!!!! Attention tundra owners!!! Rocksliders

[Butcher54]

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Plans: Im going to start building rock sliders for my 01 Tundra ext cab. I know the Tundra aftermarket is not very big, so after some thought Ive purchased a JD model 32 tubing bender with a 1 3/4 die set.

My Background: I have worked at a rot rod shop here in Texas for the past 7 years. I do everything from sheet metal work to chassis design, to sanding and day to day fabrication. Ive always been a fan of the outdoors and overland travel.

My Goal: To create well fabricated aftermarket parts for 4x4 and overland travel. Im starting with the 1st gen Tundras simply because I own one. Im going to start with rock sliders, than bumpers, tire racks, RTT racks.....

What I need from you: I need to know what style you guys prefer and want out of a set of rocksliders. Do you prefer it all made from round tubing? or the style that is made from square tubing from where it mounts to the frame and under the pinch weld with the round tubing on the exterior by the doors? They will be either bolt on or weld on.

Im looking forward to yalls comments!

 

[BrianTN]

Woo hoo! :victory:

I've been wanting to replace both bumpers and get some sliders for some time. Good thing some new products will come out for the first gen Tundra. I've always been a fan of very simple, rugged designs. Nothing crazy or overweight, just the basics in round tubing. I saw some one offs that I liked and will try to find some pictures and post them.

Edit: the sliders and rear bumper in the 2nd to last picture of 01tundra's truck is the type of stuff I am interested in and a front bumper similar to this one. If you end up making tire carriers or tailgates, I've been thinking of picking up one of these.

 

[dubk_trd]

nice cant wait to see it

 

[jim65wagon]

Round tube or square, I don't really care. As long as it looks nice with the truck and keeps the rocks from biting my rockers.
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I would prefer a bolt-on set
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I would like the main rail in close to the body line at the front door (because my wife gets upset when she gets out of the truck and gets mud on her legs - I don't like that much either)
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It needs a kick-out at the back, at least 12" long, mostly to use as a step to access the stuff on the bed rack. If the kickout went as far as the rear door the kids could use it to get in the truck.
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looking forward to your designs.......

 

[Butcher54]

I'm thinking the main exterior tube (that protects the outer rocker panel) needs to angle up and be about 1/1.5 inches away from the truck and just below the door. The type that is angled up would have better protection than the flat style. It could act as a type of step as well.....

 

[01tundra]

Having built and thoroughly tested different styles of sliders on my truck, I would recommend square or rectangular tubing for the main runner under the pinch weld and also for the tie-backs to the frame. Then come off the main runner with round DOM to form the outer portion of the sliders.

My sliders were extremely heavy because I used 1/4" wall tubing, but these trucks also weigh a lot and will kill round main runners if they are really going to be used as true sliders.

If I had to do it again I would make the main runner out of 3" x 2" x 0.188" wall rectangle tubing laying flat under the pinch weld. Use 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" x 0.120" wall tie backs welded to the bottom edge of the main runner and add triangle shaped 3/16" thick gussets on top of the tie in's back to the runner.

Then use 1-3/4" x 0.120" wall round DOM tubing for the outer portion. You can keep them tucked in tight and still have ample hold-off protection at the rear cab windows. You can put a kick-out in the rear of the outer hoop, but I've seen them act as hang-up points, so I always opt not to do that.....looks cool....fuctions not-so-cool.

I would definitely recommend extending the sliders beyond the back of the cab, because the from of the bed is a target for rocks. You can see in the old pictures of my rig below the angled support bar that runs up to the back of the frame, you don't want to cantilever the back of the sliders without that extra bracing.

At the frame I used 1/4" thick plates welded to my 1-1/2" square tubing and also added triangle gussets. Then bolted them through the frame with four 3/8" Grade 8 bolts with a 1/4" backing plate on the inside of the frame. It is a total PITA to get everything drilled and lined up, hindsight says to just weld them on possibly.

The problem is that the frame rails are so high and the rockers are so low. To keep everything tight to the pinch weld, the tie-in's and frame plates have to welded low and gussetted upward (hard to explain without the pictures that I'm having trouble finding now....)

I later added plate "skiis" under the tie-ins to keep them from getting hung up on rocks.

Then I eventually went crazy and cut the rockers off and boatsided the cab....

 

[Butcher54]

Thanks for the suggestion 01Tundra.

 

[Butcher54]

:wings: Got this in yesterday! The guy said I would have a box come yesterday and another in 2 weeks so maybe I got it all at once.!

 

[Semper Paratus]

could you do some roof racks? I'm dying to get my hands on some?

 

[Butcher54]

roof rack or a bed rack for RTTs?

 

[Haggis]

Do a front bumper that fits a DC without mods and the Tundra world will beat a path to your door.

 

[Butcher54]

@ Mark. A tubular style, like a prerunner with a hoop in the front or a heavy duty ARB style? What year frames are the same? Are the DCs on the same frame as the ACa just longer in the middle?

 

[Falkon]

Do a front bumper that fits a DC without mods and the Tundra world will beat a path to your door.

+1 for a tube style front AND rear bumper that would cover and protect the stock bumpers w/out modding them. If I cant find some soon, I may try my hand at it. Not sure of the differences between the Access cab and the double, but I have the double.

And I second 01 Tundra's suggestions as well.

 

[Butcher54]

I could make a cool front bumper protector, that would allow you to keep your front bumper on, but the rear would def need to be a replacement. I think a cool ARB style front would be cool. I'm excited to get to building this stuff. I'm going to order my tubing today

 

[Petrolburner]

I'm not a fan of bumper protectors, if you're going to throw some metal up there, replace the bumper. Stupid chrome grill extending onto the front bumper has always been the one thing I don't like about the looks of my Tundra anyway. I'd like a nice tubular pre runner style bumper with provision for mounting a winch. Of course I have no money to buy anything so don't worry about me.