Finishing my 99 XJ build and need an oil pan skid. Rig has the 4.0 and AW4. Can anyone recommend a bolt on skid that they know works on an XJ? Spoke to Metal Cloak this morning and they indicted that their TJ skid will not work on the XJ due to exhaust interference.

Hardly anybody uses engine/tras skid plates. But my buddy has one made by Skid Row. Note: When he upgraded to a 3-link longarm he had to modify it.

Thanks for the feedback. This is a dedicated trail rig built to run the Rubicon and Fordyce. Rubicon isn't a big deal but Fordyce is treacherous and remote so I'd prefer not to punch a hole through the oil pan.

What are your specs for running Fordyce? Tires, lift, axles?

Clayton long arms, 6.5" RE coils, Bilstein 5100 shocks, 5.5" RE leafs, shackle relocation, JKS shackles, Ares fab steering, HP 30 front with chromoly shafts/aussie/5.13 gears, 8.8 with Yukon locker/5.13 gears, Advance Adapters SYE, DC drive shaft, Warn VR8000 winch, Ares Fab bumpers, 35" BFG KM2, and frame stiffeners.

My TJ is even better built than the XJ. I completed Fordyce last year during Sierra Trek in my TJ.

I went out rock crawling for the first time week before last. Whole time I was concerned about punching a hole in one of the pans. I am rather inexperienced, so I am curious on the logic of not running a skid plate under the engine/trans. OP is the first mention of running one I have seen on the forum.

The Nth degree one linked about is about the only one I've seen.

There has been discussion about it, and I'm 50/50 on whether I'd run it.

I've got a full engine skid on my buggy, but that's not easy to do on a stock setup.

The Nth degree while protecting the oil pan, I'm not sure how i'd feel about transferring the forces it might generate, to the items it bolts on to.

I'd rather do damage to the oil pan, than the block, transmission, etc.

Most people don't run them on the average trail rig. Even for hardcore rigs it's not uncommon for them to be missing. 1st the pans don't get hit too much for whatever reason. 2nd they're steel so they tent to just bend rather than break or puncture. 3rd you could probably patch it with JB weld... at least for a little while. Having said all that, I'd rather have the protection and not need it rather than the other way around so I certainly wouldn't discourage their use.

What gears are those? I thought 4.88 was the tallest for D30. I guess not.

1/4" steel welded to pan. No clearence issues!

that this looks pretty "orcish" but super strong.

Whatever works! lol

Tomken engine skid.

"orcish"???

"Function over Form", so to speak.

it is what it is. a thick ol chunk of steel welded up to it. simple and strong.

1/4" and 3/16" aw4 pan. I know its over kill but I don't worry about it all.