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2nd Gen Rock Sliders

turboexplorer

Elite Explorer
Joined
August 23, 2008
Messages
1,949
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City, State
Eagle Mountain, UT
Year, Model & Trim Level
98' XLT 5.0L 4X4
Callsign
Turbo
I am starting a new project, this one is Rock Sliders!! :) Way excited about it. I bought all the steel on Friday and It will all be here tomorrow So the plan is to start with the mounting plates and how i want to mount it to the frame of the truck. I want to blot it on and not weld it because i want the option to take them off to refinish them or just If I have to I guess. Second will built the bar for the protection and then tie the two together then add a round step bar onto it. I am going for the same design and Mountaineergreen's. His thread on his ( http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=173649&page=9 ) I love the look of them. I will be using 1/4 thick 2X4 for the bars and the ties to the frame. Then 1 3/4 round for the step bars, thats as big as my neighbors bender goes. Then will be powder coated at his shop down the street! I am hoping that they turn out as good as this.

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Anyways will post pics of the build! Any help along the way or suggestions would be great!
Kyle
 



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So the steel didn't show up when it was supposed to. It showed up Friday instead! :) So I didn't get a chance to start on them last week. However I now have the steel and have started on them :) So far has turned out great.
First I have cut the 2X4 tubes 74inches long which will be about a half inch in from the rear and inch from the front to make room for future SAS hopes and room for bigger tires later :) I have also cut both ends at a 15* angle to help slide over rocks as well as to look good. Here is a few pics of the truck without the running boards.

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So here is the tape measure of how far the running boards sat below the pinch weld or body fold. Didn't realize how far down they hung from the rockers.
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So here are a few pics of the progress I made today this project will come slowly but surly being that I will only have a few hours here and there to work on them. But used a BIG band saw (SO NICE) to cut the big tubes at their 15* angles. I cut them at 74 inches as I said in post 2. I then grabbed a piece of 1/8 steel to cut up for my end caps to the tubes. I used a porta band saw and a vise to do this. I cut the end plates a little smaller than the tube so that there was an 1/8th inch all the way around. That way when I weld it I get a nice strong one as well as It takes almost no grinding to get it rounded over the edges.

Perfect straight cuts :) Love that huge table Band Saw
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1/8 Steel for end caps
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In vise cutting with the porta band
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Porta Band Saw
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Then welded the end caps to the tubes :) Few pics. I only had time today to do one tube. So one tube is all the way done the other is cut and end caps cut just need to weld them on tomorrow hopefully and have both tubes done.

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Then used a flap grinding wheel to clean the welds up and make it all pretty!! Turned out great :) Sorry about all the pics, fun to show things that you love to do with others that love it to!

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Nice work there!

have also cut both ends at a 15* angle to help slide over rocks as well as to cool good.
I know you had that other thread asking for slider ideas and I posted a few pics of mine, which I mentioned were "boat sided" X number of degrees to help slide over rocks. Maybe I misscommunicated (which i do often) but I hope you didnt take it that cutting the ends at an angle is "boat siding" -- cauz "boat siding" is different, its angling the rectangular stock so that its angled out like a boat's side.

See this attached pic how the panel angles out as it comes up -- that is a "boat side". It has its pros and cons and the major con it has over a flat slider is that is has more tendancy to push your vehicle to the opposite side as you slide over the obstacle.

Annyway, I just wanted to clear up any misscommunication between you and me -- if there are any.
 

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O yeah I understood you when you described that to me. :) I just angled the ends a little so as not to get to hung up on rocks or edges. Whether how much good it will do ? Worth a shot while building also fits the truck a little better to being as how it is the curved 2nd gen. But it is my DD to so think I am going to mount them flat so to make a little better step. Thinking of maybe angling the tube that I want on the outside up a little. Whats some other pros and cons to "boat side" v.s. "flat"?
 






I have done the same with the ends of my sliders. I angled them both to look better and to not get hung up on rocks etc.
just hope to have them on by Moab.

Tim
 






By Moab is my goal to. Should be done well before then I hope. Waiting on the small welder to come back that was loaned out so I can weld up the holes in the rockers and have them bed linered next week and the mounts on the frame at least started.

P.S. I didn't vote for him either.
 






Today I did a trans mount and a rear pinion seal on the truck as well as finished the last little on the first tube and I finished the second tube to. :) They turned out great and will look beautiful. Take a look,

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:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)
 






cant wait to see them on the truck.. looks good so far
 












looking good so far. my dads favorite tool is the portaband haha. looks like you have some nice equipment to work with in your home shop. looking forward to the final result.
 






Thanks and I do have some but a good neighbor of mine has a powder coating shop so has the nice stuff so he can do medal work for the shop. The big band saw and things are all his :) Wish it was all mine
 












So I thought that I would post up and tell you that i haven't given up on the sliders :) I have been wicked sick this last week and also trying to find a front end grumble on my truck. But I did get some things done on the sliders I got all the mounting stuff measured up. I place down here cut the 1/4" medal plate for me, sheared it. Then I took it to my press and drilled all the holes for the mounting bolts. So next step is to weld the nuts to half the plates then bolt them on loosely so that they hang from the frame if that makes sense then I'll put in the small plate on the bottom and clamp the plates together on the bottom and then weld it up take the bolts out and drop the plates to weld up nice and clean up then bolt them back on and hold the bars in place with a fork lift then can work on the braces that will go between the two :) So slowly but surely. :)
 
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So, any new updates on the sliders?
 






Yes sorry, I am getting married in just over a month so its crunch time for planing and all kinds of things she has me doing so haven't spent as much time on here as I would like to. But Yes I have done some things still and I have pics I will try to post them tomorrow. But I have filled the holes in the rockers and have herculinered them and it came out really good. I have also welded all the nuts onto the mounting plates and have all the holes drilled. The only thing I have left before mounting them, is I have to pull the T Case skid plate off because on the drivers side the mount will go under that and I will just trim the aluminum plate I have to space it down so that it will sit real nice on the truck and over the slider. Also I have shakeled the truck and TT'd it and it looks great and it feels actually a little better even on the road but love the clearance off road. Also was aligned at Ford and put a right front hub on it and I am ordering EBC brakes for it and will put them on next week I hope.
 



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^ congrats on getting married :D i know how busy it can get. I got married about over 3 years ago, soon enuph to remember how hectic it can be! as far as your rockers, i was thinking about doing the same thing since i took off the plastic trim on the bottem. Luckly i didnt have any rust up under there! :D I would like to build some sliders alot like what you have been building but I dont think it will be any time soon for me :( low budget.

Looking forward to the pics :D
 






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