Installing fiberglass type skid plates -need ADVICE/HELP!

[vt_maverick]

hi VX KAT...

If the fiberglass plates bolt in the same manner as my originals then you'll need two M6-1.0x35 socket stainless steel bolts for the license plate holes and two M6-1.0x40 socket stainless steel bolts for the bottom holes. If you PM me your address I can send you all four with washers at no cost. Just let me know and I'll send them out. ron

Hey Ron, in VA we have front plates and I found the M6-1.0x35 were too short. I tried the 40's instead and they were too short too. Thinking of going to Fastenal tomorrow to see if they have 45 or 50. Ever run into that problem with any of your other customers?

[Mile High VX]

Hey Ron, in VA we have front plates and I found the M6-1.0x35 were too short. I tried the 40's instead and they were too short too. Thinking of going to Fastenal tomorrow to see if they have 45 or 50. Ever run into that problem with any of your other customers?

Front plates in CO as well. I had to use the 50 with the Rowhard skids...found them at Home Depot here in their specialty fastener cabinet. I also have a clear plate cover that I really like that I had to add some length for.

[vt_maverick]

Thanks for the tip Earl. I have a plate cover too and that's definitely making the problem even worse. I'll give HD a try - were you able to buy them individually, or did you have to buy a 50-pack a la Fastenal?

[vt_maverick]

The background is...My hitch is a "replica" of the original Tone hitch, made by a welder guy that a member here uses. It's pretty close to the Tone specs, but may be a tad off here and there. I know the lip/edge that goes around the opening is a bit larger. See blue text highlighted above.
I just took a look, and the holes and cladding aren't too far off, so making the cladding hole a little larger may be all that's needed to line up all three items (skid, cladding and hole).

You can always files an elongated hole or slot in the direction of the cladding hole with a small rat tail file. It's quick and easy with the abs plate. But making a larger hole with a bigger drill bit will work also as long as you can still utilize the washers I've sent you. Good luck. ron

I don't believe the problem is isolated to just Tone-replica hitches - my rear piece doesn't fit either. I'll give the file trick a go tomorrow, but I wonder how well fiberglass stands up to a metal file?

[VX KAT]

I'm putting rubber (neoprene) washers on both sides...I'll need to add room for that too. Are you doing that too?

I also got some black surgical tubing to make the tiny little bands for the screws.

I don't have to have a front plate for AZ, but I haven't tried the 40s yet to see if they'll work with my washers.

Mav if ya end up having to buy a boatload, I'll buy some from you. I'll probably need them.

[Mile High VX]

Thanks for the tip Earl. I have a plate cover too and that's definitely making the problem even worse. I'll give HD a try - were you able to buy them individually, or did you have to buy a 50-pack a la Fastenal?

IIRC it was a pack of about 5...I bought the 45s and the 50s and ended up using the 45s on the bottom and the 50s on the top. The bottom was tough to get lined up and I used the 50s at first to get it started, tightened it all the way, put a set of vise grips on it, took it off and quickly changed to the 45s. Just too much extra on the end to leave the 50s on the bottom but couldn't get the 45s started...

[vt_maverick]

I'm putting rubber (neoprene) washers on both sides...I'll need to add room for that too. Are you doing that too?

I also got some black surgical tubing to make the tiny little bands for the screws.

I don't have to have a front plate for AZ, but I haven't tried the 40s yet to see if they'll work with my washers.

Mav if ya end up having to buy a boatload, I'll buy some from you. I'll probably need them.

Remind me why you're doing the rubber washers and surgical tubing again? The paint seems REALLY soft so I'm actually a lot more worried about road debris than I am hardware rubbing...

[vt_maverick]

IIRC it was a pack of about 5...I bought the 45s and the 50s and ended up using the 45s on the bottom and the 50s on the top. The bottom was tough to get lined up and I used the 50s at first to get it started, tightened it all the way, put a set of vise grips on it, took it off and quickly changed to the 45s. Just too much extra on the end to leave the 50s on the bottom but couldn't get the 45s started...

I got the 40s to work on the bottom but it sure wasn't easy. Good thing Mahalia was "helping" or my neighbors might have heard a LOT of profanity.

50 sounds like the way to go. Btw Sue, 35 is perfect if you don't run a front plate.

[Mile High VX]

I got the 40s to work on the bottom but it sure wasn't easy. Good thing Mahalia was "helping" or my neighbors might have heard a LOT of profanity.

