[1992suzukivitara]

thinking of making up a few bash plates like this one for vitara's only

this is 5mm alu stands up good has bent but does the job
what thickness steel or alu would you guys want ?
just need something to do after work i enjoyed making one so i wanna make more

[henno]

Not treadplate, for starters.

[1992suzukivitara]

henno wrote:

Not treadplate, for starters.

Yeah... Didn't effect it at any time but I was thinking 3 to 4 mm steel non checker plate

[1992suzukivitara]

Plus..think about it a little 1 mm price of aluminium is gonna stop over a 1 Tonne car from sliding over a rock or in mud or dirt I don't really think so but maybe steel but it's all I had it's worked great haven't gotten stuck up on anything on the bash plate.

[henno]

So why don't you make it out of mesh then? Or coat it in sandpaper? You want it to slide, not grip, and yes physics dictates that little 1mm piece of aluminium could theoretically be the difference between sliding off or getting hung up on a rock.

I'm not trying to be a dick, just saying that the price of treadplate is usually more anyway... and if it was free, I'd fold it the other way so the tread was on the back. It's not like it's more cost nor is it more effort to not use a "grippy" surface, so I have no idea why you we are even questioning why you wouldn't use treadplate?

[1992suzukivitara]

Yeah I know what your saying and I agree just what I had at the point but thanks v

[atari4x4]

best you look into applying for access to the business directory

[pete_79]

henno wrote:

just saying that the price of treadplate is usually more anyway...

I always thought that was the case too (and it may well be in the thicker gauge stuff), but just bought half a sheet of 1.6mm alloy plate and apparently the checker was $15 a sheet cheaper. Of course I didn't ask the guy how much dearer the checker plate was until after he'd cut the sheet...







Sorry to interrupt with that little factoid, you can continue bashing the kid now.

[henno]

Well it is the case... generally. There are always exceptions (i.e. shit treadplate will always be cheaper than "good" sheet/plate) but for when comparing apples with apples, it's usually marginally more expensive.

Sources: In another life worked as the inventory manager for the aluminium division of a huge metals distributor. I.e. I used to buy hundreds of tonnes of the stuff at a time.

[pete_79]

Yeah I always thought that was the case, and I only used to buy pallets at a time for our little workshop.
But it was a long time ago and I thought maybe times had changed with the thinner stuff, supply and demand and all that.

[henno]

Probably. For a while there all treadplate was imported whereas a lot (if not most) of the thin sheet was still sourced locally so it was touch-and-go on pricing, but with the closure of Alcoa's local rolling mills that will no longer be the case.

[got_bar_work]

1/2" Uhmw sheet for the win

[SierraDan]

Bis80 slides better

[1992suzukivitara]

I've made them out if 3mm steel