Vehicle armoring project

So... to get my mind off work I thought about some sort of project. With insane unbridled rampant sicarios running around, I figure maybe armor my vehicles in case I'm in the wrong place at the wrong time. A friend was driving in Guadalajara, got cut off, honked and the guy shot at him with his daughters in the car. I have witnessed shootouts with narcos and police with grenades, had to drive around dead bodies while masked gunmen were running around, had a terrorist bomb explode under me (blasted away and messed up hotel across the street instead of 2nd floor where I was). It is good/bad luck. Good that none was meant for me and not a scratch on me, bad luck as I have seen so much of this crap which makes the beaches of Beirut look appealing (look it up, as it could be appealing with nice beaches and weather similar to Chapala). I just want to let my guardian angel take some needed vacation time.

I'm getting frustrated with search results so maybe some of you out there want to do the same project do it yourself style without running up a $50,000USD tab but also cutting certain corners as this is not a project to survive a direct aggression, just hopefully protect from that random stray bullet.

Cons of armoring are cost and added extras to deal with weight which also means poor handling.

I have light armoring on all windows of both my vehicles which will not stop bullets but will not shatter if bricks, rocks and bottles are thrown at windows. I got the 6msm thickness which was the thickest without weighing down the window to cause motor issues or problems opening or closing. Here is a video on it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tykhdkUG00 Also protects you from a shower of broken glass in the event of an accident

Many armored vehicles have run flat inserts in the tires but for the life of me cannot find many nor pricing. I have checked internet, ebay and mercadolibre. This should be a way to drive further say 30 miles with a punctured tire or not be forced to stop.

Inserts in doors to stop small caliber rounds and up to .223 and 7.62x39 which may not be feasible due to extra weight (requiring extra door hinges, etc) although hopefully technology is increasing to be able to have some sort of lighter material that can fit to give 12 inch by 18 inch protection and not cost an arm and a leg. This is the most problematic with weight and window movement, etc.

Rear small caliber round protection and up to .223 and 7.62x39. This in theory sounds easy, my idea is to have say 2 plates 18 x 24 inches bolted to the rear seats, one plate titanium and the other steel, but then is is 2mm thick steel and 3mm thick titanium? AR500 steel? Titanium grade 4, 5 or 9? Titanium to be first to be hit or steel? Should not add too much weight 138-200 pounds? Like having your friend in the back of the car as you drive always so handling / performance should not be affected much (car more then truck).

Want to do to VW Jetta and Chevy Tahoe.

To recap, how can I get runflat inserts? Need info for rear ballistic plates, may even have a great source for the steel and titanium here near Chapala but need to figure out thickness and types of metal. A few thousand bucks to have a project that I will hopefully never need but will be cool to talk about. I mean, I'm an American guy so its ladies, cars, beer and motorcycles.

Hey Spencer, you might want to check out the Fairchild A-10 titanium 'bathtub' pilot's seat. The snippets below have specs for the thickness of the titanium they use and other interesting facts you will want to see. Good luck amigo.

Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_Republic_A-10_Thunderbolt_II
The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single-seat, twin turbofan engine, straight wing ..... It is made up of titanium plates with thicknesses from 0.5 to 1.5 inches (13 to 38 mm) ... Any interior surface of the tub directly exposed to the pilot is covered by a multi-layer nylon spall shield to protect against shell fragmentation.
‎GAU-8 Avenger · ‎Fairchild Aircraft · ‎Douglas A-1 Skyraider · ‎Kim Campbell (pilot)
Does an A-10 really have a 'titanium tub' for the pilot to sit in ...
https://www.quora.com/Does-an-A-10-really-have-a-titanium-tub-for-the-pilot-to-sit-in-...

Jul 16, 2015 - Commonly called the "bathtub," it is just one of the more than 100 design ... Titanium Bathtub - Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II (Warthog)
What components of an A-10 warthog are armored ... 3 answers Aug 16, 2018
How many rounds of 20 mm would it take to pierce ... 2 answers Mar 12, 2018
Which aircraft has the best track record after being ... 8 answers May 30, 2019
More results from www.quora.com

rcearmor.com
These guys may have answers.

Might be easier and cheaper to sell the cars and buy an already made armored car. At least wear a vest, doesn't protect your head but will protect the rest of your kill zone.

Ask Beto Hernandez about the tires, he's cool and knows all things related to tires. I'd like to have those tires too.

