33 Engineering High Clearance Skid Plate for TJs
By Shawn Pagan

Real World Testing...
We finished the install project just in time to catch a run with our local club. The first thing everyone did was ooh and ahh about how clean the install looked. Here is a comparison between our test Jeep (bottom) and another Jeep with a stock crossmember and a 1" drop installed in order to compensate for driveline angles without a Slip Yoke Eliminator. Notice the difference in how far the crossmember(s) stick down from the frame.

TJ with 4" Lift, stock crossmember and 1" transfer case drop.

The 33 Engineering crossmember is smoother, higher, stronger

With almost 4" of additional clearance (about 3" from just the 33 Engineering plate compared to the stock crossmember and the additional 1" from removing the transfer case drop brackets) this little Jeep could now cross boulders that used to high-center it in the past.

33" tires alone are not enough to clear this rock.	The new setup just barely touches the rock.
The clearance of the plate and the flat surface...	...allow the crossmember to simple slide across

As you can see, the additional clearance was needed just to clear this obstacle. Anything less might have slid over it ,but might have also been hung up and high-centered.

The original crossmember

A passenger-side view of the new plate.

Both pieces of the 33 Engineering Skid Plate are made from 3/16ths Cold Rolled Steel, the two mated together provide the strength of a 3/8ths plate - but without the added weight. As you can see from the above photo the vehicle that this is installed in gets it's share of bumps and bruises out on the trail. So far the experience with using this plate has been outstanding. The ability to remove the skid plate has been without a doubt the greatest feature - just ask anyone who ever needed to remove a front driveshaft on the trail with the factory crossmember still installed.

33 Engineering has taken some time to do something different. In this day and age of cookie-cutter products for 'wheeling, actually finding a product that has a little something extra is difficult to find. The owner of this vehicle has been extremely pleased with the function and the look of the 33 Engineering skid plate and is enjoying the extra clearance under his belly.

It should also be noted that 33 Engineering also makes a number of other products, including their own 1" Body Lift Kit and a Heavy Duty Slip Yoke Eliminator kit that could be used if someone were to undertake this project.

Resources
33 Engineering 13276 Saturn Drive Littleton, CO 80124 (303) 799-4183 www.33engineering.com	Collins Brothers Jeep 3101 W. FM 544 Wylie, TX 75098 (800) 699-JEEP www.collinsbrosjeep.com	Mountain Off Road Enterprises P.O. Box 843 Rifle, CO 81650 (970) 625-0500 www.mountainoffroad.com

 

Shawn Pagan is a staff writer for ROCKCRAWLER.com as well as Our Land Use Editor. Shawn resides north of Houston, TX. Contact Shawn at thepagan@rockcrawler.com