A buddy of mine (who is a really good welder) and I fabbed our own sliders in about 10 working hours. It was my first welding project, and it turned out great. However, the design was really simple. It was for my (former) Xterra. There was only one main stay (the part that runs from front to rear), with three outriggers per side. They were bolt-on, and the machining of the holes was the hardest part. We did not use a secondary stay (step rail), but instead lengthened the outriggers so that the slider itself could be used as a step, as well as offer better protection. Once the welding was done, a couple of rattle cans of black Pep Boys Bed Liner ($7 a pop) was sprayed on. Those sliders worked phenomenally well for a year or so, and are on another Xterra right now. We were able to jack the entire truck onto two wheels with some flex, but it got the job done. Took some good hits, too. All it took was a wipe-down and a new layer of spray-on liner.
Total cost was about $150.00, which included $30 to have the plates properly machine drilled, $20 for having the steel professionally cut (didn't have a chop saw then) and $14 for paint. I've since bought all the proper tools, so I figure my next basic design for my Cruiser will cost less than $100.
If anyone's interested, I can post the basic measurements and requirements to make a basic set of sliders, and you can take it from there.
Here's a close-up pic:
Here's a better perspective of where they are in relation to the pinch:
THIS IS 80'S CHAT,AND I'M THINKING 60'S
