Sliders

[zooroadbaja]

I just bought some metal to build sliders for the Runner. I bought some square 2" 3/16" for the main part and I had some round 1.75" .120 wall 4130 sitting around that I'll use for the hoops. I'm not sure if there's a science to this, but I figure I'd ask before welding to the frame and finding out that I did something wrong.

Question is how long to make them. I've seen a few different lengths people sell them at. Should I make them go from wheel well opening to wheel well opening, or shorter? Is there an advantage over one or the other?

How far from the frame should the main slider be? How far should the hoop come out from the main slider and how much angle to put on it?

Also what's the kickout for? Is it worth adding?

I tried searching for sliders, I found a couple threads on slider pictures, but nothing in depth. If theres something I'm missing please point me in the right direction.

 

[rm2fast]

Its all really on how you want them, the kickout is pretty much just to keep rocks away from the door, if done right they work as a good step too, from frame to slider is also personal preference, i welded them as close to the vehicle as i could and went with the tucked look, Either way you do them will still protect the rockers, some people dont like the kickout because they say it doesn't allow you to climb a rock with the back tire but i think it still works fine plus its extra protection, for length mine i think are 66 inches and they are perfect just want to keep them out of the way of tire make sure you can turn the whole way without rubbing before you complete weld

 

[white_n_slow]

There is no science to it, and most of it comes down to personal preference and intended use. The slider length should be around 67" to 68" for best coverage. There is no real benefit to making them much shorter (although I have seen some people do shorter ones that don't interfere with limited fender fares). They should extend from one wheel opening to the other, with maybe an inch or so of gap between the end of the slider and the wheel arch. That way you make sure your tires will never rub on the slider and you can open your wheel arches to make room for bigger tires later on.

As for distance from the frame, if you're doing a square main tube with a round hoop, you'll want to get the square tube pretty close in or under the rocker panel. That turned out to be around 7.5" supports, if I recall. That's just best aesthetics, IMO. I also cut out the pinch weld under the rocker panels to make room for my supports so I could get the slider closer to the body.

Angle of the tube kickout is also kind of a matter of preference. I think a higher angle looks better, but a lower angle is more useful for getting in/out of the truck. Some people mount them flat. As long as you can open the doors with about 1/4" of clearance, you should be good. I set mine at 15*.

And as for the kickout, the theory is that this will push your vehicle away from the rock before the end of the slider so that you're more likely to contact the rock with your tire instead of your quarter panel. I'm not sure I buy the theory, and i don't like the look of the kickout, so I just went with the standard shape.