Budbuilts installed

[Brock]

Finally saved enough for my next upgrade.....it was between a Demello front bumper, warn rear bumper or budbuilt skids.....consensus was to go with what was going to protect the expensive stuff first.....so bought the budbuilts.

rattle canned with with primer and 3 coats of gloss black except on front skid which has 2 of gloss and 1 of hammered finish since you can see that one

Next is bumpers...

 

[Maglight]

nice under garments!

 

[knoll0351]

Those really do mount up nice. Do you have any other photo's?

 

[joebob2586]

looks great what was the cost of em?

 

[shane4x4]

Nice color choice, looking good!

 

[Brock]

I did not get the gas tank skid....for now so the 4 pieces cost $650 plus $75 shipping by FedEx....ordered on Friday morning and I had the FedEx guy at my door 24 hours later. Cant beat that service....

I also did not get the powdercoating to save some money....and got them in bare metal. So I bought two cans of primer and 4 cans of black rustoleum....gloss black for all except front skid...which I did in Rustoleum's HAMMERED finish black. Bud included three different sized stickers so I took the big one and stuck on front skid and put smaller on back side window.

What other pics you want? You can see them good on budbuilts web page.....in yellow which is easier to see than my black ones. You definitely need a hand installing these. I am a pretty good size guy with fair amount of strength but laying under my FJ with tranny skid on chest and trying to hold up and get started was a bit much. Front is easy as it has two hanger bolts to assist....the others you need help or a floor jack to help get it close...FACT!

Money well spent.....

 

[BMThiker]

Use a bottle jack to install these and save yourself some grunting. Of course it helps to have a few extra arms to place the jack under there too.

I've had mine on for a while and after they get beat up a little, you won't worry about those scratches. They are skids afterall

Eventually you will have to remove your skids (to service the front diff). After a couple of good dingers, mine looked like a pringle chip. Once the second bolt came off I knew it wasn't going back on without a fight. The best remedy for this is to remove the skid completely and lay flat on the driveway (concrete is best). Prop one edge up on a 2x4 to raise the surface off the ground and swing a mighty sledge at the bulging area. This method is far quicker, although louder, than trying to run it over with your truck. I ran over mine with a fork lift and it did nothing. About a dozen swings later with the sledge and most of my warpage was taken care of.

Still happy with mine so far. They just need "service" every once in a while.

 

[Brock]

yeah i used my bottle jack for last two pieces wish it was a floor jack though as still a little iffy trying to balance it on the bottle jack even with a short piece of wood. LOL

Hopefully I wont need to bend them much since not many rocks unless I go to tellico or gulches and get ballsy with them. LOL

 

[Niner]

I bought mine raw also that way they can be touched up powder coat cannot. I used POR15 very tuff stuff but not as tuff as the rocks I've parked on

 

[lcwizard]

I bought mine raw also that way they can be touched up powder coat cannot. I used POR15 very tuff stuff but not as tuff as the rocks I've parked on

Actually, every powder coat manufacturer sells color matched touch up...... it's paint

Cardinal Industrial Finishes: Products

 

[Brock]

been on for couple weeks now...going to put blue loctite on anything without an nylon lock nut on it...just to be safe. Not hit any rocks or logs or anything.....but a roadkill did stand up in front of me at last minute and thumped the front skid plate.


no worries though....nothing got damaged!

 

[Blues Dawg]

The budbuilts have saved my bacon 1x or 2x. Only problem I have is like BMT, I've added additonal trail clearance. The center skid now contacts my exhaust xover slightly and produces an interesting rattle/vibration at an idle.