DIY Oil pan skid...'show me' some ideas...

Well, I am starting a rear main seal/oil pan gasket replacement and was looking for ideas for adding a skid plate to the bottom of the pan. When I take off parts, I like to make the part better if possible. For one, is it worth it? Would it be better to just eventually build a larger engine skid instead of just on the dropped portion of the pan?

I'd like to see some pics for ideas.

Steve

My J10/20's with the V-8's had a piece of 3/16" just welded to the bottom of the pan.I never bent one!

I'd be a bit nervous welding onto the bottom of the Pan. The Metal is not too think(1/8 inch at most) and it would be likely to melt. If you wanted to, try some custom Bracketry to mout a nice peice of 1/4 inch under it so it still has air flow between the skid and pan to dissipate Heat.

I made a frame from 1x1x11 ga square tube...



Skinned it in wimpy 1/8" stock.. USE AT LEAST 3/16"!!



added a transfer case one... pretty much slide over rocks... except I wish I didn't use 1/8" stock to skin it...

Centrevillemx said:

I'd be a bit nervous welding onto the bottom of the Pan. The Metal is not too think(1/8 inch at most) and it would be likely to melt. If you wanted to, try some custom Bracketry to mout a nice peice of 1/4 inch under it so it still has air flow between the skid and pan to dissipate Heat.

Click to expand...

1/8" i weld 1/8" and smaller all the time. if one knows how to control the weld it wouldn't be any problem to weld 3/16" +/- to the pan. I plan on doing it next time i have my pan off.

Centrevillemx said:

I'd be a bit nervous welding onto the bottom of the Pan. The Metal is not too think(1/8 inch at most) and it would be likely to melt. If you wanted to, try some custom Bracketry to mout a nice peice of 1/4 inch under it so it still has air flow between the skid and pan to dissipate Heat.

Click to expand...

I'm no welder (and I posses limited automechanical abilities), but It seems to me that perhaps the way to provide armor for the oil pan is to do it like the diff guards?

What I'm thinking of is something like the one that looks sorta like a cross between the face grills of a football helmet and a catcher's mask, and is bolted on with the diff cover.

I did a quick google on diff guards, and found a couple of examples of the ones I mean :



(image courtesy of 4wheelsupply.com)

or


(image courtesy of bigoffroad.com and Challenger Performance)

These seem to afford protection without totally "coccooning" the protected unit - could this concept be adapted to the oil pan?

Just a thought.

Rob