Traditional Skid Plate Installation

[rzeller]

As part of our recent buggy restoration (http://www.manxclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=65&t=3371) I decided not to put the rear cage back on and go with the more traditional/old school skid plate and nudge bar setup. While looking at how these skid plates usually mount with a front hinge (attached to the skid plate) bolted to the chassis just in front of the trans mount, I decided that I wanted something that could be easily removed when doing an oil change. With a hinge setup I wouldn't be able to place a drain pan flat under the motor since the skid plate would be in the way. Additionally I didn't want to cut a big hole in the skid plate directly below the drain hole/screen plate.

Working with my friend Steve Martinez we came up with a solution that works great (I'm sure others have already done this). We mounted a small cross bar in the divot where the frame horns start to come out of the chassis. We also put a couple of pieces of steel on top of the cross bar to "sandwich" the hinge and keep it from sliding from side to side. After dry fitting we realized that we could weld the hinge in place, forming a right angle, to firm everything up even more.

I'm not finished with the skid plate yet (have to mount the nudge bar on the plate) but it is on and fits tightly. I have a slight rattle where the plate touches the bottom of the motor (I'll put a small piece of rubber on the plate to dampen the noise). I can now completely remove the skid plate by just removing the one bolt that holds it to the motor and slide it out.

I thought I'd share this idea along with pictures in case others are interested.

Cross bar (looking from front to rear). You can see the little tabs welded to the top of the bar to sandwich the hinge.



Cross bar (looking rear to front)


Skid plate in place. You can see that the hinge has been welded at the joint and now forms a right angle to the skid plate. The edge of the hinge that sits in the cross bar is tight between the two tabs.

Looking at the hinge in place (rear to front)


This is the only bolt that has to be removed to drop and remove the skid plate.

[Ed-Chenal]

Generally, it's not a good idea to bolt your skid plate to the engine case. You want the skid plate to absorb the impact, not your engine case. Hence, the rear portion of the skid plate should be attached to an engine cage. I bring this up so that those who are new to buggies will understand that you are purposely doing it old school without an engine cage to support the skid plate. I like the idea of a hinge for quick access.

Though dated, this book has good advice.
http://www.amazon.com/Baja-Bugs-Buggies ... 0895861860

[5150bossman]

Ditto what Ed said.

[rzeller]

Generally, it's not a good idea to bolt your skid plate to the engine case. You want the skid plate to absorb the impact, not your engine case. Hence, the rear portion of the skid plate should be attached to an engine cage. I bring this up so that those who are new to buggies will understand that you are purposely doing it old school without an engine cage to support the skid plate. I like the idea of a hinge for quick access.

Ed, you are absolutely right. If I had a dual sport or off-road buggy I would have an engine cage and mount the skid plate to the bottom of the cage (with a buffer between the plate and the engine case). My buggy is strictly street with occasional trips on to the beach. My skid plate and nudge bar are for show and nothing more. Thanks for contributing to this post and helping others that might need a more beefy setup.

Here are some brochures from back in the day when Meyers Manx offered the skid plate as an option. This is the same style/type skid plate I'm using and as can be seen, was intended to mount to the rear of the engine case. As the hobby has evolved so has some of the equipment.

[rzeller]

Finally got around to finishing the installation of the skid plate

Here is the unit with nudge bar installed. I had a little tab welded to the bar as a base for my whip. I ran the wiring for the whip (it has a light on the top) through the bar.




The skid plate fits nicely in it's hanger


Knowing that there isn't any way to prevent a VW motor from leaking (mine is brand new and leaks around the oil drain plug and screen plate) I decided to try a diaper on my buggy. I had some puppy training pee pads left over and cut one down to lay in the bottom of the skid plate. I took a little duct tape to secure it at the front and back. I ended up leaving it a little too long but that's ok as I'll be changing the oil very soon. I'm hoping this will absorb the oil and avoid having it puddle in the bottom of the skid plate.



You can see the whip attached to the nudge bar and how the bar looks against the newly ceramic coated sidewinder. I'm pretty happy with the end product.