Yet another attempt at an IFS 3rd gen skidplate

[4x4mike]

After seeing a couple of front skid plate designs I've decided to take a stab at one. My factory one is throughly beat and integrity compromised. Because it's all beat up it's hard to get on and off not to mention the holes don't really line up any more.

I've looked at the aftermarket ones and even ones for different vehicles to get ideas. For the most part I think I'll copy them. That's the intent but once I get to cutting we'll find out. I have 2 belly skids and I hope to incorporate them to this new plate.

Here is what I've been using as a belly pan. It hasn't taken too many hits so I think I'm going to trim it up some, maybe add some speed holes. The piece on the very front in this picture is what I made to replace the rear factory section. My new design will replace the 2 front factory pieces.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06276.jpg

[4x4mike]

I spent a couple of hours the other day and built a cardboard template. Something that is 3D and that I can mount in place. The nice thing is that it's light, can grind with scissors and drill with a screwdriver.

What do you think? Other than the fact it's not metal. The idea is to cover everything that is covered from the factory and a little more plus some beef.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06500.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06501.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06504.jpg

[20005spd]

i think it looks exactly like the bud built front skid :D what thickness and what metal are you going to use?

[Seanz0rz]

lol, what he said!

looks alot like the budbuilt. i would look at maybe strengthening your front cross member, i bent mine quite easily, hence the reason im not using it as a mounting point (at least until i can cut it out and weld in a 2x4 box.)

looks good!

[4x4mike]

It's more of a copy of the SkidRow skid plate but it has some Budbuilt essence in it. Mouting the thing up will be the hard part. It looks like the Bud Built, Skid Row and factory ones all mount differently.

Front of the skid row
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/TA-0002_front_view.jpg

Side View
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/TA-0002_side_view.jpg

Inside of the Bud built. Notice there are no "feet". I'm thinking I'll try to get away with this. As for the rear mounting I'm not sure yet.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/bud.jpg


I plan on using 12 gague as that's what I have on hand now. If it turns out the piece I have now is too small I may look into something else.

[4x4mike]

lol, what he said!

looks alot like the budbuilt. i would look at maybe strengthening your front cross member, i bent mine quite easily, hence the reason im not using it as a mounting point (at least until i can cut it out and weld in a 2x4 box.)

looks good!


Google Skid Row, it's more like their's. If you look at the Bud Built ones you notice they don't have the mounting feet on the inside front like the factory one does. I think they mount on the front with three bolts and then on the rear they mount using the 2 nuts that hold the steering rack on. I think they can get away with this because the material is thick enough. I'd rather not make the little feet because I doubt I'd be able to make 2 similar ones (lack of skill and practice) and I have a stripping hole in that cross member already.

As for my crossmember, it's taken a big hit. The factory skid plate has 3 feet, 2 of them are used for mounting. The middle one is more of a support column for the middle of the span. Well it's been shoved, very hard, into that cross member and the dent is more than a 1/4 inch deep, maybe 1/2". Everything up there looks fine and I don't really know when or where it happened so it's water under the bridge at this point.

[4runnerchevy]

lol, That Skid Row plate looks like the side of a tour bus, very blunt. Can't someone make a strong one, that allows you to slide over, instead of bashing into a rock.

[Scuba]

Dude, Just throw that cardboard on there, That should get the job done ;)

More progress you need :D

Good luck


:bling:

[4x4mike]

lol, That Skid Row plate looks like the side of a tour bus, very blunt. Can't someone make a strong one, that allows you to slide over, instead of bashing into a rock.


For the most part the skid plate needs those outer dimensions. The big block in the front protects the radiator. Right off the bat I was hoping for something different but I don't want to sacrifice coverage or make something really big and more noticeable than stock.

[troyboy162]

how much is this costing you in materials? id love a good skid plate but they al charge alot for them and there all kinda over built. very interesting to see your progress!

[Seanz0rz]

my skidplate has cost me so far (if i didnt mess it up) about 100 dollars.

[4x4mike]

how much is this costing you in materials? id love a good skid plate but they al charge alot for them and there all kinda over built. very interesting to see your progress!


Almost 2 years ago I bought a 4X8 sheet for some projects and still have a bunch of it. I need to pull out the remaining piece to see if it's big enough. If it is the metal is already paid for, already have a box of black spray paint, stack of cutoff and grinding wheels, cutting blades, welding wire and beer. The only thing I'll most likely have to buy is pizza. If it takes me a while, like multiple days or over the course of a week or 2, it might take a lot of pizza. For the most part my time isn't that expensive although valuable, in fact I'm a bargin.

