09 FX4 Rock Slider Build, Small Lift & Theory

Unlike a normal person I'm actually happy the "newness" of my 09 FX4 is wearing off. For 2 1/2 years now I've been resisting the temptation to mess with a perfectly good truck. Now that I've taken it easy on it for 60k miles it's time to have some fun.

Although I drive 70 miles a day and 4 wheel with a custom buggy I occasionally need to brave the trails to go hunting, help a friend or tow the buggy home.

That in mind I started the modification last night: 1" torsion bar crank in the front & add a leaf in the rear.

I have a theory on truck modifications and they're purpose.
Like most of us I started wheelin' with a beater truck, mine happen to be a $100 dollar 88 Ranger 4x4 with a 5spd & limited slip. By far the best $100 bucks I ever spent. With a limited budget I installed homemade body lift, washer lift on the TTB coils & spacer blocks in the back, tossed on some BFG M/T knockoffs, new flow master muffler, lights, used winch, truck toolbox, come-a-longs, high jacks, chain, straps, all sorts of "wheelin' stuff". It wasn't until I got stuck or layed it up against a tree did I realize that all the money spent on the stereotypical mods would have been better spent on more functional modifications. As they say hindsight is always 20/20. If I could do it over I would have traded that used POS winch for some sturdy fabricated bumpers, something that wouldn't bend when I needed a tow. Or given up my lights & stereo for a good set of rock sliders, they would have given me protection & a place to high jack from. With these and many other lessons under my belt I decided to try it again with my new truck. I'll get down off my soap box now & we can get to the good stuff.

Here's my plan for rock sliders.

Whats the wall on the square tubing? Looks like too much metal to me. Consider weight as your enemy offroad, and the less of it you have the better off you will be. That's my hindsight advice.

I'd consider just using more round tube like you used for the outside rail, for the inside rail as well instead of the square stuff.

You gonna weld them or bolt them to the frame?

Way too much extra weight there, Bro. Google rock sliders and look for Images and see how they are built and follow that idea. You will be much happier and use less metal.

They look good to me. I'd go 3/16" max wall thickness on the (2x4?) rectangle and .120" wall on the tube. I know of guys using up to 1/4" wall for the main member, but that's a bit overkill IMO.

If you wheel like you should be, they take a LOT of abuse. I built mine out of sch 80 pipe (.179" wall thickness) and I just bent them last weekend. I can't open my passenger side door. Granted, I beat the piss out of my sliders, but you get the point.

I'll be building new ones similar to yours. Don't let these guys scare you into building weak sliders.

Another thing to consider is using thinner material and plating the bottom. I'd cap the ends too.

I'll most likely make brackets & bold them on, expecting to have the truck for YEARS I like the idea of being able to take them off with out cutting & re-welding.

As for material selection, it's more like what I've got in the shop. I've got extra the 2x4x1/8 is leftover from a flatbed I fabricated for a guy over the summer and the 1" pipe is also left-overs.