Jeep Enthusiast Forums banner

So you want a Tummy Tuck...

391K views 1K replies 219 participants last post by  SouthernGypsy 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
So you want a Tummy Tuck

I am aware there is a thread out there similar to this in the fact that it list some of the facts about several skids on the market, but this one is complete and it just for setting up a tummy tuck. This thread will be devoted to the TJ, as this is the TJ Technical Forum and that is what most have on here. LJ's are a bit different when it comes to driveshaft requirements, but most principles still apply.

Everyone thinks they need a tummy tuck these days. They are very useful off road and even make a TJ look better because you are no longer seeing the ugly shovel. A tummy tuck takes more than just several hundred bucks to buy one, there are other things that have to be dealt with. Most decide they don't need one when they figure out how much it will cost. The stock skid not the stoutest, but will hold up to mild wheeling, and comes in at 41.5 lbs.

Depending on the Jeep you have and which route you intend on going you might need one or more of these for your tummy tuck:

1" Body Lift- All depends on how much hammering (or 'modification') you want to do on the transmission tunnel. There are various routes to go with body lifts which include JKS ($135), Daystar, Performance Accessories, Currie, etc. It seems like everyone is scared to do one of these[, whether it be due to looks or difficulty of installation.] I have seen at least 30 posts asking if they can get away with doing such and such skid without one. A lot of people that are concerned with performance think that every Jeep should have came with one from the factory. The 1" body lift is hardly noticeable and will allow other mods like a high clearance gas tank skid. They also help lift the body without changing the COG very much, reducing the amount of bumpstop you need to clear a given tire size.

Motor Mount Lift (MML)- Is needed when doing any high clearance t-case skid on a Jeep that has a suspension lift of 2" or more. Stockers can usually get away with out it, but if you are doing a tummy tuck chances are you aren't keeping the stock suspension height. The reason this needs to be done is when you are stuffing your tranny and tcase farther up you want to tilt the output shaft of the tcase down to help with the geometry you are messing with. By bringing the front of the engine up, you will be able to tilt the output shaft of the tcase down. There are various ways to lift your motor which include JKS(spacers-$60), Brown Dog(full replacement-$84), and M.O.R.E(full replacement-$139). If you choose new motor mounts instead of the spacers, get the rubber bushing versions to reduce engine vibrations. Poly bushings **can** transmit more engine vibrations, but they greatly reduce engine movement and will not degrade as fast as rubber. Rubber's lifespan is usually a few decades...so its your choice.

Double Cardan Driveshaft- Is needed when doing any skid on a Jeep that has been lifted 1.5- 2" or more via its suspension. Stockers can usually get away without it, but if you are doing a tummy tuck chances are you aren't keeping the stock suspension height. Will be needed, Rubicon or not. There are a few out there (Currie, Teraflex, ect, but only one that I would go with- Tom Woods which run around $315 (Quadratec).

Slip Yoke Eliminator (SYE)- Is needed when doing any skid on a Jeep that has been lifted 1.5-2" or more via its suspension. Stockers can usually get away without it, but if you are doing a tummy tuck chances are you aren't keeping the stock suspension height. If you have a Rubicon, you will not need one of these. Many people say that the Rubicon already has an SYE, but that is incorrect. It would have to have a slip yoke in the first place to elimininate it - Rubicons have fixed flange rear outputs. There are several good kits on the market such as Advance Adapters ($270 Quadratec), JB Conversions($300-$400), Rubicon Express ($330)

Rear upper adjustable control arms- Will be needed to rotate your pinion upward. There will be some fine tuning to eliminate driveshaft vibrations. Rokmen and Currie are the only ones I would consider when dropping money on them as of right now. Rokmen-$249. Currie- ($229)

More info on SYE/CV shafts & pinion angle: http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/what-cv-shaft-why-do-i-want-one-854790/

CV trackbar bracket-This angled bracket will be needed for your trackbar when rotating the pinion. With out this bracket your stock or adjustable trackbar will bind. Rubicon Express-$70

