MountaineerGreen's Sliders

[Joey Jarhead]

A local pipe/welding supply store should have an assortment of pipe 1/4, 1/8, and 1/16 bends, and Tee's that are beveled for welding together. It'll take a little more work for the finished product to be smooth, but it is possible. I dig your design Mountaineer.

 

[FROADER]

I didn't make them.

 

[MountaineerGreen]

I didn't make them.

Cheater

Who did?

 

[FROADER]

I don't know. Mark had them made before I even bought the truck. Sorry.

 

[MountaineerGreen]

I took the running boards off today- man do I have holes now! I like the looks better, it looks higher to me.

After I got the boards off, I found a little bit o mud just for fun, so the pictures are kind of dirty.

I need to figure out the best way to fill/cover the holes and get ready for some herculiner.

 

[FROADER]

Definitely looks better without the running boards.

If you're going to hurculine the sides, you can just tape over the holes and then roll over it with the hurculiner. Otherwise there are those plastic plugs you can get at Home Depot or a store of the like and place them in there then hurculine it. Where the lower holes are, you can hit that "seem weld" up to the body which will give you even more room.

 

[MountaineerGreen]

I had another development today:

I found some 2 x 4 metal that won't cost me anything, new, just slight surface rust. It looks like I will be using that just because its free. I am probably going to go a different route as far as design- I was thinking about standing the metal on edge, just outside of the pinch weld, and about 1/2" from the body. This will stick down enough that I can attach some skid plates for the gas tank and t case, but still won't be lower than the frame, so I won't be loosing any clearance. If I get them like I want them and am satisfied with the look, I will get some tubing bent for steps, then herculine the bars. Thoughts?

 

[MountaineerGreen]

Definitely looks better without the running boards.

If you're going to hurculine the sides, you can just tape over the holes and then roll over it with the hurculiner. Otherwise there are those plastic plugs you can get at Home Depot or a store of the like and place them in there then hurculine it. Where the lower holes are, you can hit that "seem weld" up to the body which will give you even more room.

I was wondering about the tape thing, will the herc stay on the tape even if its bumped? I looked at the plastic plugs, but they are expensive and will have a head that would probably be visible even through the herc. There are 20 holes per side, so I would need 40 plugs! When you tape the holes, do you put a little piece on each hole, or a long continuous piece? This is on the agenda for tomorrow, those upper holes seem like they would collect water if left open. If it snows (which isn't likely) salt water could get inside there and I could have a big time rust problem.

 

[FROADER]

I'm not sure about the tape thing. I think we're on the same page with that, just from reading what's on this site. I'm lucky with my '92. '91 and '92 didn't have the "tupperware" at all so no holes. :

 

[Stic-o]

I used the tape/herc method, in fact I think I invented it? I just used masking tape over the holes. Then sprayed over it with the liner. It's held up great, and with sliders you should be fine, when body panels warp from rock slamming into them it starts to change a bit, but sliders mean no rock in the rockers. I plan to respray mine pretty soon. Mainly because of my crushed in driver door now shows white. I plan to take my herc line up to the molding like Colin's.

 

[CodePoet]

The best way would be to weld the holes up. If you have a wire feed it shouldn't be too hard. Then just grind weld smooth and herc it.

I would also have the long side of your 2x4 box run horizontal instead of verticle...i think it would look kinda weird like that and you'd loose abit of clearance. I have basically the same kind of sliders you have drawn except for the tube extension. When I take my truck to bbp fab for a cage i'll have him run some extension like froder has

 

[JDraper]

Back when I had my '01 Explorer, I used the aluminum body repair tape over the holes before herc'ing the rockers, and it worked very well.

 

[MountaineerGreen]

I was thinking about welding up the holes, but I have no wire welder. And I would be worried about getting the metal too hot and bubbling the paint.

I guess, it works, but I just can't see how the herc sticks to the tape. Did those of you who used tape run a long strip or just little squares over each hole?

What if I filled the rocker with touch foam, then shaved the foam off level before I herc it?

 

[CodePoet]

If there was ANY moisture in there at all then the foam would seal it in. I think i'd just leave them open, make sure there is a good clear drain hole, and herc it all up. I do like jdrapers idea of using alum. body tape though!

What kind of welder do you have, or are you and a buddy with one building the sliders?

 

[MountaineerGreen]

My email notifications aren't working tonight.

I have a Sears Colormatic 220v welder, I don't know how many amps. It burns the welds in well, but doesn't do to good with thin stuff. It tries to automatically adjust the amperage, so it tends to burn through thin stuff.

I still don't have any answer on the tape- a strip or small squares?

 

[FROADER]

My emails aren't either.

I just noticed your design with standing the 2x4 material on end. Not sure I would do that, just because that's losing a lot of the clearance you just gave yourself by taking off the steps. You could do the same design, but with them laying flat.

I'm pretty sure that RangerX, Jefe and Paul B. all have 2x6 material alone laying flat.

 

[CodePoet]

The guy i bought my lincoln arc welder from had one of those colormatic welders. I'd never seen one, lincoln has been in my family for decades so I bought that. Kinda seems strange that it would try to adjust the amp's on its own.

I think i would use one long strip. It would be easier to blend in, if you form it to the profile of the rockers i bet you wouldn't even know it was there

 

[MountaineerGreen]

What if I got these:

I can get them fairly reasonably, and they look good. I dunno

 

['97 V8]

how much are they?

 

[raynr]

are those premade for another vehicle?