Let me first start off by thanking Waskillywabbit for his outstanding service and quality of work! He did all the measuring, fabbing and welding of the sliders and roll bar. I just simply handing him the tools. (To give myself some credit, I did bolt the roll bar in by myself...we would have done it at his shop, but it was getting late and we didn't have all the bolts.) Anyway, he does amazing work and is just a cool guy overall. Thanks again Wabbit.

I purchased Stubb Sliders from Richard Stubbs and picked up a 1st Gen Roll Bar from a local Toy Salvage Yard. I was suprised to find the roll bar rust free and still had the original pad in place.

[EDIT]: I forgot to mention, I purchased the 15 degree sliders.

Onto the pics:


Stubb Sliders back from the Powdercoater. Baumann Coatings did the powdercoating for all 3 pieces. They do great work and have PC'd everything from a single bolt, to huge commercial jobs. I would definitely use them again: (no before pics, they were just bare metal.)





Wabbit hard at work:




All done:












And to keep the bare metal from rusting, I spayed them high temp black spray paint and then coated them in 3M Undercoating sray:





NOW THE ROLL BAR


Carpet pulled back to measure the roll bar location:



He had to cut exactly 2" off the two legs that mount to the fender wells. Here's the pic after the 2" was removed:




Next, he removed the two mounting plates off the two legs he just cut off and then rewelded the plates at an angle to the now shortened legs of the roll bar. (the fender wells are not completely flat, hence the angle.)




He also made these plates for the roll bar to mount to. These will go under the body of the 4Runner to allow the bolts to hold on to something besides just sheet metal.




Back from the powdercoater:




Like I said, it was getting late and we didn't have all the bolts, so after Wabbit drilled the mounting holes into the fenders and cargo area, I left and a few days later was able to mount the roll bar:



You'll notice, the mounting bolts in the fenders are installed opposite the mounting bolts in the cargo area. We decided to keep the bolts in the fender wells as low profile as possible to keep tires from popping if they are ever stuffed into the fender well.



Cargo area:



Maglite installed:



Mounting plates under the fender sprayed and undercoated:




To give it a clean look, Wabbit suggested covering up those fender bolts with a rubber cap. I found some rubber caps used for chair legs. After a little trimming, they fit perfect:



Oh yeah, here is the original roll bar pad. It cleaned up nicely:



Next, I cut the liner to fit:







UPDATE:

People have asked what length bolts I used to secure the roll bar in place. IIRC, I used 2.5 inch long bolts. However, please refer to the following factors when deciding what length bolt you will need for your install:

1. Some guys like to mount the roll bar straight to the sheet metal itself, while others (like me) choose to mount the roll bar on top of the carpet. Granted the carpet is thin, but it is still a determining factor.

2. Depending on how many washers or lock-washers you use per bolt, this will also determine if you want to use a longer bolt or not.

3. If you decide to use mounting plates under the vehicle like I did, will also determine if you need to install a longer bolt or not.

Just remember, the sheet metal itself you have drill thru is very thin. Therefore, you may just want to buy a few different length bolts and do a test fit on just one foot of the roll bar.



A lift and front bumper will be the next project...when money permits of course.

 

looks good, i like it.

 

Very tastefully done. Love the sliders.

Why the need for the roll bar?

 

Great pics and explanations. I really like the rollbar as there have been quite a few 3rd gens that have done this. What I really like though is the super clean install of everything you posted. You didn't just slap stuff on the truck or just rattle can the items, you actually powdercoated stuff and made the install as clean as possible. Major props.

Other note is Brian. I also dealt w/ Brian on-line and there's not a more professional person that I could say I've dealt with in this capacity. He answered all my questions, followed through, and even his e-mails were super professional. If only Brian was around the corner, I'd probably have him do a ton of stuff for me...

 

Thanks

Why the need for the roll bar?...None really, just liked the thought of having a 3rd gen that has one. I used to own an '86 4R and liked the factory roll bar it had. Never thought one would fit into a 3rd gen w/ minor trimming until seeing others that had them. I just like being different.

 

one thing my brother pointed out.. if the runner was to ever flip. the roll bar would go straight through the thin sheet of bed metal because the plates are too narrow. need wider plates imo. but yeah it does look pretty sweet.

I really dont want to paint my sliders when they come in.. too much hassle lol

 

Nice work, props to both you and Brian. Very clean looking install.

 

I think you might be surprised. I think that if you did roll that roll bar might protect your passengers better than you think. I don't doubt that the sheetmetal would bend, but I don't think it would punch right through, afterall, chances that you are dropping straight out of the sky onto it are slim. More likely is a slower roll off an obstacle, which may keep the roof off your passengers heads.

 

That was our thinking as well. Hence the need for the mounting plates underneath. If I was to roll it, that roll bar might tear from truck, but at least w/ the mounting plates underneath, it will have a harder time doing so.

 

Great looking & functional mods. Well done professional work. I have wheeled with Wabbit & he helped me on the trail when I broke a birf. He is a true credit to our pastime & a great guy. If I were closer he would do a lot of my fab work as well, (and just may soon.) Props to you both.

 

looks good, and now your passengers will have a better chance of living, but, for you...your dead!

 

Yeah, that suck if I wrecked, broke all my bones and looked back to see my friends unscaved and they say to me "So what's the problem, why are we stopped?"

 

I honestly had forgotten all about it...as most of the time I have to right stuff down or I'd forget my own name. Remember the board I had on the wall in the shop.

The pics do look great!!!

 

ooh shiny! time to ding em up on some rocks! then you can cry

 

I like the sliders, but the roll-bar is pretty silly. I'd say that the bigger risk is when somebody slams into the back of your 4runner and gives that bar a push into whoever is sitting in the rear. It'd be totally different if it was mounted into the frame -- but that thing will move in a crash.

just my $0.02.

 

nice work kids!! the sliders are awesome! i want some!

 

Jealous much?

 

None of the ones that came in all 1st gens from the factory were ever frame mounted either.

 

I find that hard to believe -- but I guess we all know safety wasn't a #1 priority back then. Either way, I'm sure they were secured to something a little more substancial than sheet metal.

 

looks good like the roll bar.i got the roll bar from my 89 runner that i wrecked. will the bar fit with out cutting it.