Now this is not new information. In fact @Saker discussed this and wrote the following post 2.5 years ago.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/1798124-post58.html

There have been repeated issues with the bolts getting stuck or not fitting properly with the TRD Skid plates. Now since this is Father’s Day I was going to call this the “I Told You So” thread, but I figured it wouldn’t get as many views or help as many people.

Last weekend I took my 4runner in for its 30K service a little early because we are leaving Friday for our biannual trip up to Maryland for 3 weeks to visit family. So in preparation I removed my skid plates (because I didn't want the dealership messing them up with their power tools)…except the back passenger driver side bolt on the TRD Skid was stuck. My reaction was pretty much “Oh Shit I know where this is going!” as I’ve read all of the threads on the issues with this. I also read but did not heed the advice of Saker (hence when the “I told you so” potential thread name) when initially installing the skid plate as the bolts seemed to go in just fine, maybe a little snug on the last few turns. Luckily the dealership was able to remove the bolt without any damage to the radiator support or destroying the threading of the hole (edit: I told them not to re-install the skid once they got it off as I'd didn't trust them to not lock the bolt on place permanently). As I said, I was lucky! As soon as I got back from the dealership I ordered a M10 x 1.25 Chaser Tap, some Tap Lubricant and a Die (same materials as in Saker’s post above) from Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/CHANNELLOCK-8...A7VKD963DYP57N
(I just bought the "Frequently Bought Together Trio of Parts)

I have never done a drill tap before in my life. Thank god for YouTube! Watched a couple videos on it and it seemed very straightforward. For those of you that haven’t done this, here is the quick and dirty of it.

1. Line up the chaser tap with some lubricant on it with the bolt hole.
2. Initiate the tap with a couple of turns; you will feel it catch the previous threads.
3. Complete a couple of hand turns then back it out about a half turn and repeat for the length/depth you need.
4. Back the tap out turning slowly.

You can see in the pics below how dirty and how much material the tap removed from the bolt hole. This is why there have been so many issues. After completing this procedure on all 4 bolt holes I could literally hand screw the bolts in and then tighten easily using the M14 Socket Wrench.

If you have a TRD Skid Plate, this is worth the $20 in materials. It could save you hundreds of $ in the long run. Oh and I used some anti-seize just for good measure.

Attached Images

     

Good write up Cymon!

I highly advise anyone that wants to install an aftermarket or TRD skid to do this as the bolts for the TRD plate are longer than the OEM skid bolts.

I just installed my TRD skid plate this weekend too. I was wondering why the back 2 bolts were so difficult to install. Going to be doing this asap! Thanks for the info

Thanks for this write-up as I just ordered the TRD skid. Can we not just use the pre-existing shorter bolts to avoid this?

-tap & die- set is a must. Already drilled and tapped one of my transfer skid bolts cause the Shrockworks stick nut broke.
@Cymon , how do your get you truck to float in the air like that with no jack stands?

The Force...Duh!

Thanks for posting.


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About to install mine, so you just use the tap and put it in the holes prior to installing the skids and it has the same pitch as the included bolts with the skid?

For those who are thinking of installing the TRD skid, I am almost certain you can reuse the rear bolts from the existing skid. I believe this is what I did and I have had no issues with stuck bolts.

Yes. M10 x 1.25 is the correct size and pitch for the threaded holes. The tap I listed is the same length as the TRD bolts, so I just chased to the end of the Tap threads.

Perfect, thanks for writing this up!

Keep in mind that you're doing this because you're mating aluminum and steel. If it's a tight fit, chances are the bolts will seize a bit simply due to the fact that, as you rub the aluminum, you strip off its corrosion layer.

The other part is the steel/aluminum parts in contact react. This gives a quick, simple explanation.

https://www.galvanizeit.org/design-a...als-in-contact

One thing that can help is a little bit of non-metallic anti-seize compound. Dab a little on the thread of the bolts.

A few people mentioned the shorter bolts from the existing skid, has anyone actually done this? Just to be safe I ended up ordering all the stuff in this thread, but I'm curious.

I guess you could take the chance....they are longer for a reason.
I mean really, will $10.00 break you if you could afford a TRD Skid plate?

YMMV

Does the chaser tap just re thread the hole for the bolt? I had trouble with one bolt refusing to tighten all the way the last time I went to put my skid plate back on.