Most car hacks are frivolous; performance tuning and cosmetic fluff. But the most arduous, challenging, and functional aftermarket process we've seen is completely armoring and bullet-proofing a car, thanks to an excellent in-depth look by Crooked Brains.
It's more than just slapping a few kevlar panels on here and there; directly above is a shot of overlapping armor plates being welded to the interior frame, and below is a shot of the punishment these cars can be exposed to. (That's an actual photo of a car that came under attack in Iraq, sourced from Lasco International.)
Part of the challenge is indubitably cosmetic--returning the car to its normal appearance after adding ballistic protection...
...but the larger difficulty is making sure the car is still mechanically sound, despite all that added weight. What can go wrong? Take a look at this letter written to Lasco, by the transpo' contractors who own the shot-up truck pictured above:
[Regarding] the way your Suburbans are holding up under the harsh climate and road conditions here in Iraq....from the point of view of the drivers, the [Lasco] vehicles are holding up far better than the 9 other Suburbans manufactured...by another company. These other Suburbans are having electrical, mechanical, and structural problems. The armor plating is coming loose, front fender supports are cracking, radiator supports are cracking, door hinge bushings are breaking, rear hatch pistons are failing, (most hardware is breaking because it is not mounted sturdy enough) and most windshields are cracking in the corners.
Significantly tougher than dropping in a turbo and adding a spoiler, we'd say.
Click here for shots of the whole process.
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