[paddlenbike]

^^^ Hilarious! Lower the cost of your skidplate; drink Trader Jose. :thumbup:

[slosurfer]

Maybe you can make Ken a hood protector that doesn't suck, err I mean whistle, out of the left over scraps. :hillbill:

[4x4mike]

I think I could quiet that thing quick. A bottle of Gorilla glue, some tape, maybe some cardboard and I'll throw some steel in there for you Chris :wrenchin:. It might start rusting with the metal though, but I don't think Ken would mind.

[paddlenbike]

Maybe you can make Ken a hood protector that doesn't suck, err I mean whistle, out of the left over scraps. :hillbill:


Don't give him any ideas Chris, he knows where it's parked. I think you should make me one out of tile. :) Might make a beefy skidplate too!

[4x4mike]

So tonight after dinner I decided to go out in the garage. It's been colder than a witch's teat around hear but tonight is warm, compared to yesterday, because it's raining.

I pulled out the sheet of metal and started to size it up. I found out it's to narrow and maybe an inch too short. What the hell at least I can practice. Worse case senerio I'll have a big door stop I'll cut myself on every time I pass. Best case senerio I'll have a skid plate. It's a win win in my book.

I crack a beer, put on my ear muffs and hook up my cutoff wheel.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06508.jpg

First step is to score the metal with a punch at the desired bending points. I used measurements off my cardboard model and the 4runner. The factory skid plate deems itself useless and in the way.
Scored metal
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06509.jpg


Then you cut a groove in the metal. This crack is full of crap, metal shavings, but aren't they all (crap, not shavings).
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06514.jpg

How far? Well just deep enough so that you don't grind through or lose some strength in the piece. If you don't go deep enough you won't be able to bend it very easily.
BTW I do my own stunt work as well as one hand grinding and one handed, offhanded picture taking.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06516.jpg

Here are 2 grooves on one side. The other side has a groove as well.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06518.jpg

My next step was to prep the bend area for welding. It's easier to do at this point rather than do it after the metal is bent. For some reason the mill scale or surface finish didn't want to come off.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06522.jpg

[4x4mike]

I had a little more time to kill so I thought I'd start to bend. I wanted to see how hard or how easy it was going to be.

I grabbed a piece of wood, took a swig and went at it.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06523.jpg

Once a again, one handed.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06524.jpg
With 2 hands you could reef on it and it started to move :drink:

Once I got that bend as far as I wanted, for the moment, I decided to take my good fortune and put it towards the next bend. This bend in the end will be close to 90* so I knew it would take a little more. My first thought was to try to bend it on the work bench.


This way did not come close to working :loser:
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06526.jpg

Next I tried it on the ground. I just laid the piece down and stepped on it while pulling up. There are no pictures of this because it did require 2 hands. Those 2 hands we pinched when I let up on the pulling up and my weight snapped the metal back to the ground :shake:

After that I started to think and started looking around. As you can see I don't have tools or equipment for bending metal (the correct way at least).

Maybe this will work.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06527.jpg
It's heavy or at least hard to move. It will also give me a chance to move that crap my wife stacked in front of it.

After another finger pinching incident and a scraped wall I was ready to give it another chance.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06528.jpg
No dice. The only thing that happened was the lifting on that cabinet.

I had to pee so I went inside to check on the wife.

[4x4mike]

While taking care of business I had an idea.

I went to the garage to check it out.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06529.jpg
Yep it might work.

Then I went to make sure the coast was clear.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06532.jpg
Yep, wife busy knitting and watching a movie. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, II. II, you're telling me they had enough to make a second one? I've never seen it but I'm pretty sure it's not very good and messing around in the garage is better.

Anyways, I go back in the garage and start.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06531.jpg
Perfect, almost ready to go. Have to make sure I don't find myself in a Whiskey Tango Foxtrot situation with the wife.

Coast is clear. Stupid movie, girls crying.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06532.jpg

I start pulling and nothing.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06530.jpg

I'm thinking: 1) I'm weaksauce 2) I didn't cut the groove deep enough 3) My setup isn't right.
Perhaps 2 and 3. I didn't want to make anymore noise with grinding so I decided to realign my work. It worked, well a little. In the process of giving myself what I think is a hernia I got it to move but not a bunch.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06533.jpg

It moved in the right direction but I think I'll take the cuttoff wheel to it when I have some more time and it isn't as late.

