# Any tips on how to Armor plate a Sentra?



## Exalta (Jan 21, 2003)

With a recent rash of smash and grab incidents happening while the driver is *still* in the car, I've thought of adding additional "armor" to my Sentra to prevent this from happening.

Yes, I have a gun but I might not be quick enough to react to that kind of situation

What also scares me is during a test on the safety of an average american sedan, the standard .22 short used by most of the "Saturday Night Specials" will go through the side doors of a Lincoln town car..just imagine how a Sentra door (and it's driver/passengers) will look after it's been shot through..

I've heard that tint (especially the stiff ones from solargard) will prevent the glass from shattering into your face because the tint will hold the splinters..is there any truth to this?

Any other suggestions?


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## Exalta (Jan 21, 2003)

Armor experts like O'Gara Hess & Eisenhardt charge almost $50,000 dollars for a Level 1 armor protection (armor protection good for all handguns) but I just want protection from smash and grabs and "Saturday Night special" pistol fire. Any tips would be greatly appreciated...even the "Ghetto" ones


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## sethwas (Apr 30, 2002)

Best bet is to get smashproof/shatterproof tinting. That way the glass can't be smashed.

Seth


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## kwertis (Aug 7, 2003)

if you'd take off the plastic door panel on the inside of your car and weld metal in there it will slow down the bullet. you might be able to get the plastic door panel back on, but i don't know for sure. just figured i'd try to help you out. later


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## 200SushiX (Jul 12, 2002)

The best defense is driving a crappy POS: no thief will
look at you twice. Unless you can afford the level 3 armor
:thumbup: . Stealth is key. No radio, nothing of
value in the car itself, banged up exterior, (no body
kits), maybe some smoke "on demand" coming from
the exhaust, (like at red lights)? I always wanted a
"Bond" car like this: looks like total shit, but has
hidden goodies  !


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## Felonious Cat Stalker (May 1, 2002)

Pay the bucks and line the doors with Kevlar?


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## James (Apr 29, 2002)

If you're just preventing smash and grab just replace your windows with some acrylic that's just a bit thicker than the stock glass panels... you can't really shatter acrylic AND you get the benefits of weight reduction...


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## Felonious Cat Stalker (May 1, 2002)

Acrylic (plexiglas) will shatter under the right force. Polycarbonate (Lexan) is the lightweight shatter proff material.

Both are a bitch to keep from scratching though.


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## James (Apr 29, 2002)

fcsmotorsports said:


> Acrylic (plexiglas) will shatter under the right force. Polycarbonate (Lexan) is the lightweight shatter proff material.
> 
> Both are a bitch to keep from scratching though.


oh yeah that's what I meant!


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## go4broke44 (Jan 14, 2003)

is it really that bad there?


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## Slayer2003 (Jun 4, 2003)

.......the lexan has a much higher shatter, melting, and scratching point than plexiglass. if you can, find somewhere that can do form molding to do windows n stuff. thatway, it looks the same, and has the same curves as the factory glass. theres also some polycarb stuff i saw on a Discovery channel special, thats like 5x er something stronger than lexan. but im sure thats like 10000000x times more expencive 


for the doors n shit if your worried about bullets, it may not by lightweight, but tack-welding in some 1/4, to 1/2 inch steel plating will work for most  just make sure to hammer it to a curve to make the round do down to the ground, and to dissapate more energy.

anything more....like gas tank shielding, engine and tranny cover plates for the underside, and you better be sportin' a rb25dett to get your car to 60 in under 10 minutes


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## Slayer2003 (Jun 4, 2003)

i just thought of something........you could always get ahold of some roit gear  i think those sheilds are made of bullet proff polycarb, atleast up to like .44 er something.

and get some kevlar vests, strip the kevlar out of em, n line your doors with it, along with something else "just in case". not only can you now stop an upclose shotgun blast, your car is now less prone to being stabbed


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## Exalta (Jan 21, 2003)

Hey thanks for all the advice guys! Keep em comin!

Nice idea regarding the riot shields, there are lots of surplus military inventory on sale at the base right now.

Lexan?Hmm I'll search Google on where to find this stuff.

Damnit if I put all those on my GA16DE wont even go 0-60 in 2 minutes.




> is it really that bad there?


Only during election time :thumbup:
Communist rebels, political goons/private armies and Islamic militants are all on the loose every election.


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## James (Apr 29, 2002)

No lexan is really light, it should server your purpose very well! Don't forget to weld a piece of steel inside the door so that he can't stab you through the sheet metal!


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## Felonious Cat Stalker (May 1, 2002)

Just keep in mind that if you use lexan, it won't be very scratch proof & you need special cleaners.


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## Semper Fi (Jun 28, 2002)

Maybe you can rigg some kind of flame thrower device, with just a push of a button you can light him up from the sides.


