Skid plate material

[Area54]

I'd say go with the checkerplate. I have used some checkerplate as my sill gaurds and it is strong enough to hi lift on and has held the weight of the car on rocks and logs before plus taken a couple of hard hits with only one major dent to show for 7 years.

Besides the weight saving it is cheaper and if you do really give it a whack it will take the initial force then bend, then break rather than the components it is protecting. The ability to flex will save your frame or whatever you have mounted it to. If you use a heavier less flexible substrate you run the risk that if you give it a really good whack you may find that the bash plate survives but what it is attached to becomes the next weak link and bang one cracked frame etc

Totally agree.

[spazbot]

okay, i have a street sign, but its only 2mm, where can i find a 6m sheet? Big signs like on the freeway are still the same thickness!

I so wanna massive keep left, or give way to traffic on roundabout

What you want is a "wrong way go back" or "do no park on median strip"

[Wendle]

okay, i have a street sign, but its only 2mm, where can i find a 6m sheet? Big signs like on the freeway are still the same thickness!

I so wanna massive keep left, or give way to traffic on roundabout

What you want is a "wrong way go back" or "do no park on median strip"

wildebeest next 10km.

[Dozoor]

Funny , i was in the body biulders the other day and asked the guy about
som bisalloy plate , when i was doing demolishing there where a few trucks running bissalloy rock bodys, I know personally how tuff this stuff is, when you load tippers with huge rio inforced concrete blocks with rsj's hanging out of them ,the tend to rip great holes down the side when you tip, bis takes it all without a mark,
I'm sure they used to make it in 4mm , but the body biulder reckons thinest is 6mm now, bummer heavy as.

[Carl Coight]

Bisalloy is the material used in rear dump bodies in the mines.
I have loaded 100 tonne rocks into trucks and they hardly leave a mark when dumped out.
Yep, it sure is tough stuff, but, be warned, when it bends it is FARKING hard to bend back and will destroy whatever it is mounted to.

[Beastmavster]

yes, it is for my vitara. i want to protect the vunerable ifs (read: crappy aluminium diff) so i was just weighing up the options.

i think plain old aluminium might be the go, both for its weight, and that fact that i still take my vitara on the beach, so i dont want it rusting. and i don't drive it near as hard as you guys do, so i don't think i need a ballistic grade bashplate.

plenty of good tech in this topic, keep it coming

I'm doing mine shortly using approx 3mm (I think 3.2mm but cant remember what size I was getting) alloy chequerplate. It may not be as strong as some of the other options - but hey Vitaras are *ALMOST* light enough to float. Also weighing down a zook destroys much of raison d'etre - high power to weight.

Any armour is better than none - so long as there is some clearance between the really fragile stuff or some extra bracing there so the alloy cant bend up too much....

I will be welding in some 25mm mild steel tubing for support, and then screwing the chequerplate to this.

[Fathillbilly]

i will put in my 2c here

steel grades from softest to hardest, in a ballistic sense

Lyten, Compass, Bizalloy

Lyten is pretty easy to work with and a 3mm thick sheet will take more than enough of a beating you guys will be able to dish out, it might scratch, but that’s about it. this is what is used for most armour plating in vehicles these days, it used to be compass 20-15 years ago

the more folds you put in the more rigid the panel becomes, this applies to every metal

compass and biz don’t like been folded unless annealed, and are hard to drill, cut, and fold. they are both pricks to form.

with Ballistic alloy you will need 2 layers of 5mm to get the same strength as 1 layer of 3mm Lyten, = no real weight gain by using alloy.

and it “Alloy” gouges when dragged across stuff

Stu

[1MadEngineer]

the POS machine runs 5mm Creusebro 8000 (equiv of bis 500)
BJ's is 6mm bis 360. as the bends are less than 45deg it pretty easy to bend. (200 - 400 ton). if anyone wants a specific custom one i may be able to help make it..... for a reasonable price. something like bj's at $160
or Adrians (which is nearly 1m long) for $340 , which is ideal for dual case setup and high clearance x-members. both from either bis80 or bis 360 - 6mm.

[Bush65]

In Aluminium, I would use 5083 alloy (as used for coal wagons and trucks). I don't see the point in chequer plate unless you have it on hand - from memory it is not a strong alloy, the embossed pattern is for slip resistance and doesn't contribute to mechanical properties.

In steel, I would use Bisalloy 80 (or maybe 360).

In road signs, I would use one of those in the following pics.

But I am leaning toward 3CR12 - lower friction values and higher bling factor.

[bogged]

yes, it is for my vitara. i want to protect the vunerable ifs (read: crappy aluminium diff) so i was just weighing up the options.

So you can see it from the front, hey? In that case you HAVE to make it from a GIVE WAY sign

Do you still stand by this statement?

[just cruizin']

3CR12 would be good as it is very wear resistant but will rust, I used to be involved in making underground mining vehicles made from this. Easy to work and weld just make sure you get the correct wire and gas. And available in various thinkness, sometimes. Not sure about bling though, won't polish up as nice as 316 etc.

[Wendle]

yes, it is for my vitara. i want to protect the vunerable ifs (read: crappy aluminium diff) so i was just weighing up the options.

So you can see it from the front, hey? In that case you HAVE to make it from a GIVE WAY sign

Do you still stand by this statement?

no. aluminum sucks for skid plates. i have tried it. it just doesn't slide nice.

[POS]

Yeah and i just use normal 3mm mild steel plate.

[Wendle]

Yeah and i just use normal 3mm mild steel plate.

same here. for belly and boatsides. just weld it in and forget about it..

[mike]

Yeah and i just use normal 3mm mild steel plate.

same here. for belly and boatsides. just weld it in and forget about it..

yup same here i gal'd mine and it works a treat!

[Rhett]

What about plastics? or alloy with a thin layer of lexen or somthing screwed to it to make it slide?

[4x4Monkey]

Bizelloid
Very very very very strong steel

wont cut it with a grinder or a diamond saw
You need a heavy duty oxy to cut it
same shit they use to the teeth on mine diggers