Posted: 10/25/2009 10:34:19 AM EDT
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Wondering if anyone has ideas, plans to have a level of armor on their BOV. It would be tough on the vehicle if it were weighed down but still, anyone contemplating some form of protection either on the doors or windows?
Noticed a diplomats car and they pretty much just bolted the thick glass to the door- causing it to stay in place without being able to roll down. Would a last minute bolt on sheeting work? I am not talking about a professional 30k job but a DIY project if need be. Any ideas?? |
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More than the glass is bolted on... and the vehicle weight on a properly armored vehicle basically doubles. Moves slow and takes much to stop it once it starts rolling. Hard on the wallet at the pump and hard on brake systems due to the extra weight. On some the driver's window would roll down 4 or 5 inches. The others would not move.
I have driven armored Crown Vics and full size vans. They are slugs and the thick glass will give you a headache on those long days behind the wheel. I hated driving and preferred being the trunk monkey on the follow vehicle! |
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I have thought about this before and I decided that armor on a personal vehicle is not very worth wild.
You could armor your doors with steel plates (which is very heavy and noticeable), which will way down the vehicle significantly. You could line the inside with kevlar vest inserts. This would work well, however if I am engaging a target in a vehicle I am going to fire through thte window. That is what I can see, and I know my projectile will pass through. Both of them are very costly. I beleive the most usefull solution when SHTF is to have speed. Id rather be able to accelerate quickly and get out of the hot zone then sit there and get have your car turned into a cheese grater. I do however think its a good idea to have brush guards, light guards, etc, and i have even though about covering windows with a steel chicken wire mesh in order to stop thrown projectiles, or anything else that could easily smash through your windows. I think this type of threat would be more prevelant that gun fire. Oh and as far as ballistic glass, sounds good if youve got the moneyt to throw down, however I dont htink most of us do. |
| It is more complex than heavy steel plates in the doors. If the door gets an additional 100+ pounds of steel (armor), the hinges have to be upgraded to hold the weight or the door will quickly droop and not close or latch. If it is armored with kevlar, you only have pistol protection... so there is little point unless it is armored for rifle calibers. |
I work on armored trucks. . The stuff weighs a lot to get any protection. there was a company selling precut Kevlar panels for some common luxury cars . It was expensive but, lower cost than a full armor package. . You will really need a truck to carry the weight . hinges are an issue . as is door stops. No roll up windows that is what gun ports are for. The glass weighs more than the steel. If you look around the are some armored Benz's , BMW's and Cadillac's and Lincoln's out there. They would be a viable choice and be somewhat ordinary looking in traffic. I used to get stuff in the mail from these guys but not lately
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I would just buy a Humber Pig, already armoured, plenty of room, battle proven and can have an optional .30 in a turret Unfortunately, Military version Hummers (even used ones) are not available to the public...I am an ex-GM exec and tried to buy one at one point....no joy. To up-armor any vehicle against .308+ is tough without high cost and trouble...better just to buy a deuce and a half. I think there are better ways to spend your prep money than uparmoring your BOV...essentially you decrease the handling, range and off-road capability - making it nearly useless as a BOV. |
| At a fun show I obtained some many layered kevlar scrap. It is over 1 1/2 " thick, and when properly supported stops M855 & ball ammo at close range (actual test). Seller claimed to have really large pieces (canopies) for sale which came from stale dated Aegis-style ship stores, as covers for electonics and weapon enclosures. A pick-up cab rear-wall or car trunk interior could be lined w/ a piece at a weight gain not much over 125lb. |
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I would just buy a Humber Pig, already armoured, plenty of room, battle proven and can have an optional .30 in a turret Unfortunately, Military version Hummers (even used ones) are not available to the public...I am an ex-GM exec and tried to buy one at one point....no joy. To up-armor any vehicle against .308+ is tough without high cost and trouble...better just to buy a deuce and a half. I think there are better ways to spend your prep money than uparmoring your BOV...essentially you decrease the handling, range and off-road capability - making it nearly useless as a BOV. A humber pig is nothing like the HUMMER, google that shit! Our local Sheriff's Office just sold theirs in trade for a new armored van. Go to publicsurplus.com they have one from time to time |
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This will work, just have to collect enough of them.
Thick telephone books, like say, the Los Angeles phone book. In a car, place in the trunk up against the rear seat offers quite a bit of rear protection. In a truck, behind the seat. We had a running gun battle with a guy in an old Lincoln Continental filled with phone books. He was firing a Mac-10 9mm and we were firing 12 gauge 00 buck and .40S&W. (We did not have rifles back then) No rounds fired penetrated to him during the gun battle. Don't know how you might fix the sides or front. |
Properly read this is not off-topic: While plinking at a trashy rural dump with building demolition debris and major appliances, I favored ceramic tile vs, 22lr. I placed single tiles on inclined major appiances for bullseyes. Tiles stll broke, but enameled- metal surface was hardly marked. Next a few rounds of 9mm-jhp splattered tiles, but only dinged metal, So, when I saw 2+ boxes of shower tiles and cement at yard sale I grabbed them up. My cooking area is central to my home and views both entrances, so I "tiled" the entire lower door on my fridge. With door fully open I can position myself to address both entrances and 2 main windows. Female guests are actually very admiring of my colorful (metrosexual blue) door; but are puzzled at the horizontal milk carton on the top fridge shelf, which covers a S&W stainless 625. I used a sheet metal screw and a piece of hacksaw blade to make fridge light non-automatic. So when things go bump...hit the fridge!
