CV Boot and Driveshaft protection plate?

[jvoelcker]

Hi,

Have any of you considered some sort of protective guard to protect the CV boots and driveshaft.

A group of us have been off for a play weekend (see Picasa Web Albums - Julian Voelcker - ELCO Weekend ...) and one of the group in a 100 series ended up with a tree branch wedging between the CV and lower suspension arm, ripping of the CV boot.

I was wondering how feasable it would be to weld some sort of deflection plate to the lower suspension arm.

 

[Snook]

That's a good question. However I would say "tree branches ripping the CV boot" is a freak event. It's hard to put to something to cover the gap and yet stay in place while those arms are moving up and down.

Regards,

 

[LandCruisers4Life]

I think SOMEWHERE I had seen someone mounted some rubber deflectors or something. Don't ask me where. Been a good while.

 

[jvoelcker]

I have seen plenty of branches etc wedging themselves in 80 suspension as well as cause damage on rally cars so it's not that uncommon.

I was thinking of an angled plate weleded on to the lower arm going up and forward to act like a skid.

OK, you can't make it too big and the wheel side will need to be angled/curved to account for up and down movement, but I thought that if it went up as far as say the centre line of the driveshaft it would be enough to force obstacles down and out of the way.

 

[spressomon]

SAS

 

[calamaridog]

I think you are more likely to catch unwanted crap in some sort of deflection plate. The problem of a ripped boot is actually really minor as trail damage goes. I'm sure this is a more common problem in wooded areas like you guys were wheeling in.

Some sort of "sock" might help protect the CV from a puncture, perhaps.

 

[LandCruisers4Life]

Throw a Kevlar sleeve over it..... lol