It's starting to look like a bent piece of metal.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06535.jpg
Not as bent as I'd like but until another day. As you can tell the metal is wide enough for the skid plate but there isn't enough for the little "wings". I'm thinking I can use my mad welding skills to put some on though.

[20005spd]

lol, That Skid Row plate looks like the side of a tour bus, very blunt. Can't someone make a strong one, that allows you to slide over, instead of bashing into a rock.
i use budbuilts to slide over rocks, but it does bend the front crossmember like sean said. aside from the occasional sledgehammering them back to shape a lil they work well for sliding and dragging on. thats y i cant see anyone making these out of thinner material.

[4x4mike]

How do you bend the crossmember with the BB ones? The factory skid plate has mounting feet and the middle support foot rests against the cross member. This design makes it really easy to bend the cross member. The BB plate is 3/16" and has no feet.

How are you able to deflect 3/16" of steel 3 inches with enough force to bend that cross member?

As far as the thinner material I think it'll be OK for a while. For one it's a whole lot lighter than 3/16" which means better mileage and less weight being drug out on the trail. Plus this piece of metal full retail is like 40 bucks. If it gets messed up I'll make another one.

[Seanz0rz]

i think we are talking two different cross members.

the cross member just ahead of the radiator is the one that is bent on mine, and im assuming so for others as well. i see NO WAY you would ever bend the cross member that sits at the front of the engine block.
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m141/hamiltoncomputers/IMG_0020.jpg

[Tankota]

Thats a really fun rite up. It reads like a comic book!

Maybe you aught to try and find someone with a sheet metal brake to help with the bending. A local machine shop or commercial HVAC shop.

[4x4mike]

It reads like a comic book!


Thats the story of my life.




Maybe you aught to try and find someone with a sheet metal brake to help with the bending. A local machine shop or commercial HVAC shop.


That'll take all the fun out of it. Plus it would cost money and I'd have to drive my POS to them and explain what the hell I'm doing, or trying to do. I'm sure they'll just shake their head and charge me double.

Actually on the drive in this morning I was thinking I would have to take it somewhere. Not for the bends I have now but for the last bend. It's on a 2" section that's about 2" away from another bend. Both bends will need to be 90* and there is no way I'd be able to get the leverage needed to bend it.

[4x4mike]

i think we are talking two different cross members.

the cross member just ahead of the radiator is the one that is bent on mine, and im assuming so for others as well. i see NO WAY you would ever bend the cross member that sits at the front of the engine block.
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m141/hamiltoncomputers/IMG_0020.jpg


Good god. Thats kind of crappy. I hope I never have to deal with that thing bending (good thing I'm not as hardcore as you).

The crossmember I'm talking about is the one that runs left to right on the vehicle just in front of the a arms. My '99 has 2 metal lines running along it. I haven't 'bent' forsay but more of tried to punch a hole in it. The metal is a little thick so it didn't tear but it is deformed. I'll try to grab a picture of it tonight.

[Bob98SR5]

mike,

who cares about the skid plate, i love the narrative, esp the pics of the misses watching the girl movie! classic! looks like you're almost there.

hey, how about using a floor jack in some fashion to push up the metal? I guess you'd have to figure out how to brace it against the wall or something like that and then youre golden

[Seanz0rz]

yeah, something i am changing on my design is providing more surface area on my mounting brackets to avoid punching a hole in that cross member.

as for the front cross member, some day soon ill chop it out and weld in a 2x4 inch rectangular tube.

[4x4mike]

hey, how about using a floor jack in some fashion to push up the metal? I guess you'd have to figure out how to brace it against the wall or something like that and then youre golden


Bob, your burger avatar is making me hungry.
I was thinking that I could build a jig using 2 pieces of square stock (around 3' long) mounted to something a couple inches apart. I'd lay the plate over the 2 pieces, lay a third piece of square or round stock at the location of the bend and put a bottle jack or 2 on top of the third piece of metal. All of this laying below the frame of the 4runner. I think that the jacking up the vehicle with the jack will force the thrid piece of metal into the crack and cause the bend. All I have to do is get the bend started. After that it's a little easier. Who knows, maybe it'll work, maybe it won't. Right now I imagine the bottle jack shooting out while being compressed and hitting me in the junk.

