I’m considering purchasing the 2nd generation X plates from Skid Row and would like to hear from owners with them about their installation process and any tips/tricks.

Overall how much time and effort does it take for a DIYS install? Besides the obvious tools, drills, sockets, vise grips, etc. what else would you recommend having around for the install besides a buddy to help?

Having the truck up on a lift would be ideal I assume but I will mostly likely just use some ramps which I would think would give enough room to work with?

Thanks for the 411 BTW Eric at Skid Row says he hopes to have the Gas Tank Skid available sometime in Mid-February if everything goes well.

Having the truck on a lift:

Actually no, because the back 2 plates are too heavy to lift & hold in place, you'll want a floor jack to hold them in place while you bolt them up. You can do this with the truck sitting on the ground. Other than that, it's pretty straightforward. You just need someone there to help you move the plates around, etc.

Yep, we'll be fitting the gas tank skids on our trucks pretty soon here to make sure they fit well.

Good luck and congrats!

don't even bother with the ramps either. If you are skinny enough, there should be enough ground clearence under there for you to install them without. when eric installed mine, there was no jack, ramps or whatever. if you do use a ramp, it makes using the floor jack to hold the plates up to bolt them on much ore difficult.

good luck. they are worth it.

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Synchro (aka Kirk)
Ashburn, VA, USA (suburb of Washington D.C.)
2000 Xterra SE, Alpine Green, Auto, 4x4, ARB, 32" BFG MTs
President: Mid-Atlantic Xterra Club
http://www.maxc.org/members/synchro.htm

I guess this begs the question - how heavy are they all, combined? They'll surely affect (cringe) the gas mileage, and possibly the performance of the truck (by weighing it down). One good thing, they'll lower the center of gravity, besides protecting the soft, naked underbelly.

Great stuff though - and regardless of mileage or peformance concerns, I know I'll be picking up a set of these.

Nice work guys!

I got my set installed by Erick yesterday.

BP: They are havy

but they worth it !

Hmm, that worries me man...I'm supposed to have mine installed Friday on the way to Shamokin (yeah, baby!!! time to test these damn things out) and Eric said he thought it would take 1-1.5 hours. (Oleg, how long was your install?)



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gothamist -- MAXC member
http://www.beatdriven.com/xterra.html

Brian, are you going to be able to order them through the guys who did your boulder bars (All J Products) since they are listed as a Skid Row retailer? Maybe they'd be kind enough to assist in the installation. Heh.

i think it took about 2 hours or so
including time to sharpen dril bit

Sounds like he oughtta buy a new set of drills... ;>

Is Erick at a shop in NJ that you guys go to? If so, I may pay him a visit in the Springtime to get mine hooked up... Does he also do ARBs?

Erick is not in NJ, he is in PA
www.skid-row.com

It is pretty straight forward for anyone to install the plates. If you do not own a set of very good high-speed steel or cobalt tipped drill bits you will need to buy them before you start the installation. A floor jack is a must to help position the plates underneath (at least the rear most ones).

The rear plate is the most involved installation. You will have to drill 4 to 6 holes in your cross-members. I found it best to start at the rear of the plate and work forward. The amount of space you have to drill through the cross-members is minimal.

Keep your bits oiled up as you drill and remember to go slow on the speed for the best results.

Will

Get my SKIDS on Friday,
Eric is great to work with.
Someone with an ARB *AhemmSynchroAhemm* please drive up there to prototype the ARB skid plate. Eric is ready to help us prevent the same fate as PIKA.

That's right parter...
Keep on Rollin Baby
You know what time it is!
- F Durst

I'm going to be at Skid-Row on Friday getting my skids installed, and Eric is supposed to trim my ARB (it rubs the tires) and hopefully measure it up for the skid plate. Hopefully we can get it all done...

Leave Synchro alone, he already had to drive 1000 miles to Georgia (& back) to get the KMA rear bumpers measured up for all of us.

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gothamist -- MAXC member
http://www.beatdriven.com/xterra.html

once the gas tank skid plate prototype is in, i will be up there for all of this. should be in the next few weeks.

so hold your water!!!

