Show off your DIY armor!

That turned out awesome. Nice work.

 

Thanks!

 

Is the tailgate shaking / rattling / generally making noise while you're driving around? Im guessing you have some kind of bushing in the tube that is the hinge and latch.

 

ditto?

 

No, shaking. Used poly bushings with an inner sleeve for my pivot points.



After the initial test fit with the tire, everything worked perfect. I decided to add gussets to the tire mount plate and the tube holding the tire. The heat pulled the mount plate just enough to have the tire interfere just a little during the last inch while closing. This puts a little tension on all the pins so they don’t rattle at all.

Also added an addintial mounting point for the frame utilizing the bolt location for the stock tail gates pivot point. But you cant see it ahha I cut a slot in the outside base of the posts, inserted both bolts screwed in half way, and slid the frame over them so the bolt heads are inside the tubing the the only way to tighten them is to take off the rear bumper. So that was fun.

 

sliders Done!
Rear bumper tire carrier next.
Thanks again MOBTOWN

 

Made a quick mock-up to get some initial dimensions. This will take me some time, but I’ll keep this thread updated w progress pics

 

I found some tyger sliders on craigslist but they seem pretty flimsy in the mounting department. Seem like 'slider-style' running boards, really. Might go pick them up and alter them with a more sturdy slider esque mounting and add a kick out. Lucky find for me since this area is pretty dry for taco parts other than stock bumper covers and 1st gen bed covers.

 

Digging the CAD work! How you guna mount it? Build a bracket, buy one or weld to frame?

 

I'm gonna make it bolt on using the factory front mounts. Two on the front face of the frame horns, four under the front frame horns, and four outside the frame on the body mounts. Judging from pictures that I found online, Im pretty sure that is how Elite and Relentless mount theirs. Hopefully its up to the task

I took the front bumper off the other day and got some measurements... that helped a ton. Seeing what I had to work with allowed me to draft more realistic models with actual dimensions. Sketchup is a real time saver in design and amazingly helpful in pulling out dimensions. I only needed a few dimensions to start (mounting bolt locations, total width, height and depth(ish), then I can literally connect the dots in sketchup and have dimensions calculated for every piece to be cut. Pretty solid!

I like some of my other designs that have an extra bevel on the front face, instead of just one flat face. However, I'm worried that more welding means more warping. You should see how my mock up skid plate bent itself into shape while I was laying beads So I'm wondering about keeping it simple vs stylish and easier to fab vs more challenging to do well.

 

Nice, I’d say go for the challenging! Sounds like your prepared. Just balence you welds, may the heat be in your favor.

 

chopped off frame mounting plates

 

4"x4" .250 wall
There's the BEEF

 

DIY skidplates complete... used 3/16 steel

 

You should put a hole in where your oil drain is, then install a fumoto valve in there, then you wont need to unbolt to change your oil. Use a piece of tube, and hit the valve, nice and easy.

 

old hitch height in the foreground.
Should I put the new receiver under the 4 inch main cross member?
or cut a hole through the cross member and insert the receiver?
If I put it under I still gain almost 6 inched of departure clearance. any thoughts?

 

It really depends on what you plan on doing with the truck imo... if you tow a trailer a lot i would leave it low. If you picked up 6" of clearance you should clear almost every obstacle would be on.

 

If your goal is clearance, I’d punch a hole and insert it. Sure, you’re gaining clearance either way, but there is a whole lot of truck behind the rear wheels on a Tacoma. We need all the departure angle we can get. I’ve managed to scrape my bumper several times and it’s about as high and tight as I could get it with the receiver inside the main channel. I use a 10” drop hitch to tow.

But... as already stated above, if you tow heavy more than you wheel I’d leave it low. Shorter drop means less leverage on the hitch.

 

Thanks, Nick and Carter.
probably going underneath.
looking at the way the stock receiver is built, crazy overkill imo.
I'll just put a couple pieces of 1/4" plate, one fore and one aft