I made some skid plates for my LX (1 Viewer)

[turbo8]

I didn't really like what was out there so I made my own skids.
I wanted them to have the following features:
Lightweight (30lbs)
Strong (1/4"aluminum reinforced by formed 1/8" stainless steel supports)
Made from materials that wont rust (aluminum/stainless steel)
Maximum clearance
No steep angles (15º bend)
Smooth bottoms (countersunk hardware)
Easy access to oil filter and drain plug
Easy installation (no jack required)
I don't really rock crawl, so LCA bolt protection wasn't a concern.

What do you guys\gals think?

 

[catastrofe]

Nicely done!

 

[rscoleman]

Very cool

 

[eatSleepWoof]

Great job. I'd buy that!

 

[RyanR]

Very nice! I like your support structure, great design

 

[Mixelplix]

I think it looks magnificent!

 

[turbo8]

There are a couple little things that need changing, but overall I'm quite impressed with the fit of these.

I guess I need to make a transmission skid plate now.

 

[hkeller]

Wow. Nice!

 

[Samuraj]

did you have new radiator ?
look very shiny

 

[turbo8]

did you have new radiator ?
look very shiny

Yup. After 220k miles, I thought it would be a good idea to replace what looked like the original radiator.

 

[Gazziza]

Nicely done. What kind of heads for the bolts are you using? The one thing I'd be concerned about with counter-sunk heads on a flat surface is if you beat the skids or deform them it may be pretty difficult to remove the bolts themselves. Especially since aluminum and stainless steel are softer metals.

 

[turbo8]

1/4-20 sst 100° Phillips head screws. If I make more, I'll change them to 82° socket head cap screws.

 

[turbo8]

Plenty of room to remove the oil filter housing.

 

[Madtiger]

No additional drilling? It mounts to stock holes?

Now, this is something that i would buy. Nicely done.

 

[catastrofe]

No additional drilling? It mounts to stock holes?

Now, this is something that i would buy. Nicely done.

I’d buy a set as well, and I don’t even rock crawl! They seem light enough for “street use” to prevent against thrown road debris.

 

[turbo8]

No additional drilling? It mounts to stock holes?

Now, this is something that i would buy. Nicely done.

Yes, no drilling required and mounts to stock holes.

 

[turbo8]

Getting these parts cut out wasn't cheap. I did ask the shop how much they would charge to make 10 additional sets of these and it's still not cheap ~$800 each

 

[mfeferman]

I didn't really like what was out there so I made my own skids.
I wanted them to have the following features:
Lightweight (30lbs)
Strong (1/4"aluminum reinforced by formed 1/8" stainless steel supports)
Made from materials that wont rust (aluminum/stainless steel)
Maximum clearance
No steep angles (15º bend)
Smooth bottoms (countersunk hardware)
Easy access to oil filter and drain plug
Easy installation (no jack required)
I don't really rock crawl, so LCA bolt protection wasn't a concern.

What do you guys\gals think?

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View attachment 2108131

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View attachment 2108133

This work is on fire! That aluminum plate looks fantastic. I'm going to attempt to do something similar, but I'm not fabricator or metal worker. Those 90 degree soft bends in the aluminum have me most puzzled/concerned. Did you (or your shop) use the annealing process?

 

[turbo8]

This work is on fire! That aluminum plate looks fantastic. I'm going to attempt to do something similar, but I'm not fabricator or metal worker. Those 90 degree soft bends in the aluminum have me most puzzled/concerned. Did you (or your shop) use the annealing process?

Thanks!

When bending\forming aluminum sheet, you typically want to use 5052-H32. It bends pretty easy when using a sheet metal brake.

This thread is kind of old you might want to jump over to the new thread which has an updated design.

E&E Off-Road 200 Series Skid Plate System

Well the cat is out of the bag, a few of us were early adopters/late pre-production beta testers for @turbo8 and his new all aluminum skid plate system branded under his company E&E Off-Road. https://www.ee-offroading.com/product-page/200-series-skid-plate-system I was drawn to this skid plate...

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