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## danifilth (May 14, 2003)

if you want to be really cheap about it just duct tape Xs across your side windows and if it gets shot it comes out in one piece or stays up partially.Also hole drill a 3" diameter hole in your door and when the time comes hold a fence post across your lap and out the hole and drive by the guys and be sure to have some wood or steel to protect your chest.


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## cls12vg30 (Oct 21, 2003)

Semper Fi said:


> Maybe you can rigg some kind of flame thrower device, with just a push of a button you can light him up from the sides.


Or if you can't get your hands on flamethrowers and don't want to cart around the required flammable materials, I always thought an effective anti-jacking device would be a 12-guage autoloading shotgun loaded with buckshot mounted sideways under the driver's door...maybe weld a steel piece on the end that's oval-shaped to flatten out the spread horizontally..rig up a solenoid to the trigger wired to a button on the dash.....one push and you blow the mf'ers ankles off. :thumbup: 

But seriously you shouldn't need too much to stop a .22 short, or even a .22 LR...they're all velocity, little mass, so the overall energy isn't that high. 

As for returning fire, might I recommend a CZ-52...old Czech military service pistols, (mine was made in 1953), the quality of engineering and manufacture is exceptional, and armory refurbished examples can be had for less than $150. The -52's big selling point? It shoots the 7.62x25 Tokarev round, the full-metal jacket rounds will penetrate body armor up to level IIA, if you can find steel-jacketed they'll go through level III. Muzzle energy (and associated recoil) is somewhere between a .357 Magnum and a .44 Magnum. You can shoot right back through your door, through the attacker, and through his buddy behind him. If they have a car, a well-placed Tokarev will plow through the radiator and may even crack the block. And Mag-Safe Tokarev rounds are available for times when you really don't want all that penetration, like home defense situations.


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## Exalta (Jan 21, 2003)

Hey nice advice! Thanks for all the info everyone! I greatly appreciate it.


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## 0341TODD (Nov 15, 2003)

when I was in the marines we had kevlar helmets- get one of those


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## James (Apr 29, 2002)

You know what I was thinking about the other day? Get a pistol (relatively small 9mm or above caliber) that is relatively reliable and mold it into the door so if someone tries to jack your car and throw you out, as you reach to open the door to get out you can aim the sucker right at his family jewels and go to town... he won't get jumpy because he cannot see the gun from the outside and the holes can be repaired after!


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## 0341TODD (Nov 15, 2003)

Or You Could Get A Flak Jacket And Drive Around Somalia Style With The Kevlar Helmet. Get A 240 And Mount It On A Turret Through Your Sunroof And Have Your G/f Mounting It. Where Does This Guy Live Anyways? Iowa?


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## Zach200 (Jul 26, 2003)

Ok, just read your post and i think i could offer allitle help, considering my other hobby is restoring firearms and studying ballistics. You must remember a 22caliber round is not a wimpy round, althought small it carries a high velocity allowing it to penetrate many materials larger caliber pistol rounds would not.(such as a 45.ACP which was made for knock down not over penetration) And when it comes to bullet proofing your car, remember the material's used to prevent ballistic damage (damage from projectiles moving at a high rate of speed, such as bullets) such as bullet RESISTANT glass are somewhat heavy, honestly your best bet would be to use layers of woven kevlar attach to the inside of door panel (the actual metal par, behind the door consoles) measuring and inch to 2 inches. But if someones going to go to the extent of shooting your ride up, they're prolly determined to and will end up injurying you (or worse) in order to get what they want, so dont stress just live.


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## Exalta (Jan 21, 2003)

Wow, great info man! Yeah, Ive thought about the weight constraints on the Sentra, especially on its suspension and its 1.6 litre engine. I guess I'll just have to do all those mods on the SUV.  Thanks!


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## halfshaft (Nov 2, 2003)

I would use the Kevlar fabric idea on the doors, because its lighter than steel, and can be laid around bends and crannies. Get about three layers of bulletproof vest material, and find a way to rivet it to the door metal so its sandwiched between the interior panel and inside door panel. Put a rivet about every inch so the Kevlar doesnt rip off on impact. See if you can buy a very wide but not very tall fuel cell for the trunk, and line the trunk in the same manner. As for the windows, there's really not much you can do to stop small arms fire without greatly compromising comfort and reliability. Because the best defence is a good offence, I would keep the windows rolled down when going through bad sections of town, and have a large caliber pistol under the drivers seat to respond to any threat(Colt .45ACP 1911, .40cal Sig Sauer P230). Most likely, someone shooting from a distance at a small target in a moving car is likely to miss the first couple of shots. This gives you time to accelerate and clear the area, or if trapped, return fire. Most of the time, simpily returning fire will shock and frighten the attackers into stopping. Also, get a set of 1/4" steel skidplates made to cover your engine and tranny underneath. I have this on my Sentra, and I have hit some big rocks at high speeds that I thought for sure would rip my car in two, but have just bounced off without a problem. Run flat tires would also be a good idea, although expensive, they have progressed to the point where they can handle almost as good as normal tires. Remember, keeping it simple reduces the chance of things breaking and leaving you stranded somewhere you dont want to be.


