OK, let's face it; most of us do not
put skid plates on the top of our Jeep to-do list. We focus on the
things that will get us out on the trail. Lifts, lockers, winches,
etc.. The problem is when you want your new TJ to get you back off
of the trail every time.
Skid Row Automotive knows that the
critical components of your rig need protection from the trail.
For many Jeep owners, it could be very hard to drive to work Monday
morning after destroying a lower control arm bracket on Sunday afternoon.
The skid plates run right around $110 a set and is great insurance
against bent brackets or destroyed, costly control arms.
Skid Row now makes a line of bolt-on
skid plates for the lower control arms of Jeep TJ, XJ and ZJ models.
What is really neat about these heavy gauge skid plates is that
they bolt right on, using Grade 5 U-bolts. Not all of us have the
skills or desire to weld anything to our shiny new Jeeps. These
skid plates are great for the guy that just leased his first Jeep
and does not want to weld anything to it. Of course, he will soon
feel the addiction and then the sky is the limit!
Stock control
arm |
Skid Row
control arm skid installed |
We could have
installed these life saving devices right in our driveway in about
15 minutes. But, it was easier to take all the pictures with the
Jeep up in the air. The install took 15 minutes and one wrench.
1. Remove the
lower control arm bolt
2. Locate the
skid plate and re-inert the bolt. Leave the nut a little loose until
everything is in place
3. Put the two u-bolts over the axle tube and through the skid plate.
Again, plate the nuts on loosely
4. Tighten the control arm bolt and then go around and tighten each
u-bolt nut in a rotating pattern until everything is tight.
5. Repeat for other side.
6. If you choose to, grind off the ends of the u-bolts to increase
ground clearance.
7. Sit back and admire your new skids
As you can see
in the pictures the U-bolts stick out about an inch after being
tightened down. Five more minutes with the grinder or a hacksaw
would cure this for the best ground clearance.
Finished
installation |
Skid Row
control arm skid installed |
|