Photos and text by Dean Brown.
These sliders do not protrude out sideways, so there is no protection from certain side-impacts. However, they are cheap to build, and retain the stock look. Total cost $100 / pair.
Materials
a) 2 of 5 ft. 3"
bar steel, 6" wide, 1/4" thick. ($80 / 20 ft. uncut)
b) 3 of 3 ft. x 1.5"
x 1/4" steel bars
c) 4 of 3 ft. x 3/4"
x 3/16" steel bars
d) 1 of 4 ft. x 1.5"
x 3/16 angle iron
e) 24 3/8" x
4" bolts / nuts / washers
f) 4
3/8" x 1" bolts / nuts / washers
g) 1 can each metal
spray primer and top coat
h) 1 tube silicone
sealant (clear or black)
Tools Used
a) Welding machine
b) Bench drill
c) Portable electric
metal-cutting band saw
d) Sawzall
e) Hand drill w/HSS
bits 3/8 and 17/32"
f) One
side-cutting bit (to cut plastic)
g) Angle grinder
h) Wood chisel
i) Screwdrivers,
wrenches, socket sets, hammer.
j) Tape
measure + ruler + marker pen / carbide scribe
k) Cut-off saw (optional,
but saves much time)
l) Floor
jack (to raise and hold sliders)
m) T-clamps and vice-grips
1. Remove (10mm) nut securing front of plastic panel.
2. With the chisel, remove the 10 plastic rivets holding the panel to the sill.
3. Remove the last bolt with a screwdriver.
4. The panel is now removed from the vehicle.
5. After opening the door the sill can be seen.
6. If you have been through muddy crap, this may be an ideal opportunity to clean out the sill while you can. This particular vehicle had approx. 1 inch of sand of dubious origin:)
7. Place the panel onto the steel bar, and mark its outline. Include the holes that were used to attach it to the sill, although note that the vertical placement of the holes in the bar may change slightly so do not drill these yet. Reduce the length of the front markings by 3 inches approximately, bringing the overall resultant length to 5 ft. 2.75".
8. Cut out the shape, using the electric band saw, sawzall and grinder. Note that you will have to cut off a strip approximately 27" long at the bottom front of the bar.
9. Cut off the lower strip of the bar, so that is follows the curve of the plastic panel. The strip is approx. 27" long and extends from the front of the slider to the middle. In the photo, this strip is shown right next to the tape measure, tapering in from about 0.75" wide at the front to zero in the middle.
10. Weld a strip of 3/4" x 3/16" along the entire bottom edge of the slider. This will serve to maintain a floating action over rocks / stumps without cutting in. Hold the strip down while welding using 3-bolt T-clamps. Note: the entire main bar will deform by approximately 1/4" in the middle, so that you should do this step BEFORE making final measurements on the bolt-hole positions.
11. Grind the angles on the two door post cut-outs so they fit close to the sill.
12. Using a floor jack, test the fit to ensure it lies flat against the sill all along its length.
13. Cut the 4 ft. angle iron into two pieces of equal length. Place the slider on the floor jack, and lift to position. Hold one piece of angle iron up to the slider so that it is flush with the front edge of the slider and "supports" the bottom of the sill. Mark its position.
Remove the slider, and weld the angle iron in place all the way round. This bar will serve to strengthen the slider at its most vulnerable point (the front) where there is no good anchorage.
14. Place the slider again on the floor jack, and lift to position. Repeatedly, measure the distance from the top of the slider to the existing hole in the sill, and mark on the slider where to drill. You already have the horizontal positions of the holes accurately, you just need to finalize the vertical placements.
15. Drill the (3/8") holes using a bench drill.
16. Lift the slider again to the sill, and check hole placements. One by one, starting in the middle, drill through your slider holes, enlarging the existing outer holes in the sill, and on through the back face of the sill (which is a box section about 3 inches wide).
17. You won’t have a very good angle on the bolts nearest to the doors so some holes will have to be drilled at an angle unless you take the door off (not recommended). Attach the slider to the sill, using the 3/8" bolts and nuts. Do not tighten fully at this time.
18. The bolts are in two horizontal lines. The lower bolts and the upper back bolt will go through welded-on brackets that wrap under the sill and up on to its inner face. The other bolts just go through the sill. Measure the distance, on the inner-face of the sill, from the top of the sill to the bottom. Add 1/4" to this distance, and cut off a length of 1.5" x 1/4" steel bar.
Mark on this bar the position of the bolt hole, and drill out this hole with the bench drill (drill a slightly bigger hole 17/32" to allow an easy install). Bolt to the sill, ensuring a perpendicular angle.
19. Cut another set of bars approximately to match the distances between the slider bottom and these bars.
20. Undo both battery terminals in the vehicle. Spot weld these bars in place.
21 Remove the slider, being careful not to grab it by the spot-welded brackets. Finish the welds inside and out, on both joins. Note that the brackets will tend to fold in slightly, unless you clamp it down with a spacer while you weld. Or you can just bend it back after you finish.
22. Clean up the slider, prime and paint on all parts inside and out. Attach the slider to the vehicle. The 1" bolts are used at the front and back ends of the slider, where they don’t go through the sill. Apply locktight if desired.
23. Test your slider. Jack it up at the front, middle and back.
24. The plastic panel will be re-attached using silicone sealant which should prove better than the original plastic rivets.
Hold the panel up to the slider, and mark the approximate positions of the bolt-heads. Cut out the holes using a side-cutting drill bit.
25. Clean the plastic panel inside. Apply a generous amount of silicone sealant, and press onto the slider, holding firmly. After a few moments, you can let go and the panel will stay put. This may take a day to cure. Attach the front nut to the panel.
26. Stock look maintained. Slider edge just visible below plastic panel.
