- Local time
- 4:34 AM
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2022
- Messages
- 2,205
- Reaction score
- 4,399
- Location
- Brisbane, Queensland Australia
@Dual Grenny Guy ...thankfully, the product I bought is fabricated from 4mm stainless steel which provides a degree of flex to absorb big hits ( hopefully very rare) without necessarily cracking, and reduces the weight. No way could I manage a 6mm mild steel plate .!!!I’m VERY impressed you were able to do it all yourself! I went the “SPP” F.M.J. route, but unlike you this ole body of mine had a difficult time trying to negotiate holding the heavy ass plates and bolting them in place, so I had to hire a shop to install for me. I tip my hat to ya sir!
View attachment 7878413
View attachment 7878414
View attachment 7878415
View attachment 7878416
The large plate covering the sump and transmission is about 25 lb while the bash plate for the transfer case weighed in at about 21 lbs. I "balanced" each in turn on an empty 10 litre paint tin which provided about an inch of clearance then manoeuvred it into position with the head of a broom....While the diff covers were straightforward the challenge with the large plates was finding a "path" for my arms in a confined space up behind the front crossmember to get sufficient leverage to insert then torque the Nyloc nuts while holding the bolts.... When I got them 'sort of' tight I cinched them lightly with a socket on an impact driver using a "floppy" extension which gave about 10-15 degrees of leeway. Took a tad longer than I had anticipated...
Sorry about the long post but someone doing a solo install without jack stands or hoist might find it useful. I own jack stands but have only 1/2" headroom between the roof bars and the garage section door.... It's sufficient