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Here is another
shot of the top of the skid plate leg. The hole in the leg is elongated,
so there is plenty of tolerance, however in our particular case, the
nut turned onto the stud in very close proximity to the vertical portion
of the leg, making it difficult to get a wrench or a socket on the
nut to turn it. |
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Without much
effort, we bolted the skidplate up, reconnected the electric harness,
the ground, the high-pressure line, the EVAP line, and reassembled
the fuel fill bezel. No problems were encountered, and the installation
went very smoothly.
The image to
the left is a good example of the profile of the final installed
GTSP1 product.
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Here is the skid
plate at a different angle. The steel is sloped at the front and the
back of the skid plate to help allow it to sled over obstacles if
need be. There are drain locations at each corner to prevent it from
filling up with mud or water during a wet day on the trail. The skid
plate wraps around the gas tank completely protecting it on all sides. |
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Once we had it
all installed, we put the tires back on the TJ, and lowered the Jeep
back to the ground. This is the shot of the skid plate without a rear
bumper on a TJ with approximately 3" of lift, and 32" tires.
Kilby's design helps this Jeep maintain its precious ground clearance,
that would surely have been lost if a heavy duty gas skid from any
other manufacturer had been installed instead. |
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To brand the
GTSP1, Kilby Enterprises cleverly cut their name out of the back
face of the skid plate. This will ensure that the product will be
recognized immediately on trail rides throughout the country.
Kilby's skid
plate is a zero-compromise skid plate with nothing to lose, and
everything to gain. No shortcuts were taken to engineer this fine
product.
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There is no
doubt that this skid plate will serve me, and others who have already
installed it, very well for years to come. If you are in the market
for gas tank armor for your TJ, I highly recommend you consider
this product.
"Kilby"
is a name that has become renowned for quality and function through
simplicity and thoughtful engineering, and this gas tank skid plate
helps reinforce that reputation.
If you have
any further questions or comments regarding this product, please
e-mail me at cshontz@rockcrawler.com.
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Chris
Shontz is a staff-writer for ROCKCRAWLER.com and resides in
the renowned four-wheeling and rockcrawling metropolis of Lancaster
County, Pennsylvania. |
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