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Thread: Lite Armor

  1. #1

    Default Lite Armor

    I know a little left field.......... While I got the truck apart was thinking about putting some kind of armor in the cab and doors. Anybody done or gone this route?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 1998
    Location
    North Central Wisconsin
    Posts
    11,520

    Default

    Dont ever remember that coming up before...an "uprated M715" would be a first in my book...
    Lord send your Holy Ghost into our hearts and make the desire of our hearts Your Will.

    Pro-choice, that's a LIE, babies don't choose to die!!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Fernandina Beach, FL
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    3,689

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by longrider999 View Post
    I know a little left field.......... While I got the truck apart was thinking about putting some kind of armor in the cab and doors. Anybody done or gone this route?
    Maybe I am way off base, but what comes to mind is, Why?

  4. #4

    Default

    The sheetmetal skins/frame of the door... let alone the cab sheemetal A pillar where the door hinges attach to the cab tub will not support up armor weight.

    While the idea has merit... it simply isn't feasible or logical in this application. (My guess it would require the entire cab tub to be rebuilt. Hood hinge locations cannot support extra weight on the tub, door pillar hinge locations would tear apart. (Some already are doing it by the weight of just the original door) Most/all of us have hood sag/tears already etc.

    Then there is the top problem..... while most of us are skinned in canvas or a fiberglass cap... making the cab roof/back/corners up armored would potentially have the cab mounts ripping through the floor at this point.

    Axle's would have to be swapped out and upgraded to sustain the extra thousands of pounds.

    EDIT: Just for weight context.... the 11 ga 4'x10' sheetmetal sheets I see at work are 200# each... and thats just sheetmetal that just a good .22LR could get through.

    My best "educated guess" from doing machine design (mechanical engineer by trade).... the cab up-armor to just stop a pistol munition would be 2-3,000 lbs.

    If you were to tackle the front clip (fender/hood) your flirting with another 2-3k.

    6,000 lbs of armor would double the M715 weight to 12,000 lbs total. (Most states/insurance companies register up to 8,000 lbs on truck personal plates before you have to go to commercial/RV status.)
    Last edited by venominjected; September 3rd, 2018 at 10:05 AM.
    67' M715/5.9 Cummins/ZF5/NP205

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Bloomfield CT
    Posts
    313

    Default

    If you need it, you could look into sheet kevlar....not stupid heavy, but might give some of the issues venom mentioned...I have seen it go into judges benches....
    Is that real money?

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 1998
    Location
    North Central Wisconsin
    Posts
    11,520

    Default

    It could look like a pre up-armored humvee prototype...
    Lord send your Holy Ghost into our hearts and make the desire of our hearts Your Will.

    Pro-choice, that's a LIE, babies don't choose to die!!

  7. #7

    Default

    or go for the mad max road warrior look.

  8. #8

    Default

    Just wanted to thank everyone for their input. Was never my intention to try to make a poor mans Sherman tank. The angle I was coming from is the type of windshield replacement I am using is bullet resistant up to the 30 cal bullets. A few extra panels of a lite plastic armor would be easy to install in my presant phase of work. Was trying to find out what is out there.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Anchorage, AK
    Posts
    414

    Default

    More info on windshield? Some kind of glass/ploycarb laminate?

    I know offroad racers use polycarbonate windows for its impact resistance, but it's super soft and scratches easily...

    Like VI said, I've thought about Kevlar sheet. I've seen laminated Kevlar board, kinda like fiberglass, for blast protection.

    But I'm not a Senator, so meh.

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