- Dec 4, 2011
- 563
I know some of you have the experience with this, so I'm looking for any pitfalls to try and avoid... First off, my intended use. I won't be getting into anything nearly as rough as many of you enjoy, but I do like to get up into the back roads in the mountains at times. I would like to make something that tucks in close to the body - maybe within 1" so I don't have issues with trying to step over the bars like I had to step over the original running boards. And while I am going for a certain aesthetic look, I still want to make them solid enough that they are functional for a light drop.
If memory serves me correctly, the Toyota rock sliders that some folks are using here have approximately 0.121" walls. My local welding shop has some 2" pipe with 0.128" walls, so this seems perfect for the application. They also have some mandrel-bent 90* curves. My plan would be to take four of the 90's for each side and cut them to 60*. I would have the long straight pipe running along the underside of the doors, the a 60 at each end curving downwards, followed by the last 60's turned inwards towards the frame. There would of course be a second long pipe running end-to-end and welded in between the S-curve of the the pair of elbows, and then some short spans going across the framework for structural support. Essentially the final product will be similar in construction to others I've seen, except for using the pair of elbows on each end to get more of a smooth flowing curve under the body. (I'm hoping smooth curves means less chance of getting snagged on something.)
So I have a pretty decent mig welder. I have the regulator setup for doing a gas shield, but I don't have the bottle, nor the experience welding that way. I know it is critical, especially with using the extra elbows, to get full penetration around each weld. I'm planning on welding some test pieces until I get the bead I want, and then since each elbow will be fairly short, I should be able to get a good visual on the inside of each weld (and possibly even doing touch-ups from the inside if needed).
Mark already mentioned using a 4" plate of 1/4" steel to attach the rock sliders to the frame. What else should I be aware of in the general construction? Or do I have it covered? I know my materials cost will be about the same as purchasing some pre-mades, plus I'll have more labor involved - but I really enjoy making things myself and want to have something unique.
If memory serves me correctly, the Toyota rock sliders that some folks are using here have approximately 0.121" walls. My local welding shop has some 2" pipe with 0.128" walls, so this seems perfect for the application. They also have some mandrel-bent 90* curves. My plan would be to take four of the 90's for each side and cut them to 60*. I would have the long straight pipe running along the underside of the doors, the a 60 at each end curving downwards, followed by the last 60's turned inwards towards the frame. There would of course be a second long pipe running end-to-end and welded in between the S-curve of the the pair of elbows, and then some short spans going across the framework for structural support. Essentially the final product will be similar in construction to others I've seen, except for using the pair of elbows on each end to get more of a smooth flowing curve under the body. (I'm hoping smooth curves means less chance of getting snagged on something.)
So I have a pretty decent mig welder. I have the regulator setup for doing a gas shield, but I don't have the bottle, nor the experience welding that way. I know it is critical, especially with using the extra elbows, to get full penetration around each weld. I'm planning on welding some test pieces until I get the bead I want, and then since each elbow will be fairly short, I should be able to get a good visual on the inside of each weld (and possibly even doing touch-ups from the inside if needed).
Mark already mentioned using a 4" plate of 1/4" steel to attach the rock sliders to the frame. What else should I be aware of in the general construction? Or do I have it covered? I know my materials cost will be about the same as purchasing some pre-mades, plus I'll have more labor involved - but I really enjoy making things myself and want to have something unique.