ZUKIWORLD Online | Suzuki 4x4 Editorial and Forum
ZUKIWORLD Discussion Forum => Suzuki 4x4 Forum => Topic started by: Cwkick on September 30, 2004, 08:55:04 AM
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Since I bent the crossmember on the Tracker,
http://www.eye-irritant.com/august2004/bent%20x-member.jpg
I am going to replace it and maybe do a belly pan.
Has anyone done this or have any idea's on how to do it?
Cwkick
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make some thing like this (http://www.rc4x4.com.br/Vitar/Imagens/TravessaVitara.jpg)
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That looks very well built. I was think more along the lines of a 3/16 or 1/4 inch plate that went from frame rail to frame rail and front bumper to the last tubular crossmember.
Cwkick
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make some thing like this ([url]http://www.rc4x4.com.br/Vitar/Imagens/TravessaVitara.jpg[/url])
wow is that for a tracker?
and i think you need to look for some pics of Mikes tracker, he has FULL(nose to tail) underbody protection.
stu
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http://www.rc4x4.com.br/
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My 4-dr stuff got bent up real bad last ride too. I was thinking the same, But I don't want the extra weight. Any suggestoins or Actual Belly pan users with good weight guesstimate.
I was thinnking of modifying an S-10 aluminium belly pan. Light weight, cheap at the U-pull it, and 80% for the fab is already done.
I use a Bronco II skid on my little sammy. It was free and works great for T-case protection in the rocks with the 29" TSL's.
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I got a Ford Ranger gas tank skid plate. Goes from just in front of the front differential, all that way back about 6" behind the T-case. 3, 3/4" bolts, 2" long and 3 holes drilled in the skid plate, and 3 holes in crossmembers, and I got everything vital covered. Works great!!
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I think once I get started working on the Tracker again, it's gonna get most of the underbelly covered... from the front bumer, covering the IFS, and going to about the rear of the passenger doors, then having smaller plates for the t-case and gas tank. It won't be 'plate' either, but rather a heavy guage sheetmetal, for lightweight purposes... possibly aluminum.
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I did consider a heavy duty crossmember as I trashed mine everytime I went out (only replaced it twice though) but then I looked at the mountings on the frame. Reinforce the xmember and they will bend instead. I fitted the Calmini skid plates (eventually -what a waste of money!) under mine and that seems to spread any impact enough to stop any bending.
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When adding a skid plate at length, consider the work necessary to remove to replace something which would breake, ie axles. Rarely would a ds go out.
Beware of covering any exhaust especially the converter due to heat generation. Make sure there is available air flow to keep it cool.
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I was wondering about covering the cat.  The belly pan would box the cat in and I'm guessing that would be bad.
Would drilling a series of holes in the cat area work? ÂÂ
I could just cut that area out and roll the lip up so it doesn't hang up on anything.
Cwkick
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I was wondering about covering the cat. The belly pan would box the cat in and I'm guessing that would be bad.
Would drilling a series of holes in the cat area work?
I could just cut that area out and roll the lip up so it doesn't hang up on anything.
Cwkick
Solution to that problem: gut the cat! ;D
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It's a 1997 with OBD II. I don't think the puter would like that very much. Otherwise I would. ;D
Cwkick
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Aren't there modules that can be made to fool the computer into thinking there's a cat, when there really isn't one?
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Yes there are, but I would rather adjust the belly pan than mess around with the electrical stuff. ;)
Cwkick
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Bah. Cats are gay. I'd go for the electrical messings ;D
You could always just leave that much open... or if you really wanted a full pan, use some of that steel grating stuff.. dunno what it's called but it's a heavy mesh made of steel wire in a diamond pattern. That would allow ventalation and still give decent protection.
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The cat sits high enough that I would just go around it.
I think I'm going to mock a pan up with cardboard and see if my idea will work.
Cwkick
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Take some pics if you can.
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It's a 1997 with OBD II.  I don't think the puter would like that very much.  Otherwise I would.  ;D
Cwkick
i still think you can gut the cat, andrew did on his 16V tracker.
stu
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The belly pan can be shorter than where
the cat is, and if the cat is sheilded with
metal heat shielding it should be fine, just
be sure the heat shield is still on the bottom
of the body so it won't cook your feet
And the metal mesh you are talking about is
expanded sheet metal, it's like a cheese grater,
and I've got the scars to prove it, I used some
on a motorcycle muffler/expansion chamber
and went down wearing shorts :o Ouch
Wild
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I would like to go from the front cross member between the a-arm all the way back to the tubular rear cross member and from frame rail to frame rail. Maybe cut a spot for the cat to breathe.
Wild, I bet you didn't burn yourself though! :D
Cwkick
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No, didn't get burned, getting burned sucks
it hurts for so long after.
I thought of "slabing" the bottom of the trucklet
for 10 Years now, but I don't hit much stuff, so
I just never did it, I had a slightly bent cross member
and some drag marks on the T-case but that's it,
I have more damage to the frame than that, most
of the undercoating of rubbed off and there is a
serious hit mark on the bottom of the frame rail
where I came out of a concrete drainage ditch
with 45* sides and didn't have enough speed
to jump the front over the edge, came down
with a bang and a ding in the frame
Wild
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I scraped the frame up a little also. So I was thinking of maybe some wings on both sides of the frame, up under the rockers.
