Operation Army Truck, Part 3

This is the front hanger on the driver side. Notice how it is notched to clear the parking brake cable. Though the bars could be even stronger with three hangers, we could only fit two on the driver side due to the fuel tank that sits outside the frame.

Next Hanna moved to the bender to form the step. The 2-inch, 0.120-wall HREW tubing was easily bent with a hydraulic ram set up on the bender. It is important to make sure the front and rear bends are on the same plane.

The 2-inch, 0.120-wall round tube portion of the sliders was designed to come up at an angle, and both supply a step and keep the body off the rocks. To get the right angle, Hanna determined the height above the rectangular tube--where the top of the round tube would still clear the doors--and figured that distance to the center of the rectangular tube.

Then Hanna moved the round tube down to get the angle of the cut needed. He marked the line with a straight edge off the rectangular tube, and then verified the angle at 22 degrees with a digital angle finder.

The round tube was designed to fit just inside the outer edge of the tires, but also be farther out than the body panels. We made sure it was so with this ingenious grinder/plumb bob.

Whether grinding on the frame, cleaning up after cutting, or trimming pieces to fit perfectly, a hand grinder is priceless when fabricating. We brought our new Matco 4 1/2-inch angle grinder to let Hanna try out. The grinder comes with spare brushes so it should last for years. We always recommend eye and ear protection when working with metal.

With all the tubes cut and tacked in place, Hanna moved onto installing the three supports between the round and rectangular tube. He also added some plates to the bottoms of the hangers, but drilled holes to keep water and mud from collecting inside. Then it was time for a coat of paint before the final install.

Before the final burn in, we again made sure the doors would clear the bars. We left about 3/8 inch of gap under the doors, and unless we tweak the whole frame, we should be fine with that. As for the verdict on the rock sliders, we are more than happy with how they turned out. We can now get to our truck bed from the cab easily, and also keep some of our larger granite friends at bay. In fact, with the weight of the truck on the sliders, the frame will actually twist before the bars will bend.

Next we moved onto the Warn 9.5 XP winch install. Our goal was to keep the stock bumper and hide the winch under the radiator. Warn used to offer a kit to do this, but it has been discontinued. We did, however, use one of Warn's universal winch mounts and a hawse fairlead. Our first step was to measure for the winch and trim some of the lower framerail just inside the front spring hangers.

We wanted to make sure the spacing would allow for a 15,000-pound winch in case we ever wanted to upgrade, so we slung one under with some ratchet straps. The hardest part of the install is bench-pressing these winches while someone gets the straps into place.

To mount the winch, we first drilled some 7/8-inch holes in the frame with a holesaw. Be sure to predrill a pilot hole and then wear safety glass, as the hot burrs falling in your eyes is not the most fun thing ever.

Next we welded in some threaded tube adapters (aka bungs) from Poly Performance. These are usually used for tie rods or control links, but by putting them in the frame, we no longer need to get a wrench inside the frame to tighten nuts.

To be able to reach the free spool lever we took the winch apart and rotated it. The planetary gears are inside the end cap, and care should be taken not to allow anything to fall out during this step.

The solenoid box was mounted on a custom bracket within the engine compartment. This helps in the stealth factor, and reminds us to raise the hood during severe winch recovery. We may eventually run the controls through the firewall and into the cab.

In order to mount the box under the hood we had to lengthen the three control cables and ground wire for the winch. We found No. 2 cable at a local welding store, and made each about 5 feet long before adding new ends to them. This allowed us to wire everything in before we hoisted it into place.

The mounting plate was extensively modified with mounting tubes attached to the ends, notches cut to clear the spring hangers, and the center fairlead holes moved about an inch off center.

Since we didn't want our new winch to fall out as we bashed down the trail, we were liberal with our Permatex red Threadlocker. We also added lock washers to the heads of the 4-inch 5/8x18 mounting bolts, and will even tack-weld them in place as a security measure.

With the winch in place, the 14-inch mounting plate hangs no lower than the front spring mounts, and is stealth enough that most folks would never notice it was there. Yet it gives us that special feeling of security, knowing we have an escape plan should we ever find ourselves or a friend stuck in a rut.