New Stuff - Skid Plates & Rear Bumper

Underbelly skids for the 2000-2004 Xterra are about 95% done now. We need to do one final fitment on a truck that has seen a little less wheeling action, and they will be good to go. Here is a sneak peak of the engine/trans and tcase skids. There are two spots blurred out bec. that area isn't finished.



The rear bumper/tire carrier is about 85% done. No pics yet, but soon. We should be done in a few weeks.

Do any of you want just a rear bumper w/o a tire carrier? The way it is currently designed, I dont think the spare will go back in, so you would need to order the tire carrier and bumper as a package. That could be changed, but it would weaken the bumper somewhat.

Jim skids are looking great so far..

I deffinetly want the full package...

the skids look great; really looking forward to pics of the rear bumper.

quick question, maybe this is a non-issue as I haven't seen one of the aftermarket bumpers with a swing away spare in person, but does the arm that swings away have a provision to hold it inplace when open? Thought of this while camping this week and using the hatch tent that keeps the rear open. I mean, it could be held open using a bungee cord, but I just thought there might be a pin or something to lock it in place.

Also, any provisions (like a pre-drilled hole) to mount a CB radio antenna or route the cable, or to mount jerry cans?

thanks in advance. Can't wait to see what you come up with.

I'm certainly looking forward to the rear bumper with the tire carrier. It would be nice if the carrier was removable, since right now I don't carry my spare while driving around at home.

Skids look great.

Dagger...I thought you stopped carrying the spare to save room? With the carrier, you'd have the same room, as the spare would be following you around, instead of in the truck.



(You need to carry a spare dude, that's crazy running around with only 4 tires)



This is the equivalent view of Skid-Row's plates...The Shrock's coverage looks more complete.

How much is the rear bumper w/tire carrier gonna run??

Skids look great!!

I will need a rear bumper with tire carrier.

Also, if 2" & 3" Body lift options are available will make happy a lot of Xterra owners

Nice skids

My wish list for the rear bumper/carrier...

Wraps the corners, even if just sturdy bars looping around to brace against lay overs, corner impacts, etc....not another "center piece only" type replacement bumper like the others.

Holds cans, hi-lift and CB mounts, at least as options.

Accomodates a 2" BL.

Is mounted so as to leave as much vision to the rear as possible, yet not intefere with departure angles.

Opens and closes easily to accomodate cargo ingres/egress.

Is braced so as to not force the spare tire to smash into the rear glass if hit from behind.

Has shackle/recovery point mounts, welded through, as on front bumper.

Does not hurt departure angles.

Makes women feel strangely attracted to the driver.

Rear bumper stuff�.

>>a provision to hold it inplace when open?
Dont know about others, I was considering offering it. I know exactly how I would do it and have all the parts here already. It would add about $20 to the price.

>>Also, any provisions (like a pre-drilled hole) to mount a CB radio antenna?
CB antenna mount is planned.

>>to mount jerry cans?
We decided against offering a Jerry can mount. I�d planned to offer one tucked next to the tire somewhere, but it turns out that the only way to do it is behind the tire. Doing that you end up with the tire hanging way out back and compromise too much on departure angle for my taste. It�s going to be more of a lean, mean & bullet-proof strong approach rather than a carry everthing and the kitchen sink approach.

It will have provisions for carrying a highlift jack.

It will not wrap around the sides. For me offer this, it would have to offer real protection, bolt on, and not cost a fortune. We didn�t feel it was possible to meet all three design goals, so we scrapped it.

It will have a receiver hitch, frame stiffeners and 1� thick steel recovery points for �� shackles, one hand easy open/close and 2� body lift adjustable.

>> It would be nice if the carrier was removable
It will come off with one bolt.

>>How much is the rear bumper w/tire carrier gonna run??
Not sure yet, but I�m trying to keep the price lean & mean too.

Jim, as described, looks great to me

Std feature on all of our products!

How much for the skids, and when (ballpark) do the pre-orders begin?
they look great Jim.

Dude, I dont have any of your products yet but your becoming my favorite aftermarket vendor!

I'm bummed about the wrap getting tossed.



I'm glad you chose to go for strength and departure angle though....those others do stick WAY out.

Great new products, nice to have options.

Jim, it all sounds great to me. Nice work. Will it be available in the gold/zinc plated option for those of us who will paint it?

I'm ordering one as soon as it is available.
I carry a repair kit on the road. Some cars (ie BMW) now come with no spare, just a plug kit and a can of air/sealant. I'm less likely to tear a sidewall on the highway. Besides, if I have a tire on the back all the time, you can't see all the stickers.

Jim I agree...

Like TJ mentioned I'm also a bit depressed about the wings but I can live with it...

Oh yeah can we pre-order yet???

Sorry just getting antsy..

Please be sure to include installation instructions with the rear bumper... (for those of us "mechanically impaired" )

JIM!!!!! I can't wait.....

are the skids going to offer gas tank protection???

I think I have Amanda sold on a rear bumper....I need to show her some pics and then I can show you the money.....

cant wait, cant wait. gotta start saving big time i guess.

Jim,

Is the swing arm going to have some sort of grease fitting so it can be squeek free?

You just didn't like Dan waking you up, after drinks and shots to the squeak of his tire carrier.