Be safe, Spencer.

I have 2 vests, heavy and not needed as I expect no direct aggression. I want a project and something to build each weekend. I want to protect my children from stray bullets, I dont need the protection, also too heavy makes it not work. I want my daily driver to be more secure and not feel like Im driving a Sherman tank

Here are some examples of armored vehicles
http://www.texasarmoring.com/armored_bulletproof_chevy_tahoe.html
https://www.alpineco.com/vehicles-we-armor/138-SUV-Chevrolet-Tahoe-
http://www.armoredcarssale.com/Details/F1036/armored-chevrolet-tahoe

Here are real run flat tire inserts
https://runflatinternational.com/products/static-runflat-system/
https://www.hutchinsoninc.com/defense/runflats/

Are you sure you can buy used, former military and money delivery trucks in Mexico? I know that this a different country than Canada, but I tried to buy a used one for tool lockup in a tough neighborhood, ironically right by the police station, morgue and detention center. I was told this was not allowed. One tip I have for you is the government recently had a liquidation auction of assets seized from criminals in CDMX. There was at least one private armored vehicle. If you buy one of these, make sure you have it thoroughly checked out for drugs and carefully hidden weapons. Remember those two Mexican kids who were in Mexican custody for months,
after finding concealed drugs in a vehicle their Father purchased from a U.S. Customs auction. They had to go back to the original seizure and were able to prove the drugs were exactly the same.

Good luck, tough to be a Pappa Bear these days, especially in Guadalajara. If you need additional help, I know someone in Guadalara who has two generations building high end custom vehicles as a hobby and sideline business. He has had the same "adventures" as you. He is a medical doctor. P.M me if you want details

Does anybody else remember when Jethro turned the truck into a double naught spy car complete with smoke machine, oil slick, ejection seat, mounted squirrel rifles and an armored driver compartment?

Things are dicey, when life gives you lemons make lemonade, why not a project few have done that is practical, ships in bottles and knitting wont help much. Im chill, half crazy but chill,but also receive so much information that I wish I was a deaf gardener. Ignorance is bliss, to the contrary lock and load!

Maybe you could convince LCS to hold a class on this subject, in their "moving to Mexico for beginners" program after you have finished researching and perfecting your hobby.  

Bob lets do a cast iron bathtub Baja bug style thing, bulletproof and can hold cold beer OR even better we can have bulletproof jacuzzi rolling down the streets of Ajijic, OMG we are in high cotton!

For your consideration...could be a charitable event...great advertising for area restaurants.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waiters%27_Race

CBob...remember the bathtub races! What fun they were...modify for here?

So glad I don’t live in Guadalajara— or inside Spencer’s head.

Intercasa wrote:I have 2 vests, heavy and not needed as I expect no direct aggression.  I want a project and something to build each weekend.  I want to protect my children from stray bullets, I dont need the protection, also too heavy makes it not work.  I want my daily driver to be more secure and not feel like Im driving a Sherman tank

Here are some examples of armored vehicles
http://www.texasarmoring.com/armored_bulletproof_chevy_tahoe.html
https://www.alpineco.com/vehicles-we-armor/138-SUV-Chevrolet-Tahoe-
http://www.armoredcarssale.com/Details/F1036/armored-chevrolet-tahoe

Here are real run flat tire inserts
https://runflatinternational.com/products/static-runflat-system/
https://www.hutchinsoninc.com/defense/runflats/

I think you just answered your own question.

Lady Otter Latté wrote:So glad I don’t live in Guadalajara— or inside Spencer’s head.

I think he had a little "help" at the time he made the OP...…….

Me too.

I looked at a used Audi SUV armored vehicle a year ago at the Audi used car lot on South Lopez Mateo.  I did not realize it was armored until I opened the door.  Geez it must have weighed 300 lbs.  The other downside for this Tacano was that the gas mileage was in the single digits.  However the Audi was in like new condition at about 3 years old with less than 20,000 km on the odometer.  The sale guy was quick to point out that the car had never been hit by shrapnel or bullets of a large caliber.  He emphasized that there were no blood stains in the interior.  That was a relief.  

It sold new for around $80,000 USD after armor modifications.  On the lot it was marked down to about $15,000 USD.  I asked the sale guy if he would repaint it a different color and change out the license plates but he said no.  They planned to move it to Cd Mexico the following week to unload it.  He said it would sell within a month.