Skid Plates!
 

Edit: To make it look better here is the installed parts.
[quote]
Okay Got them installed today. They came out sweet! I thought the transfer case plate was for the transmission oil pan. (I know Hans5.2 has said it but I thought maybe it covered both.) That plate was off already when I was removing them from the junkyard. So I didn't know how it was mounted. Now that leave the transmission oil pan vulnerable. I will build my own plate for it. Hopefully within the next week or so. I will post up pics of it.

Front Skid plate I made a while back. I mounted it to the bottom of the bumper with a long strip of metal on the other side of the plate to reinforce the bumper. On the bottom side It just bolts up to the frame. The custom front hitch is what you can see in front of the skid plate.

Front Skid Plate (Custom)

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/members...ront-hitch.jpg


Front Differential Skid Plate (Factory)

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/members...skid-plate.jpg


Transfer case Skid plate (Factory)

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/members...skid-plate.jpg


Gas Tank Skid Plate (Factory)

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/members...skid-plate.jpg

Edit: Made a Transmission Skid Plate (Custom)

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/members...skid-plate.jpg

http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/a...5101651-01.jpg


So today I was out at the Junkyard. I was looking for transmission cooler lines. Mine are in terrible shape. I finally found one that was perfect. Quick disconnects on the transmission side made it extremely easy to remove.

I saw one other Dakota. I was just going to go since I got what I needed. But I check it out anyways. I found it had factory skid plates. I have never seen them. Out of probably hundreds that I have seen on the streets, parking lots, junkyards. I have never seen them. The service manual mentions them but no pics. So I started removing them. I was going to build some too before it got to cold.

So there is one to protect the front differential. One to protect the transmission pan. One to protect the fuel tank. They are 1/8 in thick. You can tell they have taken a beating with out denting. I will install tomorrow and take some pics. Now I will be fully protected all the way around.

If anyone has some Factory skid plates Post up some pics!

Here are some pics.

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/members...kid-plates.jpg

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/members...kid-plates.jpg



This is the one I made my self, for the front.

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/members...ront-hitch.jpg

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/1st-gen...tion-pics.html

After!!
I cut and bent up wards the sides, to still protect it. The only bad thing it may trap water and cause rust. But here in NM it don't matter! Also the plate is mounted up to the brace by some adhesive. So I welded them together to get it a little stronger.

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/members...dification.jpg

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/members...dification.jpg

Here is one just for the fun of it. A quick test run of the winch.
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/members...00lb-winch.jpg


I welded a side plate to my front factory skid plate. The side plate covers the engine oil pan. I left a nice spot for access to the oil drain plug.

http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/a...1101315-01.jpg

http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/a...1101338-02.jpg

Old (Stock skid plate)
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/members...skid-plate.jpg

I figured they all had them :icon_shrug: Mine has the gas tank and t-case skid plate, I left the t-case skid plate off when I swapped the tranny since I don't really need it..

You can kinda see the gas tank skid plate here..
http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/3981/alum2.jpg

Id like to have skid plates for my truck even though i dont do anything off road that requires it, what id like it for is to keep salt and othere crap from getting all over the underbody and components

Well skid plates won't do that! As you can see in the pictures, there are holes in the plates. Also, having the skid plates on will keep the salt that gets past it there and make it harder to wash out. The purpose of a skid plate is keep the mechanical parts safe from boucing off rocks.

Ya the skid plates can keep water/mud and cause rust. The Gas tank plate was rusted in some spots. But not to bad. I just took a wire brush to it. And painted it up.

I forgot to mention that it only costed me $11.00 for all the skid plates.

I do some rock crawling too. It will protect it against the ground when going up hills/ ditches and can't forget the bushes.

$11? That is a rediculously good deal! I wish I had junkyards like that near me. The only pull-it-yourself near me is an hour away and they have no dakotas on the lot.

Ya that one usually has at least 2-3 Dakotas. Right now 7-8 due to C4C. Most are 91- down.
They considered them brackets. 1 large $5.99 1 small $4.99. They forgot to charge for the third one.

Also what kind of vechicle has a loud deep horn? I wanted to get one off a truck but forgot to check when I was there. I figured the larger the horn the deeper/ louder sound.

I think a prius horn would do just fine... scary sounding things :P

I'm not sure what vehicles came factory with something really loud and deep from the factory. I can tell you (which I'm sure you already know this) that the horn sound is made from 2 or more different tones coming from different individual horns. I've always wondered what it would sound like if you added a few more notes. But I would say if you wanted something really deep and loud, get it off a semi, or even better, a train!

Well with the skid plates arnt there plates you can put on with no holes and that are Sealed up that wont let anything get in there

No matter how much you think you can seal off the bottom of a truck things will still get in there and sit. There is NO way to block that stuff off. Your better leaving it open and washing it frequently than even attempting that.

Sweet crazy. I plan to make my own once I get all my gear stuffed in there.