Thinking about some sliders

[samneil2000]

Thanks Knivx. This is the sort of first-hand info I was looking for. Do you remember if there were any special tools needed? I read somewhere about a short drill or something like that. If all I have to do is drill some holes and get a couple extra hands to stick it up there, I can handle that.
Thanks again

I'm running Rocky road sliders. Ordered them last summer, they're built to order so they should be available but it takes a few weeks. They are pretty stout, I've used them as intended. I really liked how they bolted to both the frame and the body pinch seem. My buddys sliders on his Tacoma are just bolted to the frame and they flex up and down a bit when on rocks, mine don't budge. So don't get them if you're plannin on a body lift. They are a pain in the rump installing them. I had 3 of us. 2 people is definitely minimum, IMHO. They are quite heavy. And no instructions are included though they are pretty self explanatory as they only fit one way. I didn't have to trim any cladding. Though removing the rocker piece makes it a little easier and reinstalls easy with the slider in place. I priced these and the stric9 sliders and If I remember correctly the Rocky Road ones are considerably cheaper and don't require welding. I would recommend them for sure!

[Knivx]

Yes find the smallest drill possible. A friend of mine had one. I did have to buy a bit though. Can't remember the size but Rocky Road can tell ya, i ended up calling them to find out. I got a good expensive metal fancy bit and it was so worth it. Made drilling holes while lying in grease and dirt so much nicer. It came with self tapping bolts for the frame so the hole you'll drill is smaller than the bolt, I wanna say 3/8's but check before obviously. I did mine this last spring so details are slipping away.

I had two of us hold the slider in place while the third guy marked all the holes to drill. Another reason to have friends there to help hold.

[Triathlete]

No drill needed with a welder!

[Knivx]

No drill needed with a welder!

Though its so much easier to bolt something together than have welding skills. And so much easier to remove for any reason. (plus welders cost alot more than a decent drill)

[Ldub]

Yes find the smallest drill possible. A friend of mine had one. I did have to buy a bit though.

One of these, @ under $40 (even less if they're having a $ale...) is a handy thing to have in close quarters mechanical combat...



http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=92956

[MSHardeman]

I know Jack (pbkid) put some sliders on his VX and I remember him telling me that he had to use a 90 degree drill to get into some of the tight spaces under there. Patience, and a good drill bit, will go a long way.

On a similar note: I had heard that we are NOT supposed to weld to our frames. Something about the heat de-stablizing the metal structure and possibly causing failure. Can anyone confirm/deny my fourth hand information?

[Ascinder]

I tried to do some digging on our frames being heat treated sometime last year. It turns out they are, as are many factory frames. I have talked to several offroading places and they've all said that it is acceptable to weld to frames for things like sliders. It's more critical that it's welded right than that it's welded at all. You pretty much need to minimize heat soak into the frame so the affected area is as small as possible. TIG welding would be optimal, but the tight spaces may be a problem.