Rear lower shock mount extenders- When rotating your pinion up, you will find that the can of your shock (if you have piston down, you may not have this problem) will rub the axle. Some extensions like those from Currie-$30 will get the job done. If you're looking for maximum flex, this is a good time to consider shock mount relocation to use long travel shocks - read here: http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/low-lift-long-shocks-diy-shock-shifters-whats-advantage-852221/

Spring perch modications- Will sometimes have to be done, but I personally have not seen a Jeep that has absolutely needed it. Rotating the pinion will cause the spring sit a bit different- resulting in the spring trying to arc...meaning the bumpstops will no longer align. This mod is not absolutely necessary with smaller lift heights, and mainly helps suspension geometry on taller lifts.
Read Humbolt's write up: http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/outboarding-rear-shocks-upper-spring-bucket-relocation-929056/
Also see this thread: http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/rear-spring-relocator-kit-856163/

Transfer case bracket- Anyone that knows transfer case brackets know that Novak ($150) is in the top of the game. There are others out there like the one from Advance Adapters or Skyjacker that are cheaper alternatives, but just doesn't work like the Novak. The stock shift lever can often be used when a TT is install in conjunction with a MML & BL, since these keep the drivetrain and accessory angles as close to stock as possible.

Skids

Kilby- I really haven't seen many people run this skid, but looks to be well made. Skid is made from 3/16" bare steel (you will need to paint or powdercoat it). Skid can be done without a body lift. Incorporates Rubicon locker pump mount. Clearance gains?
Weight- 38lbs
Price- $340

AEV- I haven't seen one complaint with this skid. Skid is made from 1/4'' gusseted steel and 2.75" more clearance is possible with this skid, but where the tcase sits it has less clearance. Uses a super low-profile tranny mount. Skid comes with flat bolts that cannot hang up on rocks and comes powdercoated. Skid can be done without a body lift, but 42RLE auto owners might need to 'modify' the firewall/trans tunnel. Incorporates Rubicon locker pump mount.
Weight- ?
Price- $529

Rokmen- Beautiful skid, best tig welding I've seen for mass production Skid is made from 1/4" laser cut bare steel (you paint it) that is CNC formed. Gains of 2.25" will be seen. Uses stock tranny mount. Body lift is suggested. I have seen the back of this skid bend from mild wheeling, but this skid provides one of the best all around deals.
Weight-?
Price- $344. +$20 for Rubicon locker pump mount.

Clayton- This skid uses the 2 piece design. I haven't seen many people use this skid. It might have something to do with it only advertising .5" gain for 97-02 and 1" gain for 03-06 Wranglers. Uses 3/16" steel for the cradle and 1/4" for the skid plate. Comes with a finish, but not specific. Works with their long arm set up if you ever decide to go that route.

Price- $475
Weight- ?

Skyjacker- Zinc coated skid made from 3/16" steel with gusseted corners. Comes with shifter bracket. Gain in clearance is not specified. Only made for 97-02 Wranglers. Body lift required
Price- $410 (Quadratec)
Weight-?

Teraflex- Up to 2 3/8" gain. Made from 3/16" steel. Body lift recommended for Rubicon. Comes with finish, but not specific. Comes with a 5/8" MML.
Price- $450 + Rubicon compressor mount for Rubicons
Weight- 79 lbs

Under Cover Fabworks- Made for 97-06 Wranglers, the skid is fabricated from 3/16" thick carbon steel plate (with optional upgrade to 1/4" plate). The parts were designed in 3D CAD software and laser cut then bent on a CNC press brake. The UCF Transfer Case Skid Plate is reinforced in the middle of the skid from one side to the other with a stiffening channel/transmission mount. The front and rear edges are ramped to increase strength and aid in sliding over obstacles. Clearance gains of about 2" over the factory skid plate will be seen. The total height of this skid is about 2". Skid comes bare and does not include hardware.
Price- $169 for 3/16 and $229 for 1/4"
Weight- 60lbs (Im guessing for the 1/4")
New:
Under Cover Fabworks has released a skid that has the exact characteristics of the steel skids they produce, except they will be offered in 304 Stainless and 6061-T6 Aluminum.
Price- $329: 1/4" Aluminum
Weight-26 lbs

