Good to hear. The last time I used it was probably 15 years ago.. it was still worth the money even then.
200 Series Skid Plates - pics and install notes
- Thread starter grinchy
- Start date
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I will say that prep makes a TON of difference for non-rusty material. For rust, POR15 adheres to everything (though cleaning off dirt is still advisable). For clean painted or new unpainted metal you really have to use the etcher, a helluva lot of sandpaper, etc otherwise it'll peel off after a year or two.
A well done powder coat is still ideal IMO but POR is good for coating rust. In any case if you use POR15 be advised it's not UV stable and will fade unless you use the top coat. (Chassis Black is the flat black top coat most of us want I think). Also, use very thin coats and be prepared to do 2 or 3 coats to get full coverage. If you brush it on (my preference) POR15 will self-level, but if you do it too think it'll run and it's seemingly impossible to get smooth once you put too much on without sanding the high spots and doing another coat. If you do spray you have to do multiple very light coats, none of which seems to give full coverage, in order to get a nice rinish. Again doesn't really matter for skids but for those using it for sliders or other visible areas...
This. I feel like the cheaper/easier the better on something getting dragged over rocks. It takes 2 seconds to touch em up with a rattle can.Rattle canned ourswe used a rust inhibiting version I can’t recall which. I would suggest ensuring you have clean threads on your truck and apply a good anti sieze to the hardware
I too got TRD grey for my front, but as @linuxgod mentioned I too have the aluminum skids. If it were mine and they were steel, I'd either go with POR15, or some sort of rattle can Rustoleum-like rattle can rust inhibitor in matte black. Easy to source, readily applied, and cheap. That's my take anyway.
Thats awesome man! How do you like it? I haven’t opened the box yet to see what the TRD finish really looks like.
That’s what I am thinking. I need to do some research. Does POR15 and Rustoleum have similar dry times?
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I have zero regrets and would purchase them again in a second. I have everything Budbuilt offers for protection and would recommend them for any of the Toyota's they offer products for to anyone who will listen (clearly a fanboy, cheerleader, whatever). The TRD gray looks good on my silver LC to me. I have NOT tried to paint my aluminum skids as they don't need it and no one sees them but me. I did use some high end (never-seize regular grade) anti-seize stuff on the hardware on initial install and whenever I have to pull them for maintenance.
I was already interested in adding skids, this helps justify the cost
How the heck did this happen?
Did you go alum or steel?
Don’t the slee skids add 100lbs or so?
The Slee skids are steel and weigh around 130 pounds. The net gain is around 100 pounds. I too noticed about 1.5 MPG increase at highway speeds after installing the Slee skids. Bloc and I have discussed this in the past. My theory is the skids smooth out the airflow underneath the vehicle, decreasing drag. Just as adding a roof rack can cause a decrease in MPG, anything that helps smooth out the airflow should increase it. Mine you, this is only at higher speeds. I have found over the years that anything over 45 MPH, wind resistance starts becoming a problem. After installing the 285/65R18 KO2s, the increase was gone. Oh well.I was already interested in adding skids, this helps justify the cost
How the heck did this happen?
Did you go alum or steel?
Don’t the slee skids add 100lbs or so?
I would have loved to have gone with aluminum skids but aluminum is sticky when trying to slide over rocks and such. There is a company that makes aluminum skids for Jeeps that are covered with UHMW polyethylene that makes them very slippery and durable. I wish we had that option for our LCs.
Adding the victory 4x4 plates and their LCA plates definitely has me slicing through the wind at 85mph and 10mpg. Of course, the trail tailor HWP and that crazy-heavy HF Apex winch really help out, too.
I wonder if skinning aluminum with a super thin layer of stainless could work.
I wonder if skinning aluminum with a super thin layer of stainless could work.
IIRC, can't really mix alu and stainless, it would result in some galvanic corrosion eating away at it. In theory, when installing alu skids, we should add insulator pads on the bolts/contact points to the steel frame. But in practicality, it's probably entirely negligible.Adding the victory 4x4 plates and their LCA plates definitely has me slicing through the wind at 85mph and 10mpg. Of course, the trail tailor HWP and that crazy-heavy HF Apex winch really help out, too.
I wonder if skinning aluminum with a super thin layer of stainless could work.
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McMaster-Carr
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Maybe the layer of paint on the frame is sufficient to insulate the raw aluminum from the steel.IIRC, can't really mix alu and stainless, it would result in some galvanic corrosion eating away at it. In theory, when installing alu skids, we should add insulator pads on the bolts/contact points to the steel frame. But in practicality, it's probably entirely negligible.
Some of the vibration reducing ones might be nice to try, though I doubt it'd be noticeable.McMaster-Carr
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