Roofrack build and rock sliders concept

[derian06]

Today i'm going to be going to buy some 1"x1" steel tubing and i'm going to be building a roofrack for the H3. All I need to figure out is how to make my mounts. It's going to be 91" x 51" and it's going to have the edges cut at a 45* angle so that I won't have to cap the edges. It will be similar to KMW roofrack

Here is my idea for the custom fabbed rock sliders except for the mounts i've decided that i'm going to have a bar that sticks straight out from the frame, then at a 45* angle goes up, i'll then weld my steps to that, and reinforce the mounts with square tubing in the middle. May be hard to grasp but hopefully this will explain it a bit better. This is just my idea, since I also broke the plastic under my door, i'm going to be removing that completely.

 

[RamRod]

What kind of material will be used for your sliders? (i.e round or square?)

Plans look pretty good, I wish I did kick outs on mine...
However looks like a lot of joints, any way you could get someone to bend up you tubing to eliminate that?


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[derian06]

What kind of material will be used for your sliders? (i.e round or square?)

Plans look pretty good, I wish I did kick outs on mine...
However looks like a lot of joints, any way you could get someone to bend up you tubing to eliminate that?


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It'll be square tubing, I was just going to use my chop saw to make the cuts.

 

[rsc]

Adam at 4x4Innovations did a set of DIY sliders just like that for me this past summer. I really need to get off my butt and weld the mounts I made up to the main slider body, but I get distracted easily. Anyway, they have the rear kickout for the kids to get in the back, all bent smoothly on a tube bender. I think it was about 3 weeks to get them made. He'll do whatever length you want and whatever type/size of tubing you ask for. Just tell him you want 5"x5" scab plates and 4.5" legs instead of the 4x4 and 6" pieces that he normally does. I went with an inch shorter than the stock H3 sliders so I could fit between the mudflaps and have room for 37's at the rear wheel later if needed.

 

[rsc]

like these

 

[derian06]

like these

Those look great! How did you plan on mounting them?

 

[rsc]

If the 1/4" thick plates in the top, right of the second photo were an inch wider I would have used those and the round tubes you see next to them (8 of each were included plus some small triangle gussets). I have some 1/2" 5x7" steel that I will use to bolt these to the frame and I'll set the mount tubes at 90 degrees to that along the bottom of the frame to get the clearance past the pinch seam. I don't know what up angle the main body will have, but I'll eyeball it for a 1/2" gap with the body. I had to guess at the length of mount tubes I would need so he agreed to make them a little long at 6" and I cut them down with an angle grinder. (The 6" tubes were measured from the flat end to the center of the curved notch.) I wanted to use these as steps too, so with a little experimentation, I found 4.5" long mount tubes work for me.

 

[derian06]

Little progress pics, this is about an hour of work. I still need to cut the edges, and I need to make about 8 more stands, I also may cut the stands I have in half. I started at 4 1/2" between but I want the rack to be a bit smaller, so I may go to 2". stands

 

[RamRod]

Good start, keep it low


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[rsc]

Looking good so far!

 

[Renagade132]

Knight Metal Works Scarsman does some amazing work, the most important thing is that you have fun making it!

 

[derian06]

Knight Metal Works Scarsman does some amazing work, the most important thing is that you have fun making it!

Thats the goal! I just wanted a simple project to practice my fabrication.

 

[derian06]

Painfully slow over the last couple of hours, alot of cutting and welding, atleast I got one side done. I also realized i'm alot better at stick welding than flux core

 

[Scarsman]

A little advice, if you don't mind. Cut all of your pieces for the perimeter of the frame. Then tack it all together and square everything up. Then start welding it up, jumping all around to avoid getting any one area too hot. Doing it this way will avoid a lot of warping issues.

Also, I'm not sure what kind of welder you have, but you would be a lot happier with MIG than flux core! What wall thickness is your tubing?

