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'90 K5 - The Nevada Blazer [Post 1437: School me on alternators)
- Thread starter colbystephens
- Start date
Got started on the sliders yesterday, and just have this one not-so-good teaser pic.
Photo0448 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
As a favor, alexsdad bought me a set of slider brackets from DIY4x. I bought some 2x3x.125 wall tube to make the sliders. I'll get better photos later. All I've completed so far is the passenger side mounting, but they still need to be capped, and I'm going to add some tree-bumpers w/ some 1.75" dia tube. I'm going to go home early today to hopefully be able to finish the rectangle part of the build on both sides. Then, Sunday, I hope to be able to bend up some tube for the tree-bumpers.
Photo0448 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
As a favor, alexsdad bought me a set of slider brackets from DIY4x. I bought some 2x3x.125 wall tube to make the sliders. I'll get better photos later. All I've completed so far is the passenger side mounting, but they still need to be capped, and I'm going to add some tree-bumpers w/ some 1.75" dia tube. I'm going to go home early today to hopefully be able to finish the rectangle part of the build on both sides. Then, Sunday, I hope to be able to bend up some tube for the tree-bumpers.
K5 Jess
1/2 ton status
When you get a chance, can you throw up how you are mounting it?
Sure will. 
I will take pics this afternoon, and can post them tomorrow (no longer have internets at the house. 
)
I will take pics this afternoon, and can post them tomorrow (no longer have internets at the house. )
owenst7
1/2 ton status
Looking good. Now you'll be able to wheel the cool stuff with us!
Jester1
1/2 ton status
You guys are funny!The beer bottle is an attempt to make stains on that stupid IKEA end table so I can make her replace it with something good... or give me money to build her a cool one.
Sometimes fire and heat work better than cold and wet. You know skillet, torch, and when all else fails a match.
Didn't end up having much time to get stuff done yesterday. I still have one more hole to drill in the front, and then the slider comes off to cap the ends. Then it goes back on to do the tree bumpers. Tree bumpers will wait till I do the base slider for the driver's side though. Was going to work on it tonight, but I think the wife and I are going on a little date. So nice to finally live in a place where I can leave projects set up again!
So, here's the mounting photos. Apologies, but they're taken with my crappy cell phone. This is the front of the front mount on the passenger side. I still need to drill one more hole, but my 3/8ths drill bit is stupid dull, and hardly cutting. So, I'm going to borrow one from school for the next week or so...
Photo0453 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
Here's the back of my front slider mount.
Photo0452 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
In the photo above, you see that I cut notches out of the 2x3 to drop the mounting bracket into. All I had was my grinder, so I cut the vertical cuts all the way through and then scoured the bottom with the grinder. So, since there was a groove there after removing the piece from the notch area, the lateral welds fill those grooves in. This allowed me to set the slider under the rocker, rather than only to the outside of the rocker. Essentially, it tucks it under a little better, and the round tube tree bumpers will protect the outside of the rocker. There's about 1.5" of the 3" dimension of the 2x3 on either side of the pinch weld on the rocker.
Here's the rear of the rear slider mount.
Photo0451 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
Front of the rear slider mount.
Photo0449 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
Here's something I'm not too pleased with, but can manage. The brackets that DIY4x has for the sliders don't fit the contours of the rear body mount on my truck. Don't know if it's just my year, or they just don't sit flush on all trucks. But, I am thinking to put washers in to space things out and it'll work just fine.
Photo0450 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
Also, the provided bolts weren't long enough for the rear mount.
For structural integrity, and to further prevent the oval-ing out of the holes as the sliders get hit, I'm thinking I'll weld the outer plate to the body so that the thick steel of the plate absorbs the upward force of the hit. The brackets should naturally do that without welding, since they sit up firmly against the floor, but for extra piece of mind, I think I'll do that too.
So, here's the mounting photos. Apologies, but they're taken with my crappy cell phone. This is the front of the front mount on the passenger side. I still need to drill one more hole, but my 3/8ths drill bit is stupid dull, and hardly cutting. So, I'm going to borrow one from school for the next week or so...
Photo0453 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
Here's the back of my front slider mount.