Synchro



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Synchro (aka Kirk)
Ashburn, VA, USA (suburb of Washington D.C.)
2000 Xterra SE, Alpine Green, Auto, 4x4, ARB, 32" BFG MTs
President: Mid-Atlantic Xterra Club
http://www.maxc.org/members/synchro.htm

Just wanted to say, I was up at Skid-Row on Friday getting my skids installed, and Eric took some more measurements for the gas tank skidplate, as well as measuring up my ARB for a skid plate design. We'll see what comes of it...

p.s. Got my ARB trimmed back as well, so far so good.

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gothamist -- MAXC member
http://www.beatdriven.com/xterra.html

What are the dimensions of the plates, is it possible to make your own if you have acess to steel working machinery? I would like to try my hand at working on it myself first.

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Eric Miller
University of Chicago
Also from southwest MO.

You can certainly make your own plates...just don't expect any of us to go and measure our plates so you can avoid supporting one of the few aftermarket manufacturers who actually has a product that they support specifically for the X. If you really want to reverse engineer them, stare at the pics on the website, then stare at your truck for a while.

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gothamist -- MAXC member
http://www.beatdriven.com/xterra.html ---> moving to http://www.4x4LO.com

i will mesure them for you

the front one is XXX inches by XXX inches
middle one is a bit bigger
the last one is longer by XXXXX inches




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Ok, ok, sheesh, I didn't think it was that big of a deal. I was just trying to see if I could do it myself. I didn't mean to cause such a problem. I understand that Skid Row is a company that many people on here like, and many know the owner, but I have access to steel working machinery and I thought I could save $300 by doing myself.

Anyway, how is that different from making your own skid plate blender? I mean, I would be happy to buy it from skid row, but I live in MO. I am not inclined to drive to PA to get plates, or ship them and pay that as well, when I have a steel company that I could get to do it for free. No different than anyone else would do if they had the means. Plenty of people have made their own parts on here, even when there was a company that was supporting the Xterra aftermarket market.

Besides I am not going to get them now, probably not until mid-summer. So maybe then I will feel like putting up three hundred+ dollars for steel that I have sitting around in the factory.

[This message has been edited by Kafka213 (edited 03-03-2001).]

After just completing the installation....my suggestion is to purchase the last section from skid row (I think they call it the transfer case plate) at the bare minimum. That is the most complex of the three with bends and attachment points etc. The others are a little more simple in design.


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Thanks. I have looked at the web page and I think that the factory can do them all. However, when I do put them on, I will purchase the plate you suggested from Skid Row. A compromise has been reached.

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Eric Miller
University of Chicago
Also from southwest MO.

Just put on the three set of Skid-row plates.
The instructions were very good as they
pointed out the "gas tank skid bolt".
That was the only problem that took the
most amount of time.
I was concerned about cross threading it.
(like the instructions say)
There was something that didnt look right
after I got past that.
When I put in the spacerblocks at the rear of the plate/cross member.
The "tank bolt" looked like it also needed
a spacer.And there was no more spacers.
so I took it back out and put some washers in..which ment fighting with it for another
20 min`s..But I got it..and They sure cover the "tender spots" well.
Now to test them..

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Odd. The instructions were very clear on the risk of x-treading the bolt, but I unbolted the two forward tank bolts and everything went into place without a problem. Why did you need a spacer in that location?
I've been told that all "bolt on" installs need to be modified to get 'em to fit. I needed to remove some of the forward edge of the rear most plate to avoid overlapping. I also had to add washers to the last plate in the exhaust cross over point area, my exhaust was hanging a little too low.

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Odd. The instructions were very clear on the risk of x-treading the bolt, but I unbolted the two forward tank bolts and everything went into place without a problem. Why did you need a spacer in that location?
I've been told that all "bolt on" installs need to be modified to get 'em to fit. I needed to remove some of the forward edge of the rear most plate to avoid overlapping. I also had to add washers to the last plate in the exhaust cross over point area, my exhaust was hanging a little too low.

