Got Sliders? Slider Build 05+ Tacoma

Hey Guys, well the next stop on my truck build is a good set of sliders, unfortunately none of the sliders on the market are what I am looking for, so I decided to go custom. I cannot say I am building these. I can weld, but fear my skills are not up to par enough for a strong set of sliders, and I lack a tube bender. I enlisted the help of a fabricator down in San Diego area. The guy is very good, and was looking to start making second gen sliders, so it worked perfectly, he makes the sliders how I want, and he can use mine as a jig to work out the mounting points and everything. Win -win for both of us.

We are still not completely done yet (should be done Wednesday), but I wanted to post this to get people opinions and see if there is any place for improvement....so here we go:

Basic specs on the sliders:

Tube: HREW 1-3/4" x 120
AC & 4DSB Length: 82"
Frame Plate Thickness: 1/4"
Gusset Thickness: 1/4"
Bolt on Hardware: 1/2" grade 8 with 1/4" thick inner nut plates (nut welded on plate)
Rear Mounting Foot: allows leaf hanger on frame to slide over obstacles

(DOM or Chromoly available but cost more, but HREW is very strong as you will see below in my “testing”. He made sure all seams are pointed up)

Here are pictures of the drivers side after we got the basic slider done and mounting figured out:



The mounting for a bolt on 05+ is very "non" strait forward. The holes in the frame do not line up nicely at all, and it is very hard to get a good mount close to the front and rear of the slider. We were able to figure out a good custom bracket and means tou mount it (the frame is boxed this far up, so you need to reach far into the frame. The front leg is only about 7” from the front of the slider. This means that the most critical place on the slider (the front, as that is where you come down onto rocks most commonly) is FULLY supported. (you can see the front mount in the pictures below)

The rear was also a challenge, as we did not want to leave a long gap unsupported. E devised a VERY clever rare mount that is only about 9” from the rear of the slider. Once again, this means that the rear of the slider is FULLY supported. Also, the rear mount is pretty cool as it acts as a sort of slider to where your leaf back mounts and blends what is normally a sharp edge on the stock Tacoma:





Here are a few shots mocked up and then installed on the truck:






Before we decided to finalize the design, we wanted to test them….so how do we test a set of sliders? The HI LIFT TEST!!!!!

So, first off, my truck is by NO means lightweight. I have full winch bumper, with winch, 33+” tires all the way around, larger susp components, etc. I also had a FULL load of wheels/tires in the back of my truck (my spare 33+” and 5 stock OR wheels and tires) and a full tank of gas.



So, what is the hi lift test? JACK THE ENTIRE SIDE (not just one wheel) off the ground using the CENTER (allows for most bowing of long outer tube) of the slider (Notice both wheels are off the ground):





There was MINIMAL flex (though the fabricator was still wants less so is investigating ways of making it less). However, I am not worried about this as the flex was VERY minimal, and working as an aerospace engineer, I know materials, and I know that NO (affordable) material will not flex. Flex is ok as long as you stay in the elastic region of the material, meaning, as long as it come back to how it was before, you are good to go… and as you can see by the following pics….it did!!!

You can see the before in the pics above.

After Test:


Now remember, this is a worst case scenario with these. We are lifting the ENTIRE vehicle from the CENTER of the slider, and she bounced right back to where we started. I’d say it passed

Now onto the other custom part I wanted, a kickup. Here are a few teaser pics of my special kickup that we are working on (please note, supports for the hoop will be added, this is just a teaser pic). Hopefully by Wends they will be fully supported and ready for a few cans of rustolim!!!!!



So, those are going to be my sliders. If anyone has comments or ideas let me know, as the fabricator is always open to improvement, he is all about making a good product that will function properly. I am VERY happy with how mine are turning out, and how they performed though (hence this slight ad for hime..haha).

