body armor/run-flat tires?

[Oldsouthernboy]

Any one think about surplus Huey Pilot seats? The Old hueys had armored pilot and co pilot seats, Find one Buy it and replace the seat.

 

[WARWAG]

Hey WARWAG,
you mention that you used to up-armor ATM trucks, do you have a good source for factory-replacement ballistic glass and/or kevlar mat? I've done a google search but with mixed results.

PS Did you get your handle from the Deathlands novels?

LOL Yes, Ive been reading Deathlands for over twenty years. Not much these last few years since they still cant find a decent replacement author.

We used Poltcarbonate sheeting for the windows (comes in 4x8 sheets) Inside the cab and behind the factory glass. the doors were 1/8 armor plate and replaced the door panels. The widshiled had a piece of Polycarbonate on the inside as well. The rear wall (small Nissan pickups) help our vaults also made with 1/8 armor plate. This would stop most handgun rounds. And really are only good to get you out of a kill zone of handgun caliber weapons and some light rifle rounds.

 

[badga the badger]

while people are saying how to armor your trucks, you are leaving out how to test them. sure, take some of the metal your gonna use to the range, but when you actully put it in, youll never know how it actully holds up after riding in the doors for who knows how long. my advise is(and dont follow it) after you armor it, go to the bad side of town and try to find some gang members.

like stimpy said: rather have it and not need it then to need it and not have it.

 

[Burgerboy13]

Up armoring a short wheel base, top heavy SUV does not make a lot of sense to me. I would at least up armor a 1 ton truck. That way you still have some cargo capacity.

 

[WARWAG]

The armoring I described does not add allot of weight at all and is pretty effective against small arm fire. If the person(s) inside were wearing vests as well they would be in decent shape.

 

[parlusk]

it is expensive... phone books in the doors will work for something short term and small arms... you have to protect the motor though

 

[1waterdog]

I own I sign shop and you can buy bulk Polycarbonate from your local sign wholesale supply company. It is used for back lite signs. Make sure it is polycarbonate and not the cheap stuff they sell that looks like it. I worked in the Safety industry before that and safety glasses use poly lens, we would shot gun test the lens. It took a 3 mill lens to stop a shot gun, it would not stop a 22. I am thinking if you had the poly in front of steel it would slow down or absorb most of your energy. The poly in the glassed would actually absorb the double 00 buck and they would stay stuck in the lens. OSHA changed there standard and it is hard to find 3 mill lens anymore. Poly is fairly light. I don't know if the sign sheeting poly is made to the same standards as safety glass poly I will have to shot gun test it. It is not clear and would only work in doors. You have got me thinking about a purpose built rail with a poly body. air cooled motors might be a better way to go.

 

[1waterdog]

Now you have me thinking, If you had a simple mounting system in place you could slide Poly panel around the outside of your truck if the poop hit the fan. I think it would be best to have two layers. Now I am going to have to go shot some sign martial!

 

[broman78]

what about the run flat tires? Are run flat tire inserts from the hmmwv a viable option?

 

[andytk5]

Love this discussion, I know its old but i have been thinking the same thing. Any ideas on fitting the poly glass to the existing windows/windshields? Also could you roll the kevlar mat inside the door panels with an adhesive fit it to stick to the inside of the outer panel and another sheet for the inside skins? Kind of a double layer?

Would you make the windows non roll down and have the poly on the outside or inside, or both and sandwich it?

 

[Smokingman]

Amazon.com: Security Film - SecPRO Film / Explosion Proof Film Class 336 - 5'x100' 78lbs - Security Film for Home, Office, Store, Car, Commercial: Everything Else

Just thought I would share.That is for a LARGE roll,they do sell in smaller sizes.

 

[Hanns]

M113 and M2 Bradley IFVs use a ~2" thick rigid Kevlar anti-spalling liners to keep the crunchies inside safe. That material if cut to fit and placed inside doors would protect the occupants quite well. Non roll down polycarbonate windows and side/rear glass, reinforced windshield, hard plating around the engine/louvered radiator grill to protect vital bits. Could be done without adding a literal ton of weight but getting the kevlar anti-spall material would be difficult.

