Leaving skid plate off

Don't forget the Loc-tite.

 

Mine comes off for every oil change and then back on, I've been doing it that way for the last 25 years, so I guess I'm pretty good at it now. Keeps the underside clean and tidy too.

 

Didn't even know I had a skid plate. Learn something new everyday I guess.

 

I definitely knew I was resurrecting an old thread but I recognized Sirfive and others

 

Clean and tidy = Less rustproofing, in my book at least. I want to wipe up at least SOME oil, so I can rub it all over my frame and components.

 

My truck has lived in SoCal its whole life, no salt, no snow. It still looks almost new underneath.

 

I removed and returned the skid plate as I did my first oil change since I’ve owned the truck. The side plastic splash guards were hanging on by a prayer so I decided to remove them altogether. I agree with the protection from the skid, but should I look into replacing the plastic sides? They were just an additional hassle…

 

The bigger thing is making sure your frame isn't cracking behind the splash apron closest to the firewall. As you'll find linked-out inside the community info thread (I think in the frame rust section), that's a notorious place for the frame to crack in half, on both sides, usually starting from the side of the framerail facing the engine. Especially if the truck was ever driven in road salt, on beaches, around the ocean, etc.

OEM replacements can be spendy (I know, I replaced all mine). There are suitable aftermarket options. There are also plans posted here, if you wanted to print out templates and cut your own. Read both pages of this thread for the info you'll need: https://www.tundras.com/threads/wash-after-under-coating.168508/

 

Looking back, for how many years did 1/2 ton trucks come without a skid plate? Leave it off and chill.

 

I haven't run a skid plate on my 2wd 03 since I bought it and gave it the first oil change. Sold it to another Texan member here for $50.

 

Plenty enough shit to be concerned about in this world other than skid plates

 

Weight reduction and easier to change the oil now.

 

I leave my skid plate on. I remove it when changing the oil 1x a year (I only put about 2k miles a year on it), other than that it stays on.