Full Size Overland Rigs

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BamSilverado15

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Wile_Coyote said:
Indeed, he has some good videos on his Taco. One think I do like about the Taco is the Aftermarket support. Hard to find stuff for the Silverado.
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Yeah that's true. IMO there is a downside to lots of aftermarket support. You tend to get a lot of vehicles that look the same because everyone gets the same bumpers or the same lights. So an optimistic way to look at it is that, we have more reasons to have parts customized so each rig will be a bit unique.
 
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Wile_Coyote

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yeah.... I've got some mad welding skills, that need a welder to exercise. I'm thinking I may just make own my rock sliders with the optional bolt on step for the city driving, and removal for off-road expeditions. I'm also looking towards the BlackDiamond HD setup, but with my own creation of a RTT rack. I've carried gas in the back of my truck before, and the one issue with that is that some gas eventually leaks, with fumes. So, I'd like to get a RTT rack setup so that I can place gas cans on top of the BlackDiamond bed cover. Another option I'm looking at is making my RTT rack flexible so that I can still open the back portion of the BlackDiamond bed cover, essentially tilting the rack up when necessary. The design is still being tossed between a couple of monkeys in my mind, but it's slowly coming together.
 
BamSilverado15

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Wile_Coyote said:
yeah.... I've got some mad welding skills, that need a welder to exercise. I'm thinking I may just make own my rock sliders with the optional bolt on step for the city driving, and removal for off-road expeditions. I'm also looking towards the BlackDiamond HD setup, but with my own creation of a RTT rack. I've carried gas in the back of my truck before, and the one issue with that is that some gas eventually leaks, with fumes. So, I'd like to get a RTT rack setup so that I can place gas cans on top of the BlackDiamond bed cover. Another option I'm looking at is making my RTT rack flexible so that I can still open the back portion of the BlackDiamond bed cover, essentially tilting the rack up when necessary. The design is still being tossed between a couple of monkeys in my mind, but it's slowly coming together.
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If you get a set of rock sliders and test them out, I may be interested in some as well. Let me know how those work if you go that route. Make sure you post some pics of your rig as well once you get you set up going. I'm interested to see what you come up with. Like you said there aren't many silverado parts out there so interested to see how you set yours up.
 
Wile_Coyote

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Sure thing.
I was looking for Rock Rails and found the company N-Fab and thought my solution was provided. Apparently, these "rock rails" are nothing more than look-a-like wanna-be rails that connect to the body. Any pressure on these and you'll wreck the body.

I'm looking to build some type of mounts that will mount (bolt) to the frame. They will also have steps that can be quickly removed when it's time to get off-road and dirty.
So, that's the plan thus far, as long as I have gainful employment, and those morons in Congress can keep the gov't moving forward.
 
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69machguy

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TheRealMcCoy said:
I can't remember if I posted on this thread, but here are a couple of my latest. My truck sits on a Carli Pintop suspension which provides a 4.5" lift. I have 37' Nitto sitting on Method 701 which are the internal Beadlock wheels. So, for you folks with Full-size trucks, what type of racks are you using if placing a tent on top. I am hunting for a good rack to use in the bed and over the cab. This is my F250 2017...
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I have a ‘17 F350 with a Frontrunner rack. I drove to the Frontrunner shop north of LA for install. They had to remove my headliner and drill into the roof. No problems so far. Adjustments.JPG
 
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F.S.Overland

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Wile_Coyote said:
Sure thing.
I was looking for Rock Rails and found the company N-Fab and thought my solution was provided. Apparently, these "rock rails" are nothing more than look-a-like wanna-be rails that connect to the body. Any pressure on these and you'll wreck the body.

I'm looking to build some type of mounts that will mount (bolt) to the frame. They will also have steps that can be quickly removed when it's time to get off-road and dirty.
So, that's the plan thus far, as long as I have gainful employment, and those morons in Congress can keep the gov't moving forward.
Click to expand...
I have NFAB step bars and they just bolt to the body under the doors. They flex just when stepping on them, definitely wouldn't be able to take a hit like real sliders.
 