[4x4mike]

i think we are talking two different cross members.

the cross member just ahead of the radiator is the one that is bent on mine, and im assuming so for others as well. i see NO WAY you would ever bend the cross member that sits at the front of the engine block.



The cross member is similar to the one shown here.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/002.jpg

I think this one is much higher than mine though. I have the metal lines on mine but I think mine bridges the gap in the same plane as the 2 cam bolts. Either way right in the middle it's got a big one.

[slosurfer]

Mike, find a street grate that the metal will slide into, have Ken hold it so the "break" will be in the correct spot. Pull up in the 4runner, and put one tire in the center of the plate, and push. :hillbill:

[4x4mike]

No metal grate around here. At least not in front of my house.
I ground out the grooves a little more and added some heat and a BFH. Results were better this time.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06539.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06540.jpg

A little heat and the metal bends easier. Here you can see the bend I'm heating up and the one next to it. The one next to it will be hard because it's a 90* in the opposite direction.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06542.jpg

To avoid warpage it's important to evenly heat the metal. I am but only one man so I had to think outside of the box.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06544.jpg

I rigged up some angle iron with some clamps, heated everything up (evenly of course) and then bent by hand. Having a bunch of cheap HF clamps on hand really helped out, so does a big can of brake cleaner and matches. As well as a mini sledge.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06546.jpg


It's kind of hard to see here but I was able to bend the front 2" piece. It took the heat and some finessing but it was there.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06547.jpg

It took some clamps and heat but it went from this
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06550.jpg

And this
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06548.jpg

To this
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06555.jpg

[4x4mike]

The 2 bends towards the back are a little exaggerated but they are easy to move.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06556.jpg

I have to trace some parts onto the new piece from the cardboard model and then start cutting. Once I get the cut outs for the A-arm brackets I can lay everything into place. By that time I'll be able to see how short this piece is going to be. I might have to make it a 2 piece but that's not a big deal especially since I already have the other piece made.

Here are the 'feet' that I am going to try to omit.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06551.jpg

Here is the middle one that messed up the cross member I mentioned earlier.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06553.jpg

[Seanz0rz]

Looks great man!!!! those bends came out wonderful!

ill be starting on Take 2 of mine tomorrow. doing some stuff different this time around, should turn out great!

cant wait to see more progress!

[4x4mike]

Thanks. I just hope I don't mess it up from here. I have to weld in the bends, cut and narrow the rear and weld on some wings. The wings aren't necessary but without them the factory plate covered more, I don't want to cover less. My welding skills aren't great but I'm will to take a stab at it. I think what is holding me back is my little HF flux core welder. I get the penetration but also spatter. Filling in the bends is easy but joining the wings to the plate might be a challenge.

[paddlenbike]

Looking great Mike. I enjoy the commentary. And the flames.

[2ndGen]

i've tried different ways to fab up the "feet", finally i ended up with this.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w38/tonniechengca/bud/_MYT0021.jpg

they were made of 2" tube, but if you can get some 1-1/2" tubing, that'd be perfect, 2" was the only thing i could get hold of for free at that time. each would be 4.5" long.

[4x4mike]

Had at it this afternoon after my sisters graduation and before dinner and it getting cold. I wished I had better tools because I am tired. My arm and shoulder are killing me. I think it's from all the cutting I did today.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06567.jpg

J/K. I was able to get a few pictures of my dented cross member. Because it's dark under the car and the flash is really bright it is hard to see. But you get the idea. Something big hit the plate and rammed that foot into the cross member. I'm not sure how much space as there from the factory but it's currently too close for comfort.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06560.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06564.jpg

I made some marks on the metal using the cardboard model and began cutting. With it not cut it won't lay into place under the 4runner so I didn't know how well it would fit. I cut myself with the Swiss Army knife so I jotted down the original dimensions of the sheet of metal because I didn't want the blood to go to waste (not true, it's a Marks-A-Lot).
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06566.jpg

Busted out the jig saw and a new blade and took out all of my aggression.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06568.jpg

After making much noise I had a bunch of metal dust in my nostrils, a sore back and some sharp edges. I took the angle grinder and little air grinder with Rolocs on it to clean things up.

