From the feedback and recommendations I received from a few of you that have just received your skids, during PM's back and forth, I am posting this first-pass installation information. Not slamming the product or vendor, but posting my experience with attempting to install the diff skid last night.
That being stated, flame retardant undies are now donned.
Posted in PM's:
Quote:
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JoeUser previously said:
I hope your skid fit better than mine. I had to spread the threaded shafts of the front clamp just to get it to clear the front of the differential case. So, now the flat bar for use with the nuts won't even fit (and, won't fit anyhow, as it strikes the e-locker).
I also had to take a grinder and carve notches on either side of the lips on the axle portions, just so the axle bolts would sit square in the cradle of the lips properly. No biggie, as the angle grinder made short work of that.
Watch your axle-mounted brake lines when installing; I had to fanangle the flat bar pieces to fit under the brake lines after realizing that the lines would be in a bind with the flat bars above the lines. And, I noticed that the right-side front-side bolt rested on the rear sway bar (that may have been due to the poor fit at the front of the case)...
So, the skid is removed until I can chop off the front clamp threaded posts and weld a larger U-bolt in place (one that'll clear the case without spreading). I'll leave the existing square portion of the welded bolt and just weld the new U-bolt on top of it.
I'm happy with the ruggedness of the skid, but it's going to have to be tweaked a little before I'm satisfied and confident of the fit. For the price of the group buy, I'm not displeased. However, if I would have spent the full price I would have not been as pleased.
Well, time to break out the ol' welder and grinder! Hope y'all have a smoother install than mine.
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I posted this verbatim, not as a rant (and don't take it as such, but after I re-read the message it kinda sounded like one).
I like the ruggedness of the skid, for sure. But, it is a little tight in clearances and tolerances. I only posted the above message to simply notify others that there might be a little tweaking involved.
This will not stop me from ordering from All Phase in the future. I always support local vendors! But, just wanted to post a heads-up that it might take you a little longer than you thought to install (or not, maybe the original template fit an '07 fine, but my '08 may be slightly different). After comparing my skid with the photos posted here the skids look identical, so I don't think there's any difference in model year. Maybe others that have easier installs can post their tips here for others to share.