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Wile_Coyote

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F.S.Overland said:
I have NFAB step bars and they just bolt to the body under the doors. They flex just when stepping on them, definitely wouldn't be able to take a hit like real sliders.
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yeah, that's not what I want. Actually, I already have a pair of steps that came with the truck (Off-Road package). I've already got the monkeys in the brain tossing around ideas for sliders. However, they'll have to wait till summer, no room in the garage for building right now.
 
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MidOH

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Frame mounted sliders are hardly more useful than body mounted sliders. Tougher for sure, but if you set the weight of a loaded truck down on them, the frame bends. Frames are soft hydroformed steel. Not AR500 armor.

Friend bent the frame on his Power Wagon to jack a tire. Just had to prove me wrong. Lol. There's a slider out there that cradles the bottom of the PW frame, with hook like extensions that grab the top of the frame. Look into those, the bolts just keep it from falling off, they carry no weight or force. That's by far the safest design. Don't just bolt something to the side of the frame, that'll bend.

But as long as you stop and back up when your sliders sing out, you'll be fine. Just don't use them as a jacking point. And sure as heck, don't dare SLIDE across anything with them like a Jeep Yj or Tj could.
 
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MidOH

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Toyota's weigh less than my girlfriend. My Ford is 8000#, soon to be 10,000#. The average GM outfitted for this, is hardly less.
 
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Wile_Coyote

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When I had my '99 4Runner, I made my own sliders and welded the sliders to the frame, using large diamond patterns on the frame to spread the load. The whole setup worked incredibly well, and using a hi-lift on the slider was a non-issue. With the Silverdo, I do realize there is more weight, so Instead of welding, I'm considering making very large sleeves in the shape of a U, that will slide over the from from the bottom, and then a bolt from through the frame and each u-sleeve. The extending arms that will be welded to the sliders will be gusseted against the u-sleeve to provide more strength. This entire setup would provide a twisting motion against the frame. With enough u-sleeves (most likely 4), the twisting motion would be spread across the entire section of the frame between the wheels. This should provide more than enough support against the frame, as well as strength to the entire assembly.
 
MidOH

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That sounds pretty good. I'd tie the left and right sides together somehow, as well. To share the twisting force.
 
Wile_Coyote

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good option. The tie in can also double as a mounting point for sliders.

edit:

when I built the Solid Axle Swap on my '99, I created my own crossmember out of 3/16" square tubing, with massive mounting points on the frame. These mounting points were welded to the frame, with the crossmember bolted to the mounting points. It was quite a work of art.





Actually, in this image you can see the large diamond plates for the sliders.


massive heim joints for the 3-link suspension setup



Heck, I've not even ruled out SASing the Silverado. That would be a real project.
 
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BCMoto

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BamSilverado15 said:
Here are the pics of the front runner rack and Smittybilt Overlander XL tent mounted up. I have about 9 or 10 inches of space above the bed rails. The tent rides right at the roof line so I don't notice any issues driving or sounds that come from it.

The front runner rack I got was the 1475mm wide x 1560mm long. It covers just about the entire bed and provides a little security for bigger items like storage bins if I lock the tailgate as well. Here is the link: Pickup Truck Slimline II Load Bed Rack Kit / 1475(W) x 1560(L) - by Front Runner

Also running the rough country 2in level, 17x8.5 American Outlaw Lonestar Wheels with -10 Offset and 33x12.50r17 Milestar Patagonia M/T tires. Surprisingly the tires don't rub. I have to crank them all the way and hold it, then go over a bump for them to briefly hit the inner fender in the back. No rub in the front of the fender at all. I did take the valence(splitter) off of the front bumper which might have helped a little.
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Thanks for the pics! it give me more of a sense of how it will look like on my rig, I have a standard bed so I can see the difference. I might use a bed rack that's closer to the bed rails im just not sure yet
 
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