Kilby skid plates + diff drop?

[RamAirZ]

Not specific about a diff drop though, which is the original question.

[Lucian08]

So with VX Kat's Kilby plates up for sale I wanted to see if anyone has thought about this old thread anymore. Will a diff drop fit with the Kilby plates? The answer looks like 'No', but how difficult would it really be to modify the plates? I have the Darlington diff drop sitting in my garage and no kilby plates so I don't have much to compare. Anyone?

[BigSwede]

I never did install the skids, sold them instead (not because of this issue, but because I was getting out of hardcore rock crawling in general).

[tom4bren]

I would think that it shouldn't be too difficult. Just bolt it front & back, then add spacers (washers) between the plate & frame to all of the other bolt holes. You may need longer bolts for the ones closest to the crossmember.

[VXorado]

I installed the kilbys with a 2" diff drop successfully. All I did was drop the crossmember 2" with some homemade brackets and all of the plates fit correctly.

The other option is welding brackets directly on the skid plate and deleting the crossmember. This option gives you more ground clearance but you lose strength without the crossmember.

[tom4bren]

That would work too. The skid plate would actually be your crossmember.

If you go that route though, I'd suggest a plate with a chamfered leading edge to cover the seam between the front & rear plates.

[VXorado]

That would work too. The skid plate would actually be your crossmember.

If you go that route though, I'd suggest a plate with a chamfered leading edge to cover the seam between the front & rear plates.

Yeah you do lose a bit of strength though. I've tweaked the center skid plate now that it rubs on the front drive shaft CV and makes a terrible noise. I dealt with that issue in Moab and haven't put the skid plate back on since. It would be a good idea to add some cross sectional strength to the skid plate for anyone using it as a cross member.