ORC version 1 Skid plate

[CrawlnT2]

ORC (Offroad Connection) of Alabama fabed me a skid plate that has turned out to be one of the best mods to my T2. I just wanted to share!

Why I choose this skid plate:

Quiet in the woods or on rocks (unlike aluminium or steel)

Slick non-friction surface keeps you from being hung up

Flush mounts and hardware

One peice

Colors: Black White and mulitcolor

The mold

Skid cut to mold

In Action!!

[Kinarfi]

Sweet, how much did it cost. How thick is the material and what is the material used. I assume the metal bars are skid bars, do they need to be embedded? Who has the template now?

kinarfi

[ricksrb]

Looks great,about 1/2" thick? How much weight if any did it add?

[CrawlnT2]

Sweet, how much did it cost. How thick is the material and what is the material used. I assume the metal bars are skid bars, do they need to be embedded? Who has the template now?

kinarfi

Off road Connection has the templates and will be glad to make many more. $600 and it includes the flush mounting hardware. The mounting did not need to be embedded just did it that way to keep from dragging or hanging up when bottomed out. The material is like a cutting board at industrial strength. It is 1/2 inch thick. It might weigh 35 to 50 lbs just a est. But i also removed the old metal skids prior to bolting this one on. Hopefully I didnt add any weight!!

[Guest Lenny]

Sweet, how much did it cost. How thick is the material and what is the material used. I assume the metal bars are skid bars, do they need to be embedded? Who has the template now?

kinarfi

I assume that it is UHMW ( Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene ). It's prety tough stuff. Rather it would hold the entire weight of the Trooper on a somewhat pointed rock is debateable but other then that it should work good. A 5' x 10' sheet 1/2" thick would probably run around $450 from a plastics distributor. It cuts easy with a saw.

Lenny

[ricksrb]

got back last night from spending the day on Saturday eating Lennys dust(LOL).While unloading it off the trailer just happened to look underneath and saw my skid plate had a couple real good dents and one of the cross members of the frame had a big dent in it.I know i bottomed out once but not that bad so it happened on another trip and just did not notice it.I remembered this post about the one piece skid plate and now seriously thinking of doing it.I need to find the material,hopefully not too expensive.Any thoughts?

[Kinarfi]

got back last night from spending the day on Saturday eating Lennys dust(LOL).While unloading it off the trailer just happened to look underneath and saw my skid plate had a couple real good dents and one of the cross members of the frame had a big dent in it.I know i bottomed out once but not that bad so it happened on another trip and just did not notice it.I remembered this post about the one piece skid plate and now seriously thinking of doing it.I need to find the material,hopefully not too expensive.Any thoughts?

Here's a few photos of what I did, but I haven't had a chance to beat it up yet,

click on the thumbnail and then browse the album

Kinarfi

[ricksrb]

Here's a few photos of what I did, but I haven't had a chance to beat it up yet,

click on the thumbnail and then browse the album

Kinarfi

whats the thickness? is it aluminum?

[2scoops]

Crawlin2, I am diggin your ride and where you are going with it! This is a sweet upgrade. I used to compete in UROC, so I appreciate the crawler touches you are adding. I will probably be doing something like this very soon. I am tired of getting hung up on the dumbest things. I was thinking of doing 1/4 inch aluminum. I need to make a decision. The trooper reminds me of a mini rock racer. I love it!

[Kinarfi]

whats the thickness? is it aluminum?

If I remember correctly, I ordered 1/8" aluminum and what they sold me was .120 aluminum and I think the grade was 5052, the bend had to be done with a press brake. yep, ALUMINUM SHEET 10 X 4 X 1/8" 5052, just a little under $200

Still have over half of it left. plan to put some under the engine next, if you do this, replace all the hardware with clipnuts and 1 1/2" bolts or truss head screws.

kinarfi

[Guest Lenny]

Crawlin2, I am diggin your ride and where you are going with it! This is a sweet upgrade. I used to compete in UROC, so I appreciate the crawler touches you are adding. I will probably be doing something like this very soon. I am tired of getting hung up on the dumbest things. I was thinking of doing 1/4 inch aluminum. I need to make a decision. The trooper reminds me of a mini rock racer. I love it!

The !/8" aluminum is fine for most of the under side. I sujest grade 6061-t6 which is one of the more strong aluminums. The 7000 series is aircraft aluminum but more expensive and more difficult to work with. Some of it is almost like spring steel. I use a 3/8" thick plaste under my engine and directly under the differential it is beefed up to 3/4" thick. With 1/4" I put a hex hole in the plate from the diff drain bolt when I clipped a rock. Went to 3/8" and could still push it in when clipping a rock hard. Now with 3/4" under the diff, when I clip a rock good and hard, I just bounce over it without damage. Notice in Kinarfis picture how he bent the front 4" up on a slope. This is just under the front of the seat. I did this on mine also. I kept catching rocks on the pipe there. With the slope, this doesn't happen. Under the front diff I use a 1/4" thick plate. I also use a 1/4" thick plate under my gas tank. I wouldn't want to rupture the tank while making sparks bouncing over a rock. The 1/8' 6061-t6 plate will hold the trooper up on rocks without too much bend in and it doesn't need to take inpact hits like the diffs might. The stock aluminum is pretty soft and it doesn't take much to bend it. I welded new tabs with threaded holes on the under side to hold the plate and used 3/8" grade 8 flat socket head bolts with the aluminum being counter sunk to receive them. Nothing to catch rocks. I would be concerned with the weight of all being 1/4" thick and don't feel it is necessary.

Lenny

[2scoops]

The !/8" aluminum is fine for most of the under side. I sujest grade 6061-t6 which is one of the more strong aluminums. The 7000 series is aircraft aluminum but more expensive and more difficult to work with. Some of it is almost like spring steel. I use a 3/8" thick plaste under my engine and directly under the differential it is beefed up to 3/4" thick. With 1/4" I put a hex hole in the plate from the diff drain bolt when I clipped a rock. Went to 3/8" and could still push it in when clipping a rock hard. Now with 3/4" under the diff, when I clip a rock good and hard, I just bounce over it without damage. Notice in Kinarfis picture how he bent the front 4" up on a slope. This is just under the front of the seat. I did this on mine also. I kept catching rocks on the pipe there. With the slope, this doesn't happen. Under the front diff I use a 1/4" thick plate. I also use a 1/4" thick plate under my gas tank. I wouldn't want to rupture the tank while making sparks bouncing over a rock. The 1/8' 6061-t6 plate will hold the trooper up on rocks without too much bend in and it doesn't need to take inpact hits like the diffs might. The stock aluminum is pretty soft and it doesn't take much to bend it. I welded new tabs with threaded holes on the under side to hold the plate and used 3/8" grade 8 flat socket head bolts with the aluminum being counter sunk to receive them. Nothing to catch rocks. I would be concerned with the weight of all being 1/4" thick and don't feel it is necessary.

Lenny

Good stuff guys--thanks. My goal will be to get the bottom completely flat. It is the tubes that I also get caught up on. I have some aircraft panel fasteners I would love to use on the skid plate. They would be completely flush and they are speed fastners. They would engage a floating nutplate & have a retainer so they don't fall out of the panel.