Be a shame for Mahalia to hear all that profanity coming from the neighbors...

[VX KAT]

Remind me why you're doing the rubber washers and surgical tubing again? The paint seems REALLY soft so I'm actually a lot more worried about road debris than I am hardware rubbing...

surgical tubing just so the screw threads don't touch the plastic, maybe preventing splintering, maybe not necessary...was about $2 for 3 ft....

rubber washers because it seemed like a good idea not to have the metal screw head rubbing on the purdy paint, and possibly grinding through it over time....on my dirt road. I'll cut down the washers so a ton of washer isn't exposed around the screw head. Maybe both are overkill, but super cheap.

Hope the paint cures much harder over time. Didn't ask about that. When I got my Lexus back, the shop told me not to wax it for 2-3 months as the many layers of paint would take a while to cure. So maybe our will cure too.

[ron]

Hey Ron, in VA we have front plates and I found the M6-1.0x35 were too short. I tried the 40's instead and they were too short too. Thinking of going to Fastenal tomorrow to see if they have 45 or 50. Ever run into that problem with any of your other customers?

Do you have my original plates or the fiberglass ones that Roward made. All the plates that I've created were vacuum formed ABS and all utilized the screws: 35's for the top license plate holes and 40's for the bottoms. If you have the fiberglass plates, since my plates were the original molds for these copies, I have a gut feeling that the fiberglass material may have shrunk a bit which will cause the plates to 'pull away' from the cladding and the screws would be too short. Resorting to longer screws, like 45's or 50's, will probably make it work.

[ron]

I don't believe the problem is isolated to just Tone-replica hitches - my rear piece doesn't fit either. I'll give the file trick a go tomorrow, but I wonder how well fiberglass stands up to a metal file?

Metal file should be fine. Start with a finer tooth and go up from there. If you start with a big tooth file, it may catch and crack the glass. HTH, ron

[vt_maverick]

Do you have my original plates or the fiberglass ones that Roward made. All the plates that I've created were vacuum formed ABS and all utilized the screws: 35's for the top license plate holes and 40's for the bottoms. If you have the fiberglass plates, since my plates were the original molds for these copies, I have a gut feeling that the fiberglass material may have shrunk a bit which will cause the plates to 'pull away' from the cladding and the screws would be too short. Resorting to longer screws, like 45's or 50's, will probably make it work.

Sorry Ron, should have been more specific. I do have your plate, but the problem is when you try to mount a front license plate. If you don't need a front plate, 35 works fine.

[VX KAT]

FRONT SKID INSTALL-
Top 2 holes, where license plate delete goes.
~Weird, one side allowed bolt to go through the inner most hole on the clip thing with the threads, and other side wouldn't whatsoever!
So I had to slide the clip over a little, to line up with skid hole, so the bolt could use the other hole on that clip. Allowed bolt to screw right through it.

~OK, got both of those are nice and snug, with the rubber washer and metal washer on front.
~Had to use 45mm screws.
~Also cut some neoprene washers in half and glued them to the back of skid, covering the raw ends of the "fake" bolts" and the top edge of the plate. Otherwise those would be grinding a nice notch in the cladding.
With the washers glued on, none of the edges of the plate are rubbing too much on the cladding.

Lower plate holes are way way off, at least 1/2", maybe even 3/4". If I sanded down the plate hole with a file, it would end up pretty darn thin between the hole and the edge of the plate. So maybe Luna's "slide hammer" idea would work here.

QUESTION: It seems really secure with just the 2 top bolts, and the lower edge is within 1/2" of the cladding, so nothing's "drooping"....... think it would be sufficient with just those 2? Thoughts, opinions?

[vt_maverick]

Sue - I had difficulty getting the screws through the plate, delete, and bumper cover, but after some wiggling everything seemed to work okay. Of course there's no way to see exactly which holes I screwed them into, but I feel confident it was the same on each side. Regardless, as long as it looks good from the outside and fits snug, who really cares right?

Personally I would want all four bolts. What happens when you back up and just the skid catches on an object? Seems like it would at least bend the plate and maybe even shear off the top bolts and dent the bumper. I got all 4 bolts in place but it certainly wasn't easy - clearly these things were meant to fit TIGHT. I guess this is something you chalk up to hand-built variances?

I wish I was there to look at it with you, I honestly didn't think mine would fit either until I monkeyed with it for an hour or two. Not saying I could make it work, but I would hate to send you off to cut something if it turned out not to be necessary later.