I thought that the stock skid plate was kinda ugly and hated the way that it looked so i took matters into my own hands. I went out bought some steel pipe and a sheet of .125". From there i took some dimensions and got to welding.
This is the truck before:


as it took shape:



yes the mounting brackts are meant to be twisted to fit the frame

And the final product:



i actually am going to cover the space between the upper ends of the bars with some expanded steel. Also thinking of painting the plate and exp. steel a blue color...any input?

Also why are some people (ex:guy that sold me the steel) so determined to make it as hard as possible for a young person (me at 16) with the ability and know how, to actually accomplish something. He asked about what the metal was for and i mentioned my project. He had nothing but reasons why i couldn't, shouldn't, or were not able to do something as simple as this. I got close to the same reaction from a neighbor too. Was it just them or are people starting to lose faith in the youth of our nation. I hear it more often and i just don't understand what they are thinking. If anyone could help me out with this i would be more than happy to listen.

 

When I had mine made, I utilized the tow hook bolts. Whatever gets the job done though!

I had mine(now owned by 99xltoffroad)made by a alum fab shop. I told them I wanted it made of 1/4 alum diamond plate. They just kinda laughed at me when I gave the specs. It was a solid SOB when all said and done. Don't let anyone discourage you! I'm 23 with a beard of a 43 y/o and they still pissed on the idea.

 

Looks good!

 

that looks really good

 

Looks real good i say use the same sheet metal as you used on the skid plate to fill the gap under the tow hooks. Also i wouldnt even worry about painting it, it looks sweet the way it is.
Oh yeah and when it is complete go back to the guy who sold you the metal and show him the finished product. I hate people who are like that, but i love proving them wrong. Which in your case you did a very good job at.

 

i would do semi gloss black but thats me...and case in the sides too

 

you should use the same metal you used for the s/p but cut eh ford emblem out in it. i think it'l look good

 

That looks great!

 

looks great

 

looks awsome
i wanna do something like that for my truck to replace a broken plastic cover piece, currently being held together by duck tape

and also, i too (17) hate when they look at your ideas or plans as impossible for your age

 

same here im 16, and i hate how people look at u like u dont know what ur doing and ur not capable of doin ****

looks good dude

 

a o k in my book

 

gets the job done, all that matters. nice job

 

I dunno how much water you go through, but looks like it could use 2-4 drain holes

 

what would be a good thickness for the steelto be for a skid plate.

 

that looks awsome, exactly the same as i was going to have someone make for me.......want to make me one??? i dont have the place to make anything so im screwed with fabbing up stuff for myself

 

looks good. nice job

 

Very nice

 

oohohohoh.......shiny!!!

 

Thats just how people are. I get that alot with my SAS since its been a continous project for 2 years everyone tells me to just give up. I dont really understand why people have so little faith. My friends dad is really into building cars and he asks me like every week when im going to sell it so he can buy it and finish it. So i tell him as soon as its done he'll know by the swamper tracks in his front yard.

 

yeah i added some expanded steel and painted it so it looks a little cleaner:

 

Nice plate man!

 

the expanded metal was a bad idea, now all kinds of brush will be sticking through and getting caught. just make another plate, it will be more functional and look 10x better. Can you take some pics of all the mounting points so i can see where you secured it for when i build mine. thnx

 

actually i have run it out in the desert quite a bit since i put it on there and have never had a problem with brush and stuff gettting stuck. and yeah i'll try to get a couple pf pics of the mounting points for ya, good luck on that looking forward to seeing it.