'm not sure what that angle is, exactly. Plus, it'll be different for every truck and every slider install because the way you figure it out is to position the sliders in place (using some jack stands) until they "look how you want" and "the doors still open." At that point, you can figure out the length of the legs to the frame, and position them so that they are planar to the ground. Voila, the "correct angle" for your installation is determined.

But as far as angles go - yes, I'd say something between 0 and 10 degrees is pretty common. Remember, the flatter (closer to 0), the easier the slider will be to use as a step.

 

That all makes sense, I'm going to mock them up this weekend and see how they look. I like the look of them up some and not flat but am concerned about them getting bent and not being able to open the doors out on a trail.

 

Give yourself 1" of clearance from the door, and 1/2" clearance from the body where the leg goes in to attach to the frame, and you'll be totally fine. If you read through my post above, you'll see that I even notched the pinch weld in the body to get them tighter; (something that Eric over at Relentless did on my Tacoma when I didn't know how to/have a welder). Hasn't been a problem on either vehicle.

 

Welded all the way. I don't think there are many bolt on options for 1st gens and for good reason. Unless you just want them for looks. If you want to use them as armor/jacking point, weld them to the frame.

 

When I did mine, I didn't even measure the angle. It doesn't really matter. I didn't want it flat, so I just picked what seemed to look good, then matched the other side.

 

That looks nice, did you line the main bar directly under the pinch weld or is it on the outside of the weld?

 

It's close. The center of the tube is just outboard of the pinch weld. I took an inch off the standoff tubes from the way they were delivered.

I tucked them up about as high as they'd go, and even hammered down the pinch weld in spots (mostly where the standoff tubes were).

 

Im not a fabricator. But all I have are sliders. All I have really ever needed, as far as armor goes. Look at what’s been built for inspiration. But I had a buddy build some very simple square tube sliders for a first Gen that tucked right under the rocker. Very low key, very functional.

I could “use” a rear bumper or no trailer hitch as it drags better than RuPaul on a runway.

I’ve wheeled Moab many times with just 2.5 inches of Fox induced lift and sliders and gotten everywhere I wanted to go. You’ll use sliders often. I’ve pivioted the whole truck around boulders and rested the whole weight of the truck on edges of drop offs. Sliders first.