Rear Shock Skid Plates

[BuckYeah]

I may try to put mine on this afternoon and I've been wondering about the swaybar also. I'm putting on a new cover so it might complicate things a little too. I'm afraid the extra thickness of the cover might misalign things at the axle. Never a dull moment!
Good luck!

I discovered I don’t have a rear sway bar. LOL my installation should be a cinch. 🤓

And I’m going to do it without jacking up the Bronco.

[BroncOitis]

I may try to put mine on this afternoon and I've been wondering about the swaybar also. I'm putting on a new cover so it might complicate things a little too. I'm afraid the extra thickness of the cover might misalign things at the axle. Never a dull moment!
Good luck!

The sway bar never was a hinder in me getting the screws loose or putting the plate on, I did this all from the backside of the Bronco, and never had the sway bar an issue…👍

Sorry!
I think you two are talking about the differential plate!!!
My Bad……

[Deano Bronc]

Thanks for sharing the videos. This guy spent more time unwrapping the products than installing them, but it was good to see what was involved. He didn't have a sway bar on his Bronco, so it probably would have taken him as long as the directions said it would.

DV8 didn't include any instructions with any of the skid plates I got, but they are available as a PDF download that you can print out. The instructions are pretty cut and dry. I'm going to jack my Bronco up and do the differential cover before attempting the rear shock skid plates. I thought the differential might be more challenging because it's a bigger part, but it may be simpler than the shock skid plates. It depends on how much my sway bar complicates things.

I may try to put mine on this afternoon and I've been wondering about the swaybar also. I'm putting on a new cover so it might complicate things a little too. I'm afraid the extra thickness of the cover might misalign things at the axle. Never a dull moment!
Good luck!

[BroncOitis]

I installed the shock skids today and for me, it was a real pain in the ass. I'm not sure what torque wrench BroncOitis used , but you can't find a 1/2" torque wrench that goes to 350lbs. You need to jump up to a 3/4" torque wrench which is expensive. Also trying to tighten the shock bolt to 350 with a breaker bar and a pipe extension while the Bronco is on jack stands doesn't give you much room to swing the breaker bar. The 24mm needs to be a deep well socket but the 27mm does not.
if you haven't got the tools to do it, I would pay to have it done. Mine are done and i hope i never have to do it again!

Dean is correct about the deep well 24mm socket, and as far as torque wrench, I never said I used a torque wrench I just tightened them like the guy in the video says, just as tight as taking them off.
The Breaker bar a I have is pretty long and it made it fairly easy to break loose the bolts and tighten them.
I think what took me so long was every time I put the plate up to the shock and tried pushing it on, there wasn’t enough room for the plate to go between the bolts and nuts, so I had to pull it back down and hammer the bolt out more until it finally fit.
One more thing I forgot to mention, that as you tighten it just doesn’t simply tighten up right a way, because the plate sides have to crush inward because of the shape of the shock housing and trailing arm housing, you’ll see what I mean as you tighten, it will slowly tighten more and more with every turn.
Not sure if I explained it enough to understand what I mean…….
I did each plate in about just over an hour, the first was maybe an hour and a half…..

[BuckYeah]

Thanks for sharing the videos. This guy spent more time unwrapping the products than installing them, but it was good to see what was involved. He didn't have a sway bar on his Bronco, so it probably would have taken him as long as the directions said it would.

DV8 didn't include any instructions with any of the skid plates I got, but they are available as a PDF download that you can print out. The instructions are pretty cut and dry. I'm going to jack my Bronco up and do the differential cover before attempting the rear shock skid plates. I thought the differential might be more challenging because it's a bigger part, but it may be simpler than the shock skid plates. It depends on how much my sway bar complicates things.

