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Even the Badlands with pretty decent coverage of the gas tank, engine, and t-case (and the reinforcements over the trailing arm mount points) was lacking coverage on the tranny, the a-arms, the rear diff, the cross members, and the rear shock mounts...so folks that have builds without Badlands OEM armor definitely should consider suiting up. If I had a build that came withno armor, I'd go the ASFIR or JCR route and get an entire kit. As is, I had to piece the rest of my protection together, which can mean waiting weeks/months with current build times...so those of you without Broncos yet, factor in that armor!Broncorik great post, I could not agree more. My 4 door Badlands had barely even hit the rock sliders, especially now with a 3” body lift. But the rest of the factory skids have taken a beating. I have done most of the trails in Moab, and the Rubicon twice. All the Skid plates are key to getting through.
For the rear shock skids, note that the factory torque on the nuts is 350 foot pounds...and Ford recommends a NEW bolt and nut (they are both listed as one time use). The theory is that they are OTU not because of being torque to yield but because Ford supplies them with some magic thread sealant. I am perplexed by this, because at 350 foot pounds those nuts should not come loose...even with zero thread sealant. Additionally, if they did come loose, they will more than likely not just fall out with the weight of the vehicle on them. Apparently Ford just wants us to pay 100 dollars for the bolts and whatever the nuts cost if we need to remove them for any reason. I went with the JCR skids https://www.jcroffroad.com/product/BR6SD-SH.html
They needed the nut to be removed but not the bolt (the bolt just needed to be backed out slightly to get the plate over the threaded end). The skid protects the shock mount and the reservoir. For my tranny, I went with the ASFIR because it fits with the Badlands plates...and I added the extra t-case bracket (Ford apparently forgot to put one in that critical area...making the OEM t-case skid vulnerable to folding like a pretzel). https://www.asfir.com/manufacturer/...ufacturer=7977&car_model=12598&car_year=12599
ASFIR gives Bronco owners loads of options to fit bits and pieces with whatever OEM option you have.
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