[cgmrdc]

I wanted to wait till i got everything painted before i posted a little build but here is the latest version of belly-ups my cousin builds mostly for guys in our club... Ive helped with a couple but Im getting ready to do a mild build on mine and a belly-up was in order... now the previous version was all flat along the 2 inch angle. my cousin had a new version cut with slots to bend the leading and trailing edge. well he hadnt finished his yet so i started mine with one of the old blanks... and heres how it turned out...

[cgmrdc]

stock skid clearance


this is how the old skids looked...


i scored the back 1/16 and cut all the way through in 4 places, then used a BFH and some angle iron to bend the skid over


mounted and testing for clearance issues




the SYE is going in as part of the build, after i finished the fab work i put the stock shovel back on

[cgmrdc]

the next variation in my skid is a seperate crossmember to suppost the drive train...

first cut...


the tcase drain plug hit the top so i cut and welded a peice of tubing in for clearance

trimmed and ground smooth


tranny mount


pic of the end plates welded on... im still getting used to flux core but im happy with the welds...


angle to fill the gap

finished xmember

[cgmrdc]

trimmed the angle iron to match the slope of the 1/4 in plate


pic of the whole jeep... much better!


everything welded


skid and xmember together

[cgmrdc]

and just bc im excited...
HP D30 4.10s w/ aussie
Ford 8.8 4.10s 8 pack ford racing LSD (stock is 6...)
(old 8.25 too...)

and MAD4WD brackets


Here it is painted




and for those who are wondering NOBS is a group of my friends that build all their own stuff, build stuff for other people and just genuinely love working on Jeeps...

[cgmrdc]

this will be installed over memorial weekend and ill post up clearance gains... but IIRC its around 2"...

what do yall think!?

[87warrior]

Looks good. How does the cross member bolt to the frame? Or can it be used independently to hold the driveline with out the skid?

[Terrain Twister]

X2.
I think you need to build another and send it out here for a west coast test.
I may have to copy this design if you don't mind. Seems simple enough but also looks like it has good strength.

[cgmrdc]

I am going to bolt it into the frame independently from the skid... ill drill holes and weld nuts into the frame rails. i ran out of time to get the holes drilled so i will do it when i install it.

I needed to get all the welding done last weekend so i could bring it up to my apt and paint it this week.

Thanks terrain twister... these have been tested from the muddy forests of MO through the rockies and across moab... weve been building these for a while and have yet to have any fail... and if you can build a bumper you can build one of these... making the bends is time consuming... and this can be done w/o the cross member

[jgorm]

Nice job! I too may copy parts of this once i get around to doing a belly up.

[Terrain Twister]

cgmrdc,
Do you have any pictures of the crossmember bolted to the frame without the skid? What size is the square tubing you used? Would you mind posting some dimensions? Hope I'm not asking for too much.

[Scotch740]

So are you using the stock trans mount on that cross member?

I like the idea of being able to drop the skid with out having to support the Trans. Looking good!

[cgmrdc]

i dont have any pics of the xmember bolted up w/o the skid. i can take pics on the final install though. the square tubing is 2x4x3/16...

yes im using the stock tranny mount...

i honestly dont have any demensions... my cousin has all the CAD models as its his design... he sells these around our area so im not sure if he wants me posting up every little detail but...

when we first started building these we would cut the angle (24") and drill the holes, bolt it up and then measure the width front and rear and cut it out by hand... we have since made a model and they are laser cut in bulk for us...

let me know if you have any more Qs

Thanks for the compliments!

[MUDY-TJ]

Awsome stuff

[jmcbroom]

How much for the plans, and do they include plans for the x-member? I like the design, would be interested in buying the plans to make my own...