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Skid Plate Install

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75
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Location
Toronto
#1
Went to Syracuse, New York last week and picked up a skid plate from TheSkidPlateGuy.
The deal went very smooth, he was replying almost instantly on FB messenger before I even went to go see him.
He mentioned the The Great NY State Fair was also going on as he was very close to the fairgrounds.
Took the family with me and made a day trip out of it.

On to the install:
There are no extra pieces for the hardware included so do not loose them.
Forgot to take a pic of all the hardware but it also comes with parts list and TheSkidPlateGuy will email you a PDF with instructions.

comes with:
2x small washers - this is for the front bracket
2x 13mm nuts - to mount the front bracket
4x big washers - for bolting the skid plate
4x 17 mm bolts - for bolting the skid plate
2x long "nutserts" - this is for the front bracket (this one is actually a bolt insert)
2x short nutserts" - this is for the rear bolt

I call them nutserts, there may be a correct term for it.

tools needed:
ramps or jack and jackstands (i used ramps)
13 mm deep socket
17 mm socket
i used extensions with the 13 mm to reach up for the front brackets.

Front nutserts:


forgot to take a pic of the rear nutserts but it's just a flat threaded piece.

brackets:


this is where the passenger side long nutsert will go. just slide in the long side in to the hole. slide it in towards the front of the car.


driver side long nutsert:


passenger side bracket installed. use the small washer here. the included instructions wants you to tape the washer on the bracket. this is for ease of installation so you can thread the nut while holding the bracket. i did not use any tape. i just jammed my finger between the bracket and washer and pushed the nutsert on an angle. this helped me thread the nut without the nutsert moving up.


driverside bracket installed. same strategy as the passenger side. you can pull the wheel well liner away a little bit to make room.


ran in to a potential issue. the driver side bracket is very close to the cold side charge pipe. it looks like they are touching on the pic but they are not.


solution:


this is where the passenger side rear nutsert will be going:


driver side rear:


nutsert installed. slide the flat piece thru the hole slowly. i used a magnetic bit holder so I don't loose it in the subframe.


the other side:


with the help of your magnet of choice, thread the 17mm bolt a few turns. do not forget to put the big washer thru. there's no washer in the pic. guess what, i had to redo it. was able to thread it back without the magnet. repeat on the other side.


now that your mounting points are done, get your skid plate, the rear mounting points are slotted and open at the end, slide the skid plate to the rear mounting points.

at this point, i'm lying on my back, my feet towards the rear of the car, get the remaining bolts and washers and start threading the skid plate to the front brackets. the front holes are elongated so there is a bit of adjustment left to right. after threading in 1 side, go to the other side. I had to slightly pull the bracket towards the middle of the car to get the bolt in.

tighten the four bolts and you are set. the instructions has torque numbers to use when tightening the bolts. i just did them gudentite.






if you need to work under the car, just loosen the rear bolts, do not undo them all the way.
remove the front bolts all the way and slide the plate out.

regarding the cold side pipe touching the bracket, not sure if it will be an actual issue down the road, especially if you have an aftermarket hard pipe.
I will try to switch the brackets to see if they are side specific. this was not indicated on the instructions and the brackets look identical, just flipped.
worst case, i can slot the hole on the bracket to slide it back or notch the bracket a little where it is touching.

haven't driven the car yet, the plate is very strong, while lying underneath the car i grabbed each side of the plate and pulled myself up and there was no flexing.
let me know if you have any questions.
 


Pete

Active member
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Location
San Diego
#3
^^^THANK YOU for this! [twothumb]

As long as this does not contribute to any cooling problems, I will eventually do this as well. ;)
I've ran the skidplate since it was first produced. Temps defiantly increase with it without anywhere for the air to go (hoodvents) I saw an increase of 8 degrees for my charge temps while cruising. Normally I see 2-4 above with my DHM intercooler. And while pushing the car on the same hill climb only 20 minutes apart for testing. I saw 15 more degrees of temp running the skidplate versus without. This will also effect coolant temps. Food for thought.
 


