Skid plate, rocker sliders and axle armor. (1 Viewer)

[firefighterjed]

A recent 4x4 outing with the boisecruiserheads gave me two things to think about. I have almost no four wheeling experience so much of this is new for me.

First, I don’t intend for this vehicle to be a rock crawler. It’s to nice. But I would like to adventure on some rocky terrain. I want to install some rocker protection so I can prevent body damage if I go over a rock that’s to tall. It should be discrete, but robust enough to provide the needed protection.

I can fabricate, so if you’ve got pics of what I’m describing, could you post them up? And materials info.

Second:
We encountered some snow on this outing and the 3 or fourth rig across a new track was getting stuck because the tire ruts would get deep enough that the axle housings/difs/undercarriage would drag. This got me thinking about the importance of clearance.

My rig came to me with a skid plate on the front axle. It looks to me like a sturdy unit and it replaces the passenger front leaf spring plate.

This is probably good for rocks, but bad for deep snow and/or mud.

For you more experienced offf road folks, is the protection worth the decreased clearance?

 

[pb4ugo]

I'd lose the skid plate. If you want a little more clearance get a u bolt flip kit. Make the bottom slippery, so it slides off obstacles. When wheeling make a mental picture of the clearances under your 40. Know where the pumpkins are.

 

[Downey]

^^^^^ Agree, in my opinion that skid plate is a loss of ground clearance, adds zilch to the strength of the front axle housing, adds unnecessary weight to the vehicle, and it would constantly be hung up on rocks.

 

[DangerNoodle]

Possibly a good option for sliders. Maintains a sorta oem look without sacrificing breakover point.

I would 100% ditch the front axle skid thing.

 

[peesalot]

Lose the "Thing" that has attached itself to your front axle.

 

[Firemedic831]

Metal Tech sells a nice set of Rock Sliders . Get rid of the old Go Rhino Axle truss.

 

[numby]

That's an old Rancho axle truss. Kind of joke in that they are very bad for ground clearance and wil catch ledges and edges like your shins in a sword fight with hobbits. They were never (afaik) made for a 40, 55, or 60s which is why it sits so ridiculously lopsided. Someone got "kree-8-iv". Notice the overly long u-bolt ends hanging down where they bent a tab over and tucked it under the spring. Gak.

As an aside - I am looking for one for an unrelated project if you decide pry it out of there.

 

[firefighterjed]

@numby the truss is yours if you’ll make a donation to my u bolt flip kit fund, and cover shipping from idaho.

 

[1MOA]

Ditch the axle skid plate and do a u bolt flip and you will be fine.
I have a 77 that constantly drug the shackle bolts at rausch creek wheeling. I did the flip and ran the trails the next year and never hit the rocks once.

4PlusProducts | FJ40 | Suspension Parts | U-Bolt Flip Kit

The ultimate kit for U-bolt protection and ground clearance on spring under axle equipped 40 series Land Cruisers.

www.4plusproducts.com

 

[numby]

PM $ent.

 

[firefighterjed]

Flip kit ordered. Couldn’t order from 4 Plus online, but ordering from Dave via email was very easy.

I think i have my head wrapped around the sliders I want to build.

Thanks everyone for the replies.

 

[pjohnson]

To protect the diff from bashing into rocks, I welded a curved strip of steel to the pumpkin protecting the ring gear. I think I used 3/16 and pounded it into a curve to match the diff.

You could also use an 8" (?) Pipe cap cut in half:
Pipe Fittings Direct - https://www.pipefittingsdirect.com › ...
8 inch schedule 40 carbon steel weld on cap - Pipe Fittings Direct

 

[firefighterjed]

Here’s a before and after shot of the front axle clearance. The flip kit from 4plus was an impressive product that installed without issue.

I don’t have a “before” pic of the rear, but i really like how the kit moves the lower shock mount up and out of the way a little bit.

 

[firefighterjed]

That's an old Rancho axle truss. Kind of joke in that they are very bad for ground clearance and wil catch ledges and edges like your shins in a sword fight with hobbits. They were never (afaik) made for a 40, 55, or 60s which is why it sits so ridiculously lopsided. Someone got "kree-8-iv". Notice the overly long u-bolt ends hanging down where they bent a tab over and tucked it under the spring. Gak.

As an aside - I am looking for one for an unrelated project if you decide pry it out of there.

Shipped it today. Check your messages.