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Odd. The instructions were very clear on the risk of x-treading the bolt, but I unbolted the two forward tank bolts and everything went into place without a problem. Why did you need a spacer in that location?
I've been told that all "bolt on" installs need to be modified to get 'em to fit. I needed to remove some of the forward edge of the rear most plate to avoid overlapping. I also had to add washers to the last plate in the exhaust cross over point area, my exhaust was hanging a little too low.

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Yes the instructions did warn about the cross threading..that is what I said.
I also loosened both bolts..and it looked
like a clear shot.
But that bolt is at a slight angle and
with me on my back,looking upside down.
I took my time with it..
At that point with the bolt in and snug.
the plate sat flush with the crossmember
at the rear of the plate.
So when i put in the two 1/2 inch blocks
there,it seemed that I twisting the plate
to get them in.
once I backed off the tank bolt,the front
edge you say you had to trim,fit for me.
that seem to be the right thing to do.
All I was saying is the that tank bolt was
a pain ,the rest of the install was no problem.


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Does anyone have any pics of the skids attached to their X? And how much do they way the X down?

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There are pictures of them on Pikachu's X on the Skid-Row website.

The three plates together weigh roughly 100 pounds.

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Vikram/gothamist -- MAXC member
http://www.4x4LO.com

Pikachu, anything to report on the progress on the rear bumper/tire carrier at skid row??????
Inquiring minds want to know... :-)

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[This message has been edited by ned946 (edited 03-22-2001).]

Pika is the name of one of the MAXC Xterras:http://www.skid-row.com/skidplates/Nissan/Xterra_Frontier/skidplates.htm



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2000 White XE 5spd
Member-MAXC

Ned--Pika's got the tire carrier arm part done, he's waiting on some box steel to arrive and then they should be able to finish it off in a weekend. I believe he's hoping/planning on having it for a joint MAXC-NEXTerra basics run that's happening April 6-8 in the Pine Barrens (NJ.) If all goes well I guess there will be pics of it in action by then...

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Vikram/gothamist -- MAXC member
http://www.4x4LO.com

Thanks! Many pictures would be appreciated! I've e-mailed Eric to death, and I don't want to bother him anymore....at least until I'm ready to order! I was going to mention to Eric to consider two slots in the bumper (right side, left side and close to the Xterra frame attachment point)......just big enough for a High-Lift jack point. I've seen other bumpers that have this useful feature and it looks like a simple inclusion.

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[This message has been edited by ned946 (edited 03-22-2001).]

Okay, I talked with Pika and here's what he said (his company has blocked web access so it's e-mail only, hence the relaying...)

"The bumper is 2x6 box steel so you can pretty much use the hi-lift any where on it BUT - I am planning on putting in d-ring/shackle mounts that are the same as the ones on the arb so that I can use my arb-hi-lift adapter to jack with. (You bolt the adapter to the mount and bolt it to the hi-lift then the step in the adapter rests against the carrier.)"


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Vikram/gothamist -- MAXC member
http://www.4x4LO.com

I just got my plates today and I have a question for those of you that have em... The instructions say that the middle skid will have 3 nuts welded in place at the leading edge (front). My plate appears to be a Mounds and not an Almond Joy.. Is this something that was missed or do I have old instructions?



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2000 Silver Ice 4x4, SE
ARB Bullbar & air locker, 32" BFG Mud Terrains
PNWX webmaster
www.pnwx.net

Yes, three welded nuts in the center plate. I would be mighty inconvenient to be missing those.

BTW, I cut out a section from the last plate (rear most plate) where the exhaust crossover is. I bent exhaust brackets and placed washers to get the muffler off the plate. I gave up and cut out a small section from the skidplate. It works great and should not limit the protection. Just an FYI.



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I will be tackling the install on Saturday so I haven't laid them out yet... will it be a problem to get in and manually tighten a nut down (where the welded ones should be)? The center one can see may be a problem but the sides seem like they are reachable.
Thoughts?



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2000 Silver Ice 4x4, SE
ARB Bullbar & air locker, 32" BFG Mud Terrains
PNWX webmaster
www.pnwx.net

It figures that we posted at the same time
I am a little bummed that the nuts aren't there..

this could make the install a little dicey.. I guess I could try to tack them in myself with some glue and gum!





