well, the saga has come to an end, but not without more "annoyances"

as a recap i ordered rusty's transmission skid earlier this year for my 04 rene. i promptly received the wrong one. it was way too short and rear bolt holes didnt line up...was told it was because my 04 had 05 parts which since it was produced late in the year it was a plausible explanation.

correct one was to be shipped right away. a long time passes and after many "we will get back to yous" and even two "ups lost its", i get the replacement.

well it was the right length and shape, but the holes didnt quite line up. since i wasnt about to go through this crap again, i "adjusted the holes (by about 1/2") and cut a corner off that was interfering with the stock front diff skid.

now it was rubbing the exhaust so i had to space it a tad in the rear and that allowed to to slide back and clear the exhaust as designed.

so after all this and looking at it for a bit i have come to one conclusion. it is a stupid design. it hangs lower than it needs to, is too close to the exhaust crossover, and even interferes with the stock diff skid. i think rusty's has forgotten that no 2 vehicles are completely identical and tolerances must be accounted for. maybe all of this is why they quit cutting the "rusty's" logo into them

this has all been kinda disappointing since i have previously gotten some really nice gear (hassle free) from rustys. especially for the tj. now with the skid problems and the way they have ignored the fact that they are supplying the wrong rear shocks with their lift, i will start going elsewhere for my stuff.

and the moral to the story, go to quinn at all j and get your moneys worth. i was throroughly impressed with the service and product when i got the boulder bars.

if anyone in colorado is interested in a rusty's skid for an 02-03 (and maybe 04) libby, i have one extremely cheap for sale since they didnt send a box and ups call tag for me to return it

That sucks that you had such bad luck with Rusty's. I have never had a problem with his products or service with my KJ or my old XJ. Hopefully it was an isolated event and not a decline in his product quality.

If you hit the skid on some rocks a few times maybe it won't hang down so far?

_________________
02 KJ Limited w/ offroad pkg, Sunroof, NP 242
Moab with 255/70 Grabber AT2's
Tweaked Rusty's Coil Lift w/ OME LT shocks
Mopar skids & Rocky Road Supersliders
http://www.cardomain.com/id/bighause

Retired Jeeps - 84CJ, 90YJ, 97XJ, 86CJ

yea i have been happy in the past as well.

i will definitely try to flatten it out a bit

I have this transmission skid on my 02 liberty. When i was looking for skids, the boulder bars super skid was not available, just the skid row and rustys. I went with rustys because he developed this skid with a good amount of input from jeep. Back then, jeep used his lifts for their show jeeps so I guess they had some sort of relationship back then. Anyway, rusty mentioned back on the forum those days when he first developed this skid that jeep advised him to leave a certain amount of clearance between the transmission oil pan and the skid to avoid overheating and allow for proper airflow. the skid row--depsite having more clearance--is just way too close to the trans oil pan in my opinion. also, the rustys provides very good protection for the underside components--leaving almost nothing to be damaged. everytime i go offroading, this skid bangs quite a bit (although this has lessened a lot after the lift) and it can be annoying at times. but the skid is very strong, wont bend easily and most importantly gives me peace of mind. Since 2002, the underside of the liberty has changed quite a bit. I dont think Rusty's has been able to keep up with all these changes--which is probably why some people are having trouble with his products on newer KJ's. Back in late 2001 and early 2002, aftermarket companies like rusty's and rocky-road were very involved in creating products for the liberty--with rusty and glenn both posting on the forum many times discussing their products. Since then, I guess they have found out that the aftermarket--although healthy--was not as big as they would have hoped. Since then both companies have pretty much faded into the background as far as liberty products are concerned (with the exception of rocky-roads new cv axles) and probably this decline in interest is why they are not as concered with keeping their products up to date. I'd recommend for anyone with newer KJ's to stick with boulderbars but if anyone has an older KJ--you should be fine with rusty's skids--they are worth the money and good quality--as far as I've experiened. I've had nothing but great experiences with both rocky-road and rusty's. Just dont try and contact any of these companies close to MOAB--they will take forever to get back to you. Sorry for the long post--just my 2 cents.

By the way, I can post pics of the transmission skid installed if anyone wants.

OSUKJ....does the OSU stand for the Buckeyes? Are you in Ohio?

Kevh.....I never had a problem with Rusty's on my end either. Hope it was just an isolated incident. For the most part, every company has a glitch in CS and product quality. It is rare that any company never has a problem. You should've or still can discuss it with Rusty himself so it doesn't continue to happen with others and for you.

_________________
===
New KJ Gear - Desert Armor Flak

2004 Renegade Light Khaki - 4" JBA Lift - Rock Lizard Products: Komodo Dragon Rear Bumper, Prototype Winch-mount Front Bumper, Super Skink Sliders - All J's Super Tranny Skid II - 31" Firestone Destination AT's on Moab wheels - Cobra 75W CB w/ stock Antenna mod

[b]Retired, US Military

Yes, OSU does stand for Ohio State. Go Bucks! I went there for undergrad.

I'm sorry you didn't get the servie that Rusty's is known for, IMO. Rusty is an awesome guy to deal with. He does have a few numptys working for him.

_________________
Sandie
2002 KJ

i agree and have had great service from them in the past. that is why this has all been rather tiring and disappointing. this all started in july and the most tiring aspect of the whole deal was being told no less than 10 times that they would call me right back (usually when trying to get ahold of ups). i understand crap happens and ups loses stuff, but the fact that they never (not once) called me back, even after i gave them days to do so, is what peeves me off. throughout everything i talked to rusty, the shipping guy, and even the lady who always seems to answer the phone.

and then after everything, i had to slot every mounting hole and cut off a corner to get the skid to fit. after waiting 5 months (and having 4 seperate tracking numbers that never got past "billing information received), sending it back wasnt an option.

oh well, i didnt get pissed while this was all going on and it isnt worth getting pissed now. i will just shop elsewhere

I feel so sorry for you. I guess Michigan can not take everyone.....

Just kidding

_________________
LOST # 590
Not Jeepless anymore
97 TJ Sahara, 2.5" OME, SYE + CV driveshaft, JKS discos, some armor, some lights...