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Factory skidplate changes

P

PapaPump

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Hines, OR
I have a 1992 2 door, base model. It didn't even come with skid plates. The other day I was on ebay and I found a skidplate off of an '86 and picked it up for a total of $22.25 shipped. The photo in the auction looked right and the seller said he had it on his '99. Well it doesn't fit. The price was small and it looks like it can be made to fit, but it is certainly not what is shown in the photo. Can anyone tell me what years this part was changed? I am curious just in case I want to sell it. I wan't the buyer to be positive on the year and fit. Do you guys think this was a fair auction? Check out the details. I am dissapointed it is not what is in the picture. Does this deserve negative feedback? Or do you guys think having the year in the description negates the photo of a new part.

Here is the thread:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...&rd=1&item=4509834217&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT
 
it certainly looks like an XJ t/case skid.. i don't see why it wouldnt line up for your rig. i never tried to install one on a rig that didnt come with one though.. his story "sounds" legit and you may have to do the same "modifications" he did if yours didnt come with a skid either..
 
The photo shows your basic factory (select-trac) skid plate. If this is what he sent you, it should fit. It will fit an XJ with command-trac also but it will hang down an inch or so. Did he send you something different than what is pictured?

If what he sent you and what is pictured are different items, I would contact him to find out why. He could have mistakenly sent you the wrong item. It would be easy to do if hes got 3 or 4 auctions on different items going at the same time. Contact him and he may fix it so hold off on the bad feedback.
If what you got is the same as what is pictured, than its your responsibility to make sure it fits before you buy. If youre not sure if it will fit, ask him to take measurements, ask people here, call the dealer to check part # and so forth. Dont give neg feedback to him, its your fault if you didnt make sure it'll fit. He did say "should fit" other years, he didnt say "would fit".
He's right, it should fit yours.
 
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The part he sent me IS a jeep factory skidplate. It has two bolt holes on one side plus two bigger ports that are supposed to line up with the mounting bolt holes in the xmember. The other side has one hole for the frame. The problem isn't making it fit, I can do that. My xmember has two holes (in the wrong place for this part) in it and the frame has two holes. When I looked at the photo for the auction I saw the correct part. He does mention it comes with THREE mounting bolts, which should have tipped me off, but I guess the picture has more influence on what I thought I was getting. Looking around on ebay I found someone offering OEM Mopar skids, using the same photo. What happened is he used their photo so he wouldn't have to take a pic of his skid. Unfortunately, that other company was selling the correct part I needed, which was not the exact part he was selling. I think it will fit, so I should just eat my $20, it is only a couple hour's pay.

Anyhow, really I think I am going to leave him positive feedback because it is an '86 Jeep Cherokee skidplate, like he said. I just wish he would have annotated the photo to indicate it was not the exact thing he was selling. He shipped it really fast too. What I am curious about now is what kind of changes jeep made to this part. I presume this part was for another engine/tranny/skid combo, since there was no 4.0 in '86. This could have been a 2.8/ax5/np208 or something like that. My geuss is that this is only an exact match for 84-86. 87-89 probably have a different part and 90 on probably have another. Even 00-01 might have another for the NV3550. Can anybody straighten me out here? Thanks.
 
I cant tell you for sure if the skid will fit but lets see if this helps. My factory skid is mounted with the two widely spaced holes bolted to the crossmember, the end with the two closely spaced holes goes towards the frame but only one hole lines up a gets bolted to the frame, the other hole doesnt line up with anything. That would be your three mounting bolts. If that the situation you've got, then you're ready to go.
 
IIRC the skid plate goes on at an angle. Not 90* across from side to side.
More than likley the nut-certs in the frame holes are not there.So drill and bolt it where you want it.
Wayne
 
hmmm....so there are captured nuts in the frame when the xj came equipped originally with skids? darn, i don't know if i trust self threading bolts in 1/8" of metal. my smittybilt bars are held on by self threaders, and just barely, they back out.

wayne, it lines up when i place it at an angle, it is a jeep part, but there are no holes for it. the holes are for a different skid.

ray, my skidplate has 3 holes. two for the xmember and one for the frame. are you telling me that yours has 4 holes but only 3 are used?
 
I also purchased a factory skid, it has 4 holes, 2 for crossmember, and 2 for framerail. But, i only have 1 hole in the framerail to mount, so, i'll have to drill another hole in the framerail. My '92 does not have nutserts in the framerail, i took a tap and made threads in the crossmember holes and the one hole in the rail.

I haven't mounted mine yet, do to uneasy feelings about not having nutserts in the rail or the crossmember. Plus, i have a 1 inch transfer case drop, and it won't work without bending the skid plate at the croaamember side to work with the 1" drop. I would say you'd have to heat it to even bend it.

I've also heard horror stories on the factory TC skid. If you get caught on an object between the crossmember and the skid, you have a great chance of ripping your crossmember out of the rails. Has anyone heard this also? or experienced it?

