laxman0324 Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 I was thinking about using one of those removal tools if they were cheap enough, other wise I would rather just drill them out slight larger and tap new holes...so I am 99% sure you can count me in on this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 What I did for my skidplates after I snapped the bolts off in the holes, was simply drill new holes through the cross members and use a nut on the other side. Also, Mike, I've got an extractor set, and we could have a go at them when we play with your diff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleurys Posted April 9, 2009 Author Share Posted April 9, 2009 was simply drill new holes through the cross members and use a nut on the other side. I guess this works for the tranny plate, but would'nt that be almost impossible to do for the front skid ?? I mean, mine hooks on under the rad support and the other side on the sub frame... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 Nope. You just have to be careful where you drill. On the subframe side, go at the outside of the subframe, so you can access through the LCA mounts, and don't interfere with your steering rack. On the front part, it isn't underneath the radiator, and there's a flat piece directly in front of the a/c condensor that is where the holes will come through. If I still had my truck, I'd take a pic and show ya's. If we do it on Mike's I'll be sure to bring my camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laxman0324 Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 Nope. You just have to be careful where you drill. On the subframe side, go at the outside of the subframe, so you can access through the LCA mounts, and don't interfere with your steering rack. On the front part, it isn't underneath the radiator, and there's a flat piece directly in front of the a/c condensor that is where the holes will come through. If I still had my truck, I'd take a pic and show ya's. If we do it on Mike's I'll be sure to bring my camera. I trust you Dan...we will see what happens this weekend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Found a pic that sort of shows it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleurys Posted April 13, 2009 Author Share Posted April 13, 2009 understood... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleurys Posted April 21, 2009 Author Share Posted April 21, 2009 Well, Today I got called from my bolts supplier saying they received my SS bolts for the skid plates... I leave work early, I get there...and....it's not the good ones !!!!!! I waited 5 weeks for them.... The guy realized that they did order the right thing but it seems the supplier put the wrong product in the bag.. So my guy calls them back... he comes back 10 minutes later saying this bolt is not existant anywhere at his 7 supplier.... WHAT !!?!! So this leaves me with 3 choices. 1) Fill the holes on the skid where big bolts go, and install/sell like this, leaving 3 bolts at the top and 2 at the bottom (small ones) holding the plate. This could work since AC only has 2 and 2 small ones.... 2) Have the bolts cutom made by a machinist 3) Leave the bolts holes in the skid and use regular zinc and normal head bolts. This I would hate since part of the bolts would be countersunk and these would not... It would just not work... Now I'm gonna try to find them anywhere until I get a quote from 2 or 3 machinist, but in the mean time I could seriously use you help to find these... So if you know a bolts place, i need your help. Here's the details : The Bolts are M10 X 1.25 X 35mm, Countersunk, Stainless Steel .. The big problem in this is the 1.25. All the bolts that I find with all the attributes have the regular 1.50 thread.. This 1.25 thread equals to something called "fine". There is "regular", "Fine" and "extra Fine". The post #24 is what the overlall bolt looks like... Thanks in advance... DaveFromOZ : I'll take you on the offer...have a look and let me know... S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Rim Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Maybe I'm missing something here, but why wouldn't you just make it part of your installation instructions to drill/tap the hole to a larger size, such as 1/2", which is a very common size and hardware will be cheap. As long as folks are careful drilling, there shouldn't be an issue. I've redrilled / tapped several bolt holes in the subframe and front cross member to enable using imperial sizes. Bolts are cheaper and always readily available. That's how I mounted my front skid anyway... just a thought... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavefromOZ Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 DaveFromOZ : I'll take you on the offer...have a look and let me know... S. I will make a few calls in the morning, if they exist I will be able to get them. If not, I can get one of our fabrication suppliers in Taiwan to have a look, but not sure about what the costs would be ther. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleurys Posted April 22, 2009 Author Share Posted April 22, 2009 but why wouldn't you just make it part of your installation instructions to drill/tap the hole to a larger size, such as 1/2", which is a very common size and hardware will be cheap. As long as folks are careful drilling, there shouldn't be an issue. I've redrilled / tapped several bolt holes in the subframe and front cross member to enable using imperial sizes. Bolts are cheaper and always readily available I'm shooting for a bolt-on installation..besides, It's not everybody that has the hardware (and skills) necessary to drill/tap. I'm not gotta let this small bump stop me... I'm awaiting some quotes to have them made, and we'll see.... I will sell them with or without the hardware for those who don't mind the extra work... S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleurys Posted April 23, 2009 Author Share Posted April 23, 2009 (edited) I have finally found a place that will manufacture (CNC) my bolts from scratch for a reasonable price ... Hey guys !... that means that F I N A L L Y I will soon be able to show you a full aluminum front skid plate for the r50 with Full SS hardware... I'm getting the bolts done next week and will start the pre-order at that time. For those who will prefer to have the skid at a better price but without the bolts, it will also be possible.... anyway, more details next week.. Edited April 23, 2009 by fleurys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laxman0324 Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Bump...I am anxious to see some final pricing and pics.