Control Arm Skid Plates

The new TJ's have certain weaknesses offroading compared to the earlier YJ's. Their gas tanks and transfer case crossmembers are significantly lower. Also the mounting brackets for the lower control arms hang from beneath the axles and frame, and are frequently bent when rockcrawling. I wanted skid plates for these brackets that would be tough, removable for access to the control arms, and would retain the ability to use the original eccentric cams for caster adjustment. The folks at Mountain 4X4 in Cumming Georgia fabbed up the plates for the frame mounted brackets, and Kevin at 4WD Parts Center in Duluth Georgia designed and built the axle mounted brackets. Both sets have been extensively trail tested and are quite bulletproof.

The axle brackets are protected using a two-piece design. A piece of plate steel is welded onto the front face of the bracket. The second piece is a plate that is bent to match the contour of the front and bottom surfaces of the bracket. Its front face is supported underneath by the previously welded mounting plate. Two holes are drilled for a pair of Grade 5 bolts to attach the two together. A lateral mounting flange piece is welded onto the outboard edge of the skid plate and drilled to match the diameter of the shank of the eccentric cam bolt. This design permits adjustment of the eccentric cam bolt, and the skid plate can be removed to gain access to the control arm.