Ok, after about a week of drilling, measuring 10 times, some cutting and hammering I've pretty much completed my $40 skid plate.

This was a totally homemade generic set up and is still a bit of a work in progress. IF I were to do it again it would be much easier as I'd know where to have my friend make extra cuts in the metal and I could have shaved an inch or two from my measurements in a few places.

IF a person wanted a very simple and easy skid for basic frame protection all you have to do is the following.

Cut a sheet of aluminum 12"x72", bend the first 9" at a 90 degree angle for the front and for the back you'd need to cut the aluminum so it can be bolted to the trailer hitch (you can see this in my picture).

The cross piece ended up being quite a bit more work getting mounted under the floorboards and the main frame as it crossed under the mainframe skid. I also was very careful to install this in a manner in which it could still be removed, I anticipate the bottom bolts will get beat up with rocks so I secured the bolts to the aluminum skid before actually bolting to the frame, this ensures no matter how banged up the bottom gets I can still get this off. The cross piece measured 42x17 although 41x16 would probably be easier to work with as I had to do some cutting and pounding.

The mainframe skid covers about 4" on each side of the frame, so you actually get more protection then a Ricochet and extends all the way back to protect the rear brake etc.

If anyone would like to purchase a pre cut/bent 72x12 sheet of aluminum please let me know, I can get these done by a friend who works in a shop that cuts and bends metal. You'd be responsible for all nuts/bolts and drilling as this was the biggest challenge.

I created extra work for myself as I also had to secure my DS bumper to the front of my Outlander, this had to be attached to the mainframe from underneath and I had to get a bit creative in getting a bolt threaded that far. I'm having my friend cut me a 15x12 piece bent again at 9" with a bit thicker aluminum to add to the front for some extra protection and to secure my DS bumper better to the frame.

Right now I'd say it's 95% complete but I'll probably "tweak" a thing here or there to ensure I have everything tight and secure. I also still have to drill a hole for the oil drain plug.

You can see on my pic page basically the raw material I started with, for some reason I can't get the other pics to load but if anyone would like to see them feel free to email me.

My buddy says he can make these if anyone is interested but he wants about $100 each for them.....This would be a pretty simple and inexpensive alternative to spending $300.