Mad-Max

alright - after a month of measuring/marking/cutting/grinding/drilling/welding/sanding...I have both sections of the belly armor ready for paint. The main core section 'interfaces' with the Barnes gas tank shield and carries the shield to the other side, and completely protects the t-case, and trans cooler, which I'm mounting behind the t-case. It's all 3/16" steel, including 20 feet of 2" strap to reinforce the long panels against 'caving in'.

The engine/trans shield 'interfaces' with the core shield, all connecting up on the trans crossmember. The entire thing is completely 'smooth' - no bolt heads or edges to catch on stuff - just the drain holes...if those really count.

Next, the exhaust goes right along the d-side along with a corresponding heat shield. I'll be tacking the exhaust together for good once I have some other hardware in place. Ok - pics -

Core Shield -























Engine/Trans shield (about 1" of gap between the shield and oil pan(s)) -

icrashbikes

I just read through this entire thread. Looks awesome. I really appreciate the skids with the gusseting and the mounting hardware up and out of the way. I'm in the middle of a -much- less involved renovation and I'm super envious of the full body-off treatment. My only word of advice here is to keep an eye on that gas tank skid assembly. I had the same setup and when I pulled mine off (after years of wheeling), it was a big bucket of rust. I know you're all painted up in there, but water and dirt get in and grind away in the slim spaces under the tank and between the skids.

Mad-Max

thanks, and good intel about collecting dirt/debris - the Jeep had a TON of dirt packed up into just about everything when I found it - took a while with a pressure washer to get most of it out! . The shields have big drain holes, and I'll be rinsing off the undercarriage 'often' .

Sixty4x4

I like the tranny cooler as mine is airflow only in the same location on my 8L90 GM tranny. Trouble with the fans we can't run deep water or mud (don't do that anymore) with the fan running. Is that one thermostat controlled? Thinking Scan Guage with output programmed from temperature setting.

Mad-Max

I'm just planning to have a simple toggle switch to turn it on, tho I might consider a thermostatic switch too

Mad-Max

...after thinking about it, I ordered a thermostatic temp switch for the fan - one less thing to think about, and one less switch on the dash

Mad-Max

...one thing I neglected to fully evaluate was how to drop the belly shield without inducing undue stress to the trans cooler lines, so I decided to mount the cooler and lines to the chassis and have them 'hover' above the shield, making it much easier and less messy when I have to pull the shield. The main bracket is welded to the big rear support bracket, which is removable/bolts to the crossmember, which makes the whole bracket removable, making it possible to pull/service the t-case, etc. Still some finish work to do, but here it all is -







line clamps attached to a plate welded to the trans mount bracket -

Mad-Max

...ahhhh - love the smell of oil-based paint - always takes me back to my early days helping Dad and my bro-in-law paint the Jeep . Belly armor is primed and painted - should be ready to bolt it all up tomorrow -







...and if I ever flop on my side this will be the view 😁



ISSPRO fuel level float/sending unit installed - sanded the tank at the seal to smooth it out/help eliminate leaks - put Gasoila E-Seal on the threads and cranked the bolts tight into the collar, and it acts like studs and won't fall out if I ever need to service the float unit -











Just an assembly tip - for those doing full hydro or any other application with a very shiny and perfect rod like shocks, etc., use a piece of leftover radiator or fuel line hose to protect the surface area from dirt, debris, and for sure welding slag -







Lastly, here's an interesting view under the 2bbl throttle body -