RCI Tundra Sale!

I used the carriage bolts. It was a motherfucker to get my wrench in there from the front above the engine crossmember.

 

I bet it was, and I bet your "swear jar" now has enough in it for a 2 week trip to Europe! I tried to make it work, then gave in to the easier solution.

 

Funny you mention this. Just installed mine over the weekend and should have read the directions better. It was hot as hell, doing it solo and I was a little hung over from the night before and when I got to that part, I figured why the hell would I use the little black bar and bolts and not the carriage bolts I already had up there from my engine skid. Got all the bolts tightened on the rear of the transmission/cat guard skid and went to tighten the nuts on the carriage bolts at the engine/transmission and immediately realized there was no way my hand was getting in there to tighten the nuts. Said about every swear word in the book when I realized I had to drop the transmission skid again to use that damn black bar.

 

haha yup

Did you also try installing the transmission crossmember bracket first and bolt the trans plate to it and then realize it won't work, take the whole thing down, attach the bracket to the skid plate then bolt it all up as a fully assembled unit?

Cuz that's what I did.

I imagine removing this entire thing with a sawzall would be much quicker than trying to unbolt it.

 

lol, thankfully no. I read in another thread where someone mentioned to attach the bracket to the skid plate first. So that’s what I did. It’s so much easier to tighten just 2 nuts instead of 4 when it’s up on the truck.

 

I ordered the skid and cat guards at the same time on May 17 and it sucks that my skid didn’t come pre drilled for the cats

 

So when I first ordered these I came through and read all posts at the time. I ordered mine well after this thread started and I have been reading the directions were no quite right and some steps were either wrong or is easier a different way.

Could anyone put those steps in a post for me? I have been digging around 8 pages of posts trying to find the problems areas but trying to hurry and get outside before it gets to 115 degrees
TIA

 

It’s been a few weeks since I did mine but I believe the only thing I did different from the instructions was attach the rear bracket to the skid first instead of the truck. Oh, and if you already have the engine skid, make sure you use the included little bracket instead of reusing the carriage bolts that are already there. No way to get your hands in there too hold the nuts as you tighten, then you’ll have to drop the transmission skid again to use that little bracket. Ask me how I know…

 

Here’s the Cliff’s Notes version:
Build the whole thing off the truck.
remove front skid plate rear bolts
Attach new front skid backer bar
Attach bolts to that bar, loosely
Get under truck with new trans skid on your chest, feet towards engine
Prop trans plate up with your knees
Insert front of trans skid up under the hanging front skid plate
Push rear of trans skid up and loosely attach one of the two remaining bolts
Attach other side bolt
Tighten everything.
you’re done.

 

You make it sound so easy....I hope it is

Want to come over and do mine?

Mine is the 1 piece transmission skid and new old stock transfer case, so I have to drill for the cats still.

 

Well when I went to put it in place the front cat guard had little room between it and the LCA arm adjusting nut and the other end had interference with a head of a bolt sticking out of the cross member. So basically the two guards on each side were just barely too close to fit past the cross member. I am recovering from a rotor cuff tear surgery so I could not do my “musclethatmotherintoplace” so I put it back on the ground, loosened enough to slide the guards then had my wife crawl under with me and help with the front then I was able to get it on… BUT a I now am unable to tighten the bolts. I was able to tighten the rear bolts for the small guards and the front and rear of the large one. I have an appointment at my buddy’s garage so when it is up on the lift I will yank it off and tight the other 4 bolts and I will be good. The wife’s 4Runner was easy, that thing when right on. The only hard thing was the instructions. I swear a teenager is writing those things

 

Can someone who ordered Screwd security bolts for the spot where the engine and transmission skid meet, post what you ordered? I clearly ordered the wrong ones