My Plan for Full Plastic Bellypan Skid Plates!!!!!

2mopar_diesels · **Posted:** Thu Jan 29, 2009 3:20 pm

Ok, as you guys may allready know, I'm a research addict. I need every skidplate except the front diff. After looking at whats available: OEM, prefabbed aftermarket, or custom; and adding up my costs, I decided not to do either (well, not by itself anyways). If you watch, you may have seen this stuff in action on professional competition rock crawlers, just never noticed it. It is called UHMWPE(ultra high molecular weight poly ethylene) commonly used in heavy industrial use and food prep usually in white, but also available in black. It is a stronger, slicker, more stable version of the common household cutting boards found at the grocery store. Easily worked and cut with standard wood working tools, and a heat gun/propane torch. Here's my plan:

Go to the junk yard, find a Libby with full skids pull the t-case skid and gas tank skids. Use a 3/8" sheet on bottom of gas tank skid and fabricate a full belly pan out of 1/2in. between diff skid and tranny crossmember and over the t-case skid.

All that cheaper than getting just a t-case skid from an aftermarket supplier!!!!!

KJ kyle · **Posted:** Thu Jan 29, 2009 3:39 pm

make sure to get some pictures. sounds interesting

RAYMAN975 · **Posted:** Thu Jan 29, 2009 3:42 pm

yea that sounds pretty cool!

JJsTJ · **Posted:** Thu Jan 29, 2009 3:43 pm

Anxiously awaiting your results. Where are you going to purchase from?

jsc7002 · **Posted:** Thu Jan 29, 2009 3:49 pm

wanna make a couple extra? I would definitely be interested! be interesting to see what you come up with.

2mopar_diesels · **Posted:** Thu Jan 29, 2009 3:50 pm

JJsKJ wrote:

Anxiously awaiting your results. Where are you going to purchase from?

http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cf ... op_cat=181

Because I will be using 2 different thickness sheets cause on the gas tank skid I want a slider plate with the least amount of lost ground clearance hence the 3/8's and a thicker/stronger/stiffer piece to span the engine & trany, I won't need a full 4'x8' sheet. Only a piece of each.

jsc7002 · **Posted:** Thu Jan 29, 2009 3:53 pm

how are you going to make the gas tank skid? I mean is there a way to cut it and "weld" it together?? thanks for the link! I might buy some and re-make my transmission skid from that 1/2"

tommudd · **Posted:** Thu Jan 29, 2009 4:03 pm

This should be interesting , you will still need a frame of somekind to mount to , won't you? It works well on lighter weight rigs, but on a KJ ? But then I guess it depends on where you are and how big the rocks are

2mopar_diesels · **Posted:** Thu Jan 29, 2009 4:03 pm

jsc7002 wrote:

how are you going to make the gas tank skid? I mean is there a way to cut it and "weld" it together?? thanks for the link! I might buy some and re-make my transmission skid from that 1/2"

No, I'm just gonna add/screw a plate of 3/8's UHMW to the bottom of the factory plate to serve as a slider, and bevel the edges for a slight "ramping" effect to prevent it from snagging and peeling if/when going over rocks.

2mopar_diesels · **Posted:** Thu Jan 29, 2009 4:07 pm

tommudd wrote:

This should be interesting , you will still need a frame of somekind to mount to , won't you? It works well on lighter weight rigs, but on a KJ ? But then I guess it depends on where you are and how big the rocks are

Have you seen the weight of some of the buggies that use this stuff??? Alot are not exactly "light" weight and run in the 3000-4000# range as they have big v8 engines, dual tcases, heavy d60 axles etc. As for the mounting, the area that will be spanned between the front diff skid and tranny crossmember is not really long enough to warrant extra bracing in my application. And will be mounted in the same factory holes used for the OEM skid using round head carraige bolts. And besides, I don't foresee banging and pounding over boulders with this. Just a little something to save weight, money, and to be a little unique. Besides, it'll be cool anyway!!!

KJ kyle · **Posted:** Thu Jan 29, 2009 4:34 pm

if its just a cover over existing plates, why so thick?

Maximum Carnage · **Posted:** Thu Jan 29, 2009 4:37 pm

These sounds very interesting make sure you keep us updated.

JJsTJ · **Posted:** Thu Jan 29, 2009 6:03 pm

I think I will be adding some to the flat belly of my SFA. At least it will keep me from having to keep touching up the paint.

jsc7002 · **Posted:** Thu Jan 29, 2009 6:33 pm

they also have Au, so I might see if I cant make some stuff from that, although its not as cheap as the plastics

2mopar_diesels · **Posted:** Thu Jan 29, 2009 8:46 pm

KJ kyle wrote:

if its just a cover over existing plates, why so thick?

Thats what the use of 3/8 is for. Anything less stands the chance of getting cut & torn too easily. And will cover the tcase skid and fuel tank. The 1/2 stuff will have the duty of spanning by itself, the open space between the front diff skid and tranny cross member so it has to be thicker because it might have to support more weight if bashed on.

tommudd · **Posted:** Thu Jan 29, 2009 8:52 pm

But back to my original thoughts on weight etc. Is 1/2 inch thick enough and strong enough if you come down on a rock full force under the tranny pan? even with your 4000 lb buggy we have another 750/1000 over that.

Just challenging you to think some more and prove what you have researched :wink:

JJsTJ · **Posted:** Thu Jan 29, 2009 9:02 pm

It will be interesting to see if/how it springs back into place after a hit. Instead of bending like steel, I suspect it might flex and return. Also, If it at least stays put, it should still protect the trans pan, it will keep it from getting gouged open by rocks or crushed by spreading out the force of a hit. I have a new idea now for my trans pan skid I need to fab up and think i'll use some of this material instead of skinning w/ steel.

805gregg · **Posted:** Thu Jan 29, 2009 9:18 pm

Cool when you flip over you will have one huge cutting board.

JJsTJ · **Posted:** Thu Jan 29, 2009 9:20 pm

805gregg wrote:

Cool when you flip over you will have one huge cutting board.

Exactly!

2mopar_diesels · **Posted:** Thu Jan 29, 2009 9:25 pm

tommudd wrote:

But back to my original thoughts on weight etc. Is 1/2 inch thick enough and strong enough if you come down on a rock full force under the tranny pan? even with your 4000 lb buggy we have another 750/1000 over that.

Just challenging you to think some more and prove what you have researched :wink:

Depends on from what height you are talking about, and would I be in a situation that would cause a crash that hard??? Would it protect the tranny from say a rock that slips from under the tires and rolls into the skids and I drive on? Sure! Would it save the tranny if I'm high up on a ledge making a hard turn to get around a large sharp rock while using my rock rails to pivot around it and it slips, then the whole Jeep comes crashing down on the one spot of the plastic skid protecting the tranny??? Or taking a full on, at speed jump landing onto any kind of rock???.............uhhhhh...........no!!!!! But even then, it would probably still keep the tranny pan from being ruptured and draining out all the fluid.

All that being said, what is more likely to happen with the setup I will have? (2.5"-3" lift and 30in. tires & LSD front and rear) I don't see Baja or severe rock crawling any time in the near future with my CRD, so yeh, I'm absolutely sure it's ok in my application. And when the Libby gets payed off, and i slap in a SFA conversion and make an all-out rock crawler then I will just step up to a full 3/4-1" thick full belly pan.

*edit*
dang I'm a slow typer, cause JJ beat me to the answer while I was typing this..........LOL!!!

My Plan for Full Plastic Bellypan Skid Plates!!!!!

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