M-Sport fan

9000 Post Club
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Location
Princeton, N.J.
#4
^^^Yeah, maybe I will wait on this until I can also get a crunchy carbon fiber vented hood (and Mountune radiator) as well.

I will just drive MUCH MUCH slower over the stage roads when I work on rallies next year, especially if I am lowered at all by then. ;)
 


OP
E
Messages
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Location
Toronto
Thread Starter #5
Im in Toronto and as of late, our summers doesn't really get hot. I wanted it primarily for protection during the winter months. If it affects the temps when the weather is hot, 4 bolts and the skid plate is out.
 


M-Sport fan

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#6
Im in Toronto and as of late, our summers doesn't really get hot. I wanted it primarily for protection during the winter months. If it affects the temps when the weather is hot, 4 bolts and the skid plate is out.
Understood! [:)]

I want it primarily for working ROUGH stage rally fire/logging roads, and the two main rallies are both held in the summer, albeit New England Forest Rally (Maine) could sometimes be a little cooler due to it's latitude, than STPR (Pennsyltuckey), which is (relatively) near me.
 


Messages
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Location
Huntington Beach
#7
I've ran the skidplate since it was first produced. Temps defiantly increase with it without anywhere for the air to go (hoodvents) I saw an increase of 8 degrees for my charge temps while cruising. Normally I see 2-4 above with my DHM intercooler. And while pushing the car on the same hill climb only 20 minutes apart for testing. I saw 15 more degrees of temp running the skidplate versus without. This will also effect coolant temps. Food for thought.
I saw in your build thread that you put a NACA duct to your airbox in the skidplate, at least I think (and hope) that was you. Did that help with temps at all? Have you done anything else to help keep temps down?

Also if you don't mind me asking, how much is it shipped to CA?
 


Pete

Active member
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Location
San Diego
#8
Yeah that was me although that naca duct was in the skid plate I made for the radiator and intercooler. The one sold by the skidplate guy I can't give you a quote as we did a local group by when they first came out for San Diego members and the shipping was combined. The results from my naca duct to the intake box and the big mouth resulted in the same effect as the 2j intake but without the in cabin noise. More boost at higher speeds because of the ram effect and intake temps are at ambient except at idle.
 


Messages
367
Likes
46
Location
Huntington Beach
#9
Yeah that was me although that naca duct was in the skid plate I made for the radiator and intercooler. The one sold by the skidplate guy I can't give you a quote as we did a local group by when they first came out for San Diego members and the shipping was combined. The results from my naca duct to the intake box and the big mouth resulted in the same effect as the 2j intake but without the in cabin noise. More boost at higher speeds because of the ram effect and intake temps are at ambient except at idle.
Alright, thanks for letting me know! Do you have a full ground effects kit? In an ideal world id like to have a real front/ rear diffuser.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 


Pete

Active member
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Location
San Diego
#10
Alright, thanks for letting me know! Do you have a full ground effects kit? In an ideal world id like to have a real front/ rear diffuser.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
I have the rally innovations spiltter and rear spoiler. side skirts I removed. I am working with a new company for a much bigger splitter design and a rear diffuser. More to come in the next month :)
 


M-Sport fan

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#11
I have the rally innovations spiltter and rear spoiler. side skirts I removed. I am working with a new company for a much bigger splitter design and a rear diffuser. More to come in the next month :)
Keep us informed. [thumb]

Non-function is the main reason I have not done any splitter/'lip' (as many on here call them), or rear spoiler/wicker bill/wing yet. ;)
 


Pete

Active member
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Location
San Diego
#12
Keep us informed. [thumb]

Non-function is the main reason I have not done any splitter/'lip' (as many on here call them), or rear spoiler/wicker bill/wing yet. ;)
You know me I am all about function even if I have to slightly mod something to get it that way. :)
 


M-Sport fan

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#14
eric tee, or ANYONE who has installed one of these;

Are the 'drop brackets' SIDE SPECIFIC, or does it not matter which one you use on either side?!?!

