UT Hack
New member
I posted this in my build thread, but I figured I'd make it its' own post if you guys didn't want to see all the other crap in the build thread, even though there isn't very much of it to see!
So this is my first big modification to the truck. I built my own sliders using 2" square tube, .188 wall.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hacksays/8315627935/" title="IMG_0953 by HackSays, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8080/8315627935_b72c034d5c_b.jpg" width="768" height="1024" alt="IMG_0953"></a>
Bought 6 10' sticks, ended up with about 8 feet extra... thinking about possibilities to use the rest of the material with another project, but I'm not sure what yet.
open to suggestions of course.
By far the hardest part was measuring and cutting the pieces for the first side, I noodled on how to make the cuts for the kickout. I knew I wanted to have one, but I don't like how a lot of the sliders out there that are professionally made seem to have a large kickout.
Used the band saw to make the big cuts
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hacksays/8330593529/" title="IMG_0955 by HackSays, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8502/8330593529_c384395c9d_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_0955"></a>
I'm blessed enough to have access to multiple heavy duty MIG welders through my job... and my dad runs the two shops the company has in Utah, so I can use them whenever I need to for stuff like this.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hacksays/8331650332/" title="IMG_0956 by HackSays, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8222/8331650332_03e38db4d0_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_0956"></a>
Starting to test fit the pieces, and construct the kickout.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hacksays/8330594233/" title="IMG_0957 by HackSays, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8223/8330594233_9c9d7e09cf_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_0957"></a>
Given the enlarged openings in the tube that I was left with due to cutting the front and back corners at 45 degrees, I just slid my front brace right up to the very front to cover the hole, and layed a bead down the middle of both of them to make it even stronger. (no pic of the bead inside, just pics of the finished product later)
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hacksays/8331651024/" title="IMG_0958 by HackSays, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8218/8331651024_4cd77eef10_b.jpg" width="768" height="1024" alt="IMG_0958"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hacksays/8331651982/" title="IMG_0961 by HackSays, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8501/8331651982_6f63fe290e_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_0961"></a>
Sorry about the poor pic quality - I'm operating on an iPhone camera, which is no slouch but it's not really "high quality"
My friend and I made some quick sliders for his 82 mini truck. They added about 2 hours to the process and overall they look pretty nice. Just gotta paint em up and they're good to go.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hacksays/8331653164/" title="IMG_0964 by HackSays, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8359/8331653164_8213406b08_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_0964"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hacksays/8331655756/" title="IMG_0972 by HackSays, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8354/8331655756_79650bb6f5_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_0972"></a>
Tacked and ready to weld
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hacksays/8330596907/" title="IMG_0965 by HackSays, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8224/8330596907_06c5e1dc27_b.jpg" width="768" height="1024" alt="IMG_0965"></a>
Made sure to clamp that sucker down so that the tube wouldn't bend on cooling after the welds - glad I did that because it would have been interesting to weld them to the frame if they had warped in the cold winter air!
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hacksays/8330597293/" title="IMG_0966 by HackSays, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8352/8330597293_41ea56b371_b.jpg" width="768" height="1024" alt="IMG_0966"></a>
Pic of my welds... I'm no professional but I lay a good strong bead.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hacksays/8330598015/" title="IMG_0968 by HackSays, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8214/8330598015_b6733a1e66_b.jpg" width="768" height="1024" alt="IMG_0968"></a>
All welded up and test fitting to make marks for the frame supports.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hacksays/8330599661/" title="IMG_0974 by HackSays, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8500/8330599661_dc2109281f_b.jpg" width="768" height="1024" alt="IMG_0974"></a>
Painting the first side while fabbing up the second side. You can see in this pic how I made my frame supports... Used some angle plate and cut it so that I wouldn't have any vertical welds (thanks to addicted offroad for the tip about not having vertical welds so as to not get stress fractures in the frame)
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hacksays/8330600061/" title="IMG_0976 by HackSays, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8222/8330600061_1806eb7e6a_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_0976"></a>
The gussets are made from the same material as the angle plate, but you can't see them very well in this pic even though they are facing the camera. Again, sorry I don't have more pics of the bracing for the frame.
Finished product, after painting and welded onto the frame.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hacksays/8331657084/" title="IMG_0980 by HackSays, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8492/8331657084_3ba7da8844_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_0980"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hacksays/8330600641/" title="IMG_0981 by HackSays, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8496/8330600641_3cb828b9ee_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_0981"></a>
Pretty proud of how these turned out.. Using the .188 wall tube made them REALLY strong, they don't bend at all when you pic the truck up just using the sliders. Made sure with the forklift after I installed them
Feel free to ask questions if you guys are planning on making your own as well.
