Fabricated some rock sliders, have some questions about welding to the frame

So I will be welding 3/16 plate to the frame. I did bevel the edges where I will be welding. I’m using a titanium 125 flux core welder. What suggestions do you have for this welding process. I believe the frame is 1/8. I plan to stitch weld to control heat to the frame. I will be connecting all the stitch welds. Not welding the top, using seam sealer to weather proof it. Probably be welding them on next weekend. Just started priming them today.

 

DON'T WELD TO THE FRAME!!!!


Frames are heat treated, and welding between the suspension points weakens the structural integrity of the frame. All large trucks actually have this sticker on there for upfitters that finish out the truck.



ALWAYS through-bolt any add-on's between the suspension points.

Forward of the front suspension, and behind the rear suspension are the only two areas one can weld to heat treated frame rails without altering the rated load capacity of the frame rails.

Source: I'm part of the process for this from a raw cab/chassis. My welds are holding the dump body onto the truck frame, and 3 different parts of that wing plow

 

lol… I don’t have a dump truck… also done a lot of research on this, what you are saying has not come up. But what has is doing small stitch welds to control heat to the frame.

 

@TacoTuesday603

 

The frame of any big rig looks like Swiss cheese. Your not supposed to cut or make holes in the top or bottom rails.

Half of all sliders sold are weld-ons.

 

I personally wouldnt want weld-on, when everyone & their mother has really nice bolt-on readily available nicely finished & thought-out for dirt cheap for the previous gen...

 

When I do mine I’ll weld on the stress plates to the frame first and then weld the tubes to the plates. This way I’ll have access to weld the complete perimeter of the frame/plate interface. Then weld the tubes on with more space for my welding gun access.

With your current plan I would leave a missing weld section at the bottom for drainage. This is what I did on a previous vehicle, I do not trust sealers when other methods are available. Particularly my own jobs at sealing, the factory seems to do a good job with their superb materials.

 

So the reason I did it this way was so I could mock up the slider supports. I build the small stools at the exact height and 5 degree angle. I tacked the plates to the frame and tacked the square tubing to the plates and slider. This is a pic after I did that. Then pulled the sliders out from under the truck.

 

I see your angled stools now! Last time I adjusted tire pressure to fine tune the fit with no angle.

 

Just curious, on a mid/fullsize truck have you ever seen a frame failure due to weld on rock sliders?

I completely understand and agree its very different on trucks over 1 ton

 

Considering this is an industry standard practice for upfitters, I would seriously question the road-going credentials of who's saying it's fine to weld to the frame. Many rock slider builds in my experience are for dedicated trail rigs, where road worthiness isn't necessary.

Ford's upfitter guides for all their F series trucks also reference only bolting/riveting through the frame for ambulance and cab/chassis buildjng. Welding to heat treated frames introduces numerous insurance liability issues that many people aren't aware of.

https://www.fordpro.com/en-us/upfit/publications/

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1487389-welding-to-the-frame.html

It's also specifically called out in DOT regulations. "Per manufacturer specifications"(if you can find an official Toyota upfitter guide for Tacoma's, it would need to be referenced)
https://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/safetypla... must not,full requirements on vehicle frames.

So considering you're posting this in a publicly accessible forum, if your frame later has issues or doesn't respond the way Toyota intends in an accident due to the heat altering the frames integrity in an accident, there's a high risk of you being personably liable for all damages related to your structural modifications.

 

It's fine. People weld to the frame all time (think cab mount chop or cab mount relocation). On 1st gen Tacos with greater portion of the frame being boxed section, welding was the most common way to attach sliders.

 

This is a great hypothesis. But please show me one instance where a frame failed due to welding rock sliders on. I understand people can do it the wrong way and heat the frame up too much but heat does not travel that much through 1/8 inch steel in just a few seconds of welding. I’m only doing about 1 inch stitch, welds in alternating where the welds are being placed so not to heat up the frame

 

@Shmellmopwho what are your personal and professional experiences?
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...spension-installs-cmc-slider-adapters.374697/