The Toyota Landcruiser Owners Club

garystockton · Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 14:49 Post subject: 120 Series sliders

OK, here we go...

After the Lakes this last weekend, it became (painfully) apparent that the side steps on the 120 are NOT sliders Shocked

So I will need to make some up (or convince someone to do them for me Wink

)

I've started having alook around, and came across this on PradoPoint:

DIY sliders

They look OK, but a bit like they were hacked together in a prison! Oh - wait - Australia.... makes sense, then Twisted Evil

So - anyone got any bright ideas? They are a lot tighter up against the sill, which looks [retty good, but I suspect rounded approaches would be better for deflection, and round bar better for sliding (and no jack-points are visible...)

Cheers
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Crispin · Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 15:13 Post subject:

My changes would be the to the way he joins the legs onto the main part - smooth it off so it's less of a hook and as you said, round tube may be better?

It seems pretty simple, albeit ugly as it stands there, to do. A piece of checker plate on top would make it looks lett ugly. Not a fan of checker plate though.

Could you not modify the existing ones (Assuming you still have them Smile

)? Stronger legs, main section? It would add function and not make it look home made.
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Cheers,
Crispin
Have Snorkel, Will Swim

garystockton · Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 15:37 Post subject:

I had a long-ish drive to think about this one. The truck is pretty solid under all the flimsy bits. I'll happily take the side steps off and store them so that sgould I ever need to sell it I can put them back on. But they're too low and too soft for anything other than a step for people to get into / out of the vehicle. They certainly are no good for anything else Twisted Evil

I'll take ap ic tonight and post it of the left hand one...
_________________
I'll be more enthusiastic about encouraging thinking outside the box when there's evidence of any thinking going on inside it.
- Terry Pratchett

wildsmith · Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 16:00 Post subject:

If you don't need a step then a tube style slider would work and they're quite low profile to look at.
_________________
Jon m0zxj

01 UZJ100 lifted (AHC & 40mm BL), ARB locked f&r, cryo'd 4.88's, TJM front bumper, 12k goldfish, sliders, rack, snorkel, 35's, storage, aux power etc.
93 HDJ80 sold
94 HDJ80 RIP

Landcrusher · Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 16:22 Post subject:

They look very like mine from the outside. Different attachment method. but the external step is the same. They more like tree fenders than rock sliders really. What's the difference? Well, I think they would take side impact fairly well but are not that strong from below. It looks to me as though he has some galv box section there which he's welding to std plate. Not sure of the weld integrity with all that volatilized zinc in the mix.

Round looks much more purposeful I think. If I had access to pipe bending, I would make some new ones. I am certainly going to beef mine up a little.

LC
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HDJ 80 but still a 90 owner at heart (yeah right!)

garystockton · Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 22:39 Post subject:

This is why I need sliders:

and the step is pushed back as well, so the mounts are messed:

This should be flush with the wheel arch:

Oh yes - I'll be attending to the paving this weekend, so no smarmy comments Twisted Evil

_________________
I'll be more enthusiastic about encouraging thinking outside the box when there's evidence of any thinking going on inside it.
- Terry Pratchett

Crispin · Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 22:47 Post subject:

Was going to say, looks like someone has misplaced some bricks in your front lawn... Wink

I was looking at a Jeep, a real Jeep, not a jeep, in traffic today, it has a simple chromed (optional?) tube about 50mm running front to back. It was nicely bent each end to slip under the bodywork and bolt on. I guess it has some intermediate supports as well. You could use the pipe bender LC keeps threatening to buy to bend it. Smile

You could also just weld a couple 45 degree joints on. Might still look ok?

You would loose the step but do you use that?
_________________
Cheers,
Crispin
Have Snorkel, Will Swim

Landcrusher · Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 23:04 Post subject:

Crispin Man, you kill me. Bricks on your lawn. Awesome

Gary, I bust my 120 steps too, and my LWB 90 ones. They are rubbish really. Plenty of after market ones out there if you need some to put on the car when you sell it (sorry if you sell it) I tried to fix mine - all the plastic was buckled etc. Amazing how much better the clearance is once you take them off!

As I can't bend pipe yet, I'd probably use the slitting method to get the ends on tube, slit regular cuts, bend and weld up again. It would be fine for the ends of the sliders. But as I said in a previous post, there are loads of sliders out there that could be bought pretty cheaply and any bracketry could be sliced off. The plates and arms for a 90 (oops sorry, 120) are not a complicated design. Some 40mm box, some flat plate and some bolts with a shop bought rail would be done in a day. My brackets are all nice and poncy, but actually 40mm x 3 box welded onto the plates would be a stronger job I feel. In order to clear the sill (if in the way) it could be cut out and have the piece welded back in again I have 50 x 100 box for the rail, but nearly went with 2 50x50 pieces welded together. Think of the wall thickness in the middle. Super strong. For me, the critical bit is in the join between the arm and the rail. If they are massive, this isn't such a problem, but on a smaller rail there isn't as much contact area. If you had a decent work bench where you could control distortion, you could cut the rail and let the arm into the joint, welding it all round. The ends of the rails, past the front and rear arms take less punishment as they get landed on a bit less than the middle of the rail.

Any way, rambling again.

LC
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HDJ 80 but still a 90 owner at heart (yeah right!)

wildsmith · Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 23:30 Post subject:

Get some nice sliders made up, paint them the same colour as your existing steps and I doubt most people would realise they're not OEM. Having nothing there is great, till you cut a corner too much or slip sideways ...

If the Jeep tubes were anything like the ones I've seen they're more decorative than functional. You can't beat heavy duty construction to keep you smiling when you have a hard contact Laughing

_________________
Jon m0zxj

01 UZJ100 lifted (AHC & 40mm BL), ARB locked f&r, cryo'd 4.88's, TJM front bumper, 12k goldfish, sliders, rack, snorkel, 35's, storage, aux power etc.
93 HDJ80 sold
94 HDJ80 RIP

Crispin · Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 8:16 Post subject:

Jon, the ones I was speaking of were purely pretty and probably made of a pressurised tinfoil tube. They would be easy to make out of steam pipe (6mm wall to think / heavy?) and would not look out of place. Bending them at the ends ala LC's cut and bend would also look shop made.

Did you want to retain the steps Gary?
_________________
Cheers,
Crispin
Have Snorkel, Will Swim

Gavlad · Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 9:11 Post subject:

4runner · Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 9:24 Post subject:

I took the factory steps off my 90, as one of brackets had rusted through. would love to get some sliders fitted to protect the sills, but think manufactering them beyond my means - old arc welder and no decent metal saw at the moment...
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Andy Cook

2013 Hilux Invincible
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Landcrusher · Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 19:55 Post subject:

I think that you could do this with an arc welder and a 9" angle grinder and a stack of discs. No curves to cut after all. It's all square. A 16mm drill would just about finish off the kit needed. I do think that pipe looks so much more shop bought than square rails though. Steam pipe, blimey, 6mm wall may be a little more than required, but best to be safe, eh?

Don't forget the flap discs for taking back the weld beads, they make an excellent job. Much nicer than a disc.

LC
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HDJ 80 but still a 90 owner at heart (yeah right!)