Do control arm skid plates actually work?

TheShakes90

TheShakes90

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After taking out a control arm bracket and almost my transmission pan today I figure it's time for a little armor.

I'm planning on the Savvy or UCF for both a Trans/Engine skid plate and control arm plates. Do the control arm plates actually work or would it be a waste of money?


PXL_20210307_021126138.jpgPXL_20210306_232731747.jpg
 
Personally I prefer nike....

The skid plates on the control arms are only as strong as the control arm brackets themselves. All Welded on well enough it should protect from something like this happening again.
 
joe98tj said:
The skid plates on the control arms are only as strong as the control arm brackets themselves.
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That is not the slightest bit accurate. If you weld on something like the Currie Mini Skids, that ties both sides together and anchors them to the axle tube. Now instead of just bending the pair of side plates of the mount, you actually have to rip the end of the mini skid off of the axle tube to deflect the mount which is a several times increase in resistance to bending.

I've welded on dozens upon dozens of the mini skids and never had to repair a mount afterward.
 
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TheShakes90 said:
After taking out a control arm bracket and almost my transmission pan today I figure it's time for a little armor.

I'm planning on the Savvy or UCF for both a Trans/Engine skid plate and control arm plates. Do the control arm plates actually work or would it be a waste of money?View attachment 231882View attachment 231883
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Nothing helps much if you lose a bolt and you need to take a very close look at the back of the upper on the axle. Looks like the weld is cracked and you really should be running the grease fittings on the joints above the arm, not below it.
 
Most dont. Which is why theres a good chance someone in Illinois could have a TJ with rotted brackets
 
If you think welding good steel to rotted steel is a good idea that is your prerogative my man
 
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joe98tj said:
If you think welding good steel to rotted steel is a good idea that is your prerogative my man
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Are you ever going to stop being a dipshit? In context, the original poster asked a question about HIS control arm mounts and your direct response to HIS exact problem and exact fucking scenario was that the reinforcements are only as strong as HIS original mounts which is blatantly fucking incorrect. Look at the fucking pictures and stop being a dipshit.
 
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@mrblaine , after asking you in the past for advice on your brakes(might be out of a metric shit ton but I asked about my bikes pads) and you giving up a sale I trust your advice more than others.
You said I should look at my rear, I'm not seeing any cracked or breaking welds. Outside of having an actual weldor(new to my area but I know a guy) what would you recommend? Also, I will not lie my LJ spent most of its life in an area where the roads are salted, if I'm using Rokmen arms on OEM mounts should I be changing something?
@JMT didn't realize RockHard sold more than their bumpers
 
P.S. welding good metal to less than perfect metal is called a "repair" where I'm from. It has been done since the second guy built a forge to fix the first guys shitty work.🤓
 
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Realistically if you’re welding anything to anything both surfaces should be ground to clean metal. Rust is irrelevant.

And ya that looks like a crack...or a shadow, I’d take a minute to check it out in person.
 
yeah...welds are gonna need to be redone when I replace the upper mount, that thing is more mangled than I saw during my quick post trail "oh fuck" look. Just ordered the UCF upper and lower mounts, hopefully I'll be smarter next time.
From looking around the forum it looks like the UCF and Savvy Engine/Transmission skid are very similar. For those that have seen or dealt with both(probably not many) is there any reason I should go with one or the other? From what I've seen the only major difference is tying into my currently stock transfer case skid, sounds like the Savvy might require minor trimming if anything
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Edit meant the transmission not transfer case
 
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TheShakes90 said:
yeah...welds are gonna need to be redone when I replace the upper mount, that thing is more mangled than I saw during my quick post trail "oh fuck" look. Just ordered the UCF upper and lower mounts, hopefully I'll be smarter next time.
From looking around the forum it looks like the UCF and Savvy Engine/Trans skid are very similar. For those that have seen or dealt with both(probably not many) is there any reason I should go with one or the other? From what I've seen the only major difference is tying into my currently stock transfer case skid, sounds like the Savvy might require minor trimming if anything
View attachment 232737
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One has a stand-alone crossmember, one does not.
 
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I thought that was the tummy tuck transfer case skid? I know the Savvy has one which is why it's top of the list if I go that route in the long run.
 
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