EDIT:: YES I modeled these after the Mercer Fabrication sliders. I'm a big fan of the square tube.
So this is my first big modification to the truck. I built my own sliders using 2" square tube, .188 wall.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hacksays/8315627935/" title="IMG_0953 by HackSays, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8080/8315627935_b72c034d5c_b.jpg" width="768" height="1024" alt="IMG_0953"></a>
Bought 6 10' sticks, ended up with about 8 feet extra... thinking about possibilities to use the rest of the material with another project, but I'm not sure what yet.
open to suggestions of course.
By far the hardest part was measuring and cutting the pieces for the first side, I noodled on how to make the cuts for the kickout. I knew I wanted to have one, but I don't like how a lot of the sliders out there that are professionally made seem to have a large kickout.
Used the band saw to make the big cuts
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hacksays/8330593529/" title="IMG_0955 by HackSays, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8502/8330593529_c384395c9d_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_0955"></a>
I'm blessed enough to have access to multiple heavy duty MIG welders through my job... and my dad runs the two shops the company has in Utah, so I can use them whenever I need to for stuff like this.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hacksays/8331650332/" title="IMG_0956 by HackSays, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8222/8331650332_03e38db4d0_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_0956"></a>
Starting to test fit the pieces, and construct the kickout.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hacksays/8330594233/" title="IMG_0957 by HackSays, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8223/8330594233_9c9d7e09cf_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_0957"></a>
Given the enlarged openings in the tube that I was left with due to cutting the front and back corners at 45 degrees, I just slid my front brace right up to the very front to cover the hole, and layed a bead down the middle of both of them to make it even stronger. (no pic of the bead inside, just pics of the finished product later)
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hacksays/8331651024/" title="IMG_0958 by HackSays, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8218/8331651024_4cd77eef10_b.jpg" width="768" height="1024" alt="IMG_0958"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hacksays/8331651982/" title="IMG_0961 by HackSays, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8501/8331651982_6f63fe290e_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_0961"></a>
Sorry about the poor pic quality - I'm operating on an iPhone camera, which is no slouch but it's not really "high quality"
My friend and I made some quick sliders for his 82 mini truck. They added about 2 hours to the process and overall they look pretty nice. Just gotta paint em up and they're good to go.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hacksays/8331653164/" title="IMG_0964 by HackSays, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8359/8331653164_8213406b08_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_0964"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hacksays/8331655756/" title="IMG_0972 by HackSays, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8354/8331655756_79650bb6f5_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_0972"></a>
Tacked and ready to weld
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hacksays/8330596907/" title="IMG_0965 by HackSays, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8224/8330596907_06c5e1dc27_b.jpg" width="768" height="1024" alt="IMG_0965"></a>
Made sure to clamp that sucker down so that the tube wouldn't bend on cooling after the welds - glad I did that because it would have been interesting to weld them to the frame if they had warped in the cold winter air!
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hacksays/8330597293/" title="IMG_0966 by HackSays, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8352/8330597293_41ea56b371_b.jpg" width="768" height="1024" alt="IMG_0966"></a>
Pic of my welds... I'm no professional but I lay a good strong bead.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hacksays/8330598015/" title="IMG_0968 by HackSays, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8214/8330598015_b6733a1e66_b.jpg" width="768" height="1024" alt="IMG_0968"></a>
All welded up and test fitting to make marks for the frame supports.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hacksays/8330599661/" title="IMG_0974 by HackSays, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8500/8330599661_dc2109281f_b.jpg" width="768" height="1024" alt="IMG_0974"></a>
Painting the first side while fabbing up the second side. You can see in this pic how I made my frame supports... Used some angle plate and cut it so that I wouldn't have any vertical welds (thanks to addicted offroad for the tip about not having vertical welds so as to not get stress fractures in the frame)
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hacksays/8330600061/" title="IMG_0976 by HackSays, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8222/8330600061_1806eb7e6a_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_0976"></a>
The gussets are made from the same material as the angle plate, but you can't see them very well in this pic even though they are facing the camera. Again, sorry I don't have more pics of the bracing for the frame.
Finished product, after painting and welded onto the frame.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hacksays/8331657084/" title="IMG_0980 by HackSays, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8492/8331657084_3ba7da8844_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_0980"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hacksays/8330600641/" title="IMG_0981 by HackSays, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8496/8330600641_3cb828b9ee_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_0981"></a>
Pretty proud of how these turned out.. Using the .188 wall tube made them REALLY strong, they don't bend at all when you pic the truck up just using the sliders. Made sure with the forklift after I installed them
Feel free to ask questions if you guys are planning on making your own as well.
EDIT:: YES I modeled these after the Mercer Fabrication sliders. I'm a big fan of the square tube.
Last edited:
