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My 2000LC is mostly stock and only occassionaly gets used off-road. On a recent hunting trip, I was very impressed at the degree of protection provided by the skid plates. I have about a 1 mile washed-out logging road to get to the cabin, its very steep. The front bumper and trailer hitch both drag leaving the main road due to the angle of approach.

Due to the mud and snow, I was not able to climb the initial steep part of the trail using my typical slow cautious approach so instead I backed-up, tried it again with more speed, and used the "pin ball" technique.

I always go to left or right of a very large rock the the erosion has exposed. This time my aim was off, but I was already committed--right over the top of the rock I went. Dragging the undercarriage the entire way, most of the time with only two wheels on the ground.

There was lots of smoke (brakes working with TRAC control?) and I was sure from the noise and thrashing that something broke. Needless to say, the skid plates were very scratched but everything was perfectly intact--no damage at all. Phew!! I'm not sure the skimpy "skid plates" on other SUV's would have been so effective.
 
don't look to close......but most of the skid plates on the 100's are plastic
 
The last skid plate (behind front wheels and in front the transfer box) is too weak. Mine broke off just because the car was sitting on the sand... It is bolted to the other plastic skid plate :mad: - and this should be "strong enough"?
I have replaced it with a custom made aluminium skid plate.

Regards

Samo
 
SamoL said:
I have replaced it with a custom made aluminium skid plate.

Regards

Samo

Samo,
Please give us more details and post up pics of your skid plate. I have been considering making one myself and am curious how you built yours.
Thanks in advance.
 
Seriously, you need to actually get under the truck. The front plate is steel and the rear "plate" is a plastic cover.

That was the single most disappointing thing about this vehicle so far.
 
calamaridog said:
Seriously, you need to actually get under the truck. The front plate is steel and the rear "plate" is a plastic cover.

That was the single most disappointing thing about this vehicle so far.

Wow, plastic??? :confused:
Why would Toyota do that?
The only reason I can think is to keep salt and other road grime off the floorboards and frame. But if they go to the trouble to add plastic, why not go to the trouble of making real metal one?
After all, you are paying quite a bit for the truck, and it is an off-road machine.

If you wanted an on-road machine you would buy a Sequoia or Highlander.
Just my $.02

Cheers,
Nick
 
calamaridog said:
the rear "plate" is a plastic cover.
It's more like a "dust cover." ;)
 
nickw said:
Wow, plastic??? :confused:
Why would Toyota do that?
The only reason I can think is to keep salt and other road grime off the floorboards and frame. But if they go to the trouble to add plastic, why not go to the trouble of making real metal one?
After all, you are paying quite a bit for the truck, and it is an off-road machine.

If you wanted an on-road machine you would buy a Sequoia or Highlander.
Just my $.02

Cheers,
Nick


The front one covering the diff area is steel. The second one bolts to the first one and is the plastic one. Yes, it is pretty useless. I'm hoping to fab up a new one that offers more protection at some point.
 
The other day I thought I had enough clearance over this manhole cover sticking out of the ground. So I tried to straddle it. Heard some weird noises so i backed off of it and went around.
Later that day I looked under an I was surprised that it was plastic!:doh:
 
Plastic... ?? Learn something new everyday. Now I can go home.

I clearly don't spend much time under the LC. I'll scrape some mud off and take a seriously closer look.

I'm still glad nothing broke.
 
most suv's have a plastic wind deflector attatched to the back end of the forward skidplate. It is there to create turbulence on the undercarraige and keep most of the airflow moving. (They did this type of thing on the LS430 belly except w/ dimpled plastic.)

I believe this is the part you guys are talking about?
 
BudBuilt offered to build one for reasonanble price if anybody live close enough to Morgantown, nc and willing to lend their truck for making the pattern.
 
I"m in for a Budbuilt -- if somone in NC get's in there

Seems like a good plate for a good price...
 
If Budbuilt would build a new second plate I'd be in for the group buy. Is there anyone in NC who is interested who can go in for measurements?

I've seen some Budbuilt stuff. Very high quality.

If not, I'm working on some drawings for a production piece.
 
guys .. in the near future .. i will use 0.5 inch board plastic the same stuff that bread cutting boards are made of . just like Project TraiLex on FOUR WHEELER Magazine ..

129_0503_tlex_04_z.jpg


129_0503_tlex_01_z.jpg


and i will shape it just this LC100

Toyota_LandCruiser_BPC_underbody.jpg



..
 
Things tend to slide on that stuff but it has no structural strength. You would need a significant steel subframe to make it strong.

The cost of the material, the fabrication for the subframe, etc. will cost more than having steel plate cut and bent.

I think I'll stick with steel, most likely 3/16 or 1/4 plate.
 
Last spring, after getting my LC, I made this t-case skid plate to replace the whimpy factory so-called t-case skidplate/protector (yea right!)...since I couldn't find anyone offering one to read-made to purchase. I made the support arm out of steel box tubing and the plate itself out of 6061 aluminum (because I happened to have a piece laying around). It now has some battle scars from rocks...but it has held up fine. Certainly something that should be an immediate concern on anyone's '98+ LC that will see off-road use.

It would be nice to have a steel or aluminum belly pan to replace the plastic factory POS...
LC tcase skid plate 1.jpg
LC tcase skidplate 2.jpg
 
wow spressomon!!

That looks great. Did you only make one??
 
superdosser said:
That looks great. Did you only make one??

Yea...it was the only scrap piece I had. If I do it again I guess I would use 1/4" steel plate and weld 1/4 plate strip all around (or just on the front and rear side) at about 45 degree angle to provide a 'ramp' for any rocks, etc. to transition over the actual skid plate (yea I know that was really confusing...a picture would be better...). I only say steel for the next one simply because I don't have an aluminum welder, pre-heat oven, etc...let alone the skills to weld aluminum.
 

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