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Adding a skid plate

Kevin H.

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I didn't get the FX4 package. (I found one for sale rather than ordering a build.) I'd like to add an OEM or aftermarket skid plate but can't find anything. Any advice? I've been searching FordParts.com and these forums and coming up empty.

Has anyone added skid plates to a Mav without FX4?
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Maverickman74

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At this point you will probably have to make one. The good news is that it is not hard. A welder could make it nicer but is not necessary. However you can totally get a welder and everything you need to learn to weld at harbor freight or amazon for less than $200. It is dirty and smelly but really easy. My first weld was at like 10 years old and I was a bit of a spaz. Other than that fabbing your own skid plate it pretty easy. Get some metal, some bolts, a drill, a grinder, and a little PPE. Crawl under look for the bits you want to protect then look to the side of em and find places to mount a plate to that wont interfere with anything. Should be easy to find on a FWD based vehicle. You may not even have to bend anything but bending can be accomplished by making your own brake by bolting 2x4s or 4x4 or other metal like angle iron to a work bench or tree or anything heavy and solid. I have a heavy duty bumper on the back of my comanche that I use to bend stuff around all the time. If you choose a thicker metal and try out a welder, you can draw out your bends on the metal, then scribe it with a cut off wheel on your grinder. Then it will bend easier, then just fill the scribe/cut with weld. Boom solid.

A skid plate is really a great place to start with a fab project. Its rather simple, and if it isnt super pretty on your first attempt , no worries, because the only people who will see it are professional mechanics who will probably help you out with tips and tricks.

I dont have my FX4 yet but have crawled around under several Mav at the dealer(they love to roll their eyes at me). Even with FX4 I and others on here have said that there is more needed to be protected under there. So plates will be available but it will not be for another year or so. But within the year we should see people making their own on here. Thats really the best way to go at this point.
 

FrankMG

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At this point you will probably have to make one. The good news is that it is not hard. A welder could make it nicer but is not necessary. However you can totally get a welder and everything you need to learn to weld at harbor freight or amazon for less than $200. It is dirty and smelly but really easy. My first weld was at like 10 years old and I was a bit of a spaz. Other than that fabbing your own skid plate it pretty easy. Get some metal, some bolts, a drill, a grinder, and a little PPE. Crawl under look for the bits you want to protect then look to the side of em and find places to mount a plate to that wont interfere with anything. Should be easy to find on a FWD based vehicle. You may not even have to bend anything but bending can be accomplished by making your own brake by bolting 2x4s or 4x4 or other metal like angle iron to a work bench or tree or anything heavy and solid. I have a heavy duty bumper on the back of my comanche that I use to bend stuff around all the time. If you choose a thicker metal and try out a welder, you can draw out your bends on the metal, then scribe it with a cut off wheel on your grinder. Then it will bend easier, then just fill the scribe/cut with weld. Boom solid.

A skid plate is really a great place to start with a fab project. Its rather simple, and if it isnt super pretty on your first attempt , no worries, because the only people who will see it are professional mechanics who will probably help you out with tips and tricks.

I dont have my FX4 yet but have crawled around under several Mav at the dealer(they love to roll their eyes at me). Even with FX4 I and others on here have said that there is more needed to be protected under there. So plates will be available but it will not be for another year or so. But within the year we should see people making their own on here. Thats really the best way to go at this point.
Hello! What welder is more suitable for that? Brand, type? Are there any budget but decent options? I'm totally newbie in it. Upd. Are the MIG welders from this list suitable for that?
All the best!
 
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Maverickman74

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Hello! What welder is more suitable for that? Brand, type? Are there any budget but decent options? I'm totally newbie in it
All the best!
There are really good welding machines out there. Also the better they are, the more expensive and complex they get. Gas bottles/fills/rentals/leases and all. But for a newbie, who may or may not decide fabrication is really their thing, I would go find a nice cheap throw away welder. Amazon has plenty, but so does Harbor Freight, Tractor Supply, Rural King, or whatever farm type store you have in your area. They have many brand names and are almost all chinese. But they are good to practice with and not spend a ton of money.
Of the different weld processes I would just get a Flux-cored machine it is the cheapest/easiest. Stick is also very cheap and easy but requires a bit more skill of hand than a point and shoot gun. The one good thing about stick is that it often will weld very thick and thin metal in one machine. That all depends on the range. If you are welding any metal that is thin enough to measure in gauges the flux core will struggle with burning holes, where a low powered cheap stick welder is weak enough to not get too hot at the low end of its adjustment. But you are probably wanting more of a 1/16" or 1/8" plate thickness. If you go 3/16" its gonna get heavy real quick, and really only be necessary for hard core offroading.

