Any interest in quarter panel armor for the FJ80? (1 Viewer)

[mudgudgeon]

well, I appreciate the input - but the car bra analogy is a little off; bras caused paint damage from buffeting, mostly. (80s highschooler here - intimate with bras)

You've missed the point.

Someone commented on alloy checkered plate being taboo on 40s, it's because it used to be done commonly to protect from damage and supposedly looked badass, but left many otherwise good 40s tubs with rusted quarter panels, and panels full of rivet holes.

The analogy is that the very thing that is supposedly protecting the pristine panel destroys it.
Same with car bras, even if the mechanism that does the damage is different.

If the panel is not pristine. Why bother armouring if?


Each to their own.

 

[Fj81]

I think it will be pointless. The ones who actually use it like @jcardona1 need a proper armour solution, like he has done. The ones who want the "look" wont want to drill the side of their rig to "protect" it. Its a tough sell on a vehicle that is appreciating.

 

[eimkeith]

You've missed the point.

Someone commented on alloy checkered plate being taboo on 40s, it's because it used to be done commonly to protect from damage and supposedly looked badass, but left many otherwise good 40s tubs with rusted quarter panels, and panels full of rivet holes.

The analogy is that the very thing that is supposedly protecting the pristine panel destroys it.
Same with car bras, even if the mechanism that does the damage is different.

If the panel is not pristine. Why bother armouring if?


Each to their own.

I think it will be pointless. The ones who actually use it like @jcardona1 need a proper armour solution, like he has done. The ones who want the "look" wont want to drill the side of their rig to "protect" it. Its a tough sell on a vehicle that is appreciating.

I understood the point you were trying to make. It seems that everyone is hung up on the idea that it would require holes in the factory bodywork, and/or that it would trap water, correct? (neither necessarily being true is beside the point) - and that it would necessarily damage the quarter panel in one of those two ways.

There's also a strong implication that there is no gray area between hardcore rock crawling and restoration/resale motivations among 80-series owners? I'm new to the 80-series market so that's useful to know, for deciding where best to dedicate my time & effort (and definitely justifies threads like this.)

 

[Fj81]

I understood the point you were trying to make. It seems that everyone is hung up on the idea that it would require holes in the factory bodywork, and/or that it would trap water, correct? (neither necessarily being true is beside the point) - and that it would necessarily damage the quarter panel in one of those two ways.

There's also a strong implication that there is no gray area between hardcore rock crawling and restoration/resale motivations among 80-series owners? I'm new to the 80-series market so that's useful to know, for deciding where best to dedicate my time & effort (and definitely justifies threads like this.)

I understood the point you were trying to make. It seems that everyone is hung up on the idea that it would require holes in the factory bodywork, and/or that it would trap water, correct? (neither necessarily being true is beside the point) - and that it would necessarily damage the quarter panel in one of those two ways.

There's also a strong implication that there is no gray area between hardcore rock crawling and restoration/resale motivations among 80-series owners? I'm new to the 80-series market so that's useful to know, for deciding where best to dedicate my time & effort (and definitely justifies threads like this.)

There will be some customers, but you need to pinpoint which ones they will be. These soccermom wagons are old, and gaining popularity in the auction circuit for clean examples. Water, dust and grime will get behind the surface. So if bolted you ruin the panel, if taped, you risk ruining the panel long term. Now if you had a magnetic setup like the company from austrailia that makes plastic cladding, you eliminate the long term worry. But with a metal panel that might be too heavy.

This community is small, and the left over Landcruisers are quickly getting scooped up by flippers to make some $$$. Maybe make a solid product for the guys that wheel hard, but try and make it have actual protection from sliding into the tail light. Then those who want the 'look' can try em.

Basically, function over form. If it is usefull, it will sell.

 

[mudgudgeon]

There's also a strong implication that there is no gray area between hardcore rock crawling and restoration/resale motivations among 80-series owners? I'm new to the 80-series market so that's useful to know, for deciding where best to dedicate my time & effort (and definitely justifies threads like this.)

I think in most cases, by the time guys are wheeling these hard enough to need the armour you're talking about, the panel most likely has copped a hit or two already.

I get the rationale in protecting tail lights from damage.
My 80 currently has a tail light duct taped in place.

I'm ok with a bit of rock rash. But I still would be highly unlikely to add armour.

Jcardona's rig is a beast, and I can appreciate his build, but I wouldn't go to anywhere close to that extent myself.

 

[NorCalFJ100]

@Marco Lau may want this?

 

[Redgrrr]

I don’t like the full panel personally but what I’d like is a decent looking tail light panel to use lights like @jcardona1 has. Im sick of looking for used tail lights. I’m on my 6th pair at least and both are broke again

 

[1911garand]

Until it traps water behind it and rusts it out the body panels.

OR make them larger to cover rust!

 

[GW Nugget]

Well, im not worried about rasin looking body panels or resale. Im tired of purchase $100 tail lights.
Im on my 2nd set. @Broski is on like 3rd or 4th set.