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## halfshaft (Nov 2, 2003)

Almost forgot, I heard of a system used in South Africa for vehicle hijacking defence that was avalible as a kit to install for the general public. I don't remember what it was called, but it used a system of propane nozzles mounted under the driver and passenger doors by the rocker panels that would ignite with the push of a button from the inside of the car and shoot a jet of flame from the bottom of the door up and out to about 8ft or something like that.(Not a joke) Unfortunetly, I dont remember the name of the company, but I would think a quick search on Google would bring up some info.


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## Exalta (Jan 21, 2003)

now that skidplate is a must-do! Thanks for sharing that idea. :thumbup: 

As for small-arms, I dont have em but i have a .22 rifle and something much bigger chambered in 7.62mm  so I guess returning fire wont be much of a problem  but a pistol would be much more handy though..

that kevlar riveting would be a b*tch to do, would sandwiching the kevlar between thin dynamat sheets do?Dynamat can easily adhere to door panels and sheetmetal...


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## halfshaft (Nov 2, 2003)

The way Kevlar works is like a big net. It catches the bullet, and instead of stopping it cold, moves back a good amount to absorb the bullets energy.(kind of like throwing a tennis ball at a hanging sheet) This puts a heavy strain on anything holding the Kevlar to the door. I haven't heard of Dynamat before, but I myself would want to have something solid like a bolt or screw going through the metal to anchor it. I would see if there is any vehicle armorment buissneses in your area, and give them a call and see what they use to anchor Kevlar to their doors, and if they dont use Kevlar, see what kind of material they do use. Anyhow, I woulnd't lose any sleep over it.


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## Felonious Cat Stalker (May 1, 2002)

halfshaft said:


> Also, get a set of 1/4" steel skidplates made to cover your engine and tranny underneath. I have this on my Sentra, and I have hit some big rocks at high speeds that I thought for sure would rip my car in two, but have just bounced off without a problem.


Where exactly are you driving your Sentra that would cause you to need skidplates?


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## halfshaft (Nov 2, 2003)

fcsmotorsports said:


> Where exactly are you driving your Sentra that would cause you to need skidplates?



My buddies and I set up a "rally course" on his big old farm, and it consists of dirt roads with some fairsize gravel and rocks. Its about 2.5 miles long. He owns a old Saab 99, and I use my Sentra. We drive around as fast as we can and try to beat each others time's(adulthood isnt an age, its a privilage some people don't get to enjoy  ). I kept flying off course and banging around on my front crossmember, so I welded up the skidplates to protect the tranny and oil pan. They work great! But Iv'e discoverd the "swedish flick" so now I usually fly off course ass first at a much higher speed.


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## Zach200 (Jul 26, 2003)

YEah like he said about the kevlar you really couldnt expect dynamat to hold against high velocity roulds, but some kind of silicone gell,or liquid welder might work but riveting or really stong clasps would be best, by the way where do u live where u have to drive an armored car! haha (might not be that funny) but anyways the best protection is to aviod high risk situations if at all possible (pretty obvious), but if worse come to worse you have the right to defend yourself, just keep it legal go get a concealed firearms permit cost less tha 100 bucks in florida and its about a 2-3 hr class. Whats the 7.62? AK-47, M-14? PM me if u want any more help


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## Gsolo (Sep 11, 2003)

Phillipines, not states. I would suggest getting an old big american V8 sedan, pumping the engine up with some serious power, then replace all the windows with bullet proof material, and strip most the body and blanket the inside with kevlar then half inch steel behind that...and do a fuel cell enclosed in a bullet proof chamber. 

oh....bullet proof headlights...i was just thinking that if i wanted to get somebody i would shoot their headlights at night so they can't see where they are going. just a thought


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## Gsolo (Sep 11, 2003)

It's Philippines isn't it...i always mispell countries.


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## Felonious Cat Stalker (May 1, 2002)

halfshaft said:


> My buddies and I set up a "rally course" on his big old farm, and it consists of dirt roads with some fairsize gravel and rocks. Its about 2.5 miles long. He owns a old Saab 99, and I use my Sentra. We drive around as fast as we can and try to beat each others time's(adulthood isnt an age, its a privilage some people don't get to enjoy  ). I kept flying off course and banging around on my front crossmember, so I welded up the skidplates to protect the tranny and oil pan. They work great! But Iv'e discoverd the "swedish flick" so now I usually fly off course ass first at a much higher speed.


LOL, good times.


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