HappyHooligan
New member
Which is better pros/cons: Bolt on Sliders or Welded? What brands do people like?
Rock Slider opinion
- Thread starter HappyHooligan
- Start date
Register to hide this ad
Devbot
New member
Bolt on is great if done right, but unfortunately there is no room on the inboard of our frames for it unless you relocate the gas tank to the rear at the very least. I think a body lift would help too but not by much, there's an incredibly small amount of room as is - definitely not enough to thread a bolt through on the drivers side.
octanejunkie
Elite Member
I don't think bolting through the frame without supporting the channel from collapsing is wise. I was going to weld a plate with threaded inserts to the frame but decided it's not worth the trouble.
You can make any rock sliders bolt on if you really want to. Although I'm not sure why you'd want to... at least I did want to at one time but I no longer do.
Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk
Last edited:
HappyHooligan
New member
I don't think I'll be taking them off, just asking what's best. Can always grind them off if needed down the road. I assume the welded are stronger? I want them 1st for side protection, then off roading. I'm going to be adding a rear swing out and might as well put on sliders at the same time.
spartacus
Senior Member
It's a pain in the butt to do body mount bushings with weld on sliders, Also the ability to paint them after bashing them off the vehicle is a plus.
Devbot
New member
Absolutely right. And once you start getting so that complex with the fab work, why not just weld the damn things and be done with it? As said, if they need to come off in the future just cut the welds.
In this regard another way to reinforce that you might find helpful is what's called pinning or doweling the frame; where you drill a hole straight through and weld a solid rod into place. Really good at keeping boxed frames from collapsing.
Also putting my vote in now and say do a body lift now before adding armor, unless you've already started with a front bumper. I kick myself every day for not thinking that one through. A 1in BL goes a long, long way.
Last edited:
HappyHooligan
New member
I've already got an ARB on the front, but never thought I needed a body lift, but probably should replace my bushing before I add the sliders or at the same time.
I like the 4x rear bumper and their sliders looks nice too. What do you all think?
I like the 4x rear bumper and their sliders looks nice too. What do you all think?
shadow247
New member
I have the 4xInnovations kit as well. I'm about to order a 1/2" body lift because its still too tight to the body for my liking. I need to swap to a Poly rear mount anyway.
sleepydad
Senior Member
I have the 4x rear bumper, you will want at least a 1/2" bump up in the rear. otherwise you will have clearance issues. I also have the 4x sliders they are excellent.
I poured a custom set of 1/2" poly body mounts this winter and will install them when it eventually thaws. pict compares standard body lift to my slims, I just did not feel like I wanted to jack up the body by that much, just needed a little extra wiggle.
I also did my own version of bolt on sliders, happy I did it and I have needed to remove them a couple of times now. it was a huge pain but I had a bare frame at the time so I figured while I had easy access to the frame now is the time. There is no doubt that at some point you will regret welding them on but it is a lot easier.
I posted about the slider process, and I like the fabrication part.
https://www.toyota-4runner.org/3536927-post232.html
https://www.toyota-4runner.org/3534913-post230.html
https://www.toyota-4runner.org/3538370-post233.html
1997 Sketchy SleepyDad build
<a href="https://imgur.com/daYJAYc"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/daYJAYcl.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
Last edited:
HappyHooligan
New member
Reading up on the 4XI sliders it looks like the legs come un welded and you can adjust the angle? I'd rather not put a lift on my truck if not really needed? It's weird they make a product that doesn't fit or is the un welded legs a new thing they added recently? I'm going to get their rear bumper so I'd prefer not having a gap between it and the body if I just went 1/2 on the back.
phattyduck
Elite Member
I welded my Shrockworks sliders on, even though they are 'bolt-on'. Otherwise, you have to drill through the frame and put 'stick nuts' through holes in the frame to install them. Figured welding would be stronger.
You can still lift the body up with some patience:
(doing poly body mounts in that pic)
-Charlie
You can still lift the body up with some patience:
(doing poly body mounts in that pic)
-Charlie
octanejunkie
Elite Member
I'm welding my XO Fab sliders on as soon as I install my 1" BLI welded my Shrockworks sliders on, even though they are 'bolt-on'. Otherwise, you have to drill through the frame and put 'stick nuts' through holes in the frame to install them. Figured welding would be stronger.