[Deano Bronc]

Hey Henry (Skip), how difficult was it to install those? I want to do mine but wasn’t sure if I needed any special tools, or if I need to jack up the Bronco or if it’s any easier with the wheels off? Any details are greatly appreciated! 😉

You will need a 27mm and a 24mm socket with a 1/2” drive breaker bar.
it wasn’t as hard as what this guy shows, but it was difficult, especially loosening the Shock Bolt because it’s 350ft lbs.
It does take some prying the plates into place, a rubber hammer sure helped, just make sure your bolts with the nuts are open far enough.
Here is the video I watched to put them on…
Mine did not come with instructions, so I found the only video on the DV8 Shock Skid Plate.

Yes!
I did jack up the back end on the side I was working on, just to make the bolts move easier when you hit them.
I didn’t lift them off the ground though…..

[/QUOTE]

Yeah, that guy makes it look pretty easy, but he didn't actually torque the shock bolt which was the toughest part of the install.

[Deano Bronc]

Hey Henry (Skip), how difficult was it to install those? I want to do mine but wasn’t sure if I needed any special tools, or if I need to jack up the Bronco or if it’s any easier with the wheels off? Any details are greatly appreciated! 😉

I installed the shock skids today and for me, it was a real pain in the ass. I'm not sure what torque wrench BroncOitis used , but you can't find a 1/2" torque wrench that goes to 350lbs. You need to jump up to a 3/4" torque wrench which is expensive. Also trying to tighten the shock bolt to 350 with a breaker bar and a pipe extension while the Bronco is on jack stands doesn't give you much room to swing the breaker bar. The 24mm needs to be a deep well socket but the 27mm does not.
if you haven't got the tools to do it, I would pay to have it done. Mine are done and i hope i never have to do it again!

[BuckYeah]

Thanks, buddy BroncOitis! That information is very helpful.

[BroncOitis]

Hey Henry (Skip), how difficult was it to install those? I want to do mine but wasn’t sure if I needed any special tools, or if I need to jack up the Bronco or if it’s any easier with the wheels off? Any details are greatly appreciated! 😉[/QUOTE]

You will need a 27mm and a 24mm socket with a 1/2” drive breaker bar.
it wasn’t as hard as what this guy shows, but it was difficult, especially loosening the Shock Bolt because it’s 350ft lbs.
It does take some prying the plates into place, a rubber hammer sure helped, just make sure your bolts with the nuts are open far enough.
Here is the video I watched to put them on…
Mine did not come with instructions, so I found the only video on the DV8 Shock Skid Plate.

Yes!
I did jack up the back end on the side I was working on, just to make the bolts move easier when you hit them.
I didn’t lift them off the ground though…..

[BuckYeah]

I now have both rear shock skid plates on, and I’m ready to Rock & Roll.

Hey Henry (Skip), how difficult was it to install those? I want to do mine but wasn’t sure if I needed any special tools, or if I need to jack up the Bronco or if it’s any easier with the wheels off? Any details are greatly appreciated! 😉

[BroncOitis]

Is yours a 2.3? If it is a 2.3, then it does not have these crossmembers.

Yes!
Mine is a 2.3
Now it makes sense…..

[Deano Bronc]

What Cross Member are you two talking about?
There are so many skid plates, not sure which ones you’re talking about!!!

Does it cover the trans or transfer case, or something else?

Is yours a 2.3? If it is a 2.3, then it does not have these crossmembers.

[BroncOitis]

Very easy install. I believe you could get them on without even jacking it up. I put it up on jack stands because I was trying to repair the damage and paint the crossmember before putting on the skids. There's no drilling as it uses existing crossmember holes. Should be pretty easy!

What Cross Member are you two talking about?
There are so many skid plates, not sure which ones you’re talking about!!!

Does it cover the trans or transfer case, or something else?

[BroncOitis]

It has been painted for just about over a year, but the blue I used was the same as the beauty rings, and they still looked black.
I repainted the cover a couple of weeks ago when it got warm and added Stainless Steel bolts….

Does it improve my ability to climb over rocks better?
Hell No…..
But it sure looks better!!! 🤣

[Deano Bronc]

I now have both rear shock skid plates on, and I’m ready to Rock & Roll.

Looks great! I'm hoping to get that done this weekend.

It looks like you changed out the rear diff cover or did you just paint it?