Photo0452 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
In the photo above, you see that I cut notches out of the 2x3 to drop the mounting bracket into. All I had was my grinder, so I cut the vertical cuts all the way through and then scoured the bottom with the grinder. So, since there was a groove there after removing the piece from the notch area, the lateral welds fill those grooves in. This allowed me to set the slider under the rocker, rather than only to the outside of the rocker. Essentially, it tucks it under a little better, and the round tube tree bumpers will protect the outside of the rocker. There's about 1.5" of the 3" dimension of the 2x3 on either side of the pinch weld on the rocker.
Here's the rear of the rear slider mount.
Photo0451 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
Front of the rear slider mount.
Photo0449 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
Here's something I'm not too pleased with, but can manage. The brackets that DIY4x has for the sliders don't fit the contours of the rear body mount on my truck. Don't know if it's just my year, or they just don't sit flush on all trucks. But, I am thinking to put washers in to space things out and it'll work just fine.
Photo0450 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
Also, the provided bolts weren't long enough for the rear mount.
For structural integrity, and to further prevent the oval-ing out of the holes as the sliders get hit, I'm thinking I'll weld the outer plate to the body so that the thick steel of the plate absorbs the upward force of the hit. The brackets should naturally do that without welding, since they sit up firmly against the floor, but for extra piece of mind, I think I'll do that too.
andyblack
Registered Loser
Subscribed because I want to see how these sliders turn out. Looking good so far. 
Colby
I don't know if you can or want to but if I were you, I wouldn't be using it like that, I would sleeve the body structure so you can tighten the bolts and not crush the thin sheet metal, and that will give you a flat surface for the braket on the back.
Drill holes with a hole saw the size of the sleeve and then weld it flush on the flat side and have it stick out enough on the other side to give you the effect of the washers you were thinking of using.
I am only saying this because you are doing a nice job with everything not just a quick spit and slap on, so that is the right way to do it.
I don't know if you can or want to but if I were you, I wouldn't be using it like that, I would sleeve the body structure so you can tighten the bolts and not crush the thin sheet metal, and that will give you a flat surface for the braket on the back.
Drill holes with a hole saw the size of the sleeve and then weld it flush on the flat side and have it stick out enough on the other side to give you the effect of the washers you were thinking of using.
I am only saying this because you are doing a nice job with everything not just a quick spit and slap on, so that is the right way to do it.
Didn't end up having much time to get stuff done yesterday. I still have one more hole to drill in the front, and then the slider comes off to cap the ends. Then it goes back on to do the tree bumpers. Tree bumpers will wait till I do the base slider for the driver's side though. Was going to work on it tonight, but I think the wife and I are going on a little date. So nice to finally live in a place where I can leave projects set up again!
So, here's the mounting photos. Apologies, but they're taken with my crappy cell phone. This is the front of the front mount on the passenger side. I still need to drill one more hole, but my 3/8ths drill bit is stupid dull, and hardly cutting. So, I'm going to borrow one from school for the next week or so...
Photo0453 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
Here's the back of my front slider mount.
Photo0452 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
In the photo above, you see that I cut notches out of the 2x3 to drop the mounting bracket into. All I had was my grinder, so I cut the vertical cuts all the way through and then scoured the bottom with the grinder. So, since there was a groove there after removing the piece from the notch area, the lateral welds fill those grooves in. This allowed me to set the slider under the rocker, rather than only to the outside of the rocker. Essentially, it tucks it under a little better, and the round tube tree bumpers will protect the outside of the rocker. There's about 1.5" of the 3" dimension of the 2x3 on either side of the pinch weld on the rocker.
Here's the rear of the rear slider mount.
Photo0451 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
Front of the rear slider mount.
Photo0449 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
Here's something I'm not too pleased with, but can manage. The brackets that DIY4x has for the sliders don't fit the contours of the rear body mount on my truck. Don't know if it's just my year, or they just don't sit flush on all trucks. But, I am thinking to put washers in to space things out and it'll work just fine.
Photo0450 by colbyjstephens, on Flickr
Also, the provided bolts weren't long enough for the rear mount.
For structural integrity, and to further prevent the oval-ing out of the holes as the sliders get hit, I'm thinking I'll weld the outer plate to the body so that the thick steel of the plate absorbs the upward force of the hit. The brackets should naturally do that without welding, since they sit up firmly against the floor, but for extra piece of mind, I think I'll do that too.
