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| Here are descriptions of the Tomken
gas tank skid, The Teraflex steering box skid, and the Turbo City "Rock-It" oil
pan skid. We'll, start with the story of the Tomken Gas Tank Skid. Tomken Gas Tank Skid: It installed with no real
problem. After first bolting the front brace up with the stock skid, I placed the Tomken
on my crawler and pushed it under the gas tank. I then crawled under from the driver's
side, pushed the front end of the skid up, and guided it so that the bolts went through
the brace. It could then hang while I started the nuts. Next I sat behind the jeep and put
the skid on my legs, pushing it in place with my knees. I had already loosely attached the
other braces and removed the appropriate bolts from the bumper. I attached the nuts,
started the bumper bolts and then just tightened everything up! My 99TJ is not lifted and
I have both the 30" tire/wheel package and the Dana-44 rear (3.73 gears YEAH!). |
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Here it is installed: Looks nice huh?
Well after a few miles on the road I discovered that the skid was rubbing against my
Dana-44 cover!!! I ended up having to cut out a piece: |
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You can see the worn area inside of the red
circle (the rest of the marks resulted from my experienced toolmanship - DOH!). The cut
was supposed to be about 1.5" on both sides, but well, so much for using a high-speed
drill and cutting wheels (two of 'em - 4"). BTW, I
removed the skid before cutting out the area of course |
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Here is how it looks now after reinstalling it
- hey, how'd it get so dirty under there? |
| The picture is from directly
underneath as if you slid under the gas tank with your head towards the engine. As you can
see, the cut is approximately centered between the two retaining bolts (maybe a bit closer
to the one on the left). My advice is to install it and use a china marker to mark where
you want to cut. The size of opening (if any) may depended on your mods (i.e. lift,
adjustable control arms, etc.) If I had to do it again, I'd probably cut out 4" x
2" so that I don't have to worry if I decide to lift my TJ. You can e-mail me if
you have questions, just click the pic at the bottom of the page. |
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Turbo City Oil Pan Skid: This
is what it looks like when installed. I even changed the oil -- no sweat! It was put on in
March of 1999. I followed the, er, instructions to the letter. |
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This is what it looks like after it falls
off :-(
It's put in place using a silicon adhesive. I left it
supported with a floor jack for 24 hours. It came off after my last off-road run...Plunk!
The gal behind me though I'd dropped part of my engine! As you can see, the paint peeled
from the skid, and there was some rust (none on the oil pan). But you can also see the
scrapes and a ding that it took before falling. I have written Turbo City and I await
their response. My e-mail is copied below. I am now seriously considering a bolt-on skid
of some type. |
Subj: Rock-It
Oil Pan Skid
Date: 5/23/1999
To: turbocty@sprynet.com
CC: sales@maximumoffroad.com
Hello:
I purchased a Rock-It oil pan skid plate through Maximum Security Inc. in March 1999 (Sale
no. 10389). I installed the plate per the inclosed instructions and left it supported by a
floor jack for 24 hours. Yesterday, on my third off-road trip with the skid in place, it
fell off. I was able to recover it and upon inspection, it seems that the paint on the
skid plate's inner right side and bottom front peeled off from the skid plate, releasing
the silicone. I have attached some pictures in jpg format for your review.
I would like to know whether the skid can be reinstalled with any reliability considering
the paint (notice the rust in the pictures). If so, I would appreciate your providing
detailed instructions (including how to remove the old silicone and repaint the skid) and
an additional complementary 3 oz tube of Permatex silicone. If you do not feel that the
skid can be permanently reinstalled for any reason, I would appreciate a full refund in
the amount of $39.95. My address is:
Ken Wallace |
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Teraflex Steering Box
Skid: Well, so far not near the "luck" with this as with either of the
other two. The instructions were pretty bad. The washers are necessary to keep the plate
off of the steering box itself with the stock bumper. I added three to the spacer (it's
right below the frame in the bottom pic). The self-tapping screw was a bit of a challenge
to drill for, but it all worked out. Of course, I haven't hit anything with it yet! As you
can tell from the amazingly clean undercarriage, This was my first skid plate. I ran with
this and the oil pan skid on my first off-road adventure (when I had 300 miles on the
Jeep). Otherwise I was (and still am) "bone stock." |
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This page has been viewed  times since 5.6.99 |
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