So, i think i'm going to purchase a Warn TC skid. Around $71.00
 
fire325 said:
I've also heard horror stories on the factory TC skid. If you get caught on an object between the crossmember and the skid, you have a great chance of ripping your crossmember out of the rails. Has anyone heard this also? or experienced it?
fire325 said:
Some one is jerking your chain about ripping the cross member out. They are a lot stronger than you would think. I hit my cross member on a rock hard enough to put a 4” long gouge and push the center up 1”. It jammed the cross member into the transfer case so hard that it was stuck in 4 part time until I could get the cross member replaced. Even with an impact of that magnitude it came nowhere close to ripping the cross member out. The four bolt holes were not even elongated nor did any of them shear. The only bad thing that I’ve heard about the factory t-case skids are that they don’t cover as much as the after market ones. I have an after market t-case skid plate now and it covers substantially more than the factory one, but it is also considerably more than $20.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
If i were to install mine, would it be ok to just run the bolts up thru were i drilled the tap to make threads for the bolts? Which would be the best way to install, since i don't have nutserts in the rail or the crossmember?

Also, can i use a large vise and bend the crossmember end of the skid to align the holes to match up with the 1" drop on my crossmember?

Thanks
Darrell
 
fire, what about making a spacer for your frameside mounts?

does anyone have a better soltion (as in more thread surface) for mounting this skidplate? I could tack some nuts to the frame and the skid would hang down ~3/16." or maybe some threaded clips, but those don't seem strong enough.
 
My skid has 4 holes, two for the crossmember and two for the frame rail. My frame rail only had one hole so I only use one bolt at the frame, the other hole in the skid is just empty. I figure the other hole is for variations in different drivetrains where the crossmember may be a couple inches further forward. You can purchase nutcerts from the dealer, thats what I did, I bought my skid second hand also, Its been a few years so I cant remember the price but I dont think it was much. At the crossmember end, I just used two bolts with washers and locknuts straight up through the holes.
Ive got 1/2" crossmember drop on mine and I had no problem at all mounting the skid.
 
Here is a pic of my t-case skid and the 1" drop spacer. If the pic won't show click on the second address. You could drill and tap a steel block and slip it inside your framerail for the 2nd bolt. Or you could make a strip of 1/4 steel drilled and tapped for the skid holes. Then bolt that to the framerail in several places to spread the load. Look closely, my skid was well used at the XJ Fest in Colorado last summer and stayed put even with only one bolt on the frame end. Check out Go-Jeeps webpage for lots of mods including the t-case spacers.

http://go.jeep-xj.info/HowtoTCdrop.htm



standard.jpg


http://www.fototime.com/A1FD958518A9760/standard.jpg
 
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PapaPump said:
hmmm....so there are captured nuts in the frame when the xj came equipped originally with skids? darn, i don't know if i trust self threading bolts in 1/8" of metal. my smittybilt bars are held on by self threaders, and just barely, they back out.

wayne, it lines up when i place it at an angle, it is a jeep part, but there are no holes for it. the holes are for a different skid.

ray, my skidplate has 3 holes. two for the xmember and one for the frame. are you telling me that yours has 4 holes but only 3 are used?
Click to expand...
They aren't exactly captured nuts. They are threadserts, or nutserts, depending on terminology. The ones that work like large pop rivets. The holes should already be in the frame rails to accept the inserts. The OD of the treadserts (before collapsing them) should be 1/2", so that's what you're looking for on the frame.
 
thanks eagle, i thought nutcerts were the nuts tacked inside the frame. is there another place to get nutcerts? i don't have a local dealer. i DO have the 1/2" holes in the xmember, so i will jsut have to get nutcerts. maybe carquest has them or something. i did end up giving that guy good feedback because he shipped it way fast and it was cheap. thanks for the help y'all.
 
Yucca-Man said:
AX4 - 4 speed manual - manufactured by Aisin - used 84-86 with 2.5L I4 and 2.8L V6 engines
AX5 - 5 speed manual - manufactured by Aisin - used with 2.8L V6 and 87+ with 2.5L I4
BA10/5 - 5 speed manual - manufactured by Peugot - used only up to April '89
AX15 - 5 speed manual - manufactured by Aisin - used with 4.0L I6 engines
NV3550 - 5 speed manual - manufactured by New Venture - used in 00-01 in SE models with 4.0L I6 engines

Automatic Transmissions Torqueflight 904 - 3 speed automatic - used 84-86 with 2.8L V6 engine and ?
30RH - 3 speed automatic - used with 2.5L I4 engine 94?-00
AW4 - 4 speed automatic, electronically controlled - manufactured by Aisin - used from 87-01 4.0L I6 (87-91 models include a Power/Comfort button that adjusts the shift points).
Click to expand...

Eagle said:
3.07 axle ratio. AX-15. The NVG 3550 came in 2000
Click to expand...

its just rumor but i think some xjs did come with the 3550...but you didn't hear it from me...heheh
 
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