DIY Bolt-On Frame Plates for Sliders

Sliders should be out for powder coat this week!

 

Just got back a set of plates for a 2nd gen DCSB. They fit perfectly! Just had a quick question about the bolt hole on the angled portion on the tranny mount. Will a 2"x2" plate inside there suffice for mounting?

 

I think mine was 2"x3". It has to be a rectangle I think so you can get it in the hole and then once you go to tighten it up you can't really get anything in there so it has to catch on the inside of the frame to not rotate while you tighten the bolt. It was a pain in the ass getting the bolt in mine.

 

What is the gap you want to maintain between the pinch weld of the body and the top of the square tube? I know I've read it somewhere that some amount of gap is needed to accommodate for flex and impact but I can't recall how much. My truck is a DCLB if that makes a difference.

 

I built mine super tight. Like 1/16”. I over built mine so they don’t have any flex but I would recommend giving at least 1/8”

 

Well I know it’s been a couple months but here’s a update on my progress. Finally got them painted should be mounted in the next week or so!

 

I can't see those pictures for some reason, thought it was my work computer but it doesn't work on my phone either.

 

The body of the truck flexes more than 1/16”. I have to imagine you hear a loud knocking/thunking when you go over bumps because the body is flexing and hitting the sliders. I wouldn’t go closer than 1/4”. Even that is pretty tight.

 

Thank you for the info! I know the bolt on sliders will stiffen the frame a bit...but I understand flex is still a reality. I think I'll try to keep it close to 1/2" when I go to build mine soon. They will get used, though not as heavily as some members do here.

 

It’s not really the frame that flexes. The body is mounted on bushings so it can move relative to the frame. The sliders won’t move but the body will bounce closer to the frame/sliders over normal road bumps.

 

hope you can see this picture?

I could be wrong I might have more gap then I remember it’s been a few months since I built them. Worse comes to worse just fold the pinch seam.

 

Sounds like a solid plan. Let me know how it works out. The sliders look good and your homemade dimple die was cool.

 

Bump. Looking for pictures to stir up ideas... any 3rd gen DIYs?

 

There’s nothing much special about the 3rd gen be the 2nd gen. The hole placement on the frame is slightly different between the two. But the rest is the same.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/diy-3rd-gen-sliders.534658/

Edit: noticed you have a dclb. The template I have in that thread won't work.

 

I have a printed copy of the 2nd Gen DCLB template that I will compare... and will share the electronic copy here if I ever get it modified for my 3rd.

 

Is there any advantage to using 2x3 over 2x2 for the main slider under the pinch weld? The obvious is that it may be stronger, but is it needed? Granted I do have a DCLB so the additional length may factor into it.

 

Not really. If you use the 2x3 flat then you aren't really getting much advantage. If you turn it on edge, it's definitely stiff, but you lose an 1" of clearance. 2x2 is plenty stiff enough.

 

I'm looking into using these files for a prerunner DCSB and noticed a few differences in the frame. I took some measurements and started working on a new cad file, but I was wondering if anyone had tried using these on a prerunner before. The only differences I found was an extra rivet on the bottom of the frame, an extra rivet behind the 4 grouped together, and the x-member flange needs to be pulled in 1". I searched this thread for "prerunner" but didn't find anything. Has anyone made plates for the prerunner guys?

 

Just curious what people have gotten for pricing recently?
I live near Seattle and so far have not found affordable options for cutting and bending.
Here is what I have so far.
Cutting:
Everett Steel, plasma cut $281 sent to outside bender $325 Total $665
Terrene Inc, cut only (not sure if plasma or laser) $261
Bending:
Can AM Fabrication, $160
H & R Mechanical Systems, $150

So best pricing I found is 261+150=$411