Fabtech Skid Install

[KenP]

I got the Fabtech skid today from TraiDuty and installed it in a few minutes. Phil may be the only supplier of this part in the country, so if you have a FabTech lifted truck, you need to order it from him.

I found there were a couple of issues with the installation directions, so I thought I'd share my experience with you all.

MY INSTALL DIRECTIONS

First off, since your truck is lifted, DO NOT jack the truck, block the rear wheels and remove the front tires. It's a complete waste of time. They must have put that in there for legal reasons, but it's dumb. (I didn't even consider doing all that crap) Cut the cardboard box in half and slide it under the truck so you have something smooth to move around on.

Remove the original Fabtech diff skid. You'll need a 9/16ths socket for the rear two bolts and a 7/8th wrench (passenger side) and 3/4 socket (driver's side) with extension for the the front diff cross member mount. (I used two ratchets for this since I had them.)

After removing the diff skid, reinstall the large front bolt and crank it down to 70 lbs. (the directions refer to this bolt as 9/16ths) Throw away the rear bolts.

CONTRARY to the directions, mount the new diff skid to the new skid plate BEFORE installing the skid. (It will be difficult to handle the nuts and bolts at the same time if done otherwise.) Do this by inserting ALL the bolts through the diff skid making sure to use the ONLY two 1 1/2" long bolts for the rear two holes. Then attach the nuts and washers to ALL the 1 1/4" bolts ONLY to 30 lbs. Remove the 1 1/2" bolts.

Slide under the truck on your back with the skid on your chest and lift.

Loosely insert one or two bolts in the rear and one up front. Then you can let go of the heavy thing and install the remaining bolts properly and according to the instructions.

The 1 1/2" bolts go on the driver's side, rear.

Very easy and only took a few minutes by myself. It helped that the truck wasn't jacked. I was able to hold the skid up very easily. If it had been jacked, I'd still be cussing.

No pics because the camera batteries are dead, but I can post some tomorow.