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleurys Posted April 27, 2009 Author Share Posted April 27, 2009 Bump...I am anxious to see some final pricing and pics.... I went this morning for the bolts. They should be done by the end of the week. I will take pictures of the finished products installed this saturday.. As for the price, it will not be a cheap skid plate, but a no compromise one. I have not fully decided yet but it will be higher than the AC ones. Just the price of the fasteners for this skid is 30$. I know I sould have done a drill and tap install, but it just would not be a bolt on anymore... Like I said, the shipping costs should be alot smaller because of the weight, last time I weighted the unfinished skid, it was 13 lbs. just a few more days... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fukinitupagain Posted May 1, 2009 Share Posted May 1, 2009 Any word on the skids big guy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleurys Posted May 2, 2009 Author Share Posted May 2, 2009 My fabricator ran out of time for the second one and my first one has to be reworked a bit to have it perfect. So we are refilling 2 of the four slots to redo the countersunk slots. At first, the angles of the countersunk were done at 82 degrees (the normal for regular bolts), but I did not realized at that time that my bolts were going to be metric (iso standard). This standard has a 90 degree angle, so I'm redoing all the angles so that the bolts sits perfectly in the hole so the force can be applied equally all around the bolts. So Tonight was supposed to be my installation/pictures night with the final, but it will have to wait until monday night. I should post pictures of the skid and once installed on my truck on monday. As for 96-99 fitment, I have arranged something next friday while i'll be in ontario for my locker installation. new4x4r from this board has accepted to give me a hand to test fit on his truck. Bottom line that i'm aiming at real hard is this : Monday : pictures and confirmation on 2001-2004, start of pre-orders and the saturday after that either confirmation that they fit on 96-99 or will have to adapt to fit. Thanks for being patient...I'm starting to get tired too and can't wait to start the process of getting them to you guys. But I just won't accept selling something that I would not buy for myself. Anyway, I can't wait for it to be done so I can start the trans/TC skid. This one should be alot easier and fun to do. HDPE is going to be alot easier to work with compared to aluminum ! S,. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleurys Posted May 7, 2009 Author Share Posted May 7, 2009 (edited) D O N E !!!! Here it is...all done and perfect just the way I wanted it. Absolutely flat, nothing to hook on the rocks.! I will know this friday is the skid fits on 96-99 as I'm going at rod's place. have a look .. On the pictures you see both models that I will be offering. They will be available WITH or WITHOUT the squares that allows the original bumper to snap underneath. If you look carefully, you see that when I started the project I had both plastic tab...now only one remains... But you see that I left spaces for them to snap properly. For those who do not have the tabs or the oem bumper for that matter, you can use the other one. ps. Rod, yes...the second one is yours ! before after other skid (no tabs) all the pictures are here, http://s435.photobucket.com/albums/qq71/st...mview=slideshow Edited May 7, 2009 by fleurys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmorgan4 Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Looks nice. How are these being cut out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleurys Posted May 7, 2009 Author Share Posted May 7, 2009 (edited) Looks nice. How are these being cut out? by an hydraulic press.....there is a ton of work involved in this skid..a lot more that I originally thought.. Just the countersunking of the slots took multiple efforts and trial and errors... it's basically hand made. Edited May 7, 2009 by fleurys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmorgan4 Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 So they're being sheared? Every project seems to be way more involved that most people realize. If you were down here in the states I'd give you a bunch of places to get quotes on parts from. It seems like if you have a bunch of them made it would make sense to get them cut with a laser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fukinitupagain Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 badass! Lets see if it fits the 96-99 cause I'm in need of a good skid plate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoPathyGo Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 D O N E !!!! Here it is...all done and perfect just the way I wanted it. Absolutely flat, nothing to hook on the rocks.! You know, AC *still* hasn't shipped my skids... Heck, I don't even have a production date from them, let alone a ship date... *cough* *cough* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleurys Posted May 7, 2009 Author Share Posted May 7, 2009 You know, AC *still* hasn't shipped my skids... Heck, I don't even have a production date from them, let alone a ship date... *cough* *cough* If the 96-99 fitment test goes the way I hope it will, I will be starting the pre-order next week. turn around time should be between 1 to 2 weeks. On another note, when i was fitting it to my truck, I was holding the skid with one arm and bolting with the other. My skid weight 14.5 lbs and at the end (after test fitting 2 of them) i was starting to get my arm a little bit tired... I was thinking, just how hard it would be if it was made in steel... Hey you wanted to shave some pounds on your truck lately no ?? here you go .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezzy Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Man oh man, that's pretty! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronin152 Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Put me done for one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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