[JohnG]

I posted this on the community forum and have not had much input or thoughts into my project.
Some backround of materials.
I used 75x25mm tubing that mounts on the running board mounts under the body.It fits so perfectly in that space it is as if it was made to work like this.
I used the same tubing and welded it onto the bottom length right over where the bolt will be.That means the bolt will be hidden under the tubing once fastened and wont be visible at all.
In the photo you will see i am playing a round with the same tubing on the outer side of the slider (not fastened yet,only to see the look).I kind of like the look of the tubing on the outside,I think especially if you gonna cot the tubing at an angle on the outer bits.
Anyone maybe see what the legend series looks like up close and if the square fisnish will look better than a 75mm round bar?Advice?

[Wynsam]

Hi there

Well done on the experiment you are undertaking here. I will watch with a keen interest as I will want to do something like that with mine too.

I assume you reckon the standard running board mounts are strong enough? Any need to reinforce them? Will they hold the weight of the car coming down on them?

[JohnG]

The original mounting points,but more so the 2 outer ones seem pretty robust to me.The real difference with my idea is that the rectangular tubing spreads the weight over a longer distance than just a single foot mount.
The tubing also sits very tightly in the space below the the car and uses the underbody as a rest almost,so the mounts wont be the major weight carrier.
Well this is the theory.Will certainly test it once I have it all put together.
Still cant decide if i should go with the round tubing or rectangle tubing at the end.Then should i powder coat the lot or chrome the outer part and have the inner section painted black??Eish,and i am such a indecisive person.

[Gemaskerde Tuinvurk]

I am terrible at imagining how things will look - my wife will attest to that. So I use the approach of odds...

Based on the other rock sliders out there, most are powder coated black, and look fine. This would be the low risk route to take.

Chrome route is more risky - so if you are willing to make two iterations then you could try this one

There does not seem to be many members who have tried to make their own sliders - think most have used uys, lynx or other providers.

Hence not too many guys with experience on the strength of the body / mounting points. The only ones that immediately come to mind could the the 4e's, Gerrit Loubcher or cloyd... Maybe tonton?

Most off these are probably in far off remote places, using their vehicles for what they are made for

[JohnG]

All and all this could cost me less than 1k to build incl. the powder coating etc so i would be dead happy with whatever comes of it.Even if they are slightly over strong running boards,thats still 2k cheaper than anything i have found available.Hope to be done by the coming weekend

[HBannink]

Making cosmetic sliders is relatively easy, one just needs to cater for looks and maybe the odd time that someone uses it to climb aboard.

Functional sliders on the other hand is something completely different, one has to cater for the work intended and that is to absorb and dissipate the force of a 1,8 ton vehicle coming down on a sharp point of a rock and to be funny things have to look decent as well.

The 75 x 25 rect tubing would be a bit inadequate and mounting on the existing mountings would only give you cosmetic results.
If you could get a 3mm wall thickness and mount on custom points it would be first prize.

Your idea of black coating makes a lot of sense as chrome plating is a huge amount of polish and finishing and once done it is only as good as the prep work. Powder coating puts a thicker coat on and although robust it is still prone to chipping and trapping moisture between the powdercoat and the metal in this application. You might consider black Hammerite as an alternative, it has a rust inhibitor in the paint and touch up after an outing is easy and not too obvious.

In the photos below you can see the legend Pajero and what they have done

[JohnG]

Thanks very much for the reply and photos.
I am relooking at the original mounts as think of using them and trying to find another area to mount aswell for added strength.
I realize that they might not hold up in the event the car rests on the slider at the outer section.The original mounts would have worked perfect but they are not welded very robustly.
I definately want something nice and different so I am now playing around with a few finishes,although also for strength.

In the end if mine are stronger than the standard running board,but not as strong as a proper rockslider i will be happy.
I however dont want to make something that does not suit the vehicle so i will be posting a few alternative finishes for you guys to give feedback.

I would love to see the pajero legend up close,to see how they mounted theirs and how the finish looks.

[JohnG]

The slider suites the car,and me having a black car especially.
One issue with using the original mounts is that they sit very far back on my tubing that flits underneath the car,as per the picture.
I dont think the bolts will be able to hold the rocklider tightly enough,although i have not tested the strength,the physics tells me this.I have however got a solution around this and will see how it works before i post it.

[JohnG]

another pic

[Swartjan]

Sorry John ek het die nou eers gesien, ma jy sal ok mos niks sé toe ons gister gepraat het nie.

Dit lyk blerrie goed!!