3rd Gen IFS skidplate buildup

[Seanz0rz]

So, it is time for me to get serious and ditch the stock skidplate. my most recent outing saw me land squarely on the left front corner of it, and its much worse for wear because of it. after 2 years of pretty hard wheeling, its trashed...

here are the carnage pictures:




actually bent the front cross member:


not to mention the complete lack of coverage for any components past the steering rack:



so, time for some serious hardware to go under there. since my front cross member is bent, buying a budbuilt is not really an option, not to mention i cant really afford to splash 450 dollars on something i could build for under 100 with a little blood, sweat, and engineering. i plan on making this in 3 main pieces. the forward angle, which will end up taking the lion's share of impacts and scratches, a under-engine skid to protect the oil pan (but is removable to facilitate easy oil changes) and the belly pan to protect the trans and tcase.

here is a very rough drawing, just concept, bottom view:


it will bolt to the bottom side of the bumper, the original front cross member and the other stock mounting locations. i am using 11 gauge steel, just a tick under 1/8th inch thick. i plan on reinforcing key points of the skid with perpendicular ribs, etc. all bolts will be recessed to protect the bolt heads.

plan on getting started on this on saturday and hopefully be finished by monday or tuesday(at least the front part of the skid, the belly can wait)

[20005spd]

i dont know how hard you wheel but i made an 1/8th inch thick skid plate that was similar to bud builts belly pan and it was not thick enough, it bent and deformed. i added some angle iron on the top and it still didnt help. i would recommend atleast 3/16th. the bud builts are worth the money. and how was your radiator after that hit you took? thats a tender spot

[CJM]

3/16 of an inch and make sure you create them gouge supports (i cant recall the exact name atm). Those little gouges/lines help strengthen the metal really well.

Also steel is your friend, frig aluminum.

[Seanz0rz]

the skid is about 1/32 inch away from the rad, JUST missed it! no leaks so must be ok. its been folded up against the engine cross member before, just under the oil pan. ive needed a new one for a LONG time.

as for the thickness, i very much believe in engineering over brute force. going up to 3/16 inch plate adds another 2.5-3 pounds per square foot (approx). i think with proper bracing, i should be ok. in addition to that, so far i haven't "needed" a belly skid, i just want the extra protection, keeping rocks from taking out a u joint on the outputs or nailing the transmission pan on a sharp rock. i really am trying to keep the weight down.

[4x4mike]

I've made 2 belly like pans to cover the tranny and transfer case all the way back to the gas tank. I have to look around to see if I have any pictures. I also made a new rear factory section. You know the back piece of the factory 2 piece design. I haven't done anything with the front because I don't have access to a welder or press brake. I bought a sheet (4 x 8) of 12 gage steel about a year ago and have been cutting it up for projects.

[4x4mike]

Not to hijack your thread but here is what I've made.
[img width=600 height=800]http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e13/mezamichael82/DSC06276.jpg[/img]

It's upside down but all bolted together. The little lip at the bottom presses up against the gas tank skid when mounted. The best case senerio is that a rock will "slide" rearward and if it's on a course to the gas tank the rock will "transfer" from the belly to the gas tank skid and hopefully not smack the axle housing. The top piece no longer clips in to the factory front piece but does bolt into factory holes (X4). The front 2 holes are the same as factory and the rear 2 for the top piece also hold the front section of the middle piece shown. The rear holes on the middle piece hold the front of the rear piece. The rear piece has holes to hold itself on. I used 3" long (or so) grade 5 bolts that go though factory holes in the cross members and have lock washers and nylock nuts. After this picture was taken I did cut a round hole, traced the factory one, in the top piece so I can change the oil with out dropping all of this. I think all of this weights about 40 pounds but hope that it's worth it's weight in gold. The 2 rear pieces hang up in the garage until play time.

[Seanz0rz]

by all means, post up what you have! the more the better.

[4x4mike]

Like I said that's all I got. It was cheap and easy, just how I like it. If I have time or really want to I might put some speed holes in it. Problem is I'd have to buy a dimple die (darn) but drilling the holes doesn't sound fun. I tried to do one on a scrap piece and it took forever to get half way through. I've seen the high dollar nice hole saws but I'm not all that excited about the whole thing. Changing the shape, kind of like / \, crossed my mine but who cares. It's bolted on the bottom of the rig and it's supposed to protect and get beat up. This was plenty of cutting anyways.

[glenyoshida]

Pretty cool dude. That looks like a fun project. Let us know how the belly skids do in comparison to the front skid once you've banged them up some.

I hear ya on the weight thing. I can feel a difference when I have my spare on or off and that's only 85 lbs. I can only imagine how a full belly skid would affect things (300 lbs?). I looked into honeycomb core (poor point impact strength) and most recently I've thought about laminating a stainless skin on an aluminum base (expensive for the epoxy and poor Plastic Range for the aluminum). I always seem to come back to regular ole steel. Heavy as it is it's hard to beat the performance and price. I've seen a couple of guys dent Budbuilt's 3/16" front skid. Amazing to me that 3/16 will dent. I suppose better to be slow up the hill than stuck on the trail right. lol

What do you think about welding on some 1" 11 AWG fins to add some strength? It won't stop the smaller dents but might keep the major impacts from forming deep and large dents?

Can't wait to see the finished skids!

[20005spd]

i have bent my bud built front skid and last night i was sledgehammering the bud built belly pan back into shape. i also made a gas tank skid out of 3/16th and i honestly dont notice the weight difference. i think its the only way to go if you wanna send your truck through hard trails with SASed trucks all day.