Yesterday I headed to my local 4wd shop thinking I was going to buy the Rancho Sport kit, but decided to pull the trigger and go with the Rubicon Express SA kit instead. I figure I'll just run the lift for a while with stock tires while I save up the money.
So here is my question. I was reading through the install instructions (downloaded them, the kit won't be in for about a week), and was surprised to see that I have to remove my tranny skid plate and that it doesn't get replaced. It's already pretty beat up, and I'm not sure that I want the tranny just hanging out there for fun. Anybody have any solutions for this? Is there an aftermarket plate to get, or can you cut out where the driveline runs in the stock plate? I have a 2dr, so I know the drivelines will be at a pretty good angle, but I would still like to protect some of those more expensive and easily damageable parts of my jeep!!

 

My Trail Master kit came with spacers to drop the skid plate down about an inch. I've also seen a few posts where people have cut a small arc along the front of the plate where the drive shaft would drop down.

 

Have the Tera 2.5 and had to do that. I would put the plate on for protection just be warned you might tear your boot (but then again who hasn't)

 

Hadn't heard about issues with manuals, but check post 6 in this thread for some preventative steps for auto's with driveshaft clearance issues...

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...vs.-Skid-plate

 

 

glad to hear it! i just wanted to make sure that i wasn't going to be running around with a naked tranny. Cutting that out doesn't look too bad, what did you use to cut it? I have a decent selection of tools, but not sure that I have anything that would make it through something like that.

 

Grinder with a cut off wheel. Takes less then 5 min

 

I didn't have any cutoff wheels at the time. I ground it all away with a 7in grinder.

 

There's a lot of places where doing that would get you arrested.