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I have an in the bed tool box in my truck bed. I put some straps against the back wall of the box and put sapi plates behind the driver and passenger seats. It gives some protection and lets face it, if im beinf shot at, as soon as possible i'm going to put them behind me. It doesnt weigh a whole lot and was easy to install. I guess I could post some pics, but i'm watching the game...
Jim |
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One of my friends was out from California and I took him onto Fort Riley to show him the Cavalry museum. When we were leaving I asked him if he wanted
to hoof it over to the Government Liquidation yard on-post. In one of parking lots nearby they had rows upon rows of armored Deuces and 5 tons..... armored cabs with bullet proof glass. A couple had gun turrets.....man.....if they end up going to GL for auction I will be getting me one of them..... I'd buy a crap one and put the armored cab on my Deuce.......man......that would rock..... If I end up with one with a turret........well then I'll just have to buy something to go in it........ 
ETA: I have seen armored doors, maybe for Humvees dunno, auctioned off by GL at their Oklahoma facility........ |
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Have you tried to call junk yards and ask them if they have any newer Police cars? The newer ones (some of them) have kevlar under the gas tank and in the door panels, you could always ask the yard for those pieces, I'm sure they would sell it on the cheap side.
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Another option.....
If you don't know the story behind this, google Granby Colorado bulldozer, crazy sh#t You could get some of the Kevlar riot shields and put them next to the doors and behind the seats for some protection without weighing things down too much. |
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Not very practical from my point of view, but I kicked around this idea:
Use construction adhesive such as Liquid Nails to glue ceramic tiles between two 1/4" steel plates like a poor man's ceramic armor Heavy and possibly expensive, but it might work. I have never tested this idea. |
I have been reading and hearing that the shredded tires that they make for playgrounds work great for bullet stops, a buddy of mine tried it with a monitor box (computer), he shot it with a 270 at 100yrds, the bullet did not go through the box . From what I have read, the shredded rubber actually take the energy from the round that is passing through and spreads it out through out the shreds. I have not seen this personally, but it would be interesting to give it a try, hell if it works you could fill door cavity's with it and not add too much weight to the vehicle.
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Not very practical from my point of view, but I kicked around this idea: Use construction adhesive such as Liquid Nails to glue ceramic tiles between two 1/4" steel plates like a poor man's ceramic armor Heavy and possibly expensive, but it might work. I have never tested this idea. I glued 3 1/4" thick foor tiles together with JG Weld and wrapped it with a few layers of some really thick sticky tape. It stopped 2 hits of M80 ball out of my M1A. They were 12x12 tiles and the hits were about 4" apart. Nothing came out the back on the 1st hit and only ceramic dust and some really tiny jacket flakes on the 2nd. 2 of them turned a hit of XM193 into shards. A level 2 soft panel would have stopped the shards. |
For just pistol protection polyethylene sheets are very light and thin. The 1/4" thick sheet used in the Impac ST vest inserts meet level IIIA and some other 'special threat' rounds.
Heres a pic of the "plate" in the insert pouch. VERY light but they are about $100 for a 7x9" plate. Not sure if its a special kind of polyethylene. If not you could buy large sections and cut them for the inside of your doors. For rifle rounds any rated vehical armor will be $$$ and either have to be custom work done at a company or those panels that clip on the outside of the car that some PDs are now buying. Your best bet would just to buy a vest like a CIRAS and buy level 3 (or 4) front & back plates then get some side SAPIs. |
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I would just buy a Humber Pig, already armoured, plenty of room, battle proven and can have an optional .30 in a turret Unfortunately, Military version Hummers (even used ones) are not available to the public...I am an ex-GM exec and tried to buy one at one point....no joy. To up-armor any vehicle against .308+ is tough without high cost and trouble...better just to buy a deuce and a half. I think there are better ways to spend your prep money than uparmoring your BOV...essentially you decrease the handling, range and off-road capability - making it nearly useless as a BOV. A humber pig is nothing like the HUMMER, google that shit! Our local Sheriff's Office just sold theirs in trade for a new armored van. Go to publicsurplus.com they have one from time to time Nothing like a HMMV - a M1114 Frag 5 is a much more capable/survivable vehicle. Humber Pig - MK1 - lightly armored weighs 10k lbs, MK2 - perhaps defeating 7.62x51 - 14K lbs - 120hp Rolls B6 engine, fragile gearbox, mediocre drive train, limited cross country ability, spares are uncommon and dear. Top speed -45-50 mph. 200 mile range. Khaki Imports has them from time to time - 1700 made and quite a few available in the states. They'd be an option, but they leave much to be desired. In the Pigs price range, Shorlands have similar armor protection but better spares availability (Land Rover Series), OT-64 are cheaper and have better performance, the Saxon is better all the way around. The best values in armored vehicles with some kind of support available in the States - one of the Otakar Armored Vehicles. They make a civilian armored Land Rover Defender derivative (Akrep would be preferable but it really an recon vehicle) - that would never be importable. Too bad. What you have in mind may be commendable - but not very practical. I'd stockpile the phone books now. RoadWarrior - which division and how long retired? Feel free to PM me. |