X88 expeditions - Documenting and sharing overland travels, adventures, and expeditions

April 10, 2009

Skidplates and Safety - Sliders

And now the Finale.

The impetus for the whole project was my desire to have some kind of skid plate between the Fab-Fours bumper and the frame. I have been investigating taking existing products and modifying them, like these BDS skid plates:

But after getting information back from various product reps and particularly the great tech support guys at BDS, I learned that most products are not built to rest the vehicle on. They are shields at best to prevent debris from hitting the lift parts that stick down below the frame.

So I started to think about alternatives when I came across this beauty at Suicide Doors:

It is their 4-link bracket ... I bought 4.

The goal was to fabricate up some "rock sliders" for the front and mount them between the bumper and the frame but make the whole assembly removable for service requirements. Here are pictures from the front.

Some side views to see how it is mounted.






And some close ups of the front and rear mounting of the 4-link brackets:

The front bracket is mounted to a vertical plate on the bumper with grade 8 bolts. The rear bracket is welded to a plate that was bolted and welded to the frame. Poly bushings were used inside the tubes at the mounting points to eliminate rattling. And all mounting bolts were grade 8 as well. Everything was coated with POR-15 for rust prevention.

Overall another great project by the pros at National 4WD.

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