Also, putting fender gaskets on top & even just glueing the whole thing on or with some type of sealant would solve rust issue.

Also @eimkeith only asked if there was intrest in a product not if it would be good or bad.

 

[eimkeith]

Also @eimkeith only asked if there was intrest in a product not if it would be good or bad.

True, LOL - I'm gauging product interest here; making such product not suck is MY job.

 

[jcardona1]

True, LOL - I'm gauging product interest here; making such product not suck is MY job.

I honestly don't feel there will be much of a market for these. You'll end up investing a lot of time and money and will sell very few units. The payoff just isn't there. The population of guys that will actually need and want these panels will be very small. Most of what sells in this market is cosmetic and overlanding accessories. Rock crawling 80s is a tiny niche market which explains the absence of any aftermarket support.

I do think a steel taillight insert would be popular. One that fills in the entire opening and allows the use of LED trailer lights. But it is requires drilling any holes in the body, you've eliminated 95% of your target audience.

 

[jcardona1]

I do think a steel taillight insert would be popular. One that fills in the entire opening and allows the use of LED trailer lights. But it is requires drilling any holes in the body, you've eliminated 95% of your target audience.

Basically this, but more Tommy Bahama and less Joe Dirt so that it appeals to the 80 crowd

 

[b16]

that 4runner has seen some s***

 

[BlueCruiser84]

I echo what everyone has said re: tailight protection or insert. I’ve replaced 4 or 5 of them. A steel insert that would accept readily available trailer lights would be GREAT. provide the harness with it and I think you have a pretty desirable kit that could be plug and play.

Care would have to be taken in the design to make sure they couldn’t be pealed out of the factory hole.

 

[eimkeith]

I have to go pack inventory right now, but taillight protection is one of the reasons I like the quarter panel armor idea - I'll explain that thinking in more depth when I get back home this evening.

 

[eimkeith]

oh crap; totally forgot about this (crazy week).

Anyway, since the quarter panel armor plate is contoured to follow the body lines but is not directly against the body (if it's bolted, there's a rivnut flange that stands it off; however, I'm partial to the VHB tape idea - where it would stand off further and have a bit of cushion), then it would be entirely feasible to continue the armor over the side of the taillight to act as protection against sliding damage.

If one simply made taillight protection, anything gouging the bodywork ahead of the taillight inner frame structure would distort that structure (making it difficult to even mount a replacement taillight, no?)

The larger panel has the benefit of load distribution, and cantilever, from my perspective (although I'm often wrong, but this seems sound to me)

As far as schmutz getting behind the panel - it's a maintenance item. Cut the tape, clean, and retape every so often?

Anyway, I'm new here and really dig some of the aftermarket quality and kind of lost my head a bit in fandom - I typically just make stuff I need or that I think is cool, regardless of market value (which is why I make so much crawling-oriented stuff already) - so I'll probably proceed with this when I have the time, regardless. Keep the comments/criticisms coming, though, - that's a much easier way to learn than through execution & failure (I do both).

 

[40X80]

If the look is tight and the price is right...

 

[eimkeith]

If the look is tight and the price is right...

If I can't nail it, I won't do it (fit/look).

 

[mudgudgeon]

I have to go pack inventory right now, but taillight protection is one of the reasons I like the quarter panel armor idea - I'll explain that thinking in more depth when I get back home this evening.

Been thinking about this since you started this thread.
So much so that I spent an hour or so in the garage popping out my wrinkled quarter panel, and refitting the taped in tail light.

After having the light out, I'm thinking I'll try and fabricate a concealed, heavy flat bar quarter panel / tail light aperture reinforcement structure to sit inside the quarter panel.

I think there's sufficient room around the tail light to fit some reinforcement bars inside the quarter panel around the tail light, and have it braced back to the D pillar structure.
And add some stiffening bars to the D pillar.

It won't prevent a quarter panel from being scraped, but I think I might be able to protect tail lights from being broken even if the quarter panel cops a moderate scrape.
I think a big hit could cause this to be a damage multiplier, potentially transferring some damage to the inner D pillar, but I'm highly unlikely to ever hit the quarter panel that hard during wheeling.

A collision is unpredictable.

Another project to add to the list

 

[eimkeith]

Been thinking about this since you started this thread.
So much so that I spent an hour or so in the garage popping out my wrinkled quarter panel, and refitting the taped in tail light.

After having the light out, I'm thinking I'll try and fabricate a concealed, heavy flat bar quarter panel / tail light aperture reinforcement structure to sit inside the quarter panel.

I think there's sufficient room around the tail light to fit some reinforcement bars inside the quarter panel around the tail light, and have it braced back to the D pillar structure.
And add some stiffening bars to the D pillar.

It won't prevent a quarter panel from being scraped, but I think I might be able to protect tail lights from being broken even if the quarter panel cops a moderate scrape.
I think a big hit could cause this to be a damage multiplier, potentially transferring some damage to the inner D pillar, but I'm highly unlikely to ever hit the quarter panel that hard during wheeling.

A collision is unpredictable.

Another project to add to the list

Cool, I'm following