Strengthening the stock bash plate?

[ignat]

Well this is on my to-do list.

It was mentioned on the forum that a cheap alternative to ASFIR would be to simply weld some steel plate to the stock bash-plate.

I've taken the two front plates off, and I'm wondering whats the best way of going about it. The plate is all curved so I thought maybe its easier to weld strips of flat bar from front to back. (Easier to bend the strips to match the curves then weld in place)

Any tips?

 

[Gav Peter]

I would suggest that any meaningful strengtheners from flat bar need to be perpendicular to the surface being strengthened rather than lie flat on it...

This will be awesomely impressive if you manage it Kev Bending flat bar on edge is serious blacksmith work

The alternative is to buy a bit of 4mm plate & profile it to suit the contours of the OEM plate.

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with

 

[Chris]

Sort of depends upon your abilities. If you can weld and you have an angle grinder, you can take plate and slit it almost halfway though every couple of inches which makes it very easy to bend. You then spot weld the bends and blend them in. If you cut the steel and bend one way, the slit opens up. But if you slit and bend the other way, the slit closes up nicely. Slits would have to be cut on opposite sides depending on which way the bend needed to go. Use 1mm cutting discs and a length of steel G -clamped across the plate as a cutting guide.

Or

Take some strips of bar and bridge them across the dip from high point to high point and then plate over them completely flat. You could do that in one piece or take several pieces and attempt to follow the contour a little more. I think I would go with an over sheeting method with a large flat plate and then a front piece too. This would give you a very flat under-tray.

But then again if you can do all of that, you know, I would just me a completely new bash plate. It looks complicated but it isn't. It's like that because they have used 1mm tin and to give it strength they have stamped it into that shape. Go with 3mm steel and you can make it from once piece! Have a look under there and you'll see with the aid of a straight edge that it's actually flat. Even if all you can do is drill and bolt stuff, it's still possible

Chris