[4x4mike]

Because I like a sore back and wanted to make it a little worse I decided to do some of the welding. The idea is to fill in the groove I cut to make the metal bending easier. It's not a big groove which is good because I'm not a good welder and it's flux core so it's kind of hard to do. The good thing about not having to do a lot of welding was that there is less heat (well kind of) which I hope will cut down on warpage. Anyways, here is the inside of the thing. You can see what I cut out and the little wings that flip up between the / \ in the A-arm and protect the cv's.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06569.jpg

In some places I did a second pass because I wanted to make sure the groove was filled. It looks like I got enough heat so I'm happy.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06571.jpg

Here she is done for the night. It's not rusty but looks it in the picture. I guess it's the reflection or something.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06574.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06575.jpg

[4x4mike]

It has wings. I used the piece of metal sitting on the skid plate to make the little wings that go on the side. Because the piece of metal I started with was a little narrow I have to add them.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06578.jpg

Tacked on.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06579.jpg

Welded on. Pretty easy to do actually. I thought they were going to give me trouble and warp.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06581.jpg

Then it was time to drill holes in the little lip so I could mount the mother up. I pretty much found the center of the width and popped a hole. I measured the center to center distance from the stock one and popped 2 more. The factory holes are almost 50% larger in diameter than the bolt that goes through it. I was feeling like Toyota today to I went with big holes. I have no pictures of big holes for you.

[4x4mike]

Here's where it all comes to a head. Once I'm able to bolt it in I can see how far I'm off. I used the cardboard model because it was light, easily mod-able and could be used to make a metal one. Problem is that after a couple of days in a damp garage it gets a little soft plus I've been man handling it making the real one. It's also suffered a couple of dents because it's always in the way and I've been kicking it, good thing the new one will be metal.

So after the holes and some bolts I was able to get it into place. Remember in the beginning I said that I was just messing around and if I get lucky I'll have a functional offroad skid plate and if I muff it up I'll have some decoration for the house? Well:




























It does make a good looking doorstop. Even one I'd run into every morning.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06584.jpg

Not to worry though. Stuff did line up after a little more grinding. I just brought the skid plate in the house because I could, it's my house after all. What you don't see is that my wife wasn't home. I had the radio on full blast, eating cookies and farting. I've got until 3 to do this because I think that's when she said she'd be home :angel:.

While I was in the bathroom I decided to check out my eye. It had a slight burn to it and I had been ignoring it. I mean hell I've got 2 of them and I was burning day light, I could look at it later. Anyways I was there so I checked it out.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06587.jpg
See that black thing, not my eye ball but in the corner. It's something foreign and probably shouldn't have been in there so I decided to get it out. I've had metal in my eye before but last time I waited a week and by that time I had to go to the hospital. The metal had rusted and my eye started to grow over it. This pissed off my wife, then GF, for some reason so I decided it's probably better to not ruin Christmas or my days off so out it came.

When I got done with sticking dirty fingers in my eye I went back and did a little more grinding. Then I tested it her out. I threw her in the rocks and she just laughed.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06590.jpg

A tough little one, I was just trying to slowly introduce her to the environment she'll be objected to. When she thought I had nothing else to throw at her I lit her on fire, Ha take that.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06591.jpg

I had no great reason for the fire because I'm hoping that will be one environment we won't go through much. But heck it fire and it's Sunday so up she went. She shrugged it off like a champ so I think she'll fit right in. I have to get some primer but I'm not rushing to paint. It's pretty cold out and it's been raining and I've been told it's going to continue for at least a week. I think I'll wait until it dries up and maybe the sun will come out and we'll put some clothes on the lady.

Oh, here she is installed. I have to weld in a new rear nut by the a arm. The factory one stripped and popped off a little while ago.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06595.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06597.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06598.jpg

And with one of my belly skid plates installed.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06600.jpg

It had a cut out that matched up with my old homemade one so I had to weld in a patch. It looks bad but everything is covered up. In order to protect the rear of the steering rack I will have to have that first bely plan in but that's no big deal.

[Scuba]

Looks good, I had a nice little chuckle about the fire...lolz


:bling:

[paddlenbike]

Looks great Mike! Now let's go abuse that thing.

[4runnerchevy]

Turned out Nice, gotta love brute force.

[Bob98SR5]

lighting it on fire the 2nd time for no good reason... haha. mike, you're too funny, man!

[Seanz0rz]

NICE job!!! looks great!

[slosurfer]

That's a cool MikeyFab skid plate! :thumbup: Your logo should be a black eye and a flame. :hillbill:

[4x4mike]

That would be a good logo. I messing around earlier and thought this would be a good name.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06588.jpg

Kind of covers all the basis.

[4x4mike]

lighting it on fire the 2nd time for no good reason... haha. mike, you're too funny, man!