33 Engineering- As far as I know they are out of business, if you can still find one it is the 1 of only skid made that can be dropped without supporting the tranny. It uses a crossmember and a skid that is bolted to it. 2.75" of added clearance are said to be gained from the skid. that was ordered bare or powdered. 1" body lift required.

Never buy anything directly from these guys or anything that will be drop shipped from them. Buy from people that have the skid in stock or do not buy at all.
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f176/offroadtoystore-33-engineering-kaput-so-my-dough-811839/
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f176/dont-buy-anything-offroadtoystore-com-809307/index2.html
Offroad Toy Store Reviews

Price-?
Weight-?

Jeepmedic-. Although no longer in business, you may be able to find one used. Skid is made from 1/4" gusseted steel with quality powdercoating. Gains of 2.25" will be seen from this beefy skid. Reuses stock trans mount and includes Rubicon locker pump mount. This was regarded as the best skid on the market at the time JeepMedic closed.

Price - ~$200-400 used in good condition
Weight-?

Goferit- Im not sure if these guys are still around. There isn't much info about these skids and not many people run them. Steel thickness? Clearance?
Price?
Weight?

Savvy Offroad- Everyone is talking about this skid. Will be made from aluminum and there has been word that it will be a completely flat skid. This not only will have the highest clearance, it will have a chance (with the UCF skid) to be the lightest of any skid listed. Savvy has some competitive pricing so I like most people I can wait to see this thing. You will most defiantly have to run a body lift if this skid is flat or do some serious modding to the tub.
Clearance gain-?
Price-?
Weight-?

*Exhaust mod- For every skid listed you will likely have to mod your exhaust so it will not contact the skid and or the lower control arm. Some people can get this done by themselves while others need to go to an exhaust shop. Going to an exhaust shop usually isn't too expensive for this fairly simple mod.

*BL or No-Some skids say body lift required or recommended, but can be done with out with enough hammering on the tranny tunnel as stated in the beginning. While most skids can be done without a body lift, you are tucking the transfer case closer to the body. There will be more noise as well as more heat coming from the exhaust as well as the tcase transferred to the floor board. Keep in mind - with a tummy tuck you are lifting the entire drivetrain up 2" or more - meaning you're changing the output shaft angle and you need to make room for the relocated components. The easiest way to do this is a 1" MML + BL.

*Prices are from the manufacturer unless stated otherwise

Do the math on the products you need for your specific Jeep, can you afford a Tummy Tuck?? Do you play in the rocks enough to justify one? If there are any errors or anything that needs to be added, let me know. Thanks. Thank you Unlimited04 for your help.
 
See less See more
#963 ·
If you have a door that needs to be unbolted (ie the full UA), it's pretty much the same amount of work when you're looking at either Savvy's full UA or modular UA. Since the skid hugs the oil pan so closely, it can be a little more difficult to remove/install the bolts closest to it. Because of that, I'd say it would be just as quick to drop the front skid than it is to remove the oil pan door.

That being said, either method should take you only a few minutes.

If I remember correctly, UCF just has a hole there which is obviously faster in respect to oil changes, but it leaves something to get hung up on. Certainly not a deal breaker, just something to think about.
 
#965 ·
#967 ·
Depends on how/where you wheel. Some people put a TT on and say how they hardly ever hit their belly again, whereas others wheel where they still hit it easily. In particular I seem to grind the sides where normally the 3 large bolts hang down on the stock skid; being flat there helps me out, but not everyone might benefit from that.