So long story short just pick up a cheap 110v (check the plug)welder, probably a flux core. Get some Lincoln or Miller wire for it. Get a good comfortable auto darkening hood preferably with the bigger window. Dont ever ever ever look at your welding without it being dark. And get some high quality gloves and some cheap welding arm sleeves. You will also need a wire cutters or welding pliers, a weld pick/hammer, and you can go with a good stiff wire brush but I honestly like cheap wire wheels/cups on a cordless drill, and a small simple 4.5" angle grinder(just get a multipack of cut/grind/flap discs off amazon). You can probably put all that together for about $300. Thats if you dont already have a drill or grinder. Go cheap, its not really even a solid hobby for you yet, there will be plenty time to spend your fortune later.

Vice grips and various clamps are also handy. A speed square, a nice metal work table(can be wood but it better be thick and remember that fire is real). I often put the metal on my thick chunky wood workbench and screw 2x4s over it and use that to make a makeshift sheet metal brake or to hold a project together while clamping.

The other thing is metal. You can get metal at the Home Depot or Lowes but metal supply store and industrial recyclers will often have much better deals. Even some fab shops will let you pick through their scrap bins for pieces too small for their project but just right for yours.

Lastly have fun with it and be creative. You will love the look on your friends faces when you tell them what you built and how you can teach them too.
 

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Can't the OP just go to a Ford dealership and buy the FX4 skid plates to install himself?

CMOS
 

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Kevin H.

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Can't the OP just go to a Ford dealership and buy the FX4 skid plates to install himself?

CMOS
That's what I was hoping to do. I'm acquaintances with a Ford salesman. He said to look online but FordParts.com doesn't have Mav skid plates yet.
 

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Good looking part. Looks like theres an access hole for changing the oil. The mavericks 2.0L might have the filter and drain plugs in a different spot than the 1.6. As such the access panel may be in a different spot on the skid plate. I'd wait until they have a vehicle engine specific plate
 

Maverickman74

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Good looking part. Looks like theres an access hole for changing the oil. The mavericks 2.0L might have the filter and drain plugs in a different spot than the 1.6. As such the access panel may be in a different spot on the skid plate. I'd wait until they have a vehicle engine specific plate
Its only metal, just modify it.
 

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Found new on the Bronco Sport forum. Aluminum skid plate for non Badlands Sports.
Want one for your Mav? Contact them and ask. Good looking plate, $300.
Demand proceeds supply.

https://www.rival4x4usa.com/products/aluminum-engine-skid-plate-ford-bronco-sport-2021-2022
They are trying to develop one for the Maverick but haven't been able to get their hands on a Maverick for measurements and test fitting. I've exchanged a few emails with them and they are super friendly and seem motivated to bring products for the Maverick to market. If anyone is in the Houston area reach out to them. They said they are looking for an ecoboost Maverick specifically.
 
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Maverickman74

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I wouldent pay $300 plus for something like that and then cut on it, and I do aviation sheetmetal for a living. For that price I should not have to modify anything.
In Hawaii a piece of metal suitable for a skid plate would cost $300, its not a big deal. Most home/semi professional fabricators will buy a piece of equipment for twice that price and immediately weld something to it to make it work better for em. That same logic applies to spending 20-30k on a vehicle only to have to bolt something to it. "For that price I shouldnt have to modify anything."
 

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They are trying to develop one for the Maverick but haven't been able to get their hands on a Maverick for measurements and test fitting. I've exchanged a few emails with them and they are super friendly and seem motivated to bring products for the Maverick to market. If anyone is in the Houston area reach out to them. They said they are looking for an ecoboost Maverick specifically.
I'd advise them to join this forum like they have with the Bronco Sport. :)
 
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Barracuda340

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In Hawaii a piece of metal suitable for a skid plate would cost $300, its not a big deal. Most home/semi professional fabricators will buy a piece of equipment for twice that price and immediately weld something to it to make it work better for em. That same logic applies to spending 20-30k on a vehicle only to have to bolt something to it. "For that price I shouldnt have to modify anything."
I agree, people do modify to suit. However as nice as that is, and for that amount of money spent, I'm not going to buy it, and right away cut and modify it with access holes in different spots. Add a drill hole or 2 for fasteners ya sure I would do something like that, but cut a different access hole, ummm no. I will wait until a maverick ecoboost specific one is made. Otherwise I will make my own.
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