fleurys Posted April 25, 2010 Share Posted April 25, 2010 (edited) Well, I have finally started my second skid plate project. This time I have used a piece of transparent acrylic to help me see where I needed to cut and where to put access windows. The final plate will be made from 1/4" Aluminum with SS bolts The goal I'm setting for this one is pretty much like the first. Which is hopefully no compromise... So the goals are the following : 1) Light 2) rust protected 3) Gives access to Engine oil drain screw without removing whole plate 4) Gives access to Trans oil drain screw without removing whole plate 5) Gives access to TC oil drain and fill screws without removing whole plate 6) Gives access to Front Diff drain and fill screws without removing whole plate 7) good and solid points of attachment 8) one plate for Trans and TC protection 9) gives access to the transverse link bolts in order to remove an half-shaft without removing the plate Number 7 was the toughest part... That's one of the reason I decided to make the plate as large as it is. Because it will attach to the <frame> rails, that is why it is larger. I did not wanted to fabricate more brackets or other gizmos... For now I am at my first draft and that's why my measurements are not symmetrical .. I just wanted to have a feel for the size and see how the parts would be protected underneath. Next step will be to do a second plastic one with final measurements and be 100% symmetrical. Then I will be working on the support blocks that will bolts in the frame (and where the plate will bolts to the blocks). If you look carefully you will see where I have tentatively decided to put the attaching blocks. I have draw a square with an X inside. The ruler you see on the side is 48 inches long just to give you a sens of the size of this thing. The holes will be covered and removable just like my first skid plate. Any comments or idea , good or bad, are welcomed. Here are the first pictures of the project. Edited June 19, 2010 by fleurys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01silvapathy Posted April 25, 2010 Share Posted April 25, 2010 Thats going to be EPIC once its all done in ali. Man I wish I had MONEY!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekazgtr1984 Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 Count me in for one, please. BTW, the layout is pretty sound. And the aerodynamic benefit will be substantial, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maikan Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 Is there a heat build up between the plates and the mechanical part. Because on the site of rasta 4x4 theytalk about air intake to help prevent damage. Front skid plateRasta front skid plate is the best you can find these days. We enhancement the efficiency of the plate by adding very important element- an Air Intake When you put a skid plate naturally, the air cooling is capture between the skid plates and the cover of your engine, the result is high tempreture the can damage your engine. Rasta develops a special Air Intake specific for the Pathfinder that allows smooth and effective cooling. Can that be an issue or is it salesperson talk Rasta 4X4 Pathfinder page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dududuckling Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 (edited) Steve, are you going to make tiny holes or small openings so that in case of mud crossing, its easier to wash off the mud that gets trapped above the skid plate without removing the entire structure... and heat will be able to escape through the skid plate into the outside rather than get trapped and go to the cabin... just my thought, Edited April 26, 2010 by dududuckling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesRich Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 I would also suggest less windows, unless you never go in the mud and only play on rocks. You will want to take it off occasional to clean the mud off of it. I didn't do this often enough on my 4 wheeler and it made a nasty mess. James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleurys Posted April 26, 2010 Author Share Posted April 26, 2010 (edited) Wow... Thanks everyone for your inputs. Really appreciate it... 1) As for the air intake, I'm not planning on putting one since it would have to be done on my first skidplate (the front one)..and since the plastic original did not had any, i'm not too worried about engine damage.. 2) Heat dissipation and mud cleaning.mmmm Well, the plate will be flush with the trans crossmember but will be spaced with blocks on the back since the transfer case and the rest is higher. So to have a straight plate, I will do that with small attachement blocks.. So there should be plenty of space to put a tip of a power washer and clean everything without having to remove everything... But the beauty of this metal, is that if you wish, you can simply take a hand drill with a regular drill bit and make your own holes... I mean it's not alot harder drilling through this than though hard wood... So I'm not planning on putting any holes, but the client (you guys !:-) ) can easily add them if you wish or if you see that the cleaning is not as easy as I say it will be... In any case there will be a testing phase to see all that, but i'm keeping the suggestion. As for the heat, I'll see how it goes... not sure what to expect yet.. My plate will stop right after the TC, so before the muffler and the rest of the piping can have more wind etc from the side... That's one unknown for now... 3) Window access... That's one that has been haunting me for a while... I'm trying to think ease of maintenance and ease of trail fix... I actually have less than what I originally wanted.. ! I wanted 2 more for being able to change/remove the front drive shaft in a trail in case it broke... I dropped these 2 windows but to be frank I would have difficulty dropping any more... I change my trans , TC and 2 diff oils every 2-3 trails where I go deep water (above the diffs).. So for me this can translate to 2-3 times during the summer and I usually do it one last time before winter comes just to be on the safe side (don't want water in the diffs when temp goes -20c..). I Think they could also serve the mud cleaning issue... How about taking 5 minutes to remove all four windows and start power washing through these ?? I think It can work...We'll see.. Thanks again.. ;-) Edited April 26, 2010 by fleurys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleurys Posted May 19, 2010 Author Share Posted May 19, 2010 (edited) Update.... Was finally able to do more work on this last weekend and tonight. At last there was a nice day on the last weekend and was able to cut my aluminum sheet from the plastic template. I have decided to just go along with the one that I had and not redo another one symmetric. The reason being i'm doing a big trail this weekend and since I'm gonna try some new parts of the trail, I wanted to be plated. Now, I'm realizing that such a project with hand tools and a shed is starting to be difficult. I cut the plate with a handsaw and grinder. This makes it hard to have perfectly straight lines etc... So for now, this plate is far from perfect but I'm very happy to have it made. Now what will I do in the future is still up in the air as it is quite difficult. I guess doing this in a fully equipped shop with hydraulic bender,cutter etc. would make the work alot more enjoyable... For the mounting points, I have decided to go with blocks of aluminum 2.5 X 3 X 2 (W x L x H). They are made from 2 pieces of 1 inch aluminum plate then mig welded together. The transmission cross member is the lowest point on our trucks and the frame rails are exactly 2 inches higher. So once the plate is stiffed on the crossmember, I will screw in 4 blocks in the frame and attach the skid on the blocks. The blocks are not hollow so they will not bend when side pulling force is apply on them when the truck hits a rock. Here's a few pictures. Edited May 19, 2010 by fleurys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01silvapathy Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 Lookin awesome man I wish I had your creativity and brains to get stuff like this done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