More than likely if you're asking that question it won't be an issue for you. Either way it will be a big improvement over stock; like I said, it's something you need to figure out what you need for your wheeling style. It's not really something someone else can answer.
 
#969 ·
Hey quick question. If I have a lj rubi with a 3" sl and a 1.25 bl,1"mml. And am getting the ucf ultra high with their lopro mount. I know I will need upper rear control arms and I already have rokmen lowers. My question is will I need a new rear drive shaft. It a Rubin so I have a fixed yoke. But I assume that it will be equal to a 5-6 drive train lift so a new shaft is required. Is this right?
 
#973 ·
Got a question for ya. Im currently running a transfer-case drop on my np231 with the stock skid and running 3'' coils and flat flares in the back. Im gonna add a Rokmen 1/2'' body lift and add a BD 1''MML. Also gonna drop down to the 2'' BDS rear coils to help the driveline angles some. Will this combo allow me to get rid of the transfer-case drop? Also with your lo-pro mount, I'm thinking that the original high-clearance skid would work without an sye/cv ds. Am I correct in thinking this?
 
#974 ·
The LOPRO mount and the no body lift skid will save you over 1" of ground clearance from stock, but it will keep the transfer case within 1/2" of stock height.

It's likely you may be able to ditch the transfer case drop with the 2" springs and mml, but it may depend on how heavy your jeep is in the rear end.

I don't actually make an extra clearance skid for the early model TJ. It's either no body lift (1" deep) or ultra high clearance (2" deep).

Thanks,
 
#975 ·
Oh ok. My rear end isnt that heavy. aluminum trail corner guards and stock bumper. I dont do a lot of rocks just mud and nice trails. Im thinking the no-body lift skid might just be what I need even though i'll have a 1/2in body lift. With the MML and Lo-Pro Mount i'm sure ill be fine with the no-body lift skid. Why not have all 3 models for us early TJs? I have an AX-15 too if that matters.
 
#976 ·
I have a question I have 4" springs with a t-case drop on my 01 Sahara. I have a no body lift skid that I would like to install with an Advanced Adapter sye kit. Do you think I will have any issues with vibes? Should I be looking at a super short sye instead of a standard sye?
 
#977 ·
Well it says its not needed I really don't think you will have any problems. But make sure you get a CV shaft with that SYE. And of course rear uppers to adjust the pinion. But from I have seen the no body lift version is not a huge difference on the stock skid maybe an inch to an inch and half more but I think you should be ok. If you don't have any vibes right now with that TC drop then I'm sure you will be ok because if you can get away with that 4" lift and a TC drop then your driveline probably isn't to messed up.
 
#978 ·
I'm thinking about getting the ucf TT and want to know what kind of exhaust modification I'll have to make to my lj rubicon to fit the ultra high clearance skid? I know I need other stuff such as the adjustables, CV shaft, novak transfer case shifter etc.. but I just want to know what is involved in adjusting the exhaust.. thanks
 
#979 ·
to adjust the exhaust i needed to cut the hanger on the trans mount and relocate it. really simple task.

the better question is what trans do you have? if you have the auto, prepare for a lot of custom fitting and you will def need a BL. I have done a ton of things to mine to get the UHC and LOPRO to work, and my exhaust still rubs
 
#986 ·
Decide to go with the Savvy underarmor, and it's on backorder, but am hoping it will ship this week. I just received my metalcloak rear uppers and am very impressed with them. Will be getting the TW driveshaft in this week as well so with the novak shifter cable that's coming with the skid I should be covered.
 
#987 ·
Finally got to doing mine, bought all the materials last summer but then I was traveling for work constantly and moving at the same time. Decided it needed to get done so got to it today. I still need to make a new skid, have a piece of aluminum I picked up last summer just need to drill and get it in place. Also need to paint it and rebuild the exhaust which I wanted to anyway. Unfortunately on the test drive I pulled the front shaft a part, apparently it is no longer long enough so I need to sort that out. When I did my super short SYE late last summer I built the shaft based on the tuck (know I would have no time to take it off road) so that is now perfect length.









