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after market skids

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Grinch

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could anybody tell me what guage aluminum they are made from? i'm in the process of trying to cut out a set on the scroll saw. the aluminum cuts pretty good. i have 3 thicknesses : 1/16, 1/8, and somewhere between the two.
 
The thicker the Alum. The less it will bend.
Also, the more shock will be transferred to the rest of your truck.
Both good and bad with each choice.
Make sure your screws are long enough.
 
I tried running aluminum skid plates. After several bash sessions, I spent a great deal of time taking the skids off and bending them back to their original shape (what a pain in the a...) I decided to go back to the stock plastic skids and have yet to take them off for a re-bend.

I recommend steering clear of aluminum skid plates and either get the bullet proof titanium set which will break before they will bend and it takes a lot to break them. Or stick with plastic (cost effective and durable).

BTW both the Ti and plastic skids are lighter and more durable than the aluminum.
 
I say to go with the RPM after you have bent the living crap out of the aluminums. Or get some go Ti to work with.

I have Dynamites now and will beat them til the bitter end, but when I do, I'm going back to rpm.

Like Eddy said, the thicker you go the more chock transfer. The thinner, the more bend. I couldnt agree more.

Post pics when your done, I want to see them bad boys!

The advantage you have, is even if you bend the tar out of em, you can just make more hehehe...
 
i just finished cutting out the rear skid and de-enameling(?) it. it looks pretty good. i have a couple of cans of "anodized in a can" that produces a pretty good finish. i got blue and yellow. i should have the rear one done tomorrow. i'll post some pics then.
 
Grinch looks like you did a good job on the skid.
 
the aluminum was easy as pie to cut. however i screwed up drilling the holes that attach to the chassis braces. i'm gonna do another one with some thicker aluminum so i can countersink the holes.
 
Grinch, would you mind posting a to scale size template of the skid since you did such a good job on it? I would love to make some of my own skids too. :D
 
Looks as good as one out of the LHS. Nice work. Hopefully it will perform as well as you did when creating it.
 
Well here is my .02 worth.
I have ran with aluminum two words come to mind "THEY SUCKED". The first bumper to bumper flip that my truck did bent the crap out of them. If you have to unbend them to much they will just break off. I now have the titanium skids they are rock solid. It is one of the best upgrades I have done. I have had some more bumper to bumper rolls and not a thing wrong with the titanium.

With reference to the RPM wear plates as these are not a skid plate like the aluminum or titanium. The RPM is to be used with your stock or after market skids.

Nice job on the home made skids.
 
Originally posted by Alein
Well here is my .02 worth.
I have ran with aluminum two words come to mind "THEY SUCKED". The first bumper to bumper flip that my truck did bent the crap out of them. If you have to unbend them to much they will just break off. I now have the titanium skids they are rock solid. It is one of the best upgrades I have done. I have had some more bumper to bumper rolls and not a thing wrong with the titanium.


Nice job on the home made skids.

But did you make your Titanium skids or buy them???
 
Retread, what shocks and springs are you running? The shaft on your left front shock looks red. Whats with that?
 
here's how i did it. go to a local sign shop and see if you can get a scrap of aluminum sheet in whatever thickness you would like to use and a scrap of white vinyl. you may want to get the aluminum thick enough to be able to countersink the screw heads. they would probably have a load of it kicking around. for a template i just used the stock skids. take the vinyl with the backing paper still intact and tape it to the bottom of the skid vinyl side up over the whole length. trace around the skid with a marker. stick the vinyl to the aluminum. now you\'re ready to cut. use a scroll saw blade that is narrow with plenty of teeth. take your time cutting! sand off the enamel finish from the skid with 220 grit sandpaper. i used sandpaper and files for any cleanup work on the edges but i guess you could use a dremel. removing the finish and clean up work is easier before the skid is bent to the right angle. i used the stocker to drill the holes. use care here too cause it\'s real easy to be a little bit off. to bend the skid: put nuts and bolts through both skids. then continually roll it on a flat surface till the tail end of the skids meet. i figure it is better to bend it gradually by rolling. that\'s it! pick your finish and bolt \'em on. it cost me about 20$ and 2 hrs. of work. if any of this seems unclear just let me know and i\'ll try to explain it better. oh... and thanx for all the compliments!


note: the picture has the skid before and after cutting. thats what your template should look like.
 
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Since bending my alum skids one too many times I decided to make a hybrid of alum/plastic skids. The alum is actually 2 pieces and the plastic holds the alum in place thus no more bent skids while the alum has better longevity froms scrapes than the plastic.
 
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