another 2nd gen skid plate

[wrigley_1285]

I was starting to worry about busting my radiator while trail riding and decided to start making a skid plate for it. It's made out of 3/16" steel and it goes from the bottom of my bumper to the front cross member. It has a couple of bends at each end. I didn't have enough time to make a rear bracket for the cross member yet so we just welded it onto it to get by for the weekend. Here's some pics of how it is for now.

I'm going to be adding some wings on the side of the plate to add some more protection around the side of the radiator. I'm also thinking about cutting the front of the plate to match the curve of the bumper or I may just leave it like it is until I can get a front bumper made and have the plate mount to the bumper the way it is. Comments, questions and suggestions are welcome...

 

[MidnightRebel07]

Nice, might wanna reinforce it to the framerails some because being mounted directly to the bumper won't give it as much support as you need, Just a suggestion.

 

[mounty71]

Nice, I thought about doing something similar to this before I just made an entirely new bumper. Just a warning, some people experience cooling problems after putting on a big skidplate in front of the radiator, especially if you're planning to close it in on the sides too.

 

[wrigley_1285]

yeah i'm still planning on making some supports for it plus my front bumper has the body lift brackets on it and it does let the bumper flex quite a bit. i was just in a hurry to get aleast some protection for my front end since i was supose to go to the badlands a couple weeks ago. plus it's only gonna be mounted this was until i get a front bumper made for my truck

 

[gmanpaint]

Something is better than nothing

I agree that any significant pressure applied to it will result in some damage to the bumper, but hey, its just a stock bumper and your gonna replace it anyways.

If you can, keep it separate from the new bumper. Let the frame take the force of an impact. Add a Cross member like stated before, and bolt it to that. Much stronger and things won't break if a hard impact occurs.

 

[$$exploder$$]

Hey man just cut you holes in it or slot it to let air flow while still protecting