Will a high clearance skid plate help?

[Jeep05tj]

Hi all,
I recently installed a B&M shifter (45195) as a lot of people that have bought them, love them.

When installing, the angle has now changed of the shifter stick. It's now come forward slightly, where it would now be impossible to put into 2nd, 4th or 6th gear, with all the trim back on. With the old setup, you could see where the PO had carved out some of the shifter bezel, as he added the 1.25 BL, 1" MML and SYE kit with a rear Tom Woods drive shaft.

I'm assuming when he did those modes, the shifter stick came forward and sits lower.

My question is, would installing a Rough Country High Clearance Skid plate help the situation? It's apparently meant to add 2" of Clearance. Meaning it would raise the shifter 2"s I assume?

I just want to be sure before I order it to Australia because the postage is very expensive. More than the skid plate!

 

[LONGJP2]

IMO, a tummy tuck could possibly add a whole bunch of new issues that would need resolved.
What about just bending the stick?

 

[06TJ35's]

Heat it up with a torch and bend it where you want it.

 

[Suss]

I put that shifter in my LJ and had the same issue with 2nd, 4th, 6th and R. I just used a dremel to remove some of the trim that was in the way. That resolved it for me.

 

[Jeep05tj]

Yeah I was considering being the main shaft but was concerned it might damage the internals of the shifter.

Do you think I'd get away with putting some heat shield around the rubber boot and use a Map torch on the main bend?

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Remove the rubber boot, that shaft is going to get WAY too hot when you get it hot enough to bend for the boot to survive.

 

[pagrey]

Yeah I was considering being the main shaft but was concerned it might damage the internals of the shifter.

The shaft is metal which is pretty much an ideal conductor of heat. Everything in the transmission that rod touches will be heated to well beyond the temperatures they were designed to withstand. I'd remove the whole thing if I was going to take a torch to it. Your concerns are pretty much inline with what I'd be thinking.

 

[AMS417]

Do not heat the B&M shifter. You can bend the stock Jeep gear lever, the part that attaches to the B&M shifter without heating it. Just shove it into a receiver hitch or chuck it in a vise and give it a heave. As for the bezel, trim away at it as well if you like.

You have a stock skid plate now? A raised skid plate will help move the transmission up and the shifter forward. You could also remove the motor mount lift if you want to save a few bucks. Either option will require pinion angle adjustment for the rear drive shaft.

Do you have adjustable rear control arms?