question about rear bumper, shackle relocation and gas tank skid plate fitment

Hi,
I am going to install smittybilt xrc rear bumper also an Ironman4x4 shackle relocation bracket (https://ironman4x4fab.com/products/xj-shackle-relocation-brackets?_pos=1&_sid=1677dcc0e&_ss=r) and (https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B096NXGM5B/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) rear bumper braces. Also, I'll install a gas tank skid plate. All of them mount to the same frame rail bolts.

They will go in this order (the first being on top):
the shackle relocation bracket
gas tank skid plate
bumper mounting bracket

and the rear bumper brace will replace the nut strip.

will all this fit together well?

Thanks.

I see a giant fitment issue with all that working to together. I would do my homework very carefully, a quote from my thread.....

tech1001 said:

I cut and widen my skid plate so it would fit on the out side of my Smittybilt Bumper brackets so if I have a problem with the fuel pump I don't have to remove the bumper and it will also give my ZJ fuel more room when I install it .

Click to expand...

tech1001 said:

I just slotted the holes in the skid plate and used a hardened washers , it fit good but I did need to move the exhaust pipe so it would stop hitting the skid plate .

Click to expand...

I'm about to go through this as well. Curious what the op learned along the way.

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

I did something similar to my XJ. Used the same XRC Bumper, DR Z shackle brackets (https://www.drzfab.com/product/jeep-cherokee-shackle-relocation-brackets/) all on top of Dirt Bound Offroad rear frame stiffeners. I can tell you it all fit together like shit. I had to do a lot of cutting and grinding on all 3 to get them to fit. I was thinking about adding a gas tank skid as well but I was 100% sure it wouldn't fit off the shelf so I've scrapped that idea. Maybe I'll fab something up instead. I would highly recommend the first layer being frame stiffeners though. That bumper is heavy (especially with a spare 35, gas, and hi-lift mounted) and the rear stiffeners really help. I have front, mid, and rear stiffeners on my XJ and the rears made the biggest impact on ride and reducing popping and creaking over bumps. I think you could probably skip the bumper braces if you did stiffeners instead.

Those braces look like the "Circle S Industries" ones I bought on eBay a couple years ago.

I don't know that I'd forego the braces with stiffeners, personally - the stiffeners won't do much to reinforce the sheet metal plate the OEM bumper bolts to, while braces like these will add a LOT of strength to that section. I'd rather err on the side of "overkill".

Going back to the braces, here's a tip: look carefully into the passenger-side frame rail when installing braces of this type. There's a little plate (about 1.5 by 1 inches) tack-welded in there from the factory as a "nut plate" for the stock tailpipe hanger, and it must be removed or the brace won't sit right to align with the stock bumper weldnuts. It's held by two welds (one to the front of the plate, one to the rear. On my old 1992, the weld was a good 1/2 to 3/4 inch long, and resisted my attempts to just shear it with a hammer and prybar. I ended up cutting a slit up through the frame rail with a dremel cutoff wheel to weaken the thing enough that I could break the rear weld so the plate would then bend up and break the other weld.

The Smittybilt XRC mounting brackets kinda do the same thing as the braces. It mounts to the 4 OEM bolts then wraps around the back to the underside of the uniframe rail and uses those bolts too. So some of the weight of the bumper will go to the frame rail which would be reinforced by the stiffeners. And now that I think about it adding the braces might cause issues aligning the 4 OEM bolts with the 3 under uniframe rail bolts since it would slide the mounting bracket back by the thickness of the brace. Let me see if I can post a pic of it

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

Well that's fantastic. You can still get there if you copy and search for everything between

The way I put my skid plate on is I added about 3/4 of inch to make the skid plate wider and redrilled the mounting holes on the passenger side so I can mout the sike plate on the bottom so if I have a fuel pump problem all I have to do is drop the sike plate and not remove the rear bumper to remove the fuel tank

Ol Blue said:

The Smittybilt XRC mounting brackets kinda do the same thing as the braces. It mounts to the 4 OEM bolts then wraps around the back to the underside of the uniframe rail and uses those bolts too. So some of the weight of the bumper will go to the frame rail which would be reinforced by the stiffeners. And now that I think about it adding the braces might cause issues aligning the 4 OEM bolts with the 3 under uniframe rail bolts since it would slide the mounting bracket back by the thickness of the brace. Let me see if I can post a pic of it

Click to expand...

Hm. It's a fair point that the Smittybilt mounts might not play nice with braces like the Circle S due to that 1/4-inch plate in front of the OEM bumper mounting holes, but if you have those, I'd tend to think they'd make the Smittybilt mounts redundant anyway (can't see the pic, but am I right in thinking it's a separate piece from the bumper itself?).

You might need longer bolts for the 8 OEM bolt locations, though, I did with my Rusty's Trail Bumper - the stock bolts, while still in good enough shape to use, don't have thread to the very end and as such they wouldn't engage the weldnuts on the body.

Tech1001: I know what you mean about being able to drop the tank skid - when I did the Ironman relocation brackets, I put them on over my IRO skid due to time constraints, so I'll need to unbolt the shackle hangers to get the tank skid off. Maybe one day I will take things apart and put a "shim plate" in place so I can have the tank skid the "last layer", but hopefully it'll be a while before I have to worry about pulling the tank again...

Rob Mayercik said:

Tech1001: I know what you mean about being able to drop the tank skid - when I did the Ironman relocation brackets, I put them on over my IRO skid due to time constraints, so I'll need to unbolt the shackle hangers to get the tank skid off. Maybe one day I will take things apart and put a "shim plate" in place so I can have the tank skid the "last layer", but hopefully it'll be a while before I have to worry about pulling the tank again...

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I did that as well the first time- didn't even think about it until years later when I needed to drop the tank. I was much more intentional on the re-install.

I have a factory skid, with a JCR Bumper and the HD Offroad Shackle Relocators. They all fit together no problem. I think I may have had to enlarge a couple holes on the tank skid for clearance.