Skid plates are one of the most important parts of an off road Toyota FJ Cruiser build. The Bud Built skids are the 3rd set of skids that I have run of the FJ Cruiser. On the Blue Burro I first ran All Pro Off Road skids. The All Pro skids offer the best clearance of any of the skids available but they do not provide a smooth under belly and they will hang up on rocks.
The second set of skids that I ran was from Rasta. The Rasta skids are made from aluminum and provide a smooth underbelly with a gas tank skid includes. For me the problem was that Aluminum is not durable enough for the type of abuse that we give our skids.
For this build I have gone with Bud Built skids. Bud built provides a very smooth under belly and includes a gas tank skid. With his design there is about an inch of clearance sacrificed. However, the skids are heavy steel and should allow the FJ belly to run along rocks and obstacles with no points to hang up on.
I painted the skids using Rustolium Hammered paint using a roller. This will allow for easy touch up after the skids get scratched up during off road use.
The installation of the Buds was easy using existing attachment points on the frame and fuel tank.
Cost: $900.00 plus shipping
Time:
- Painting – 2.5 hours
- Install – 1.2 hours
I myself purchased aluminum skids for weight savings from ricochet they did not hold up at all switching over to budbuilt skids should of done that the first time.
Did you get the heavy duty gas tank skid or the standard one?
Standard skid.