Hmmm. I like your thinking. I'm not sure I'm able to do that, with my skill set, though. Perhaps the alternative is to figure out the width of those gaps and have Kert make up a few fatty washers according to that width, and weld those to the plate. Then, tack the plate in place like I intend to do. Still not as perfect as the sleeved hole method, but probably would be sufficient. I'm not going to tighten this stuff super tight, to avoid crushing, since most of the loading of these plates will be sitting up agains the bottom of the floor.
As a small update, I've got the second slider built, need to cap the ends though. Probably do that tonight. Then, perhaps on Saturday morning I'll bend the tube for one or maybe both sides for the tree bumpers.
Then, I head up the mountains to meet Imiceman44 to pass off the green blazer to it's new destiny.
As a small update, I've got the second slider built, need to cap the ends though. Probably do that tonight. Then, perhaps on Saturday morning I'll bend the tube for one or maybe both sides for the tree bumpers.
Then, I head up the mountains to meet Imiceman44 to pass off the green blazer to it's new destiny.
I can't wait to see this truck in person in a couple weeks
Colby I had my sliders mounted like this for some time and they were fine, but when I really started taking some hard hits and pivoting the weight of my truck on them the holes in the body ribs started getting egged out and required tightening often which started to crush the rib.
This is what they both looked like after my last trip before I fixed them.
I tightened the bolts up again and then added a piece of 2x2 from the backside of the slider straight to the frame. Mine is welded, but it would be easy to add a bushing to separate the frame and body.
Sorry about the mud, but here is what my brace looks like.
I would recommend doing the sleeve thing mentioned above or some way to reinforce that body rib, or add additional bracing to the frame to keep things in line.
This is what they both looked like after my last trip before I fixed them.
I tightened the bolts up again and then added a piece of 2x2 from the backside of the slider straight to the frame. Mine is welded, but it would be easy to add a bushing to separate the frame and body.
Sorry about the mud, but here is what my brace looks like.
I would recommend doing the sleeve thing mentioned above or some way to reinforce that body rib, or add additional bracing to the frame to keep things in line.
owenst7
1/2 ton status
Colby, I just replaced the braces with 2x2x.120. Was the easiest and strongest way I came up with the support the floor and mount the sliders to something solid.
Good tips guys! I'll take it into consideration. I like to crawl and get my suspension flexed out, but I don't hammer on my truck. I likely won't be slamming on these, but more like "gliding" on them. What can I say? I'm graceful. Wheel like a butterfly, travel the trail like a bee.... 
rope-a-dope wheeling...
andyblack
Registered Loser
What I was thinking is, why is the slider only attached to one of the plates? Why not use two plates that come all the way down and weld to the slider - one on each side of the body reinforcement piece? Then you could even weld another piece on the bottom for even more rigidity, kind of like a box.
Pardon me if that sounds stupid. My last attempt at slider construction was an epic fail.
Pardon me if that sounds stupid. My last attempt at slider construction was an epic fail.
That would only work practically if the other plate was welded while it was bolted to the rig. Position it and squeeze it, then weld in place for the perfect fit.
andyblack
Registered Loser
That's kinda what I was trying to say, although I guess that would be impractical to do. I guess if I were trying to do what I was talking about, I would get the plates bolted up like I wanted them and then just tack weld the tube to them and then take the whole thing down and finish burning in the welds and then add the plate across the gap to stiffen it up. But of course then it wouldn't want to go back into place like you originally had it, so you couldn't bolt it back up. That's the real world for you. At least I came up with a theory.
That's kinda what I was trying to say, although I guess that would be impractical to do. I guess if I were trying to do what I was talking about, I would get the plates bolted up like I wanted them and then just tack weld the tube to them and then take the whole thing down and finish burning in the welds and then add the plate across the gap to stiffen it up. But of course then it wouldn't want to go back into place like you originally had it, so you couldn't bolt it back up. That's the real world for you. At least I came up with a theory.
It's a good one and has merit. Definitely would make things stronger. Another thing that could be done is to cross tube the holes you drill. Lots more work again though.
