Welding on rock sliders

I can't remember, are you in on the MJT trip on the 30th of this month? Few of us from the wheeler's anon. thread are planning a trip on that Saturday. You should have a chance to use your sliders then

 

What types of steel and heat treatments have you read/heard of in regards to truck frames? I'm really curious--this honestly hadn't occurred to me before. I did some searching and didn't find a whole lot. From what I could find, it looks like some frames are medium-carbon steel that has been annealed after assembly, which wouldn't pose much of a problem for careful welding. I wouldn't be surprised if some frames are more highly alloyed or have some sort of heat treatment that doesn't involve normalizing the steel though.

 

Yeah I might be. That's a Sunday right ? My only day off lol

 

Thanks everyone for the info! sounds like welding is the way to to go! The sliders where from my 93 4Runner. I thought they would fit my 99 Tacoma, however they did not. I could have modified them but I sold them with the 4Runner today.

What is an affordable and functional brad for sliders?

 

Honestly, Trail Gear is real hard to beat on price. I have a set about to go on my 03 double cab and they are rock solid. I know several people on here have beat on them real hard and been more than satisfied with them.

 

I'm not sure what steel is used originally...
and that question would be better posed with Dana Corp.
( ^ if they're even still the vendor/supplier after their prior fiascal )
Of course...
Whomever the supplier is... isn't likely to share their knowledge.

It's likely not true spring steel...
But it does have more memory then std. mild carbon steel
as it generally returns to it's original form after being flexed severely.
Mild carbon steel would just bend and not have memory.

But I know it was not annealed to the point of becoming too rigid or brittle.
'cause if it was... it would likely just shear/break when flexed.

So because of the memory in the steel...
I'd have to think it has special properties
or was annealed a specific way.

And weld heat can damage it's memory if one is not careful.
It does weld fine... as good as any other mild carbon steel.

But welding heat can remove the spring memory
and cause failure if it isn't done properly/carefully.

So basically one needs weld to the frame...
without doing more harm to the steel's molecular make up.

I don't work in the steel industry
and so know little about it's material science
or how it's made.

 

yea that is a Sunday actually, probably better for me too...I'm sure we'll be talking about it more in the W.A. thread in the next week or so, I'll be sure you're tagged

 

What time were you guys gonna hit the trail

 

Not sure yet, we just threw the date out there and a few of us agreed on it. We'll start a thread or post for it later this week or early next week, most likely we'll start early (like around 8 or 9am). MJT isn't that long of a trail mileage-wise, but the difficulty can be unpredictable especially with the rain we just had. Last couple of times I did it, we hit the trail at 9 and were on the freeway home around 3

 

Ok cool. I'm really far from the trail lol

 

Are you guys using DOM tube or plain ol ERW for sliders?

 

Mine are made out of HREW, gotta remember what you're attaching them to though. Seems like for a little truck like this DOM isn't required but there's no downside either.

 

I don't see a problem with attaching DOM to a scab plate and then to the frame. It's still mild still DOM, not chromoly

 

No problems at all, my comment was meant more as a comment on strength of the Tacoma frame not so much the metallurgical compatibility of the two.

 

Gotcha! Sliders will be important for me to build once I find a truck so I've been peaking around at Tacoma sliders

 

HREW has always been fine for me
think I have one slight flat spot after 12 years of trail abuse.

maybe DOM if ya tend to hammer on 'dem.

 

Mine will likely never see extreme trail use. Mostly dirt and some rock/caliche driving around the deer lease. HREW would likely be fine as you said