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Skid plates 2 door only

metallicpea

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My skid is on it's way.

TnT has had good communication and been pleasant to work with.

I will report back when I get a chance to install it this weekend.
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melendez69

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Well, I went ahead and ordered the Metalcloak skids for my Turbo 2 door. A bit more material than I wanted but can’t beat the quality or protection. I’ll post some pics as soon as I get them.
I'm finishing up this install tomorrow... I have the 3.6, and the turbo instructions differ slightly, so I had to drill a hole in the frame for a rivet nut. When I downloaded the original instructions, that part was left out, so it took me a bit longer to finish. They've since updated the install instructions.
 

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I'm finishing up this install tomorrow... I have the 3.6, and the turbo instructions differ slightly, so I had to drill a hole in the frame for a rivet nut. When I downloaded the original instructions, that part was left out, so it took me a bit longer to finish. They've since updated the install instructions.
I installed mine 2wks ago and the instructions had the rivnut in them but were basically a copy of the 4 door instructions. After a few phone calls I got it all ironed out plus they were gonna adjust the instructions some. One thing was there was no mention of taking the front stock gas skid off. I haven't looked to see if those changes were made. Think I will now. Lol. Well I just looked and still didn't see anything about removing the front gas skid which I still haven't went back and done. They did add you would need an 11/16 drill bit that wasn't in the original instructions.
 

melendez69

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I installed mine 2wks ago and the instructions had the rivnut in them but were basically a copy of the 4 door instructions. After a few phone calls I got it all ironed out plus they were gonna adjust the instructions some. One thing was there was no mention of taking the front stock gas skid off. I haven't looked to see if those changes were made. Think I will now. Lol. Well I just looked and still didn't see anything about removing the front gas skid which I still haven't went back and done. They did add you would need an 11/16 drill bit that wasn't in the original instructions.
That's what I was told... 4-door instructions,the gas tank skid being a 2-piece. I had a gap and a bolt hole didn't line up, & when I called, I learned the front piece had to be removed. The updated instructions reference the drilling step, but make no mention of the gas tank skid. They were really helpful after some correspondence and a call. The only things I'm not pleased about is drilling into the frame, and removing the pieces... I'm essentially starting over. Argh....Calgon, take me away.
 

1idrod

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That's what I was told... 4-door instructions,the gas tank skid being a 2-piece. I had a gap and a bolt hole didn't line up, & when I called, I learned the front piece had to be removed. The updated instructions reference the drilling step, but make no mention of the gas tank skid. They were really helpful after some correspondence and a call. The only things I'm not pleased about is drilling into the frame, and removing the pieces... I'm essentially starting over. Argh....Calgon, take me away.
Yep, same story here. After fighting it to get installed incorrectly (lol) I just haven't had the energy to go back and undo everything again. They also told me that the rivnut is a different thread pitch. I used an impact wrench and drove one in there before being told that. No mention of that in the instructions then and looks like it's still not written in there. I do have to say though that the gentleman I spoke with was more than helpful in replying and offered me a discount on my next purchase.
 

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That's what I was told... 4-door instructions,the gas tank skid being a 2-piece. I had a gap and a bolt hole didn't line up, & when I called, I learned the front piece had to be removed. The updated instructions reference the drilling step, but make no mention of the gas tank skid. They were really helpful after some correspondence and a call. The only things I'm not pleased about is drilling into the frame, and removing the pieces... I'm essentially starting over. Argh....Calgon, take me away.
So is there drilling involved? Didn’t look that way with the Turbo 2 door instructions. So I’ll need a 11/16 bit?
 

melendez69

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So is there drilling involved? Didn’t look that way with the Turbo 2 door instructions. So I’ll need a 11/16 bit?
I'm not sure for the 2.0 since there's a slightly different setup. For instance, the 2 holes you see here are for the battery skid you'll have. The 3.6 doesn't use these. Check the date on the instructions you saw...the original instructions make no mention of drilling. I didn't know I needed to drill until I called to ask where the rivet nut went after I was done.

If you haven't seen already, I posted #20504 yesterday
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...your-jeep-jl-today.3033/page-1367#post-865926

Jeep Wrangler JL Skid plates 2 door only {filename}
 

metallicpea

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Install went very well on Saturday.

Easy and just as expected. Nothing I had to figure out or modify. Just bolt it on.

I really like the way this skid is designed. Just what I was looking for for my use. I'm not planning to rock crawl regularly, so I think for me a whole system is just overkill. Just want a little insurance on my oil pan and trans pan as I had scraped my shovel several times on my LJ.