I ask because i am right in the middle of this, and the angle of the flat of the skid plate side of the bracket is nowhere NEAR the slotted bolt hole, AND it seems to be even the wrong ANGLE to match up with the bolt hole.

HELP PLEASE! (Skid Plate Guy will not pick up his phone!)
 


JDG

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#15
eric tee, or ANYONE who has installed one of these;

Are the 'drop brackets' SIDE SPECIFIC, or does it not matter which one you use on either side?!?!

I ask because i am right in the middle of this, and the angle of the flat of the skid plate side of the bracket is nowhere NEAR the slotted bolt hole, AND it seems to be even the wrong ANGLE to match up with the bolt hole.

HELP PLEASE! (Skid Plate Guy will not pick up his phone!)
Yes! They are side specific, I had the same problem. Swap them around and you will see the slopes will become parallel.

If you still have a question, shoot me a PM and I can text you some photos (I currently have my brackets installed with the skid plate removed for auto-x)
 


M-Sport fan

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#16
Yes! They are side specific, I had the same problem. Swap them around and you will see the slopes will become parallel.

If you still have a question, shoot me a PM and I can text you some photos (I currently have my brackets installed with the skid plate removed for auto-x)
THANK YOU!! [thumb]

But yeah, I figured I'd try just THAT, and yup, almost 3 hours later, that did the trick (those front lock nuts are a BITCH to get on with the washer and get started, using a magnet or not! [mad]). :)

Now I just have to hope that the stage roads I'll be working in about a weeks time (New England Forest Rally, WHY I got this thing in the first place ;) ) are not so rough that they bend those brackets, or worse yet, snap off those threaded unibody plate thingy inserts on the front mounting points.

Our ONLY other choice (besides fabbing one up ourselves) is going to Team O'Neil and having them weld up the mounts and use one of their plates for MORE THAN TWICE the co$t (> $1000.00 with labor, not including the fuel and hotel costs to stay over in Dalton, N.H.! [crazyeye]) of the Skid Plate Guy deal.
Yes, much more solid, but definitely overkill for working two rallies a year!

How much SOLID stuff did you hit (rocks, real hard pack earth, etc.) with yours during SCCA Rallycross use, and how did it hold up?
How often did you have to go back under there and tighten all of the bolts, nuts (I blue Loctited mine)?
 


JDG

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#18
THANK YOU!! [thumb]

But yeah, I figured I'd try just THAT, and yup, almost 3 hours later, that did the trick (those front lock nuts are a BITCH to get on with the washer and get started, using a magnet or not! [mad]). :)

Now I just have to hope that the stage roads I'll be working in about a weeks time (New England Forest Rally, WHY I got this thing in the first place ;) ) are not so rough that they bend those brackets, or worse yet, snap off those threaded unibody plate thingy inserts on the front mounting points.

Our ONLY other choice (besides fabbing one up ourselves) is going to Team O'Neil and having them weld up the mounts and use one of their plates for MORE THAN TWICE the co$t (> $1000.00 with labor, not including the fuel and hotel costs to stay over in Dalton, N.H.! [crazyeye]) of the Skid Plate Guy deal.
Yes, much more solid, but definitely overkill for working two rallies a year!

How much SOLID stuff did you hit (rocks, real hard pack earth, etc.) with yours during SCCA Rallycross use, and how did it hold up?
How often did you have to go back under there and tighten all of the bolts, nuts (I blue Loctited mine)?
I put the skid plate on for every rallycross and then typically drive to work for a week or so before I remember to take it off. I leave the brackets and the rear bolts installed when I remove the skidplate, FYI. I check that everything is tight upon reinstallation for my next event and have yet to notice anything back out. I don't think you need to worry though given your use of loctite.

It has held up well so far and has saved my oil pan from a couple of hard hits on some heavily rutted sections of trail. It is pretty scratched up but hasn't deflected at all. I haven't done anything too crazy though..

Also, I completed a day-long autocross school with it mounted up on a 95 degree day and got the coolant light to come on during a 5-minute run. This was never a problem without the skid plate mounted so it definitely inhibits the ability for the engine to evacuate heat.
 


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