Prior to the coming of the great cataclysm many of the modern high tech materials that are known as Mega Damage. Some of the first non-military uses of these materials where in the construction of bridges and other highway constructions. The materials proved to be very helpful in dealing with the shearing forces of earthquakes and the forces of weathering. From there it was natural for them to make their way into the automotive and building construction industries.

After the great cataclysm there was an immediate need for spare parts, body armor and materials to build fortifications. With most if not all heavy manufacturing off line world wide, the term junkyard warrior took on new meaning. During the first days and months after the coming of the rifts the focus was on building defenses and just holding out. As the months and then years past many of the old worlds remains where retasked to provide strength in the new world.

As was stated earlier, major industry was off line worldwide. So what do you do when you need bullet resistant armor but don’t have fancy ceramic blast furnaces? You use what you have. Cars, trucks, skyscraper sheathing and time. Using minimal machining tools and a little bit of Yankee engineering some of the earliest creation where suits of armor looking more like Transformers from the 1980’s than the modern form fitting suits of the military. With most of the tools needed to create this type of equipment available in just about every one-horse town and farmyard in the world it is very common.

Suits of armor are probably the most common item produced. While they are simple to make, over time the materials to make them have become less common so there have been many versions over the years. For use in this write up I’m listing only the original equipment unless noted.

Vehicle plate armor
Materials: Start with 1 vehicle (Ford 1 ton trucks where the favorite in the yearly days as they had some of the thickest skin of any of the passenger vehicles on the road at the time.), 1 MDC tire, some form of MDC cordage, padding

Tools needed: 1 plasma or vibro cutting device, hydraulic press, drills, hammers and other hand tools.

Time: with one person about 4 days

Process: Using the cutting tools sheets of car body where cut and then formed into crude armor. Then using cord the pieces where hung on the body as best as possible using the padding to help with blunt impact. The tire was used to make boots and to reinforce weaker sections of the metal construction.
What you get is a boxy contraption with a –50% to prowl and only around 30 MDC. But when you have nothing something is better.
These suits brought new meaning to the phrase “Built Ford Tough”

Vehicles could be covered with extra skin or even the super strong window material from skyscrapers. Windows from those large buildings built in the year prior to the great cataclysm where very heavy but very strong, averaging 45 MDC per square foot but weighed near 60 pounds per square foot. Armored tractors and heavy equipment where very popular.

Weaponry was one area where this type of tech was not that effective. There are several examples of large Ballista and Catapults but it’s believed that these never really caught on. One weaponry item that did catch on was just a holder and trigger mechanism that would mount several infantry weapons to make a larger squad served weapon.

Other things like boots that will pretty much last forever, cutting up scrap to use at the bottom of “Tiger traps” and wall building where some of the other popular things to do.