 

[idM1028]

Love this discussion, I know its old but i have been thinking the same thing. Any ideas on fitting the poly glass to the existing windows/windshields? Also could you roll the kevlar mat inside the door panels with an adhesive fit it to stick to the inside of the outer panel and another sheet for the inside skins? Kind of a double layer?

Would you make the windows non roll down and have the poly on the outside or inside, or both and sandwich it?

You could probably do this if you planned on rolling the windows down. Of course, you could probably just pull the entire window regulator assembly and fabricate a way to keep the window in place. Which would allow you to put even more armor stuff in the door panels. But then you'd probably have to add A/C to the truck (this can be done but is gonna set you back $1,000+ just for the parts) You'd also have to be careful how much weight you add. Too much and you're gonna run into a slew of problems. Just take a look at something like a M1151.
M1151 up-armored hmmwv | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Notice how big the door hinges are? And the window doesn't just "roll down" it slides horizontally on brackets. Also check out the door handles, they're beefy and they're beefy for a reason. . .

 

[Snuffy74]

ArmorCo Online Home

Good variety of different products. I've never used them, but someone here might wanna give them a try.

 

[kentuckycucv]

you could buy a ballistic blanket, keep it handy for when the shooting starts. ArmorShield USA LVL IIIA Ballistic Blanket

 

[wrex]

...The weak point in the M1009 is all the glass....

And the Fiberglass top. Don't forget that.

 

[wrex]

Ballistic Kevlar is not the same as structural or finish Kevlar, so be informed if you buy a roll and fab something on your own. The weave is key, in addition to the layering.

For weight savings, this may be your best solution.

Also know that it won't be cheap. I too, am thinking of doing some Armoring. I have some idea I'm spinning around, currently.

If you go with Kevlar, I can give you some pointers on laying it up, etc. I work with it, quite a bit, in our Suppressor manufacturing (We have a line of Carbon Fiber/Kevlar gun suppressors that I helped design). I am re-building a top and pretty much decided it's going to be a Carbon Fiber/Kevlar build.

Polycarb is best for ballistic resistance, glass wise. Again, not "cheap" but doable. Someone here said they can get it in bulk, so use that resource, if he's willing. You'll need some thickness to stop a .223/5.56. I believe absolute minimum is .5" for "normal" (Non filmed) Poly against regular 5.56 ball. Again, I have ideas on this and mounting so that it's some-what easily removable, when it's needed.

Tap Plastics sells "actual" Ballistic resistant Polycarb (Yes, there is a difference, minor, but there is). Again: It isn't cheap.

 

[tbearatkin]

We do a little in field armoring of diplomatic vehicles in the Seabees. First unless you live in a a cold weather area you will need AC. Drove a armored Mercedes in Israel in the summer the AC was broke. It was real hard driving down the road holding the doors open cool it off plus it defeated the purposed of the armor. Suggest you drive your M1009 around town on a hot summer day with the windows up and see if you can handle that.

We installed thick polycarbonate on the inside of the windshield and on the inside of all the windows. This did not look pretty. Then we installed ballistic aluminum on the inside of the vehicle. Once again it was not pretty but effective.

Ballistic Supplies Incorporated - Fayetteville NC

 

[gigabelly]

I asked the guys at LineX about doing the entire body of my M1008. I would have to lose my camo and it would not really be bullet proof, but it is light weight, will absorb at least some of the projectile energy and is very resistant to IED or explosions. Lots of YouTube videos document this. I do intend to LineX the safe room I am building into our retreat home. Again, its not really bullet resistant, but it is light weight, resistant to some degree against explosives and can come in the color of your choosing, as long as it is just one color. For the cost, around $2500. Just a thought

 

[philjafo]

Armor is all about compramise, protection vs mobility vs cost. Anything can be armored to the point of surviving an rpg atack, but to do that to a m1009 you would either spend a fortune or have something so heavy it wouldn't be able to move. You have to do a risk assesment (the army was big on those when I was in) and determine the threat leevel you expect to face and size your armor accordingly. Cops don't run around wearing the same vest as infantry but they are still wearing them. I would glue a couple old vest to the inside of the doors and the backs of the seats, and the best defense is a good offense, get behind your armored door and shoot back! Or you could just walk around in one of those bomb squad suits lol