No time to talk about 'em right now, but I took a few pictures today of my progress. These are not as easy to make as I thought!

Okay, here are the specs. I used 2x2x0.120 square tube for the two main bars and the others are 1.5x1.5x0.120 square tube. The frame plates are 2.5x2.5x3/16. The bars are 60" long with outriggers spaced 12.5" apart (5" from each end). Since my truck has no body lift, I used about a 11 degree drop on the frame outriggers.

Due to the location of the t-case crossmember I decided to angle the second outrigger perpendicular to the frame. The angled portion of the frame goes in about 1/4 inch for every inch of length, so the first and second outriggers have compound angles (11 degree drop for one axis and frame angle in the other axis). They were difficult to make; I fitted them with the rest of the bar mounted to the truck so I could tack them in for a good fit to the frame.

Tomorrow I have some finish welding to do and I will start on the passenger side. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cyclops.gif" alt="" />

Mate, your neighbours must hate you! They're probably peering out thru the curtains to see what all the noise is about, and ZAP! they cop a welding flash to go with it!

Sliders look good,strong but light. The whole truck looks real neat, sure need to protect those sills!

Is welding to the chasis legal? Its a very grey area here, some say yes, some say no.
I made brackets to bolt to the rails, like a u bracket, with a bolt on top and a crush sleeve, they work well. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

Our laws here regarding vehicles mods vary widely by state. In some states, like mine (Oregon) there are no vehicle inspections, no matter what you do to the vehicle. You could practically rebuild the entire thing from the ground up, leaving only the original frame and vin plate on the truck and the only thing the state looks at is whether or not it passes emissions standards and that's only in some parts of our state.

Some states do have safety inspections, but I'll bet they aren't anywhere near as hardcore as you guys down there. I've read you guys have to basicly certify nearly any mod, engine swap, etc? Plus it costs money. That's gotta be tough.

I was going to make a set myself like you, but ditched the idea b/c i've already made 3 or 4 bumpers for various trucks. that, and the price of steel has gone up, and they'd be square when I wanted round. so for the price Marlin Crawler had on theirs I just ordered them, cut the legs to what I wanted welded them up at the angles I thought looked good and called it a day. But I give you props for doing it yourself. I know what that's all about. the chop saw I have could tell some good stories if it could talk.

LOL. Fortunately my neighbors are very nice people. I work mostly during the day and I haven't been using the chopsaw after dark (just welding).

Here in California there are few laws against modifying your vehicle and there are no safety inspections.



Thanks man. I understand why even some of the hardcore guys still buy their stuff already made. This is not an easy task and it's much more difficult to make them from scratch than reproduce them. I'm sure the passenger side will go much quicker!

The price of steel is somewhat higher, but I don't think it's anything to be afraid of. I got 20 feet of the 2x2, 20 ft of the 1.5x1.5, and 10 feet of 4.5x3/16 flat strap for about $90. That plus a new blade for my chopsaw and a few days work adds up to a big savings over buying this outright. And I know I have exactly what I want because I designed and built them!

Don't get me wrong though; I think there are a lot of great sliders out there and I think it's obvious where I got my ideas (4crawler for one deserves credit!). I wouldn't hesitate to buy from these outstanding vendors if I had more money. I bet their quality is unbeatable by my home fabrication! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

nice looking. watch or roger brown <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

Damn shawn I didn't know you got rid of your SR5! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/barf.gif" alt="" /> That was a damn good looking truck too. I wanna see a custom bumper for that Pathfinder soon! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

Hey,

Yeah i kinda regret sellin it <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> The pathfinder is sweet too though. Lots more power it feels like and just the same on gas.

/goes to look back at old pictures of it crying!

I'm getting close to finishing these. I fabbed up the passenger side on Saturday and finished the welding this afternoon. It's undergoing paint. Meanwhile the driver's side was painted Saturday and I mounted my super BLING LED lights to it in preperation for the install. I figured these would be tough to install on the truck, so I attached these insulated 1" electrical clamps to the top.





And of course I had to add the mark of excellence (my last name). This will come in handy if I ever forget! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/zombie.gif" alt="" />



All that's left is actually welding these to the frame. I plan on doing that Wednesday and I will post back with more pictures!