Highschool project and BS

It's not bolted or attached to the pinch seam, it just touches it along the length. Triangulation may not be the correct word in this specific case, but when weight is on the sliders (let's just say from jacking it up with a HiLift), the load is spread out along the length of the pinch weld AND where the sliders are bolted to the frame and not just to the frame. Either way, everyone's opinions are anecdotal unless I see some FEA analysis.

 

What question would you be trying to answer with FEA? Are we comparing designs or just trying to decide if this design is adequate? There's a lot of questions around what the load would be. You could get super fancy and do a drop sim, but I'm not specialized enough to pull that off.

 

Well, it seems that people seem to think that any impact on the sliders like that will immediately crush the cab or that they will just bend up into the cab due to the pressure in the middle at the pinch weld.

In my mind, if they are designed well, you can get away with less material and lighter tubes but adding the additional support at the pinch weld than the "traditional" slider design of attaching at the frame and then sticking out from there for several feet only supported at the frame.

 

Yea, I think it's possible to make something like that work. The real issue would be marketing the idea that it's ok for the sliders to hit the pinch seam at all. In my experience, customers prefer that the sliders don't contact the truck.

 

I think the idea of keeping sliders independent of the body is to eliminate a needless wear point. If sliders contact the body then there will most likely be enough stress on the body to cause cracks or dents on the pinch weld. I don't think the cost of design and fabrication along with the possibility of body wear is worth the weight savings.

 

Nice. Like someone previously mentioned, you'll be a lot happier with shielding gas.

 

It would be good to see a picture of how they actually mount. There are no instructions or photos of the actual mounting points.

Yea, frankly, as a customer, I wouldn't want that. I'm not comfortable with the idea that any weight or force would be sent through the body or the pinch weld. The sliders, in my mind, are specifically to prevent damage to that area, and even if I'm not making huge impacts to it, the frame and body move separately, as you said, and it seems to me that they shouldn't be connected through a metal tube at all. I think it would cause extra wear and damage over time to the part I'm trying to protect.

I would rather damage and bend the slider, since they are cheaper, and easier to replace if damaged than the rocker panel/pinch weld/body.

 

Welding cart and the truck in the background.
And the shielded gas welds, they look and feel soo much better. The top I had a slow wire feed setting but once I boosted it up the weld puddles came out much smoother. I haven't hit them with a wire wheel yet nor did I prep the surface.

 

Looking good! Keep on practicing, post up your progress and ignore the rest of us that keep talking about the Rocky Road sliders that utilize the pinch weld

 

I don't mind it, I'll see if I can get a video of my bumper (which is attached to the frame) moving and my hood not. The difference in movement is surprising.

 

I need to do an interview for the project as well and so I figured I'd put the questions on here.

1. When did you start welding?
2. For what reason did you start welding?
   
3. Would you recommend learning to weld?
4. What are the tools that you recommend starting with?
5. TIG, MIG, or stick welding and why?
6. What is the oddest/hardest/sketchiest thing you've welded?
7. Any other stories, comments, questions.

 

Did some work today, I have been sick and piled in schoolwork so not much progress. But I hope to have them finished by the end of the month.

 

Got the drivers side finished, now that I have a system for how it should go together it will go much faster for the passenger side.

 

I would add another tube between the round and square tubing on both front and back. It looks like there's a huge area where if you hit a rock the outside round tube doesn't have much support.

Looks good though!!

 

I think they look great. I agree with @svdude about adding a couple more round intermediate tubes to help with the strength at the ends of the sliders. One other recommendation would be to add some gussets at the feet to the legs in order to limit any upward deflection of the sliders when taking a big hit

 

The holes for the brackets are directly above the legs so I don't have the space for a gusset but I don't plan on reusing them if I do take a big hit. I just wanted some rock sliders for the truck and needed something to do for my senior project. If/when they get bent or hit I will definitely redesign to add more supports and gussets. I would like to have added a fender rail like they do in Australia and a rear kick.

 

They’re totally cool just suggestions to make them beefier. I think you did a great job!

 

Thanks, my true hope for them is to try and reduce the number of sagebrush lines on the sides of my truck.

 

Haha sagebrush smashers!!

 

Thats most of what my truck sees, lots and lots of sagebrush