180sx Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 its so purrty...pics when it's on the truck!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekazgtr1984 Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 Very nice work. Can't wait to see the finished product! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pathyboy12 Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 nice, i plan on doing somthing similar. going to use this thread to help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesRich Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 Good job man! I know what you mean about working out of a shed when used to a large shop thats why I'm about to give up on my bumper project. I don't envy you I hate welding aluminum! James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleurys Posted May 24, 2010 Author Share Posted May 24, 2010 (edited) Well, the plate is installed and I never had so much problems in one project than this one !!! I broke 2 tap, 1 drill bit and strip 1 skidplate bolts (big one). On top of that I had a shoulder tendonitis. Now try drilling 2 inch thick aluminum blocks from underneath the truck in your driveway with a screwed shoulder... After the 5th hole I was done... Boy did I swear making this one... I was still able to finish it just in time to my weekend-long trail in the gazoduc which I post some picture soon. I can only say that the skidplate was VERY usefull.... no regrets... Here's a few pictures... BEFORE: AFTER: With the windows open: I also ended up welding the plate to the blocks.. I do not have any picture of it yet but I will try to take some. I did this cause I did not feel that the plate was attached enough on the blocks. So It actually takes only 4 bolts to remove the plate and it works very well. I can access the block bolts through holes that I drilled in the plate.. I will try to post more picture soon. In the end , it's a good first try... I will definitely do a version 2 of it in the future with some bends in the right places so that I lose less clearance at some places, but it will do for now... S. Edited May 24, 2010 by fleurys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northernpathy Posted May 24, 2010 Share Posted May 24, 2010 Looks good. Nice work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
180sx Posted May 25, 2010 Share Posted May 25, 2010 Amazing work. Can't wait to see version 2.0! Jose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesRich Posted May 25, 2010 Share Posted May 25, 2010 Looks great! Now you need to post some pics with some skid marks on it! I think welding the blocks was a good idea. I understand why you put the windows but if you only have to remove 4 bolts to drop it and it cant be very heavy since its aluminum I think I would have left it solid. Did you tack weld the nuts to the frame so you don't need a backup when you remove it? James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleurys Posted May 25, 2010 Author Share Posted May 25, 2010 Pictures with marks on them will come...I have put some nice one on it last weekend... As for the windows, I'm more convinced now than before that it was the best idea because.... last weekend trail, stripped the other bolt that was holding it in the front.... The skid still hang in there, but now I have decided to weld the 2 plates together at the sub-frame junction. This way, it will hold it's structure better and the whole assembly will distribute the force when it starts to bend or gets a hit. So it will hold from 4 main bolts directly in the frame plus 5 bolts on the front skid... It will be removable as a whole, therefore the windows are now very welcome.... :-) Thanks for comments everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleurys Posted June 19, 2010 Author Share Posted June 19, 2010 Here they are... New pictures with the front skid welded to the mid one (after the gazoduc trail ripped apart my bolts threads from the sub frame). The welds are awfull as we tried with a rod instead of our usual mig method (using an aluminum spool), but at the end it holds...that's what's important... So I now have a full length skid that is bolted with only 6 bolts. I just removed it and put it back myself minutes ago to unbend a few spots that were creating noise vibration inside the cab. So I'm pretty happy after all to have used aluminum.. would not have been able to remove it and reinstall it like that alone if not alu.... using a hydraulic hand jack to hold it in place while I unscrew the bolts, it took me about 10 minutes to remove completely.. about 15 to put back. Here's the scratches and abuse it got in 2 trails...considering what it has protected, i consider it did it's job very well. That's it.. End of project for this one. Next project : limiting straps or if you want <anti-bang> straps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted June 19, 2010 Share Posted June 19, 2010 Jeeze....you're ROUGH on your skids! Do you think that would have happened on 1/4" steel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleurys Posted June 20, 2010 Author Share Posted June 20, 2010 Jeeze....you're ROUGH on your skids! Do you think that would have happened on 1/4" steel? On a 1/4" steel, probably not to that point, maybe a bit les, but on a 3/16" steel, I suspect the same since I did the sledgehammer test between 1/4" alu and 3/16" steel... With that kind of size, I can only imagine the fun I would have removing a 200+ lbs steel skid... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesRich Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 Man you do some crazy wheeling! James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smoke Posted July 22, 2010 Share Posted July 22, 2010 Any more intrest in these skids??? have you got a 2.0 version out yet?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleurys Posted July 22, 2010 Author Share Posted July 22, 2010 Any more intrest in these skids??? have you got a 2.0 version out yet?? Taking a break from fabrication for the trail season... I'm wheeling every weekend lately. Right now, my version 1 is doing the job very well, so no plans for now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smoke Posted July 22, 2010 Share Posted July 22, 2010 ok no worries....please let us know when you do get back to it....hows the one you have now holding up to the abuse? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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