LOL! nope not at all...

If all the rear bumpers that they make are that loud I will never buy one.

Jim, the "wing" aspects by the T-Bars, how are they supported/reinforced if at all. I like the idea but will they with stand "TJ" levels of abuse?

eew, I'd prefer my X be STD free. Would rubbing some medication on the bumper clear that right up? :p

There is a flange bent up vertical on the edges to provide stiffness, like this |____|
The vertical flanges are tall enough that if the plate does bend, they will contact the frame and stop it from bending further.

Why am I not surprised you had that base covered. So I just baught my wife' 11 year wedding gift, I know what I want, I suppose I need to ask you when my wife can by it (the full set of skids man).?

Jim, does the front skid matchs the skid of the Calmini Winch Bumper?

Are they ready yet??
How Much??
Are they ready yet??
How Much??
Are they ready yet??
How Much??
Are they ready yet??
How Much??

I need about 2 hrs with an Xterra here that isnt beat-up underneath and they'll be done! I think they are done. I just need to verify.

I dont know about the Calmini skid. I've never really looked at one up close.

Can you give us a ballpark sum on how much the Skid Plate would cost ?

Jim how about this??

I would assume, if it comes off with just one bolt, that it acts as a pin, that could be easily greased, by disassembling/greasing/reassembling. Or a shot of canned white lithium or something every now and then.

I see the issue, but think if its going to cause Jim extra effort, that it is something that can easily be done consumer end to defray additional costs.

-Jeremy

The one's we've done so far have been maintenance free. Stainless steel pin & bronze or polymer bearings. I've never heard of them squeaking.

How was the one that squeaked setup?

I bet it was a bushing set up.

Goal is about $500 for a complete set of four plates.

Front
Engine/Trans
Tcase
Gas Tank

Not sure yet if we will be able to pull it off, but that is the goal.

Thanks Jim...

Wow... that is an amazing goal! Very nice!

Can't wait to hear!

-Jeremy

Looking forward to hearing more Jim...very interested!

Hey are there heat issues due to all that coverage? (Skid Plates?) Just wondering....

i'll volunteer my truck if I can keep them when your done testing!!

Yup good ole' Calmini..

Jim I wasn't sure how you was going to set it up.I should have asked first.

But I jsut didn't want to hear the squeeking that they claim not to have...

Damn, that is an awesome price if you can pull it off. I definitely see a full set of shrock skids going on the X in the near future!

Jim, are you sure about not having a mount for jerry cans, instead of a tire mount? Am I the only one who takes long off road trips in the Baja were you can't always count on being able to find petrol? Other wise sounds great to me.

A couple Jerry cans instead of the tire would be easy enough to do.

Jim,

I know I'm getting impatient but any new news on the sompletion of the bumper?

I'm really glad I've waited for these skids. They look great and the planned price looks even better

Someone is supposed to be here today for final fitment of the skids.

The rear bumper itself is done. I need about 2 more days with a truck to compolete the rack layout and we should be good to go. Hopefully next week.

Will the website get an update Jim? The stainless skid that I bought from you like 4 months ago now for the front of my X is not up there and its hard for people to buy a product if it isn't advertised on your site...just a suggestion...not a slam or anything...I love your products and want you to sell as many of them as you can!!

**Jumping in the air letting out a big YAHOOOOO!!!**

Oooops...sorry...hadn't noticed till today that the stainless skid is up on your site...just not on the skids page...on the front bumper page as an accessory...My bad...Good work by you as usual!!

Truck was here today and the prototype skids only needed very minor tweaks, so we will proceed with the first run. If you want in on the first run please call early next week. We'll be closed most of the day Friday and all day Sat for a much needed vacation / wheeling trip.

I'm definitely slacking on updating the www site. My www guy is SLOOOOOW, and I'm trying to find a new eCommerce platform to run it on and a new webmaster. In the meantime, the forums are the best place for the latest news.

Great news. Put me down for a set of the skids. I'll call with the billing and shipping info. next week.

Happy wheeling.

k_enn

Jim,
How bout us 05's? We want upgraded armor too!

Sliders are available now. '05 front bumper prototype is 95% done. We'll probably do skids once the bumper is all nailed down. Realistcally, it will probably be October on the '05 skids though. We have a ton of new products to get wrapped up before we start any new ones.

The suspense is KILLING ME!!

Dude get in line,Your not the only one... :p

Jim,
What was the final price of the full set of skids?

I can't wait to see the release of the front bumper. Are you guys still on track for a November release for the rear bumper and swing away tire carrier?

Pictures! Pictures!

How about a rear bumper/rack/ladder combo?

This



....looked interesting

Yeah some teaser shots of the rear bumber would be sweet...

will these skids work for frontiers or do you have a set that will thanks

Odered a set of sliders...while I'm waiting for those to be made and delivered, I'm thinking I want the skid plates too! :p

Jim what happened with the bumper?Haven't heard the word on it...

They should work for the Fronty. There's not much difference between the two.

Pics, pics, any pics yet?

I'm dying to see what the back bumper looks like and find out what it'll $$$.

I don't know how much longer I can wait.... got anything Jim?

Am I at the front of the line?

:p Give up the goods!!!

Jim's holding out on us.. :p

Am I at the front of the line?

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Yup after me...