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Best Transfer case Skid???

R

Red97XJ

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Northern Indiana
Help me out guys, slowly building the XJ up. It is a 97 4 door.

I have the RE 3.5 6030 lift, 32" GY MTR's, C4x4 Rock rails, F/R hitch's roof rack, etc. TC is a 242, and I have oval CAT.

I am starting to get my skids on, and I am starting with the Transfer case, then move to gas tank.

I live in Indiana, no serious rock crawling, but we do have em on the trails.... some boulders are big enough to hit rockers......

I have found many a stock TC skids for around $30. Are these worth it? I love the look of the DPG (and Dirk is great, got my lift off of him), but it is $$$$. Rusty's seems similiar to stock, but $99. what other ones do you recommend?

Can the stock one be easily modified?

Thanks in advance,
Jason
http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeBMmLJy4atXMQ
 
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from what i ahve heard the stock one is garbage, never messed with one though. i have rustys. it works, its not fancy but i am broke and couldnt find a better deal. dpgs has to be one of the best i have seen and if i had the spare money i would have gone with it
 
Dpg or jks(formerly orgs) all the way.====Kyle--------I run dpg
 
DPG has the skid that i would by if i were to do it again - covering the cat is a big deal to me and it also is a full length skid that covers the entire underside...
and mounts to both "frame" rails...

that said - i bought my Rusty's t-case skid and Engine Tranny skid for 100 froma friend, and so far it has done the job...
 
I helped a friend install a DPG skid the other week... it's beefy & "full coverage." If I had to "buy" another one, (or copy a design to DIY) this would be the one.

Brian aka XJNation used to sell a nice one as well... unclear if he is still making them.

The JKS/ORGS is a beefy unit, a skid/crossmember combination... it doesn't offer any protection for the cat though.

Rusty's 231 skid is adequate (ran one for several seasons with no issues) but their 242 skid drops down a bit too far for my liking... approx 1.5" below the crossmember. Time will tell if it's a real hazard to navigation or just my imagination.

Anything is better than the stock skid... mine was demolished - along with the crossmember - after it's first real trail.
 
Go to ur local scrap yahr (here in albany they sell u steel at .50 cents a pound). Then cut and either weld or bolt it on and save urself some $$$$
 
I also have the 242 t-case. When it was time to order skid I really wanted DPG's but when I talked to Dirk he said the t-case skid wouldn't fit a 242 cause it hangs down lower than the 231. He said they test fitted it on a late model XJ with the 242 and sadly to say it didn't fit. I don't know if he changed his design or made a different version but I ended up getting the skid-row t-case and gas tank skid and I am very happy with both. If Dirk's skid won't fit then look at Skid Row's.
 
I highly recommend TNT Customs. if your going to get a TNT Customs crossmember, i wouldn't get the one for the 242. they use a 1'' 1/8 goose egg/turtle head right under the t case skid. we modified the 231 crossmember with a 9/16 transmission spacer. then cut a notch under the t case where it hit, and welded a piece of 1/4 in place. its close but it works.
 
Carolina Rock Shop makes this
DSC01255.JPG

DSC01252.JPG

I have one and have beat the snot out of it and it holds up well.
www.carolinarockshop.com
 
I like the price of Rusty's, but loving the idea of DPG's. Has anyone out there made this work on a 242 or has he made a 242 one? Dirk is on vacation so no way to call. I want to order NOW, but don't want to find out after I order someone else's that he now has one.


Anyone?
 
I have a DPG on my '92 with the NP242. Rock Lizard Fabrications also carries that same skid (make sure to check out their quarter panel guards too).
Single best investment I have made so far (that includes my gas tank skid).
After checking battle wounds from our last wheeling trip a couple of weeks ago, I can tell you that the tranfer case skid had ten times more scrapes and scratches on it than my rock rails or gas tank skid.
It actually even saved my catalytic converter from getting torn up. But I have the flat cat, and I know the later models have the round cat (which means the skid has to be angled around it - I think).
You can PM me if you have any more questions about it. This was my first mod after getting tires, and I wheeled it before I even had a lift at all. Even now with only a 2" BB, I am never afraid to hang with all of my fellow XJers running the RE 3.5 lift!
 
One item of note:
technically the DPG skid should not work with the NP242.
I had read so many good reviews on the DPG that I was determined to get it.
Make sure and consult Dirk at DPG or Marty at Rock Lizard before ordering.
Also, you can PM me with any questions or concerns.
 
Spidey,

So, how did you make it fit? I e-mailed martin at Rock Lizard, he says the 242 will not work, and he is some day making one that will work with both, it will have a center section that has one for each TC.

Do you have any pics you can post or E-mail me?

Thanks!
Jason

P.S. At this point, I am leaning towards XJNation... anyone have any opinions?
 
I can email pics to you, but I don't have a website set up yet so I can't post them.

Basically you use metal washers or poly bushings (which is what I used - about 3/4") to space out between the skid and the crossmember. The front lip of the skid is angled, so even when spaced out there is no danger of getting it hung up.

Then you put the holes for the frame rails as low to the bottom of the rail as possible. I used a 2" x 2" wood spacer to keep the skid from crawling upward (the holes in the skid are slotted to allow for some adjustment) as I installed the self-tapping bolts in the frame rail.
I decided to leave the wood spacers in there, since it would keep the plate from riding up when I whacked a rock. My recommendation would be to use 2" x 2" square tubing instead of wood (which is what I will do later).
 
hey guys, what do you think about the Tomken. It is alot cheaper in price.... same for protection?

Right now, since I have a 242, I am thinking XJnation.
 
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