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Bolt-On Rock Sliders For Pickups

andyblack

andyblack

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Stephen-Are you going to make any bolt-on rock sliders in the near future? I specifically need them for a short bed '85 pickup. Most guys who make them say that they can't fab any bolt-on sliders for these trucks because of the side-saddle gas tank. I think it can be done though. What's your take?
 
Sorry to bring this thread back from the DEAD. :o I'm not on CK5 all that often.

I am fairly certain that there is no way to make sliders work with the saddle tanks. The tanks are just in the way of ANY connection.

What I've decided to do is ditch the saddle tanks for a Blazer tank under the rear of the bed. I'm doing this for two reasons: 1. for the sliders. 2. because I eventually plan to install 63" springs and that will require moving the forward spring mount.

Hope this helps you. :D :usaflag:
 
it can be done...

IMG_1826.jpg
 
I stand corrected AND impressed! :bow::D

Man, those sliders look great! I was wondering if they could be mounted behind the forward rear spring hanger and over the spring or not. Looks like you did it! :crazy:

Nice job!:waytogo:
 
No I mounted the rear right in the middle of the front hanger bracket. Here's a pic of both mounts.
S5300037-1.jpg


S5300038.jpg
 
Wow! After seeing how it can be done, I think I'll try to fabricate my own. After I started this thread, I remembered that Fred Williams had some made for his CUCV a few years ago. I went to the Peterson's web site and they had a good article and some pictures of the install. I would post the link, but CK5 won't let me until I make a few more posts.
 
Don't count on it. The only vendor that I've gotten to show any intrest is Darren Castine at Twizted Engineering. He told me a few months back that if I could get him some measurements he would try to make some sliders that for my truck like the ones I saw on a Blazer on his website. They weren't the regular tubing style though. They were some weird kind that he designed. I think he wanted a lot for them too. I'm going to just make my own based on the ones that Fred Williams put on his truck.
 
Yes they do help the frame twist. My worry was cracking the frame where they're bolted on. So far so good and I've flexed and smashed them lots.
 
Frame twist is seen in such a negative light and it does seem undesirable, but isn't that one of the things that makes these old trucks do so well off road? I know that any time a new truck comes out, the manufacturer will brag about the frame being "100% stiffer than the last model's" and all that, but is this always a good thing? Maybe that's why the newer trucks can't go down anything much worse than a dirt road, while we keep on running our 30 year old flexy, twisty frames with great results.

I may be way off here. Help me out guys. I don't want my bolt-on sliders to break my frame or bend up the body they're supposed to protect, so how much do ya'll think the sliders will keep the frame from flexing?

I've got them almost half finished now too. I'm just trying to stay out of this terrible heat for a while. Of course, if you live in Georgia and are waiting for some mild weather to go outside, you'll never get anything done.:D

I'll post some pics here when I get them done (if they turn out good).
 
I'm on the same sheet of music you are Andy, my concern is that I'm getting enough frame twist that the bed is making contact with the cab.

Bending and twisting is obviously better than twisting and snapping, but the suspension should really be the part/parts that are doing the work, right? It would seem that, suspension travel and the right springs should give and start to move before the frame does.

I don't know, just thinking out loud.
 
Right on buddy! That's why I'm taking the advice of some of the guys on this forum and putting 1/4" steel plates behind where I'm mounting the sliders at. Hopefully that will cut down on some of the excessive bending and twisting. One guy on here went so far as to fab a crossmember between where his mounting points were on framerails.
 
I've got dents arching all the way to the window on the back of the cab on my K20. That's what makes the pickups wheel better than a 'burb or blazer.:D I just planned on doing sliders for the cab portion only, and then cutting the lower part of the bed off. There's so much damage now, I'd be better off boatsiding the cab and trimming the bed.:doah:
 
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