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 The Body Block Shield

Summit Products designs and fabricates the ultimate in rock protection for motor coaches, with unsurpassed craftsmanship and innovative features.

Why Choose Body Block?


We created the Body Block shield so that RV owners could comfortably travel the roads of their choice without worrying about rock and road debris damaging the fronts of their motor coaches.

About Our Product
Years of engineering experience have enabled us to build a product that eliminates the problems commonly found with other shields. Like a house with a strong foundation, our armor begins with a strong mounting point.

Our active illustration shows how the Body Block shield compares to other shields on the market.

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Summit Products, Inc. designs and fabricates the ultimate in rock protection for motor coaches. With unsurpassed craftsmanship and innovative features, we are passionately committed to customer satisfaction!

We would like to share our knowledge of state-of-the-art coach protection with you. Why? Because not all forms of rock protection are created equal.

We do more than just install a plastic shield on the front of your motor coach, we understand what makes plastic armor shields great and bring that knowledge to every coach design we do. Whether it is a two-piece shield with a hinge in the middle for easy cleaning or a three-piece shield that extends freely with the generator slideout, we transform the armor from a necessity to an attractive, trouble-free enhancement for any motor coach.
The best type of connection for this application needs to be both flexible and yet strong without fracturing the fiberglass front end of the coach. The solution is a standoff with a Wellnut™ fitted to the coach. The Wellnut™ acts like a rubber rivet that absorbs shock and vibration

The spacers are made of clear acrylic plastic. Why acrylic? We have found that the polycarbonate spacers can not be consistently extruded without undue residual stress. By comparison, we use top grade cast acrylic rod for our shields. Twice as expensive as extruded acrylic, but the clarity and toughness are worth the money. Our standoffs (the ones mounted to both the coach and the shield) are made of bright anodized aluminum. This gives us the strength versus weight that we need for a sturdy shield.

Placement of the standoffs and spacers is just as important as the ratio of standoffs to spacers. Our engineers are able to minimize the number of standoffs by determining the optimum mounting locations. The secret weapon, however, is the thick plastic armor that we use.

The Body Block armor is made of .275" thick polycarbonate sheet custom extruded to Summit Products' exacting specifications. A common trade name of the polycarbonate sheets that we use is Lexan™ and Tuffak™. The Lexan™ and Tuffak™ sheets are backed by the manufacturer's unmatched 10-year guarantee against UV fading. Most shields are either .236” thick polycarbonate or .260” acrylic. One manufacturer even offers a .188” thick material. For comparison, the .275” material is 58% stiffer than .236” material and polycarbonate has 28 times the impact strength of acrylic. Polycarbonate material is used in the industry to make bulletproof windows and windshields for racecars. It is one tough material.

Summit Products thermoforms all Body Block shields. This is an expensive process but the benefits are dramatic. First, by wrapping the sides of the shield around the front corners of the coach, the Body Block shield looks like a factory installed upgrade with it's perfect fit. The thermoforming process strengthens the assembly so that fewer standoffs are needed without vibration. The curvature also eliminates wind noise by guiding the airflow around the coach. The alternative is an awkward wind deflector that is prone to falling off. Or worse, some companies cut corners and simply don't form the shields at all.


What does this thermo-formed armor look like?
The diagrams below illustrate the forming differences between the three types of shields available on the market. (The Summit armor is on top)


For a touch of class and added strength, the Body Block shields are fitted with stainless steel trim along the sides and along the bottom where needed. This is another feature that we don't charge extra for.

Heaven is in the details. Look at the edge of our armor as you run you hand along its smooth edge, and you immediately recognize the high quality of our work. The edge is uniformly rounded over and polished for a glass like finish.

 

 

A little background on fasteners.
For many applications, it is necessary to disconnect the plastic armor from the standoffs in order to extend the generator slideout or clean behind the shield. Wingnuts, Phillips head screws, ¼-turn fasteners, and Allen head screws are the popular methods of releasing the armor.

  • Wingnuts are nice because they require no tools, but are prone to mischievous hands removing them as well as being ugly.
  • Phillips head screws are okay, but they are too easily rounded out at the head.
  • Quarter-turn fasteners appeared to be the solution, but alas, testing proved that they don’t need your help to be released. The road vibration is enough for them to undo themselves.
  • Allen head screws are easy to remove, stay put when tightened, and are attractive
  • Summit Products' own Quick Release hardware. Simply push the button and the lock releases. Very cool and sure to be the envy of the campground.
  • The best choice of material for the fasteners is stainless steel. It appears that everyone in the business has agreed upon this feature.


Ultra Washers.
Originally an upgrade option, Summit Products now offers the Ultra Washers as a standard on all of the Body Block shields. The Ultra Washer is machined from stainless steel bar stock for an attractive, corrosion-free design that transforms a utility washer into a work of art. Yes, it is overkill, but it looks great.


Why is the armor cut out around the headlights?
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration expressly prohibits the placement of any item in front of the headlights. Some manufacturers seem to ignore this regulation, but in the end it is the user who will be fined.


The hinge is a wonderful, but little understood feature.
There are several types of hinges used depending upon the application. A brief description of the two popular versions is given below.


One-piece shield with a generator slideout.
Release the fasteners outside of the generator slideout and extend the slideout with the shield attached. A pair of hinges mounted to the top of the generator slideout and the armor allows the owner to tilt the shield back towards the coach. This clever feature makes it easy to clean behind the armor without heavy lifting.

Two-piece shield hinged in the middle.
Many vehicles either do not have a generator slideout or the hood must be opened first. For these vehicles, we offer a two-piece shield that is hinged in the middle. This design enables the owner to lower the top half of the armor down to open the hood panel or clean behind the armor. Or, the bottom can be released and lifted up for easy cleaning. Another unique feature is the slide-together hinges custom made for Summit Products. These hinges allow either half of the shield to be easily removed.

Now that you've decided...
You can order your custom kit to install yourself or we can arrange for installation by a local dealer of your choice, a Summit authorized service center, or at our factory in Iowa. Any way you choose to go, we've got you covered.

Kit Installed
$1,895.00 $2,495.00

Questions?
Give us a call at 1-800-329-2958 or
E-mail us at info@summit-products.com.

 

What people are saying about the Body Block Shield:

"I was traveling in the left hand lane down the interstate. A semi was in front of me and another was to my right. Without warning, the semi in front of me veered to the right to avoid a fiberglass cargo carrier that had fallen onto the road. I had no choice but to hit the carrier directly. The carrier burst into a thousand pieces as my motor coach plowed thru it. When traffic cleared, I pulled over to inspect the damage. To my surprise, the only damage was a small scratch at the bottom of the shield. The coach was untouched and I could continue on my journey. Thanks!"
-Shane


"The Shield is the most valuable asset we have added to our motor home, it still shines like new 3 years later."
-Landon and Patricia


"I picked up my newly painted coach at the factory.  On the way home, a large rock about half of the size of a baseball hit the front of my coach.  If it wasn’t for the armor, I probably would have had a $1000 in damages. The Body Block armor worked."
-Louis


"We were driving cross-country to see our grandkids.  On the interstate ahead of us, a lumber truck hauling 4x4’s dropped a few boards.  We never saw the lumber until the semi-trailer ahead of me drove over the boards and kicked one up at my coach.  I told myself that it could get real ugly if that came through the windshield...  Fortunately, the 4x4 hit the Body Block armor protecting the front of the coach.  When traffic cleared, I pulled over to inspect the damage, expecting the worst. You can imagine my surprise when I found none at all!"
-Larry
Copyright 2008 by Summit Products