Quote Originally Posted by geezer101 View Post
If I'm looking at this right, the plate is 0.75" (19.05mm) thick. If you need a chunk of 6061-T651 alu at approx 8.5" x 8.5" you could get a piece under $50 USD and then either DIY it or get a machine shop to mill the holes. I probably wouldn't even bother with a drain plug hole (if I need to drain the oil I'd just drop the plate). I would tend to use hex key bolts and recess them into the plate to eliminate the risk of the bolt heads being mashed if you have a moment where ground clearance isn't your friend (unsure if this would undermine the plates ability to remain rigid) or use button head bolts. Yeah, it won't be as pretty as the tuff pan but nothing a hit of paint won't hide. You could theoretically pull off a DIY pan for under $70 with all the hardware depending if you can drill and finish it in house.
I think its just the peace of mind and a warranty thing. i mean tuff-pans sells the pans by themselves for 100 bucks. so really your paying 30 bucks for labor