New Front Skid Plate

The first step was to remove the old plate that I had made. Although it was very strong, it was too heavy and did not cover everything I wanted to protect.

I got one of the front skid plates from DMI Skidplates. This was one that I had done a test fit on after installing the Tuff Country lift. We put it up in place and then could measure and figure out where the new plate would go.

The next step was to draw it the new plate out on the new metal.

Once it was drawn out, the larger straight cuts were done.

The smaller cuts were done with a machine called an Iron Worker.

Here is a short video of it working. (15mb, not dial up friendly!)

Once the shape was cut out, it was time to start bending it. To do this, a small scrap was used to get the angles we wanted.

Here you can see the plate cut out but not yet bent. You can also see the small piece we used to get the angle of the bends.

Now it was off to the bender!

The side reinforcing fins are bent.

Now it was time to bend the main section of the plate.

The first main bend finished.

Here you can see the second bend finished, and the plate behind the small piece we used to get the angles.

The next step was to make two cutouts for the bolts on the steering rack. The smaller one was easy. A small piece of metal was slightly bent and welded over the hole.

The second rack bolt hangs down 1/2 inch, so a better cover was needed to keep the rocks off it.

For the larger hole, a piece of metal was cut, then the edges were bent at 45° angles. Small triangle pieces were used to cover the corners, and the entire piece was welded to the scrape plate.

The front edge of the larger rack bolt skid was double welded for extra strength.

Here is what the two cutouts look like from the top side.

All the welds were cleaned up, and it was time for a test fitting.

Here you can see the old and new plates side by side. As you can see, the new ones cover more area.

We used lighter metal, but added reinforcing ribs to give it additional strength. The old plate weighed 79 pounds. The new plates weigh 64 pounds, so we lost 15 pounds of weight.

One of the big things that I didn't like was the covers for the rack bolts that I had made. As you can see, the new ones are much better and should not be a big hang up problem.

The next step was to drill out two existing holes in the transfer case cross member. The holes are marked by a green arrow in the picture.

The scrape plate was help in place and the location of the mounting holes were marked in the plate.

The mounting holes were drilled. The mounting holes are shown with green arrows. I also drilled a few smaller weep holes (yellow arrows) in the pockets for the steering rack bolts so water does not get trapped there.

Here you can see the reinforcing ribs. The plate was cleaned up and then painted.

Here you can see the final product on the truck. Basically everything is protected from the front to the rear of the transfer case.

Now for the real test.... in a few days I will be heading off to Moab to give it all a test run! After I get back, I will post an update.

After the first try on making the scrape plate, I decided to get some help from Anthony from our club (The Santa Rosa 4x4's). He had the tools and knowledge to make exactly what I had originally wanted to make, but was not able to. For all picture click HERE.
	The first step was to remove the old plate that I had made. Although it was very strong, it was too heavy and did not cover everything I wanted to protect.
	I got one of the front skid plates from DMI Skidplates. This was one that I had done a test fit on after installing the Tuff Country lift. We put it up in place and then could measure and figure out where the new plate would go.
	The next step was to draw it the new plate out on the new metal.
	Once it was drawn out, the larger straight cuts were done.
	The smaller cuts were done with a machine called an Iron Worker. Here is a short video of it working. (15mb, not dial up friendly!)
	Once the shape was cut out, it was time to start bending it. To do this, a small scrap was used to get the angles we wanted.
	Here you can see the plate cut out but not yet bent. You can also see the small piece we used to get the angle of the bends.
	Now it was off to the bender!
	The side reinforcing fins are bent.
	Now it was time to bend the main section of the plate.
	The first main bend finished.
	Here you can see the second bend finished, and the plate behind the small piece we used to get the angles.
	The next step was to make two cutouts for the bolts on the steering rack. The smaller one was easy. A small piece of metal was slightly bent and welded over the hole. The second rack bolt hangs down 1/2 inch, so a better cover was needed to keep the rocks off it.
	For the larger hole, a piece of metal was cut, then the edges were bent at 45° angles. Small triangle pieces were used to cover the corners, and the entire piece was welded to the scrape plate.
	The front edge of the larger rack bolt skid was double welded for extra strength.
	Here is what the two cutouts look like from the top side.
	All the welds were cleaned up, and it was time for a test fitting.
	Here you can see the old and new plates side by side. As you can see, the new ones cover more area. We used lighter metal, but added reinforcing ribs to give it additional strength. The old plate weighed 79 pounds. The new plates weigh 64 pounds, so we lost 15 pounds of weight.
	One of the big things that I didn't like was the covers for the rack bolts that I had made. As you can see, the new ones are much better and should not be a big hang up problem.
	The next step was to drill out two existing holes in the transfer case cross member. The holes are marked by a green arrow in the picture.
	The scrape plate was help in place and the location of the mounting holes were marked in the plate.
	The mounting holes were drilled. The mounting holes are shown with green arrows. I also drilled a few smaller weep holes (yellow arrows) in the pockets for the steering rack bolts so water does not get trapped there.
	Here you can see the reinforcing ribs. The plate was cleaned up and then painted.
	Here you can see the final product on the truck. Basically everything is protected from the front to the rear of the transfer case.
	Here you can see the DMI Scrape plate on the front. The approach angle is much better with this setup than it was with my scrape plate.
	Now for the real test.... in a few days I will be heading off to Moab to give it all a test run! After I get back, I will post an update.
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10-10-2004