Derek, Maynard, et al.,

I am going to clarify this just a bit more. The sides you mentioned are
indeed sheetmetal with sound deadening material. David Marshall confirmed
this when he disassembled a 14" Syncro for shipping.

However, it would appear that the 16" Syncro has an actual skidplate on the
bottom portion. It is a formed steel plate several times thicker than the
side panels. It is very similar (if not thicker) in gauge as the skidplate in
the front where a spare would normally go in the regular Syncros. It is
welded to the steel skidbars.

BenT
San Francisco