You can still lift the body up with some patience:
(doing poly body mounts in that pic)
-Charlie
They came with rosette plates that I used as bases that I will weld on, gaining more surface area for welds than just welding the tubes
If there were grade 10 rivnuts out there I'd consider making mine bolt on, but how would you collapse them?
Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk
phattyduck
Elite Member
You could do something with threaded tube, probably. Hole through both sides of the frame (smaller on outside, just for the bolt), bigger hole on the inside. Bolt the sliders up, then weld around the tube. You'd still need to remove the gas tank to get the rear driver's side done though.
No way to get good pull-out with a rivnut of that size. Imagine that install tool...
-Charlie
I have the Shrockworks bolt-ons on mine, made to suit an inch body lift. I'm not wheeling in a way that puts me onto them hard very often, but I've certainly used them as intended a few times with no issues. No noticeable flex when lifting the truck via the hi-lift using them either. IIRC almost all of the bolt holes it uses are already there, I think I drilled one pair (one on each side)??
In theory, they're removeable, but I sort of have my doubts that those stick nuts would hold in place if you tried to loosen the bolts. They'd probably just spin and suck the stick inside the frame. At least, after being installed for 4 or 5 years here in the salt belt. If I was going to take them off, I'd just get another set of hardware. And plan on angle-grinding the bolt heads off so I can pull the rest of the bolt and the nut out of the frame with the stick.
At some point I will be doing that on mine, to repair the sills. There isn't much rust on my '99, but it's all in the sills.
The belly armor (Savage skids) gets used BY FAR the most. Call it 75% of the time. Then the bumpers are dragging another 24% of the time something is touching. Leaving the sliders to do their thing slightly less than 1% of the time. I say slightly less, because one of the few times I thought I was going to use them, the ledge I was next to just reached over the sliders and got my driver rear door anyhow.
In theory, they're removeable, but I sort of have my doubts that those stick nuts would hold in place if you tried to loosen the bolts. They'd probably just spin and suck the stick inside the frame. At least, after being installed for 4 or 5 years here in the salt belt. If I was going to take them off, I'd just get another set of hardware. And plan on angle-grinding the bolt heads off so I can pull the rest of the bolt and the nut out of the frame with the stick.
At some point I will be doing that on mine, to repair the sills. There isn't much rust on my '99, but it's all in the sills.
The belly armor (Savage skids) gets used BY FAR the most. Call it 75% of the time. Then the bumpers are dragging another 24% of the time something is touching. Leaving the sliders to do their thing slightly less than 1% of the time. I say slightly less, because one of the few times I thought I was going to use them, the ledge I was next to just reached over the sliders and got my driver rear door anyhow.
Last edited:
phattyduck
Elite Member
:gun6: :caked:
Mine are (sadly) fairly pristine. Too many young kids in the house to get out much the last few years.
-Charlie
octanejunkie
Elite Member
Im in the process of ordering a transfer case skid along with LCA skids from RCI as I too feel that ground clearance is a bigger issue than rocker panel attacks - but I've only wheeled gingerly in the 2WD and have yet to take the 4WD out
Sliders and belly armor are higher priority than bumpers, and after that the winch. Once I go that far the second gas tank is the next step and then I'll hit the gnarly, far stuff
Might flip the factory hitch, cut the rusted bumper and put the second tank in sooner than later. I could use the extra weight out back to tame my LC 8-wraps.
Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk
Sliders and belly armor are higher priority than bumpers, and after that the winch. Once I go that far the second gas tank is the next step and then I'll hit the gnarly, far stuff
Might flip the factory hitch, cut the rusted bumper and put the second tank in sooner than later. I could use the extra weight out back to tame my LC 8-wraps.
Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk
Last edited:
thenightman
New member
I welded my homemade sliders on, never even considered bolt on. Never regretted it either. I have landed on them hard enough several times to make my wife scream at me Haha. Nice big dents in the 1.75 dom. No damage to the truck.
If they are tight to the body consider clearencing the pinch weld.
I used to work at a shop where we installed giant rivnuts, 3/8 I think. We installed them with an 1/2" impact and grade 8 bolt.
If they are tight to the body consider clearencing the pinch weld.
I used to work at a shop where we installed giant rivnuts, 3/8 I think. We installed them with an 1/2" impact and grade 8 bolt.
Romeo1
Member
Load them up and take them with you! My youngest daughter enjoys it the most which I find odd. Maybe not a king of the hammers type event, but anything is better than nothing.
