PA Jeeps
The Garage => Technical Advice and Questions => Topic started by: chasm on February 21, 2008, 09:02:29 pm
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I'm tired of smashing and bending the U-bolts on my '93 YJ! >:(
Has anyone here installed U-bolt skid plates on their YJ? If so, what brand did you buy and how difficult was the install?
I've seen photos of them, but have never seen them on a YJ before.
Thanks for your help! ;)
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Mike,
You can install U-bolt skids on any model Jeep, I've seen them on YJ's as well as numerous other models.
Below is a link to the ones I installed (Warrior Products) on my CJ some eight years ago. The nice thing with these is the removable shock mounts. They thread in versus being perminate. So, when you bend one....You replace the threaded shock mount NOT the entire skid plate. I carry spares with me.
http://www.warriorproducts.com/catalog/pages/warrior-1725-u-bolt-skid-plates.html
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Mike you can come over and see them on the rear springs on my YJ. Haven't gotten around to putting on the front ones. I bought them from someone on the fourm a while back. He said he got them out of the Quadratec catalog. Dave said it was not difficult he just cut the old u bolts off and put the new ones on.
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Yeah, I looked at the Warrior Products ones at Quadratec's website. They seem pretty nice with the removeable pins.
The YJ front and rear mounts are different. What do you do with the rear shock mounts on the YJ? Keep using them? Cut them off and use the screw in pins on the new plates? Those rear shock mounts seem a bit sturdier than those pins... but the pins may give more clearance if the factory shock mounts are cut off.
Thanks for the input here folks! ;)
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Ok, I just found a link to Warrior Products site and the rear YJ U-bolt skids have an "*" which states they do not come with the screw in pins, so I am assuming that the factory shock mounts on the rear will remain the same. http://www.warriorproducts.com/catalog/pages/warrior-u-bolt-skid-plate-application-guide.html
Jenn: I'm surprised you didn't get the front ones on your YJ after you speared that stump a couple months ago! :o
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i have them front and rear so does dave of you wanna see them let me know
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So, the screw in pins on the YJ front skids just hold the swaybar connects? (rhetorical question...) Sounds pretty easy... now I need to find somebody local with a flame wrench to get the bent u-bolts off! ::)
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SAWS ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D
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I'm NEVER without blades....!
A torch is sweet, but the trusty old "SAWS-ALL" has NEVER let me down when it comes to U-Bolts. Easy work, I have a bucket full.
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Definetly SAWZALL! I prefer Milwaulkee brand they have a blade called the TORCH . `
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YUP....USED the torch brand when cutting my old springs off the jeep.....
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Angle grinder worked for me, they sure poped more than I expected. :o
I made and welded my disco mounts to my axle tube, keeps them up out of the way. In the rear I made and welded brackets to the skidder pad to keep the "pins" up about 1" higher than intended. One of the rear ones did get bent last year, but I'm pretty sure it would have been trashed like many times before I did the relocating.
The skidder pads came w/ my RE kit so Im not sure what brand they are. Well worth the money either way.
Ted
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I went ahead and ordered a set of 4 Warrior Products ones from Quadratec. The rear ones will be easy, since nothing else attaches to them. The front ones will have removeable studs for the sway bar connects. Quadratec doesn't carry the replacement studs, so I'll have to see what they look like when they arrive. Maybe some graded hardware from the local hardware store will work for screw in replacements.
I'll be calling the left coast and getting a part number to share with Quadratec so they can stock the screw in replacements.
I'll probably take some before, during, and after photos of the install to share... ;)
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You can order the threaded studs directly from Warrior.....I do....Their something like $8.00 for 4 of them.
I've bent quite a few, but haven't had one "BREAK" yet.
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Freakin' Quadratec is FAST! I ordered the Warrior skids Wednesday at lunchtime and had them sitting on my porch when I got home from work today (5:30pm)! ;D
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DAMN RIGHT...!
That's because you are Mike...Owner of "Ole-Yeller" :D
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Here is another option.
I went with flipped u-bolts on the D44's I built. Those parts are from an 80's Dodge Dakota.
They include the flat piece on the bottom recessed for the u-bolt and a hole to keep it centered on the pin.
The square u-bolts I had made at a spring shop. $10 at the Junk yard and $40 at the spring shop.