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 Post subject: Jeep JK armor discussion
PostPosted: Fri Apr 08, 2016 10:47 am 
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jac04 wrote:

If you are going to wheel your vehicle, you need to add armor. This is true no matter what vehicle you are driving, however this is especially important since you have a JKU. Do it now. Not later, not after the lift or wheel spacers - NOW. Make it Priority #1. If not, you will end up damaging a lot of expensive stuff. Get all the skid plates - engine/trans, fuel tank, exhaust loop, evap canister, rear diff slider, diff covers/guards, LCAs. This should be your very first step if you are going to off-road the vehicle.

IMO, it's not a coincidence that the driver's side manifold cracked. That's the side with the exhaust loop that hangs down. One good smack of the loop, and it transfers all that shock load right up into the exhaust manifold. Put a loop skid on it. I recommend the Skid Row loop skid with additional reinforcement. I'd be more than happy to provide you with the info needed to modify the loop skid to make it bulletproof. I've already done the design work, and it works great.

If you smacked the exhaust loop, or even if you did get a quench crack from mud/water, consider yourself lucky that the dealership is covering it under the emissions warranty. They will usually claim abuse and not cover it.

I don't mean to lecture you. I just want to see you have fun with your Jeep and not break stuff. Breaking stuff sucks. It takes all the fun out of wheeling, and the costs can add up quick. There is no better feeling than wheeling some tough trails, then hitting the road and driving home. There is no worse feeling that wheeling while worrying about breaking things or whether or not you will make it home afterward.


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 Post subject: Re: Jeep JK armor discussion
PostPosted: Fri Apr 08, 2016 10:53 am 
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Need to look into the exhaust loop skid myself. I know Jeff has told me the same thing before.... :-) What can I say, I'm a little slow....

Don't have LCA skids...thinking about those now since I just ordered new adjustable LCA's for the front.

I don't have a diff skid, but do run the ARB diff covers.


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 Post subject: Re: Jeep JK armor discussion
PostPosted: Fri Apr 08, 2016 11:01 am 
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Jeff - what modifications did you do to the exhaust loop skid?


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 Post subject: Re: Jeep JK armor discussion
PostPosted: Fri Apr 08, 2016 12:04 pm 
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The Skid Row exhaust loop skid by itself is a good piece and offers quite a bit of protection. The only problem is that the SR loop skid can get bent upward if it takes a decent hit, since it is only mounted to the chassis and it cantilevers out to protect the loop. I had to bend mine down & away from the loop a few times after wheeling.

I ended up modifying the SR loop skid with 3/8" thick plate to tie it back into the trans crossmember and the engine skid. If you do this, you will have an incredibly strong skid that protects the loop and the driver's side of the crossover.

I have not had any problem with heat from the exhaust. Just make sure you keep the area between the skid & the exhaust loop clear of debris.

Skid Row exhaust loop skid:
http://www.skidplates.com/Exhaust_12_JK.asp

Picture of unmodified exhaust loop skid:
Image


Here's how I modified mine to tie it back into the crossmember and engine skid:

3/8" plates added & held in place with roll pins prior to welding:
Image

Image

After welding, painting & installing:
Image

Engine / Trans skid, also shows exhaust loop skid:
Image

This shot also shows front LCA skids, front diff guard and steering stabilizer relocation:
Image

Rear diff slider, rear LCA skids, rear diff guard and evap canister skid:
(pictures taken before I added the gas tank skid)
Image

Image

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 Post subject: Jeep JK armor discussion
PostPosted: Fri Apr 08, 2016 2:52 pm 
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Thanks for the details. I did see the picture of the SR skid on the web & did think having it bolted on just one side wasn't a great idea. Will look into it.

Are the LCA skids welded on or are they bolt on?


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 Post subject: Re: Jeep JK armor discussion
PostPosted: Fri Apr 08, 2016 4:47 pm 
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I used bolt-on front LCA skids from Skid Row and weld-on rears from Evo.

Front:
http://www.skidplates.com/LCA_07_JK.asp

Rear:
http://www.offroadevolution.com/product ... on-jk-jku/

The rear Evo skids were kind of a pita to install. If I had to do it all over again, I would use the Teraflex rear weld-on LCA skids:
https://teraflex.com/shop_items/528ffa7 ... f416e72fa3

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 Post subject: Re: Jeep JK armor discussion
PostPosted: Fri Apr 08, 2016 5:48 pm 
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Here are a few other good skids to have.

Rough Country gas tank skid plate. Made in USA, well-built, and only $149. I added an extra 3/16" thick plate extension at the leading edge to protect the transmission x-member:
Image

Driver's side of trans x-member reinforced with 1/4" thick plate. I even wiped it off for the picture! The 7 button-head screws go into tapped holes in 3/8" thick plate that I installed on the inside of the x-member. You can see how well-used the loop skid is in this picture, along with all the other skids and, well, the frame too.
People ask me if I ever off-road my Jeep because I keep it fairly clean - if they could only see the undercarriage:

Image

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 Post subject: Re: Jeep JK armor discussion
PostPosted: Fri Apr 08, 2016 6:12 pm 
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Nice, thanks for the pics. Once it gets a little warmer, I need to take a good look under the Jeep.


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 Post subject: Re: Jeep JK armor discussion
PostPosted: Wed Apr 13, 2016 8:37 am 
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No wonder why the exhaust manifold was cracked in my old 07 Wrangler Unlimited.
That makes sense..
All well.. Glad I sold it.

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 Post subject: Re: Jeep JK armor discussion
PostPosted: Wed Apr 13, 2016 12:44 pm 
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The exhaust loop is used on the 3.6 Pentastar, which made its debut in 2012. The old 3.8 engines were known for cracking manifolds, but I think it may have been a quenching issue - not sure.

An interesting thing about the 3.6 Pentastar is that they don't have separate exhaust manifolds - they are integral to the cylinder heads.

Here's a few good shots:
http://image.fourwheeler.com/f/38481414 ... t-downpipe

http://image.fourwheeler.com/f/33368897 ... xhaust.jpg

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