This is not going to be everybody's cup of tea so purists might wanna turn back now.
For the past few years I've been wanting some rear quarter panel armor similar to what you see on the various Jeep platforms. Anybody who wheels their 80 will probably have a few scars and dents on her big ass by now, maybe even a few broken taillights. Mine is not as bad as the dents Nukegoat and 2fpower have earned but it's starting to get a few dents that will get worse over time. Yeah she's a wheeler, but I still want to keep the truck in decent shape for as long as possible.
Earliest version I've seen of this was Action Jackson's rig with the squared off diamond plate. Not the best looking but it got the job done. The challenge with the 80 is that curvy behind she has. Because of all the bends and contours I knew I would have to leave it to the professionals. I'm sure any DIY version would have looked pretty bad.
I reached out to a few local places until I found a guy willing to take on the job (MetalCraft Innovations in the Sacramento area). After a few months of trying to make schedules work I was finally able to get the truck in his shop. After letting him know what i wanted and doing some cardboard mock ups he drew it up in his fancy software program:
The panel would end up being 10ga plate, a little over 1/8" similar to the Jeep armor. I think it will be plenty strong. After all, this is isn't built to protect the truck from a high speed collision. It's to keep the paper thin factory sheet metal from denting by merely rubbing up against a rock or a tree. The rub rail give it just a bit more room as well to hopefully avoid breaking the sliding rear windows.
I knew I wanted the factory taillights gone for sure as one was already cracked. In it's place went oval LED trailer lights (from RuffStuff) and a flush mount 2x2 China LED pod. The yellow pod is used for the turn signals. I will be mounting another set of flush-mount LEDs in the tailgate to serve as backup lights, similar to what Apounder did.
Before I get on to the pics, just want to give props to Mitchell at MetalCraft Innovations. He was great to work with and highly recommend him. He normally builds Jeep parts but if you take a look at his website you can see his fabwork is top notch. It is still TBD if he will be able to make these a production piece as there is a considerable amount of massaging needed to make the bends just right. Also, mine is more of a one-off as my fenders have had several inches trimmed away.
Despite that though, he said he could make some more sets, maybe even offer a DIY version. But don't expect these to be $199 like the XJ quarter panel armor from the JC Whitney catalog. It's just one guy in a small shop making stuff by hand. I'd suggest reaching out to Mitchell if you're interested and see what he can do (website link with contact info above).
Enough rambling, on to the pics. Over the next few weeks I will be unbolting these for the first time for paint. Thinking of going with a rattle can finish, similar gray color as my front bumper. I'll post updated pics here whenever that happens.
For the past few years I've been wanting some rear quarter panel armor similar to what you see on the various Jeep platforms. Anybody who wheels their 80 will probably have a few scars and dents on her big ass by now, maybe even a few broken taillights. Mine is not as bad as the dents Nukegoat and 2fpower have earned but it's starting to get a few dents that will get worse over time. Yeah she's a wheeler, but I still want to keep the truck in decent shape for as long as possible.
Earliest version I've seen of this was Action Jackson's rig with the squared off diamond plate. Not the best looking but it got the job done. The challenge with the 80 is that curvy behind she has. Because of all the bends and contours I knew I would have to leave it to the professionals. I'm sure any DIY version would have looked pretty bad.
I reached out to a few local places until I found a guy willing to take on the job (MetalCraft Innovations in the Sacramento area). After a few months of trying to make schedules work I was finally able to get the truck in his shop. After letting him know what i wanted and doing some cardboard mock ups he drew it up in his fancy software program:
The panel would end up being 10ga plate, a little over 1/8" similar to the Jeep armor. I think it will be plenty strong. After all, this is isn't built to protect the truck from a high speed collision. It's to keep the paper thin factory sheet metal from denting by merely rubbing up against a rock or a tree. The rub rail give it just a bit more room as well to hopefully avoid breaking the sliding rear windows.
I knew I wanted the factory taillights gone for sure as one was already cracked. In it's place went oval LED trailer lights (from RuffStuff) and a flush mount 2x2 China LED pod. The yellow pod is used for the turn signals. I will be mounting another set of flush-mount LEDs in the tailgate to serve as backup lights, similar to what Apounder did.
Before I get on to the pics, just want to give props to Mitchell at MetalCraft Innovations. He was great to work with and highly recommend him. He normally builds Jeep parts but if you take a look at his website you can see his fabwork is top notch. It is still TBD if he will be able to make these a production piece as there is a considerable amount of massaging needed to make the bends just right. Also, mine is more of a one-off as my fenders have had several inches trimmed away.
Despite that though, he said he could make some more sets, maybe even offer a DIY version. But don't expect these to be $199 like the XJ quarter panel armor from the JC Whitney catalog. It's just one guy in a small shop making stuff by hand. I'd suggest reaching out to Mitchell if you're interested and see what he can do (website link with contact info above).
Enough rambling, on to the pics. Over the next few weeks I will be unbolting these for the first time for paint. Thinking of going with a rattle can finish, similar gray color as my front bumper. I'll post updated pics here whenever that happens.
you know you'll regret It and be back, they always come back.
Ya, i need to delete that 4sale thread.
