rectangle tube step sliders?

[highonpottery]

Lately I've been thinking of making myself some sliders for my Hundy. I've gotten enough complaints over the past 2yrs from the and others that for some reason struggle to get in/out of the rig without any steps, so I figure now might be a good time to fix it...and because I want to start wheeling the Hundy now that it's no longer a DD. I also want the satisfaction of making my own junk, so I bought a Lincoln 140 MIG to fab up some stuff.


I don't think I've seen them for the 100-series ever, but I've been tossing around the idea of using some rectangular tubing for the main body of my sliders. I figure I'd plate over any slider that's there for a full-step, so why not eliminate most of the work by just using steel that's already in the correct shape? I did some minimal searching and found there are BIOR step sliders for the 80-series made from rectangle tube, and plenty of wheelers replace rocker panels with the same stuff, and they all get beat on much more than I ever plan on beating on my Hundy, so why not use this material?

I still have to call up a steel supplier, but I've been thinking some 2x6 (or maybe 2x8) in like a 3/16" wall would fit the bill. I would likely dog-ear the corners for an aesthetic and slightly practical addition, and will definitely cap the ends to seal it off (ooh, possible air tank!). I am guessing that when built, they might weigh the same as a set of step sliders built the traditional way with parallel rails and all those tediously cut spacers added in there. Strength-wise, I'm guessing they should be just as stout.

For attaching to the frame I was going to use some 2x2x1/4 square tube and make some sort of bolt-on brackets. Brackets would either use custom-made u-bolts or just a simple "sandwich" system with 2 plates and some grade 8 bolts.

What do you Hundy owners think?

 

[paflytyer]

If what you mean is just box steel rectangle with no tube, I think you'll find it harder than you anticipate. The concave shape of the rocker area below the doors doesn't lend itself well to a straight piece IMO. Unlike a Jeep or even a FJ with a very "boxy" look to begin with, it will be tough to get the box steel out far enough from the rocker to look good and provide the protection needed. Obviously it's hard to say until you start cutting and welding. If you've got some quality time on the welder already, you can make anything work!

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with. But, if it's just for money saving purposes I think you'll find out that the savings for a one time slider build may not be worth the time involved to do it right. It's hard to beat some of the more budget friendly sliders on the market right now.

 

[hoser]

Paul May's former 100:

 

[2000UZJ]

Paul May's former 100:

I like that!

 

[yotasavg]

Now that ^ is slick. I really like the inner fenders tied in.

 

[hoser]

What is nice is the edges of the rectangular slider (nearest the wheels) are more protected. Most other tube sliders, where the tube bends back in, leave that first and last section vulnerable. But given the same wall thickness (rectangle vs tube), the center section made of tube should be stronger.

Not to pick on these sliders (mine are similar and it was the handiest picture available). You can see how the ends are vulnerable.

 

[highonpottery]

^^^that's pretty much exactly what I was going for, just with 45* angles on the ends to "dog ear" them - so they will still be a similar shape to 90% of the sliders installed on all types of rigs, and it will function so there is no hard 90* edge for a rock to hit

this is not necessarily for money saving purposes, though I know there will be money saved especially for a simple design like this as there is significantly less cutting and welding involved by using a large piece of steel for the main body. When you have tons of cuts and fishmouthing to do, that's when the cost skyrockets. I do have some welding experience under my belt already from home fabbing a bunch of armor on some rigs my buddys and I had in college. I also took an Ag Welding class when I was still in school, so I am confident my welds will hold. I just haven't welded much in the past 10yrs and only recently picked up the little MIG so I can build myself some RC crawler chassis - if it's not getting the penetration I need in the garage, I'll just tack it together and weld them up with the big welders at work in our Sculpture Lab.

I think I'm just going to go for it. I'll definitely post up some results once I finish them up. Most likely will happen early in the new year as one of my resolutions

 

[paflytyer]

I like that!

I'm in the minority here then. Like Hoser, I like the protection at either end, but as soon as you "dog ear" the ends you lose that.

The other thing I've noticed is on the LX with all the body cladding at the bottom, it actually sticks out farther than the LC. Leaving those ends vulnerable. Not so on the LC though.