Protection from Pin Stipping - Flexible Magnets

M

michael90630

New member
Recently I took a 4x4 Basic Training class and the instructor said that at his website there is a blog where someone has detailed the steps for protecting your rig's body/paint from pin-stripping during off-roading.

Here is the the blog:
http://4x4training.blogspot.com/2005_08_01_archive.html

The information is very interesting. Has anyone in this forum tried doing something like this?

The way to do it is using "flexible magnets" sold by McMaster (http://www.mcmaster.com/). I think it would be worth the shot and as for me, I would try attempting some more trails knowing I can somewhat protect the vehicle at least cosmetically. I know there is no absolute protection but "something is better than nothing".
 
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Mishaal

Im right there with ya my friend. You can still enjoy the hobby of offroading yet "protect" your 30k+ daily driver.
 
i dont do 'pin stripes' either! I guess thats an interesting solution......
We dont have the problem much here, but for those in the desert maybe.
 
I think that's a fantastic idea..... It's nice to hit a trail, but the idea of scratching the hell out of my paint doesn't exactly make me happy.

When my 4Runner is old and no so perfect anymore, I doubt a 'pinstripe' here or there would bother me. But since my paint is still absolutely flawless, I'll do my best to keep it that way.

I'm still surprised that I don't have so much as a door ding, scratch or chip in my paint anywhere on my 4Runner. I do have a tiny mark in my windshield where a stone hit it, but it's only about 1 or 2mm at the most.
 
hossmaster said:
pin striping is part of the hobby, if you don't want them don't put your vehicle there.
Click to expand...

I'd have to agree, pin-stripes, dents, and other body damage goes with going offroad. If you can't handle it, stay in the mall parking lot.
 
Ive seen this clear adhesive pads that you stick on the panels. Its thick enough to cope with most scratches and stuff. Does the job im told, but looks pox.
You could wrap yourself up in anything really, and see if auto journalists photgraph you as a spy shot.....
 

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techno

That's funny. Hey - who knows - that just MIGHT be me and my 4Runner's "15 minutes of fame" IF I do get photographed and end up in a car magazine!! :D

As far as protecting my vehicle - I think it's worth it and somewhat dis-agree with hossmaster and fourwd1. Not all "off-roading" is created equal. I am not talking about hard-core off-roading or rock-crawling. This is my daily vehicle and weekend recreational vehicle too. So I don't mind investing a little bit to protect my investment and I am sure there are lots of guys like me.

As much as "pin striping is part of the hobby"- so can be under-carriage damage to transfer case, fuel tanks etc. So why put skid-plates at all? Why not settle with stock skid-plates? People who are going on more challenging trails do protect their investments also by replacing the "mickey-mouse" skid-plates from Toyota on these 4Runners with custom after-market ones, suspension upgrades, lifts etc. solely designed to protect their rigs. If one is willing to spend a considerable amount of money to protect the under-body, why not do a bit for the "side-body"?

Off-roading does not have to be extreme and always potentially damaging to a vehicle. Yes if this vehicle was a week-end recreational vehicle only (maybe I should have been more clear on my original post) and not my daily drive - sure I would have been more daring with the philosopy of - "if you don't want to get burned - don't go to the kitchen" and dive into any challenging trails - come what may!

There's tons and tons of back-country off-road trails which are rated easy to moderate (3-5) where one can enjoy the journey itself using these trails and the final destinations without having to do major mods or upgrades and therefore venture out from the "mall parking lots".

Books like "Backcountry Adventures Arizona - The Ultimate Guide To the Arizona Backcountry For Anyone With A Sport Utility Vehicle" by Peter Massey and Jeanne Wilson or "Guide to Northern California Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails" by Charles A. Wells list numerous locations in AZ, CA and UT that can be very rewarding experience for a lot of people. I just came back from AZ where I went to 3 of these trails outlined by Peter Massey in his book with my stock 4WD vehicle and had a blast.

Anyway - that's just my 2 cents!!
 
My two cents also

I will never go rock crawling, nor any of the more extreme 0ffroading adventures. If anything I am mostly into "expedition" type exploring. Having said that, I would have purchased a "beater" if I wanted to thrash my vehicle. This too is my daily driver.

I think the side protection is a great idea. I did go to the side Michael included in his original post yet found the site hard to navigate. Do you have a more direct link? Also, is this the protection your instructor recommended?

Thanks
 
jeremysoca

This is the one the instructor had detailed information in his website blog submitted by the person who purchased and installed it for his Hummer.

When you go to McMaster-Carr web site - http://www.mcmaster.com/, on the left sid search for flexible magnets.

When you get to this page titled "Flexible Magnets" on your keyboard do a CTRL+F together. A Find window will pop up and you type in the the following two part numbers separately:

5756k53
or,
5756k55

The first part number is for .025" thinckness and the second one is for 1/32" thickness.

From this point on, I would call teh McMaster-Carr product support dept. for additional clarification regarding unit cost for 50 ft. roll, shipping etc.

Hope this helps.
 
fourwd1 said:
I'd have to agree, pin-stripes, dents, and other body damage goes with going offroad. If you can't handle it, stay in the mall parking lot.
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friend, ur truck was NOT $30k+ either.....
Id take YOUR truck on rocks too if I had it, which oneday I hope to one similar.

I bet that beast isnt your ONLY car either......
 
The OEM skid plates are not that bad.... they do offer a good of protection for the type of offroad driving my 4Runner experiences.

Upgraded skid plates are probably a good idea for extreme conditions, but my stock skid plates have a few battle scars, which makes me believe they did their job.
 
Even Steven

I agree - so far my ones have been dented and scraped but holding on OK with moderate trails. My fuel-tank skid plate did get dented last week at AZ but when I came back, I just removed it and hammered and used my vehicle jack to put it back to almost the original condition. Next I spray painted it so that it does not rust. It's almost as good as new.

However, the transfer case has this small skid plate which is not very strong either. The skid plate is mounted with bolts on the transfer case itself so I am not sure if a heavier one will do any good. It might have a opposite effect - read somewhere in this forum that a heavier plate can shear the bolt off the mounting location and basically crack the transfer case whereas the OEM might just bend and absorb the force. A full cover I have seen at BudBuilt will cover the entire area - front to back.
 
T?@\7 said:
friend, ur truck was NOT $30k+ either.....
Id take YOUR truck on rocks too if I had it, which oneday I hope to one similar.

I bet that beast isnt your ONLY car either......
Click to expand...

my tacoma was expensive, it has its fair share of on trail customization. Most cases a tree branch will grab the leading edge of the magnet and just take it off while leaving a good deep scratch.
 
hossmaster said:
my tacoma was expensive, it has its fair share of on trail customization. Most cases a tree branch will grab the leading edge of the magnet and just take it off while leaving a good deep scratch.
Click to expand...

I dont really understand why you're trying to rain on everybody's parade?

This is a pretty practical idea. if you dont have anything worthwhile to contribute to it... i think most would just assume you didnt contribute anything.
 
LetsGoHokies! said:
I dont really understand why you're trying to rain on everybody's parade?

This is a pretty practical idea. if you dont have anything worthwhile to contribute to it... i think most would just assume you didnt contribute anything.
Click to expand...

just being realistic, you can't have your cake and eat it too. if your that worried about offroading and pinstripes you might as well put a set of curb feelers on your runner to keep the curb from scratching your rims.
 
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