What I have to have something to do on my breaks.



NICE job!!! looks great!


Thanks. Hopefully before too long we'll see how it works.

[paddlenbike]

lighting it on fire the 2nd time for no good reason... haha. mike, you're too funny, man!


Does that really surprise you Bob after he tried scorching me at Joshua Tree? :lol:

[4x4mike]

I couldn't go on knowing my new skid plate was shorter than the one I took off. The one I took off was a little longer than stock but none the less I came up short. I went through my pile of scrap and found one last piece that would work. I cut it to fit and ground it down until it fit close enough I could weld it. Both edges were a bit wavy but I couldn't get them to fit perfectly. If they had too much of a gap I would have trouble welding them together and if they started to warp I've had to cut the new piece off no doubt.

Anyways, I did 4 or 5 spot welds on each side before I did longer passes. The bottom side is continuous and the inside is a series of nasty spot welds. I ground them down, bent the back and welded it. It's about good now.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06603.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06604.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06605.jpg

With some day light left I decided I'd hit it with paint. I used half a bottle of rubbing alchol to clean the metal as it had oil, paint and anti spatter spray all over it.

Flat black with a mixture of black gloss. Together they make a semi gloss or so. It's pretty shinny because it was still wet.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06606.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06608.jpg

[4x4mike]

Paint takes along time to dry in a 35-50 degree garage. We got some sun yesterday and today so she soaked it up. Now here she is all dressed up with nowhere to go.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06640.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06641.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06642.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06643.jpg

[4runnerchevy]

Looks good :thumbup: Are those bolt heads, gonna be an issue ?

[4x4mike]

Less than the factory ones. These are grade 8 so they're much harder. I used some button head cap screws once and they got buggered the first time out. Worse case senerio I'll have to use some vise grips to get them out.

[4x4mike]

So the skid plate took a little beating at Pismo. For the most part it took one really hard hit at the sand drags and bowed in a bit. I pulled it to take some pictures and to brain storm about fixing it.

The left flat'ish section is where the deformation is.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Skid%20Plates/DSC07599.jpg


My little stay fresh wings got pushed into a lower cross member.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Skid%20Plates/DSC07600.jpg

The up right vertical piece is pushed back. It doesn't look it because it's throughout the entire front. I may leave it as it will be hard to push back evenly but it's a little close to the radiator.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Skid%20Plates/DSC07603.jpg

Bow'ednes

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Skid%20Plates/DSC07606.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Skid%20Plates/DSC07607.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Skid%20Plates/DSC07608.jpg


I think tomorrow I'm going to lay it flat, put some wood on top of the bowed part, put the floor jack and maybe a bottle jack or two on top of the wood and jack away. The goal is to push the bump down. After that I may go out and get some more metal to double up that front piece if Ken didn't buy it all. Maybe while I'm waiting for the factories to make more steel I'll weld in some angle iron to stiffen up the piece. Hopefully the metal didn't stretch and will go back to where it came from.

[CYi5]

I'd get it as flat as possible and then weld angle on the back as you suggested. I've seen a few DIYers do this.

[Scuba]

If you can get it flat maybe try making some extra supports like the one on the Skid row skids..?

http://www.skidplates.com/Images/Toyota/Tacoma/Radiator_clearance.jpg

[Crinale]

haha... thats why my truck doesnt have a front skid right now... pismo killed it when i went out with Jason last month ;) ... it was hanging on by one bolt and a hose clamp i had added, and was completely bowed in... lol

[paddlenbike]

After that I may go out and get some more metal to double up that front piece if Ken didn't buy it all.


I didn't buy that much steel! :lol: I would give you what I have but it just so happens to be the exact amount I need to finish my workbench. I will be sure to post pics when it is complete.

I would simply weld a little more steel in there...even if it's just a couple of ribs to strengthen it.

[4x4mike]

If you can get it flat maybe try making some extra supports like the one on the Skid row skids..?

http://www.skidplates.com/Images/Toyota/Tacoma/Radiator_clearance.jpg


I have many pictures of after market skid plates and shyed away from the above design. For one it's very similar to the factory design (little feet). Those feet messed the heck out of the cross member they attach to on my 4runner. I think there are pictures earilier in this thread. Having that extra space in there is nice because it gives the skid some give as shown. We'll see tonight what I end up doing. I just don't want to warp the skid plate welding more metal onto that face. First will most likely be the angle and then a doubled front. I hate welding on stuff that has already been painted. Even with good cleaning I get a lot of smoking paint and bad fumes.

