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Can you fab your own belly-up skid?

3K views 15 replies 10 participants last post by  xBabyJesus 
#1 ·
Has anyone made their own belly-up skid plate? Doesn't look like it's too hard to do. Just cutting some holes for the tranny mount and holes to mount it to the frame. It seems crazy to spend anywhere from $200 to $400 for an aftermarket plate that is a 1/4" thick piece of metal. The metal probably only costs about what $50 at the most?

I also want to integrate a traction bar onto the skid. Any ideas or pictures?

I'm running a 1" body lift to accomodate some of the height of the t/t-case.

Ideas?
 
#4 ·
Making a true flat skid is easy. Making a "belly up" that still hangs an inch or so below the frame rails is a bit trickier because it requires some bends to be made. If you have access to a break that will do 1/4" then you're good to go.

The advantage to a "belly up" versus a flat skid is that you still retain some semblence of a rear driveline angle ... very important on a short wheelbase wrangler.

My TJ's flat skid required a 1.5" motor lift, 1" shift forward, a hellacious pinion angle, new axle-end shock mounts, and track bar mount mods and I'm only running 4" coils.

Anything can be done. Just be ready to spend a lot of time working the bugs out before it's driveable. It took me 2.5 LONG days in a well equipped shop to get mine done.

It should go without saying that a SYE and CV driveshaft are pretty much required to do any sort of belly up or flat skid.

cm "thanx mo, I feel so loved!" k
 
#5 ·
I wasn't able to keep my cross member skid plate flat, because I wanted to keep the weight of the drive train as far forward and low as I could. To maintain a good ground clearance, and break over angles, compromises had to be made, and I settled on a skid plate/ cross member that is slightly over 2" below the frame rails at the lowest point, (which sits about 22" above the ground with 6 psi in the tires). However, I designed it to have no areas that could catch or hang on objects below(except the heads of the tranny mount bolts). Even the bolts at the frame rails are completely inset. It is fabricated from 1/4" and 3/16" plate and is very well gussetted at vulnerable spots and load bearing locations. It weighs in slightly heavy though, at about 80lbs.
I designed the cross member for the wrap bar, to be intergrated into the skid plate for strength, but it can be easily removed seperately if needed.
Here are some pics.
 

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#8 ·
H8 Mondays- Looks great! Did you use a body lift and/or motor mount lift to compensate for lifting up the entire assembly? I also need to run the rear traction bar. You wouldn't want to fab the skid plate and traction bar for a dana 60 231-T-case sye YJ? Have you tested it out yet? Looks very stout. Reminds me of Guinness! Hey it's quitting time!
 
#11 ·
RSQJEEP said:
H8 Mondays- Looks great! Did you use a body lift and/or motor mount lift to compensate for lifting up the entire assembly? I also need to run the rear traction bar. You wouldn't want to fab the skid plate and traction bar for a dana 60 231-T-case sye YJ? Have you tested it out yet? Looks very stout. Reminds me of Guinness! Hey it's quitting time!

I have no body lift. I located the mounts for my engine, so that the drive train would, run level from front to rear at that particular elevation. Then I fabricated a skelleton cross member/tranny mount and took it out and tested it (gently), throughout the flex range, and made sure everything worked propperly. I then built a frame work for the skid plate, then added the 1/4" steel skin, then gussetted everything. It took most of a weekend to fabricate test and weld everything, completely.
Yes everything has been well tested, that is the underside of my competition rig. I run about 300 hp and I use every bit of it, when finness wont work, hell sometimes I get on it even when finness will work,..just because the crowd loves it.
I am bruttaly hard on my equiptment, and have had no problems with wrap bar or crossmember.

Unfortunately, I dont have a crew chief, and a dozen tallented mechanics running around calling me boss, like Walker Evans does, so I am busy right now just keeping my own junk at a somewhat competetive level.
 
#12 ·
xBabyJesus said:


H8--

Call me stupid, but wouldn't you want the shackle mount up higher say off the top of the frame so it pivots down & forward, to prevent binding as the suspension cycles?

-J

The general consensus from some of the manufaturers of these types of bars, and other fabrication gurus I have discussed these designs with over the years, has been that the bars are less affective at controlling wrap, and keeping the power to the ground, when the shackle is suspended from above.
I dont know for sure, I have never tested a configuration, suspended from above.
Mine moves very freely though, throughout the suspension cycle with absolutel no noticeable loss of articulation.
Due to a fabrication project at the time, my wrap bar had been removed, when I went to Moonlight Madness last year. So when John put the Scorpion on a 25 degree ramp that had been set up, I figured it would be a good time to see just how well the rig flexed with no wrap bar. The "Scorpion" ramped the best RTI of the weekend with a 1530 (+ or -), I ramped a 1320 (+ or -).
I tested it again a few months later using a makeshift ramp on my jobsite that had been set to 25 degrees, and I ramped at about 1280 (+ or -).
So I have all the flex I need, and the current set up puts the power to the ground very affectively. It is very noticeable how much sure footed traction you lose when the bar is removed and the axle is allowed to wrap up.

In any case I would like to take you up on your offer to call you stupid,...."Stupid!!":flipoff2:
 
#13 ·
"Has anyone made their own belly-up skid plate? Doesn't look like it's too hard to do. Just cutting some holes for the tranny mount and holes to mount it to the frame"

The easiest way I've found to do this is to use a large flat piece of cardboard. Cut it to the basic size you need, then make the bends and modifications you want. Tape it in place to hold the shape that works for you. Then copy it in steel and install.

H8, you sure did a beautiful job on yours.
:cool:
 
#14 ·
I just finished mine, but instead of bending the skid, I used a flat piece of steel and the stock skid. I cut the outer edges of the stock TC skid off (the two sides that have the tapered mounting holes) and welded the flat piece to these, then drilled 1" holes in the skid to access the mounting bolts. So it is totally flat, but actually sits about 1" below the frame rails.
 
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