The skid plate was designed with an access hole for the oil pan's drain plug. However, it would have been designed for a gasoline engine and even though the hole is very close to being correct for the diesel engine, a socket just won't fit squarely on the drain plug. However, a box wrench fits well and there is enough travel to loosen the plug. The oil should should pour out through the access hole during oil changes making removing the plate unnecessary. The ground clearance at the skid plate is nearly 6" unloaded. With me hanging on the bumper, that clearance shrinks down to about 5", but the exhaust appears to be even lower than that.


It was challenging guessing where to drill. Ultimately, the correct spot ended up being near the little holes that are already in place on the outsides of the rails. They were a good starting point, but I had to oval out the holes and cheat them slightly downward and toward the rear of the vehicle so the starting hole was on the very edge of the final larger hole, not in the area where the rails start to bend outward. The holes had to be drilled from the outside in as the engine was in the way to do it the other way.



There is an angled piece of sheet metal inside the box tubing that made the drill tend to slip, as if that part of the body wasn't intended to have holes drilled, further leading me to believe that the North American market wasn't intended to have skid plates installed.

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1967 W110 Universal Wagon, Euro, Turbo Diesel, Tail Fins, 4 Speed Manual Column Shift, A/C
1980 W116 300SD Turbo Diesel, DB479 Walnut Brown, Sunroof, Highly Optioned, 350,000+ Miles