Ken I probably have the metal I need already I was just giving you a hard time.

[4x4mike]

haha... thats why my truck doesnt have a front skid right now... pismo killed it when i went out with Jason last month ;) ... it was hanging on by one bolt and a hose clamp i had added, and was completely bowed in... lol


How did you attach a skid plate with a hose clamp? That's totally picture worthy. I would have just taken it off for fear of the hose clamp and one bolt giving way and having the skid plate fly off and take out the gas tank or driveline.

[Crinale]

haha... thats why my truck doesnt have a front skid right now... pismo killed it when i went out with Jason last month ;) ... it was hanging on by one bolt and a hose clamp i had added, and was completely bowed in... lol


How did you attach a skid plate with a hose clamp? That's totally picture worthy. I would have just taken it off for fear of the hose clamp and one bolt giving way and having the skid plate fly off and take out the gas tank or driveline.



well, the skid plate mounts on my 2nd gen had the holes slightly stripped, and only 3 of the 4 bolts would hold in... (one front and 2 rear). on the 2nd gen stock skid, there are holes along the front, and there is one hole in the front crossmember that the skid bolts to that lines up, so i tightened a hose clamp in through those holes tight enough that it held the skid plate quite well, until the rear 2 bolts went missing at pismo, and the skid was just hanging there... lol

[Seanz0rz]

kevin you suck at quoting as bad as i do!

heres what you meant to say:


well, the skid plate mounts on my 2nd gen had the holes slightly stripped, and only 3 of the 4 bolts would hold in... (one front and 2 rear). on the 2nd gen stock skid, there are holes along the front, and there is one hole in the front crossmember that the skid bolts to that lines up, so i tightened a hose clamp in through those holes tight enough that it held the skid plate quite well, until the rear 2 bolts went missing at pismo, and the skid was just hanging there... lol

[Obi..]

Little thicker metal, add in some holes, then dimple die them, if you have access to a press. Thicker and dies will prevent warpage easily.

I am still laying my new skid out in sketchup. I am seriously looking at tube (triangulated) and some plate.

IIRC Scuba's gotten one of the newer ones for those generation of vehicles, look at it, they're pretty stout, just copy the design (?).

[Scuba]

Yeah nor cal, I have a skid row for my truck, which is what the picture I posted is.. I like how it connects to the crossmember like it does, more attatchment points means more rigidity IMO

[Crinale]

kevin you suck at quoting as bad as i do!


i fixed it lol

[Seanz0rz]

i dont think anything is really wrong with his design. hitting anything at 20-30 mph is going to bend/break stuff. i rather see the metal yield on the skid plate before it ends up yielding on the frame...

[4x4mike]

My design is a copy of several skids that are produced I just used lighter metal because I didn't want an 70 pound anchor on the bottom of my vehicle. I believe that if I used a heavier gage metal the skid plate would have damaged the factory mounting locations which would leave me screwed.

I've got my angle all cut up and just need to find some time to sit down and burn them in.

[4x4mike]

Some reinforcement

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Skid%20Plates/DSC07609.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Skid%20Plates/DSC07611.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Skid%20Plates/DSC07612.jpg

Just needs a little more paint and it'll be ready for the next trip.

[troyboy162]

very nice. i need to do that to my tranny skid. it bowed at Big bear like yours was

[Scuba]

very nice. i need to do that to my tranny skid. it bowed at Big bear like yours was


Dude I was gonna tell you I could do that for you for cost of the metal..

[Bighead]

Some reinforcement

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/Skid%20Plates/DSC07611.jpg

Nice job. The reinforcement points look similar to the ones on my old Azrain skidplate.

[4x4mike]

Do you have a picture of your old skid plate? Does it have mounting points similar to mine or does it have the "feet" towards the middle? How did it hold up?

[Obi..]

Scuba, show him your current one, how'd it hold up so far? I still think those are the chit for design.

[Scuba]

Scuba, show him your current one, how'd it hold up so far? I still think those are the chit for design.


Agreed, I love it as well. Very sturdy, But to tell you the truth I havent had the chance to beat up on it much..

And in the beginning of this thread mike did say he was going to make some feet brackets like this, but never ended up doing it.
Then when this thread surfaced again I mentioned it in post 55


If you can get it flat maybe try making some extra supports like the one on the Skid row skids..?

http://www.skidplates.com/Images/Toyota/Tacoma/Radiator_clearance.jpg



Anyway, I believe the ribs will make it sturdy enough..

