One of the other projects I got done before I went to Moab was fabbing up a new skidplate for the 45. I originally designed the halo and rail design for the 40, but due to a unforseen change in specifications, I ended up using the parts for the 45. They say that everything happens for a reason, and I guess it was meant to be. After all, I don't profess myself to be a fabricator, so I guess it worked out better that my first attempt at fabbing a skidplate would be for the 45, which doesn't get beat on as hard as the 40
The halo measures 19.5" across and 22" long. 1.5" tubing. This covers just the trans and transfer case, leaving more room for exhaust and driveshafts than most of the commercial skidplates I've seen. It also allowed for 'wrapping' the tube around the transfer while tucking up closer to the trans, which saved at least 1" of ground c learance all by itself.
I used 1/4" thick 3x3 angle iron for the frame rails and trimmed it down on the horizontal plane to match the width of the frame only. Relief holes were drilled to coincide with the rivets in the frame to bring the angle up as flush as possible. THen the angle was thru-bolted horizontally so that there would be no protruding bolts hanging down to get caught on rocks.
Since the most vulnerable point of the powertrain is the passenger side of the transfer, only that half of the skid got skinned. By pushing the halo up as high as possible, I ended up with the low speed gear part of the housing being 1/4" below the halo, which necessitated a 'step' in the skid. As you can see from the photos, I took advantage of the transition to locate my drain hole for the transfer, which meant that I could cut the access out with a grinder.
If all goes well, I will be handing all the drawings over to Wasabi for him to market these commercially in his new shop.
The halo measures 19.5" across and 22" long. 1.5" tubing. This covers just the trans and transfer case, leaving more room for exhaust and driveshafts than most of the commercial skidplates I've seen. It also allowed for 'wrapping' the tube around the transfer while tucking up closer to the trans, which saved at least 1" of ground c learance all by itself.
I used 1/4" thick 3x3 angle iron for the frame rails and trimmed it down on the horizontal plane to match the width of the frame only. Relief holes were drilled to coincide with the rivets in the frame to bring the angle up as flush as possible. THen the angle was thru-bolted horizontally so that there would be no protruding bolts hanging down to get caught on rocks.
Since the most vulnerable point of the powertrain is the passenger side of the transfer, only that half of the skid got skinned. By pushing the halo up as high as possible, I ended up with the low speed gear part of the housing being 1/4" below the halo, which necessitated a 'step' in the skid. As you can see from the photos, I took advantage of the transition to locate my drain hole for the transfer, which meant that I could cut the access out with a grinder.
If all goes well, I will be handing all the drawings over to Wasabi for him to market these commercially in his new shop.
