How to Build Rock Sliders - A Full DIY Tutorial - Part 2

[@jasonkay5092]

I had a fair idea how to make these but you went that far into detail you answered the small questions i needed to know that all the other videos forget to mention. Thanks for taking the time making this

[@BalmersWorkshop]

Thanks very much for your comment - it's nice to know the videos are useful :)

[@davidmartin5179]

Loved these Sliders. Great instructional video. U do great work. Very clean and precise. Watching from Ontario, looking for ideas for my 1990 GEO Tracker build.

[@BalmersWorkshop]

Thanks for your views and good luck with your build :)

[@supramarco6775]

Great video. Old, but useful. I want to make my own for Landcruiser 79. Yours looks very good. I'm looking for ideas. You are giving me some motivation. Thanks mate.

[@BalmersWorkshop]

Thanks very much for your views and your comment! All the best with your slider build!

[@zinzun222bear]

Came out great, can’t wait to make some for my gladiator

[@BalmersWorkshop]

Thanks for watching! I hope you got some useful info from the video - stay tuned for more :)

[@hv4285]

Great details and Im sure the welds are strong but instead of two vertical gussets (they look cool) I did base plates for my sliders to increase surface area, less concentrated inline load on the frame. But then again Im just a guy with a welder and a hand grinder so Im doing all the extra work to make sure my sliders dont rip off on the trail.

[@BalmersWorkshop]

Thanks very much! ...I'm a bit late with my response to say the least, thanks for watching!

[@lenio2577]

Great tutorial, will contact you to get my Tacoma in for your workmanship. Great attention to detail and perfect copes, pretty tight tolerances

[@michaelsfabwork2985]

Good job on the build. Im about to start on mine. I subscribe and look forward to seeing more.

[@Luckystudio13]

That looks absolutely fantastic ! I am inspired to make my own. Any advice if we dont have a pipe bender ?

[@BalmersWorkshop]

Thanks very much! A tube/pipe bender is pretty much essential for this job but you could always see if there's a local shop that does tube bending and bring them your pre-marked tubes for bending. If you go this route just be sure to leave extra length after your bends so you can shorten them and notch them to the proper length after the bending operation.

[@alexhurtado4708]

Any particular place where you buy the materials?

[@BalmersWorkshop]

I use a supplier close to my shop - LWS welding and manufacturing. Sometimes you'll find your best deal by sourcing materials from different suppliers eg. tube from one and flat bar/plate from another, or you might get your best deal buying everything from one supplier. It's worth doing your research.

[@Fix_It_Again_Tony]

I have seen lots of weld on sliders use reinforcement plates welded to the frame with the slider frame tubes welded to the plates to help distribute the load on the side of the frame. Do you always only use gussets or was that just in the case of JK Jeeps? I think in the case of my Nissan frame it is 3 mm or so thick, but the section is considerably taller than the JK section so it doesn't need to be as thick to be as strong. I am concerned about the thickness of the side of the frame and welding the slider frame tube directly to it. I would use gussets either way, but the bottom of the tube is going to end up about at the bottom of the frame, so a lower gusset won't fit. Do you think plating the frame is needed where the sliders are welded on or will a top gusset be enough?

[@BalmersWorkshop]

Reinforcement plates aren't a bad idea on heavier vehicles. For me, the Jeep was just light enough to feel confident in welding straight to the frame especially with the gussets top and bottom. In the case of your Nissan you could do "L" shaped plates that would wrap around the bottom of the frame and extend up to near the top on the side of the frame if you're concerned. This would spread forces considerably and you could still add you top gussets. Having said that, I do think you could get away with welding straight to the frame so long as you can gusset at least 4 vertical inches to the frame.

[@Fix_It_Again_Tony]

@@BalmersWorkshop Thanks for responding. I am sure you are busy. I was watching another video where they tested three different sliders, 1.75 ERW, 1.75 DOM and 2.0 box tube. On both the DOM and box tube sliders they were able to cave in the frame. The test was to drop a 4 Runner on the slider from 6, 12 and 18 inches. They had welded gussets from the tube to the frame, but not all the way to the top. I think at a minimum I'll weld directly to the frame and then put a vertical gusset from the top of the tube to the top of the frame to help put some of the force into the top horizontal section of the frame. I may do a plate as well. It's wouldn't be difficult or costly and it would add strength with not much additional weight. The frame is only about 1/8 inch thick so the same thickness plate with some rosette welds should help without being too overbuilt.

[@MarkJones-sk6vk]

How are they working out? Amy frame cracks?

[@BalmersWorkshop]

Thanks for the inquiry. There have been no issues at all with any of these sliders. The double shear arrangement ensures that the stress is shared between the mounting holes. Although this means that the frame has to be drilled out in 3 places on each side, it also means that frame cracking is not something to fear and offers a mounting system strong enough that the sliders can be used as a jacking point.