[Obi..]

You gotta do the feet, I still wonder why you guys with the 95+ don't just chuck those pos plastic capped radiators. Beter yet, why hasn't someone designed a better one that doesn't poke so low?

Part of why if I go ahead later and build up a 3rd Gen Runner, one of the first things on the list is these things and a 1.5-2" body lift. *Bonus will be accessability to starter/etc. :D

[Scuba]

You gotta do the feet, I still wonder why you guys with the 95+ don't just chuck those pos plastic capped radiators. Beter yet, why hasn't someone designed a better one that doesn't poke so low?


IDK reall, havent really thought about it before tell you the truth..
I never scraped it or damaged it when I still had the stock tin foil skids on..
I worried about it a few times but never had a problem

[Seanz0rz]

why would we mess with the rads? they work great, ive never really heard of many problems with them, etc. why pay money to fix something that really isnt even a weak spot? just put some good protection under it and youre fine.

as for the feet: mike, i didnt realize you didnt have any attachment to the #2 crossmember! thats why yours folded in like it did. i designed that part of my skid plate to never bend, so it would keep rocks and such out of my oil pan, etc. my front will bend slightly, but not much. my skid plates are alot more for skidding than impact protection though, at least from fixed objects.

[4x4mike]

why would we mess with the rads? they work great, ive never really heard of many problems with them, etc. why pay money to fix something that really isnt even a weak spot? just put some good protection under it and youre fine.

as for the feet: mike, i didnt realize you didnt have any attachment to the #2 crossmember! thats why yours folded in like it did. i designed that part of my skid plate to never bend, so it would keep rocks and such out of my oil pan, etc. my front will bend slightly, but not much. my skid plates are alot more for skidding than impact protection though, at least from fixed objects.


I didn't do the feet because my second cross member is messed up from the factory skid plate. In the first place I think it would difficult to make everything line up and work right and when you throw the bent cross member in there it's all out the door for me. When I had everything off the other day I was thinking about reworking it and maybe building another one but I have little to no time for that right now. I think I'll run it some more (as it works) and use any more damage as a reason to rebuild.

As for the radiators they're fine. They hang down low because they are big and cool really well. My skid and the factory skids cover them so you can party down.

[Obi..]

Ahem, cough-cough..took a little for someone here to have the issue and why I suggested the idea: http://www.ultimateyota.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=26&topic=8313.msg78550#msg78550

Copper and aluminum caps hold up better overall. Imagine if he had not caught it, I have seen both the top cap and the bottom having completely separated while the engine was under load. Imagine going over 45mph when one decided to take a dump all of a sudden.






You gotta do the feet, I still wonder why you guys with the 95+ don't just chuck those pos plastic capped radiators. Beter yet, why hasn't someone designed a better one that doesn't poke so low?


IDK reall, havent really thought about it before tell you the truth..
I never scraped it or damaged it when I still had the stock tin foil skids on..
I worried about it a few times but never had a problem



why would we mess with the rads? they work great, ive never really heard of many problems with them, etc. why pay money to fix something that really isnt even a weak spot? just put some good protection under it and youre fine.

as for the feet: mike, i didnt realize you didnt have any attachment to the #2 crossmember! thats why yours folded in like it did. i designed that part of my skid plate to never bend, so it would keep rocks and such out of my oil pan, etc. my front will bend slightly, but not much. my skid plates are alot more for skidding than impact protection though, at least from fixed objects.

[slosurfer]

What does that radiator failure have to do with the skid plates. Looks like it cracked on top, not on the bottom from getting smacked? :headscratch:

[4x4mike]

You have to read back a page or 2.

[Seanz0rz]

discussion was our low hanging radiators in the 3rd gens.

fact remains, we had many more problems with our 90 4runners radiator than i have had on my 98. we were constantly repairing pinholes in it. and we replaced it at least once in the 9 years we owned it.

in the 3 years and 20k miles ive put on my 4runner, ive yet to have a single issue with the radiator. at 165k, its still factory too. i just seen no reason putting money down on something that isnt a known weak spot. do they fail? of course, but not enough to warrant swapping it out with an expensive all copper or aluminum unit.

[slosurfer]

I realize that the discussion was regarding the low radiators, but the radiator in question failed on top, not on the bottom from getting smacked. Hence, why I was wondering why the two were related or how it somehow proved his point. :headscratch: