Help with trd pro skid plate install

Installing a trd pro skid plate on my 2014 right now and the skid plate is hitting bolt/arm from the front differential on both sides. Also the center bolt with the tube spacer has a half inch or so gap. Need advice

 

Looks like you have diff drop gonna need the spacers for the skid plate to fit right.

 

who makes / sells the spacers?

 

Wheelers off-road or Toyotec should have what you need.

 

Truck came with the Diff drop spacers installed. I will call Toytec on Monday. Realized the Pro Skid is also missing 2 bolts and spacers for the middle row, so I may have to contact @Roman for the Skid Plate install hardware package.

 

What did you end up doing for this? Did you purchase the Toytec kit and that was all you needed?

 

I wound up raiding my dad's garage and found some steel spacers that were thick enough and grabbed a couple different bolt lengths and found one that worked. This was for the rear of the skid. At the front, i put my bull bar mounting plates between the skid plate and the frame. The combination of the rear spacers and the bull bar mounts was just enough to clear the front diff mounting arms that I was hitting.

My dad is a hoarder of hardware and has nut and bolt bins and drawers going up to 3/4" or so. We hauled trailer loads of stuff when a mom and pop department and hardware store closed in the late 90s.

 

I got ya, I will be doing something similar at work. So the two long bolts at the rear of the skid plate and the three at the front of the skid plate were the only mods needed? Im assuming I could just use a few washers at the front? Any idea what length you used for the rear?

 

I know I am resurrecting an old thread, but hopefully I can get some help here. If I replace the OEM off road aluminum skid plate with the TRD Pro skid plate, do I reuse the screws from the OEM skid plate?

 

The oem skid plate is steel. If yours is aluminum it’s either aftermarket or TRD. You would need the TRD skid plate hardware if you don’t already have it.

 

My bad. Mine is the OEM steel. This is what I was afraid of. I have chance to buy a used TRD Pro skid without hardware, but for the price of the hardware bag alone from @Roman, I am better off buying a new one from @Roman

 

Toyota is SUPER proud of their hardware. They all have pictures of hardware on their refrigerators at home.

 

How much for the plate + hardware?

 

I read somewhere that if you were able to figure out the links and thread pitch as well as spacers needed to do it yourself. That might be something worth looking into for him.

 

I could get a used beat up TRD PRO skid plate for $250 without hardware. If I recall from another thread Roman quoted the hardware bag at $80. On Ebay or through Roman I am seeing the whole new TRD Skid kit with the hardware bag from $350 - $400. I could probably even get it cheaper if I have my local dealer order it and then I pick it up from them onsite and thus pay no shipping.

 

Take it from someone who went through this - JUST BUY THE WHOLE THING FROM @Roman ! I bought a take off TRD PRO Skid plate for $150 from a local guy who also sold his TRD Pro suspension, wheels and tires to someone else with less than 200 miles on them. He had a new lift, suspension, wheels and tires installed at an off road shop. At the time, I did not have the installation instructions but he told me that all of the hardware was there...NOT!...after I got home and found the instructions online, I noticed there were several items (including two tapered washers) that he did not have. I contacted him and he called the shop that changed out his suspension, wheels and tires. You guessed it...no other hardware.

Next I headed to Lowe's and Home Depot to match the specs from the instructions. Easy, right? NO! There appeared to be several "unique" pieces needed. Finally, I reached out to Roman to helped me acquire a hardware kit which had its own challenges. I finally have it installed properly with all of the shims, tapered washers, correct bolts and plastic fasteners. Took me over a month and several hours of research, not to mention the initial trip to buy it (about 3 hours round trip, but that was the most fun part) and $97.75 for the hardware kit. NOTE: I did get the seller to pay for 1/2 of the kit because I convinced him that I only got 1/2 of what was needed...

So, take it from me...just buy the complete, new package. You are much better off!

 

I am sure you probably can. But for all the time, trouble, heartache and effort, it's probably worth the extra coin just to get a new kit.

 

Ha, I just guessed as much in my previous post! We must have posted at the same time! I hear you. Great advice. Edit: we DID post at the same time... 5:33

 

LOL...I have a post somewhere that shows all of the items in the hardware kit and a listing..its amazing.
I did help my son find a take off Pro Skid Plate for his TRD Off Road Tacoma, but I looked it up ahead of time and it did have all of the screws attached. No extra hardware "oddities" on that one.

 

I was hoping there was someone here who could toss out the bolt length and thread pitch for each screw as well as spacer thickness. I think there’s been a few guys who have done this. They could save somebody some coin if they shared their information.

 

OK, here is the best information I have on the parts kit. Below is a list of the parts and a picture of the kit. I also quoted the wrong price for the kit, so that is listed below.
I bought the kit from (part number PT938-34140-HW) Toyota of Cool springs for $97.75 including shipping. I'm still ahead of a new skid plate $$ and can salvage my purchase. And then I don't have to run around looking for this stuff. Here is what is in the hardware kit:
Hardware pack includes:
M10 X 95 FLANGE BOLT
M10 SPACER
M8 X 1.25X 100MM TRUSS HEAD BOLT
JACK SPACER EXTRUSION
M8 X 1.25 X70MM BOLT
M8 X 45MM SPACER
M8 X 1.25 TRUSS HEAD BOLT
M8 RIV NUT HEX STYLE
M8 X 1.25 X 35MM SEMS BOLT
M8X6.4MM SPACER
M8 BOLT RETAINER
M 1O BOLT RETAINER
5/32-IN. ALUMINUM RIVET
M10 WASHER
RATCHET FASTENER
ANGLE WASHER (this is a square tapered washer in the pictures)
M10 FLANGE NUT

 

Thank you for the info. That’s a lot of parts to track down. I’d just buy a kit. The only question I have is how hard is it to do the oil change?

 

It’s got a trap door to access the filter. I didn’t realize how extensive the kit is though. Wow

 

The trap door is cool. How about at the drain plug? Is it accessible without removing the plate?

 

Don’t have it but I think it is. Why have a trap door if you have to remove the plate anyway to access the drain. Im liking the RCI skids too

 

Yes, the kit is everything you need including all of those spacers (hard to see on the longer bolts) and the crazy angle washers which are used to for the longest bolts to seat properly in the rear most position since the frame that it is connecting to is angled. Yes, don't even bother, just get the kit.

 

Yup... it’s like Xmas in April!!!!

 

Yes it sits just at the rear left of the skid, if looking from the front. No need to touch anything but the door for an oil change. And if you have a fumoto valve, even better.

 

Nice! This means I’m going to have to spend more money.