DIY Rock Sliders for $125! Remove side steps, GX460 frame same as 4Runner. Budget fabrication

"I welded, it helded."


I was thinking about adding rock sliders. Not to hit rock gardens and pivot around obstacles or grind over boulders, but as a 'just in case" measure as even mild trails can reach up and grab those low hanging plastic steps the GX came with. 

I had a few options:
Several suppliers have bolt on designs for $600-1,000
Trail Gear DIY kits are around $350-400
Raw steel tube would cost $250 (still need to buy a bender)
I researched and watched used markets for take offs...

As I looked at used parts, I noticed how much cheaper the Jeep JK stuff was.
DIY kits are basically sliders welded up but you do the fitment, mounting plates, and extensions. Weld it and finish it.
Well, my catalog of poor ideas keeps growing... I had another one.

I picked up a set of Smittybuilt rock sliders for the Jeep JKU (4 door) for $80 locally. Cheaper than I can buy the same amount of raw tube steel...
Jeep sliders for the Lexus? Just my style.
Stock sideskirts are 74", these are 73" and have an extra 1" I can cut and cap to 72", or even less if needed.



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They have a 3rd rail on the bottom. Not the best design, but I can use the extra material for the mounting legs so it's perfect for me.
I cut off the JKU mounts, cut off the support bars and third rail.

Well, looks like a "DIY rock slider kit" in the making! Ugly now, but they'll clean up. As long as I don't botch the job.

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I didn't take photos of all the pieces and welds I had to grind off the sliders but I found the time to clean them up. I used the 3rd leg of the design to chop into "legs" for the mount up. 

All smoothed out and ready to fit up

I got 6x6x3/16" steel plates for the mounts. Now I just need to find the best locations on the frame to bolt up the plates, and line up the sliders even and mark it out.

Plenty of beef on these plates for bolts and gussets



The frame rail has many threaded holes that I plan to use. The passenger side is easy as it's free of any obstructions and has access to the backside of the frame. 

Of course, the driver side has everything in the way: KDSS on the outside and fuel tank on the inside. 

So far, the driver side will have either some carefully positioned long bolts or a few self threading steel bolts.
I had to shorten the sliders about 1.5" on each side. I then made endcaps and welded them Progress isn't always pretty but it's progress:

Back at it another day.
Three legs for each side are prepped. Mounting plates for each side are drilled and ready for fit-up.
Here are the sliders in a temporary position. I'll adjust the position as I tack it up and see how it looks prior to finish welding. The step plates ended up in a good spot front and rear.




Final Weld Up!
Took a day and welded the legs on. Settled on a length that placed the sliders beyond the face of the wheels. 
Went slow and had my 110v MIG cranked up as high as possible with a lower speed. Worked well with minimal warping. 
The mounting plates were mounted to the GX460 so I positioned everything, then tacked them on and unbolted. 
The next day I focused on welding the 3/16" mounting plates fully on the legs. I did some test welds and found a setting that bent up the 3/16" plate before breaking the test weld. 

Say what you like, it's not dimes but it'll hold.

In order to get as much out of my little 110v Eastwood 135 MIG welder as I could, I swapped to .030 wire, had the machine cranked up, with feed slow ( to hopefully get as much heat in each welded area. I preheated the weld area with a propane torch for a few minutes and then hit it with the torch. 
I did the best I could and I think it'll be plenty strong for the random times this may actually kiss a rock.. As I said before, these are "just in case". I'm not going down the Rubicon...

Smoothed things out, primered them, trimmed and installed the rockers and wouldn't you know, every bold lined up perfectly. 



Got around to sanding them, and painting them satin black. (Paint is easier to touch up the inevitable wear marks) I also added strips of traction tape to make them more functional for kids and occasional older folks getting in and out.



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