Also, I was pleasantly surprised how lightweight it was.

I also installed my Rancho front diff skid at the same time. Also very straight forward. Just need to finish up my CB install and I'm ready to go. I will report back on how it worked out in about 3 weeks.

Jeep Wrangler JL Skid plates 2 door only {filename}
 
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metallicpea

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For my 2 door 2.0L, I installed a fairly low budget arrangement, still using the stock fuel tank and battery skids, but eliminating 1) the stock transmission skid and 2) stock transfer case skid, replacing them with the DV8 2 door JL belly pan skid ($389). The DV8 fits well and strengthens the undercarriage, with more ground clearance than those stock frames provided, in addition to providing good coverage for the dollar all the way up to the control arm mounts. The DV8 skid integrates well with a Rusty's Engine Skid for 2.0L JL ($289)
I was looking at the DV8 too, but when you add the cost of the engine oil pan skid it was more than the TnT option at around $500. That is one of the reasons I went that route. I too am using the stock gas tank and transfer plate skid. I have the front diff skid to protect the drain plug on the bottom, but never found I needed a skid on the rear of my TJ, so skipped that. I will see how it all holds up soon.
 

metallicpea

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Well, after using all of my skid plates I wanted to report my results:

I seem to have avoided any real damage on the trails. The front diff skid hit several obstacles on the trail. I was surprised how many times I hit it. It protected the diff well, but the U bolt did get knocked off the top of the diff casting on my last hit. It fell down and scraped the back of the seal, but at the next stop we easily reattached it and all is well. Glad I had this one.

As for the TnT oil and trans skid, it also did it's job. I was on Poison Spider with my stock Rubicon tires and ride height, so I dragged my belly several times. I did however put a dent in this skid. Of course that dent was right at the lowest point of the exhaust, so it would rattle against the exhaust pipe under load at idle. I have removed it so that I can press the dent out. I would likely have caused some significant damage to the exhaust pipe without it. With this though, I wish I had selected the upgrade to 1/4 aluminum. Oh well, it's likely enough for most of what I might do and I felt overall pretty protected without spending big $ on a full system.

I hit the transfer case and gas tank skids too and all is well overall. Biggest interference is with the rear tow hook, it certainly saved me from more rear bumper damage. I did scuff the front plastic panel behind/under the front bumper and did hit the rear bumper slightly on both lower corners - but no damage on the visible part of the rear bumper or the front bumper, fender flares or wheels.

We will see how these things hold up on the Rubicon trail in the next couple years.
 
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Artec bellypans for 2-door JL's-coming soon! Last week I was told Artec is finally working on a 2-door JL bellypan system and will hopefully be available in the next two or three months. Now this might be asking a bit much, but I personally would love a combination steel / aluminum system with just the gas tank skid being aluminum...
 

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Has anyone used the ASFIR engine and gear skid? They say it fits both the "short model" and the "long model" and is made from 1/4 aluminum. Price seems to be good.

http://www.asfir.com/Jeep-Wrangler JL/547460
I looked into their product in depth about a year ago. I wasn't happy with it as a complete system. The coverage wasn't that good, it used the poor factory cross members, it didn't replace the factory fuel tank skid.

IMHO, the Artec design is the best I have seen so far (haven't seen the 2-door version yet). I like the recessed area for bolts I have seen on some other designs, but I think this would cost some ground clearance.Most of these designs really fall short with the front fuel tank skid. The 2-door fuel tank is mounted further forward and the front skid is supported by a cross member that they like to delete.
 

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Artec bellypans for 2-door JL's-coming soon! Last week I was told Artec is finally working on a 2-door JL bellypan system and will hopefully be available in the next two or three months. Now this might be asking a bit much, but I personally would love a combination steel / aluminum system with just the gas tank skid being aluminum...
Is there something about the MetalCloak armor you don't like?
 

4xFUN

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Is there something about the MetalCloak armor you don't like?

No, MetalCloak looks awesome...I do however like the idea that Artec replaces the gas tank skid instead of adding one under the existing OEM skid. For weight savings and to minimize 'passenger side rear lean' a combination of steel/aluminum, with aluminum being used just for the gas tank would be ideal.

That said, I may get tired of waiting for a 2-door offering and just and go with the EVO ProTek engine/trans + exhaust loop and call it a day...Looks like it will fit 2-doors with minor trimming.
 
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jlopes68

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Evo has worked out very well for me on my 2 door.

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