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aardvarcus · 09-24-2015, 08:56 AM

A new update, aka no this thread isn’t dead.

I had a hard time finding plugs that would be big enough to fill the square holes, but eventually I found and ordered plugs from NAPA that I think will work. I will try to pull the fender flares off soon.

I have gone back and forth on how to make my underbelly belly pan-skid plate combo. I am trying to balance weight, durability off road, cost, ease of construction, ease of maintenance, etcetera. That pushed me towards aluminum or high strength plastic. The biggest problem was getting access to reasonably priced HDPE, UHMW, or aluminum as what I could get a deal on (aka cost) would probably drive what I would use, and I didn’t want to spend retail on this project because of the amount and thicknesses I needed. So it was hard to really design when I didn’t even know what I would build it out of.

Well, thanks to a good deal I found that problem is solved. Yesterday I brought home enough ¼” thick diamond plate aluminum pieces to make the belly pan out of. Obviously I will put the smooth side down. Most of the pieces are U shaped, 21” by 33.5” with 3.5” bends on each side of the 33.5” dimension. If they were flat they would be 28x33.5. I may try to include some of the bends in the structure for rigidity.

I am sure many think this material is way too heavy to be used as a belly pan. I am sure many think this material is way to light duty to be a skid plate. So I figure this is a good compromise for both. Truth be told I would have been happy with 3/16, but beggars can’t be choosers.

So hopefully I will do a real design in the next few weeks. Life is crazy busy.

09-24-2015, 08:56 AM	#78 (permalink)
aardvarcus Master EcoModder Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Evensville, TN Posts: 676 Deep Blue - '94 GMC Suburban K2500 SLE 90 day: 23.75 mpg (US) Griffin (T4R) - '99 Toyota 4Runner SR5 90 day: 25.43 mpg (US) Thanks: 237 Thanked 580 Times in 322 Posts	A new update, aka no this thread isn’t dead. I had a hard time finding plugs that would be big enough to fill the square holes, but eventually I found and ordered plugs from NAPA that I think will work. I will try to pull the fender flares off soon. I have gone back and forth on how to make my underbelly belly pan-skid plate combo. I am trying to balance weight, durability off road, cost, ease of construction, ease of maintenance, etcetera. That pushed me towards aluminum or high strength plastic. The biggest problem was getting access to reasonably priced HDPE, UHMW, or aluminum as what I could get a deal on (aka cost) would probably drive what I would use, and I didn’t want to spend retail on this project because of the amount and thicknesses I needed. So it was hard to really design when I didn’t even know what I would build it out of. Well, thanks to a good deal I found that problem is solved. Yesterday I brought home enough ¼” thick diamond plate aluminum pieces to make the belly pan out of. Obviously I will put the smooth side down. Most of the pieces are U shaped, 21” by 33.5” with 3.5” bends on each side of the 33.5” dimension. If they were flat they would be 28x33.5. I may try to include some of the bends in the structure for rigidity. I am sure many think this material is way too heavy to be used as a belly pan. I am sure many think this material is way to light duty to be a skid plate. So I figure this is a good compromise for both. Truth be told I would have been happy with 3/16, but beggars can’t be choosers. So hopefully I will do a real design in the next few weeks. Life is crazy busy.