Re: oil pan guards

[Simon Favre <simon@domain.elided>]

I definitely disagree with the unnamed mechanic in Houston who cautions
that the unibody could be damaged by the sump guard. In the first place,
the subframe that goes under the rear half of the sump is the strongest
part of the unibody. That's where the suspension is attached. Second,
although the front crossmember under the radiator is not as strong, any
impact sufficient to damage it would just shear off the bolts that hold
up the sump guard and the sway bar. I've seen some pretty well trashed
sump guards. The rear half of the sump guard tends to fold up around the
rear crossmember, after the front gets completely caved in. Also note
that the shape of the sump guard will make it act like a skid plate in
the event you go nose first into a foot-high curb or some such. The
suspension is more likely to deform in that event.

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