 

[derian06]

A little advice, if you don't mind. Cut all of your pieces for the perimeter of the frame. Then tack it all together and square everything up. Then start welding it up, jumping all around to avoid getting any one area too hot. Doing it this way will avoid a lot of warping issues.

Also, I'm not sure what kind of welder you have, but you would be a lot happier with MIG than flux core! What wall thickness is your tubing?

Thank you for the advice! And it's 18 gauge steel, now that I have it I wish I would have went with 16. My 220v stick welder can't go lower than 90amps, so I had to buy a cheap Harbor freight welder to get the job done. I'll most likely just return it once i'm done and get a better one.

 

[Scarsman]

I'm pretty sure they have one that will do gas. It would be worth upgrading to that and renting a bottle of gas. You'll be much happier with the welds. Better for the thin metal and no slag or sooty mess.

 

[Woodtick]

If you are having problems with your low end welder there is a option. Get everything tacked up with your welder. Rent a welder for your final passes. If you have everything ready to go,you may get away with a 4 hour rental. You can also rent benders in my area.

 

[owlxxx]

A little advice, if you don't mind. Cut all of your pieces for the perimeter of the frame. Then tack it all together and square everything up. Then start welding it up, jumping all around to avoid getting any one area too hot. Doing it this way will avoid a lot of warping issues.

Also, I'm not sure what kind of welder you have, but you would be a lot happier with MIG than flux core! What wall thickness is your tubing?

Im not to familiar with Scarsman, But this man knows what he is talking about. I worked as a fabricator for 8 years building experimental aircraft and spaceships. My go to was always a miller mig.

 

[Scarsman]

Blue is a beautiful color! [emoji41]

 

[Bigunit]

This Scarsman dude is an A+ guy and knows his s@#t about a lot of things including but not limited to fabrication. Plus, he is one stand-up responsible law-abiding/enforcing SOB! [emoji12] ...and a friend of mine. I will gladly vouch for Mr. Scarsman.

 

[derian06]

Making a bit of progress, I didn't feel like cutting all of the corner pieces, so I just ended up tacking it all together as Scarsman said. Then welded it fully, and now i'm starting to weld the bottom support beams.

someone around here is selling a Miller Sidekick for 275$ if any of you have any experience with that mig welder.

 

[Scarsman]

I haven't used one myself. They are pretty old machines, which isn't really a bad thing as long as they are in good shape. That seems like kind of a high price though. I've seen them go for $100 or less, but markets can be different in different areas.

One thing to consider is it is a 110V machine, so it's going to pretty much be maxed out at 1/8". It would work just fine with your thin wall tubing, but not so much for your slider project.

 

[chaos254]

I haven't used one myself. They are pretty old machines, which isn't really a bad thing as long as they are in good shape. That seems like kind of a high price though. I've seen them go for $100 or less, but markets can be different in different areas.

One thing to consider is it is a 110V machine, so it's going to pretty much be maxed out at 1/8". It would work just fine with your thin wall tubing, but not so much for your slider project.

What welder would you recommend?

 

[Scarsman]

Well, admittedly I'm partial to Miller. Hobart is a great lower cost alternative, and they are made by Miller with the same Miller parts. Just a different color case and lower price. I have a Hobart Handler 140, which is a 110V machine that I use for sheet metal and small stuff under 1/8". I have a Miller MM252 for bigger stuff.

If I was a hobby welder wanting just one good machine to be able to weld thin wall tubing for rack type things up to rock sliders and bumper type stuff I would look at something like the Hobart 190 or 210, or Millermatic 190, 211, or 200.

But honestly you can't go wrong with Lincoln either.

Regardless of brand, I would recommend a 220V unit. If you watch Craigslist you can find them on there. I would get the biggest one you can afford to get, because once you start fabbing you will start wanting to make bigger and bigger things.

 

[Woodtick]

My knee's hurt just looking at those pics. Make yourself a fab table and a work bench. Your body will thank you when you hit 40. Lol.