I forgot to take pics of it in place once it was all done, phones out in the shop and I need to get home to walk the pups so I'll post up those later.
 
#988 ·
Don't quote me on this, but I think the front shaft off of an XJ might solve your problem. Anyone have any in put on this??
 
#991 ·
chris86vw said:
Finally got to doing mine, bought all the materials last summer but then I was traveling for work constantly and moving at the same time. Decided it needed to get done so got to it today. I still need to make a new skid, have a piece of aluminum I picked up last summer just need to drill and get it in place. Also need to paint it and rebuild the exhaust which I wanted to anyway. Unfortunately on the test drive I pulled the front shaft a part, apparently it is no longer long enough so I need to sort that out. When I did my super short SYE late last summer I built the shaft based on the tuck (know I would have no time to take it off road) so that is now perfect length.

I forgot to take pics of it in place once it was all done, phones out in the shop and I need to get home to walk the pups so I'll post up those later.
Why is the plate offset on your new crossmember?
 
#992 ·
Rear ds is fine, already built from an xj front shaft last summer ;) (same with the one before the ss sye)

The front is the current problem it pulled apart on the test drive. I didn't put it back together since I needed to get home but it looked like it was only engaged about half an inch when I held the two halves in place. Will pull it tomorrow when I go back in to measure.

Stock xj front shaft is shorter than a stock tj shaft from what I have read, only junkyard I know of is closed tomorrow so can't check.

My guess is that my tc is slightly further back then most after the swap despite trying build it around a stock tc location, oh well. Guess i'll decide on a new suspension setup and leave it 2wd until then so I can build something custom.
 
#994 ·
I was replying to previous comments about using an xj front shaft.

The mounting points on the trans are not centered between the frame rails stock. The Cummins to gm bellhousing adapter clocks the trans slightly to the driverside which put my shifter into the side of the center console. Prior to the tt I slotted the stock mount so I could move the trans left to right to get into all the gears, so it is probably slightly more to the passenger side than most but still no more then a 1/4 inch or so.
 
#995 ·
some more pics from when I came into the shop this morning:



cross brace installed, ignore the few mig welds you can see, was using the shop one which is ancient and has been acting up, after some frustration I got unlazy and got mine out of the car the rest are much nicer, you just can't see them. The brace itself is tig welded but the brackets to the frame are mig:





And the clearance of the front output to the brace, super close its just barely touching right now with the axles pulled out and at an angle well beyond that of what it would see at full droop. I had no rubbing with the jeep in the air and axle all the way down so its future proof to the point of any lift I would do, plus a hp30 is coming soon.

 
#996 ·
chris86vw said:
I was replying to previous comments about using an xj front shaft.

The mounting points on the trans are not centered between the frame rails stock. The Cummins to gm bellhousing adapter clocks the trans slightly to the driverside which put my shifter into the side of the center console. Prior to the tt I slotted the stock mount so I could move the trans left to right to get into all the gears, so it is probably slightly more to the passenger side than most but still no more then a 1/4 inch or so.
Very good. I wasn't aware of your unique setup. It actually looks just like my crossmember.

When I swapped my 4.0L in place of the 2.5L the motor mounts moved right before burning them in place. This placed my trans crossmember mount a few inches off of center. So I built my own using tabs, tube, and half of the stock mount. It came out off center just like yours, which lines up perfectly with the offset of my 8.8.

So, are you planning on swapping out your rear axle? I think an 8.8 is right up your alley.
 
#998 ·
So, are you planning on swapping out your rear axle? I think an 8.8 is right up your alley.
Yup 8.8 sometime sooner than later. I hadn't done it since I was deciding on gearing. Now that I'm settled on 3.07 I'll get to doing it. Well now I have to decide if I want to 4link or not...

Unfortunately all the 8.8s with that gearing are drum I believe from my research :(
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top