And now for the advertising, he made me a beautiful set of sliders, and I fully believe this guy does good work, so I figure I can pay it forward, if anyone is interested in a set like mine, you can contact the fabricator as described below. I do not get a cut or anything if you buy his stuff, I really am just very satisfied and would like this guy to be successful with his new sliders.


Contact info for the fabricator
Name on Tacoma World, TTORA, etc: Beefed Taco
Website: http://streetacos.com/

Here is a link to his thread as well: http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/off-roading-trails/76059-sliders-part-2-a.html

Please note: I am not building these, just helping. If you have any specific questions, I may be able to help, but I suggest contacting the fabricator (just PK Beefed Taco)

 

dammmmn! looks sweet!

 

Awesome read and looks to be an awesome set of sliders. Great post

 

Man this guy does the best writeups I've seen on forums! haha. Robert has hit it on the head. He has the perfect truck to debut these sliders on! When he came to me a few weeks back, his truck was pretty much stock, so between the first get together and the second time I saw it, it was a completely different truck. I love it!

Robert brought some new ideas and let me know some of the things he wanted in a slider, like the curve at the back end of the long rocker tube, which allows the outer tube to have the longer area to do the rare kick up on, (pictured briefly, but not yet finished ...the teaser pic) and other great info as well. It all worked out perfect. So between his input and knowledge of the 2nd gen Taco, and my willingness to listen to the customer and go the extra mile, we ended up with a product that's not only had every detail thought about, but ended up pretty sweet looking. 2nd gen AC and 4DSB owners can now thank him for being the guinney pig for the first bolt's on's now available for these 2 model trucks! Thanks to everyone who's shown interest and has had something positive to say.

 

nice job, they look knarly and also really strong design.

 

I saw this post on TTORA too.

Beefed,

Is this your new approach to the bolt-on? Is it a bolt on using existing holes on the side of the frame plus the ones that need to be drilled on the bottom?

Will you make one for DCLB? My truck can be your guinea pig. I'm currently in OC.

 

The answers to your questions are yes, yes and yes. Here is a link to a thread I made recently that has a bunch of info covered in it. PM with any questions too. (like you did) Thanks.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/off-roading-trails/76059-sliders-part-2-a-3.html

 

Looks like quality sliders, not a fan of the kickout......but look good.

 

What's the price on those?

 

subbed, i'll be looking for sliders next

 

PM beefed for the prices on them, as well as any other questions, he will answer them all for you.

 

Great write up!

Can't wait to get my set of Beefed sliders!

 

I'll list it here too. The current price for the 05+ ACLB and 4DSB is $420 +shipping. (w/o kick up) I do still however need to do the R&D regarding their size and weight for shipping. I always wrap large items myself to save the customer $ on shipping, and always use the most affordable method, which seems to be FedEx ground. I only add $20 for my wrapping and handling time on something this large and heavy. Robert didn't get a smokin' deal even with all the help he's had on these. He paid $400, but got exactly what he wanted & helped all of us in the process by having 1 more slider option.

Thanks Robert.

 

hahaha, what up Steven! Install will now be a breeze on your truck...we just have to drill 4 holes on each frame rail and you won't need to come down here 3 times like Robert. I'm going to do the cool idea we had for the kickout/steps on yours and post them up when they're done...they'll be sick, you'll see!

 

Maybe I missed this and can't read but what is the extra half loop that is vertical on the back of the passenger side? And why is it not on the drivers side?

 

That is something that I requested on my build..it is a kickup for extra protection on the side. The pic I posted is just a teaser as it is not finished, (just tacked into place). There will be supports on it once the slider is done. And it is on both sides. the sliders are not done yet, so this is more of a "progression" thread of the sliders. the final product should be done the middle of the week.

 

wow, these are very nice.......

 

Agreed, very nice indeed. That truck is one great looking truck too! Keep up the good work guys. Great thread.

 

I like these a lot, better than my shrockworks design even.

 

wow! Now that says something! Thanks for the great compliment DK...what is it you like better? Thanks man!