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2000 Silver Ice 4x4, SE
ARB Bullbar & air locker, 32" BFG Mud Terrains
PNWX webmaster
www.pnwx.net

That sucks.

I just checked my plates after reading your post. I have the nuts welded in on mine.

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Join the Xterra Offroad Webring

2000 Aztec Red 4x4 V-6 XE-3Pak
www.xterra4x4.com

Mosi--that sucks. I'm sure you've contacted Eric about it (I hope!!) but I just wanted to say I'm going to be at Skid-Row tomorrow anyway so I'll be sure to mention it.

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Vikram/gothamist -- MAXC member
http://www.4x4LO.com

Yeah.. I tried giving him a buzz last night and he must have a life or something as he wasn't home
I going to call him right now to see what's up.

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2000 Silver Ice 4x4, SE
ARB Bullbar & air locker, 32" BFG Mud Terrains
PNWX webmaster
www.pnwx.net

I'd either work something out with Eric, like having a local welder place them and have him cover the cost or swap the plate out with one that is correct. You might be removing the plate in the future for service work and oil changes etc and you might regret not taking care of it in the first place. Eric is really cool and I think he will work something out for you........but they may not go on this weekend :-(


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I want to make sure that know one here thinks that I am pissed at Skid Row for this because I'm not. I asked the question originally to make sure that it wasn't a change in the instructions. I just spoke with him and verified that they are supposed to be there. It wasn't an error on his part as they are supposed to come back from the fab shop with the nuts welded in there. He accepted full responsibility and was very appologetic. I am going to a shop that I have used for welding and will have them weld the nuts to the plate and Eric will reimburse me for it. Eric definitly knows his customer service which seems to be a rare attribute in the aftermarket area these days. If any of you are leaning towards getting skid plates from Skid Row, you may as well fall over and get them!

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2000 Silver Ice 4x4, SE
ARB Bullbar & air locker, 32" BFG Mud Terrains
PNWX webmaster
www.pnwx.net

Agreed!

Very rare indeed. Anytime he offers an option for an upgrade I'm looking for, I will purchase through Eric's shop. I'm (sorta) patiently waiting for his rear tire carrier/ bumper and later the gas tank plate.



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Got my skids on yesterday (thanks CharlesH for the helping hand).

I had an alignment problem between the mid and rear skids on the drivers side. Loosened everything up, and shifted as much as I could, but finally gave up. A bit over 1/4". I can live with it.

My only other problem was I didn't have enough front lip on the front crossbar to drill a clean hole through. The skid extended too far forward. I tried several adjustments to make it work (the U-bolts weren't going to move much), but it might be off from frame tolerances or going all the way back to the gap in the rear plate. I drilled through and cranked down the bolt. I'll keep an eye on this area.

Driving was interesting today. No additional noise from the plates, in fact I thought it sounded a bit quieter. The truck feels heavier (duh), but has a more solid feel to it. I guess this is because the plates are holding crossmembers together and reducing flex in the frame.

Oh, does anyone know where I can get some touchup paint for my skids? I waxed them after the install, but some of the scratches wouldn't come out. :-P

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Join the Xterra Offroad Webring

2000 Aztec Red 4x4 V-6 XE-3Pak
www.xterra4x4.com

I hear Durabak works really well on them...

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Vikram/gothamist -- MAXC member
http://www.4x4LO.com

I noticed the same "feeling".
The X seems more solid.
And it seems I also am less worried
about the underside.
So the SKID-ROW plates are good for
the X and good for me too...

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2000 cloud white XE 3 pak
AolIM :lba1301

[This message has been edited by nh_xterra (edited 04-08-2001).]

we are now waiting for 10 people to order the gas tank plate and then the first batch will be made. Last i heard the number of orders was at 8, so if folks can call and order them a few weeks after that, they will ship. so pretty please, we need 2 more people. you can make a few of us very happy, as many of us have toasted out stock gas tank skid plate, and are in bad need of this mod.

You should have seen it when I got to Schlud's house on Saturday! He had his skid plates nicely placed on cardboard so they wouldn't get scratched. Needless to say I helped him break them in a little by sliding them across the concrete floor!



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ChuckH
2000 SE 4x4, Aztec Red