Cwkick
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;) I need to do that too, sliders
for the rocks
Wild
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i have about 10 big dents in the frame and the rear end under the 3rd is all dented in, dose this mean i wheel too hard???
stu
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Sounds like you wheel in the rocks
;D
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Not rock sliders per say, just a little extra sticking past the frame and bent up.
Cwkick
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Sounds like you wheel in the rocks
;D
well their is always one nice round rock where ever we wheel and i always find it! ;D
stu
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Ya, I know, but what are you going
to slide off of ??? Rock and stumps
you know, fun stuff ;D
Wild
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I've ran the Calimini skids from the begining and have not had any problems with the cross member.
Yes it's a little heavy but you can hit then hard and keep going.
There great for sliding over stuff. I never worry about it.
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It's a 1997 with OBD II.  I don't think the puter would like that very much.  Otherwise I would.  ;D
Cwkick
If it's the cat located under the floor, gutting it shouldn't be a problem. The O2 sensor is located in front of it, on the down pipe. For the V6 models (Vitara w/ 2.5, XL7 w/ 2.7), there are cats which form the down pipe and there are 4 O2 sensors. These have to stay where they are at. There is also another cat located under the floorboard after the 'Y' of the exhaust. Gutting this out won't hurt anything other than backpressure some. If you plan to gut it, check with your local and state laws as I know federal doesn't accept it.
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:-X I try to make it a practice not to openly discuss or encourage modifications to the emission system.
I feel that this could quickly bring lots of unwanted attention to yourself or the forum, as some one out their is making a living by enforcing this stuff.
Just my .02 so their is no confusion on where I stand.
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After destroying both plastic rocker trim pieces and denting my rockers pretty good, I'm actually gathering the materials together to cover the rockers with 1/4" steel welded/bent to the configuration of the stock plastic trim pieces. This way it will look stock, but allow me to slide over rocks as well...
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After destroying both plastic rocker trim pieces and denting my rockers pretty good, I'm actually gathering the materials together to cover the rockers with 1/4" steel welded/bent to the configuration of the stock plastic trim pieces. This way it will look stock, but allow me to slide over rocks as well...
I was thinking about doing that on my Tracker.. not so much because I've ever (or will ever) take rocker damage, but because my passenger side rocker was gone from salt collecting in those plastic trim pieces.
Of course I went the easy route and cut up a filing cabinet and made replacement rockers ;D
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If you plan to gut it, check with your local and state laws as I know federal doesn't accept it.
Two things, federal law supercedes any state or local law in this aspect. As stated before , don't attract anymore attention to the issue. And, all OBD2 vehicles WILL illuminate the check engine light with a gutted cat. The downstream O2 will switch rich/lean about once every 10 switches of the upstream. When they switch in tandem, the little amber light says hi everytime.
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I like the aluminum idea. anybody else come across something usable?
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I like the aluminum idea. anybody else come across something usable?
I ran 1/4inch aluminum at first with good results. After a little thought ....$140 less .....ahem.... I decided to go with 16 guage galvanized steel. It weighs about the same and slides across rocks easier. The aluminum acted like I was putting on the brakes. My bellypan starts at the front bumper and goes all the way past the t case crossmember to the round tube. And of coarse side to side from rocker to rocker.
mike
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That's what I'm talking about Mike!
Cwkick
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How do you think a louvered(sp?) full skidplate would wor? I want to make it in 1' long strips, with the end of each bent downward a little for venting and to prevent suction problems in mud. How would that work out?
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Why bother? In the winter you will welcome that heat! ;D Honestly, in the summer its hardly noticible unless your pounding on it and not moving very fast. I remember someone talking about the cat breathing.... Why? Who cares if the pan is hot in one spot? Ive had no problems with this. Ive been running a full pan since 2000.
Mike
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Why bother? In the winter you will welcome that heat! ;D Honestly, in the summer its hardly noticible unless your pounding on it and not moving very fast. I remember someone talking about the cat breathing.... Why? Who cares if the pan is hot in one spot? Ive had no problems with this. Ive been running a full pan since 2000.
Mike
More for the mud suction reducing quality than ventalation... ;)
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If you use Boggers for the mud
that belly pan becomes a ski to
skip across the mud on ;D
Wild
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More for the mud suction reducing quality than ventalation... ;)
Mabey, Ive done fairly well in the mud though. However Im not much of a mud kinda guy. Not that im afraid to get dirty, lord knows I get dirty ;D I just like the more technical wheeling. (I dont like this term but I cant think of a better explanation)
Mike
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I know what your saying, but unfortunately there's not really too much in the way of technicality on the trails I run... just mud pits :)
I'm just scared of doing a full bellypan and then ending up having my truck stuck in 3 feet of mud, held in by suction... Maybe I'll just keep the pan small and just do one that goes from the bumper to the back A-arm mount, then cover up the vitals with individual skids :-/
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i only have a skid plate over the t case made of some scrap stanless and it has work well for me. i use the stock skid plate for the front end and that one hasn't held up that great. infact its almost touching the diff now. i think insted of sliding across mud you want to sink down and get ahold of some good hard dirt.
stu
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Then on the other side, I've had the under carrage so full of mud, it's like trying to pull 2 yards of mud out of the hole with the truck.
For the cost of what Mike has for a skid plate, I think I'm going to try that out.
My first "love" was (I still have it) is a 2 seater dune buggy.  I can still out wheel a lot of people in the lil 2 wheeler.
Anyway, the underside is like one giant skid plate.  I know that all I have to do is to get the front tires over an obstical and it will just slide the rest of the way over.