Savage skid install help needed

A

ARC

New member
So got all my savage gear last week and tried to get it installed over the weekend. The rear bumper went smooths and am really happy with it. But...

The rear section of the skids has me baffled. I called savage for help this morning and left a message but didn't get a call back yet. Where the rear two skids over lap and bolt into the crossmember I cannot figure out. On the passenger side the two skids share a bolt hole and I believe are supposed to be secured using a long bolt and nylock nut, and this is where the problem is. There is nowhere in the crossmember for the bolt to go. I mean not even close. Anybody install these and can offer some advice?

I'll add pictures in a little bit.
 
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This is the skid/cross member in question:





The hole in the bottom of the of the pictures is the passenger side and does not line up with any hole in the cross member.

This is the hardware that should be used to secure the two plates to the cross member.



The holes on the plates line up perfect and all other holes line up with the truck fine it is just this one bolt creating an issue. Anybody know what's going on? Is it my issue or Savage's?

Help!
 
ARC said:
Thanks!



Apparently the design has changed significantly because those are very, very different from mine. I don't even have that small 5th piece.
Click to expand...

WAY different.

My wife's camera on her phone isn't working, and I cannot find mine.

The hole you're describing, on mine, goes through the cross member and comes out pretty much underneath of the passenger side of the t-case mount.

If you cannot get it to line up, perhaps try to get that hole lined up first?

Sorry I cannot be of more help =(
 
i cant pull up the photos here at work but i know exactly where you are talking about, the hole for that bolt on my truck is adjacent to a exhaust hangar bracket bolted to the top of that crossmember. If you remove that hangar you will have a much easier time installing and tightening/loosening that nut whenever needed. On mine that bolt is just barely long enough to get a large flat washer under the nut as is so it will only be sticking through the top of the crossmember by half an inch or so. Hope this helps. Its all from memory since i'm deployed.
 
A.Wilson013 said:
WAY different.

My wife's camera on her phone isn't working, and I cannot find mine.

The hole you're describing, on mine, goes through the cross member and comes out pretty much underneath of the passenger side of the t-case mount.

If you cannot get it to line up, perhaps try to get that hole lined up first?

Sorry I cannot be of more help =(
Click to expand...

The newer versions are later on in that thread. It seems each kit came with slightly different hardware. Is yours a long bolt like the one I pictured? If I shift all of the skids enough to make the bolt line up none of the fronts would line up. Looking at the pictures in the other thread mine is in the right place. Two holes in the cross member exposed next to the skid. The small one between the two bolts that hold the cross member to the frame and the larger one next to it.

Is it possible the cross member is different because of my 5 speed tranny? Anyone install these on a manual transmission?
 
Found my phone.

I don't have an exhaust hanger there... Weird.

Anyway, circled in red (bad picture) you can see where that nut is for the bolt. It's little under the t-case mount.

Other picture just shows where the edge of the skid lies.

V0qmC0Zl.jpg


Afpsgcxl.jpg
 
Mine bolts in the same spot, that is weird that we have a different exhaust setup. Hopefully your photos help [MENTION=108751]ARC[/MENTION] out.
 
NateMob said:
i cant pull up the photos here at work but i know exactly where you are talking about, the hole for that bolt on my truck is adjacent to a exhaust hangar bracket bolted to the top of that crossmember. If you remove that hangar you will have a much easier time installing and tightening/loosening that nut whenever needed. On mine that bolt is just barely long enough to get a large flat washer under the nut as is so it will only be sticking through the top of the crossmember by half an inch or so. Hope this helps. Its all from memory since i'm deployed.
Click to expand...

Not near any hangers on mine, but thanks.

A.Wilson013 said:
I would say that's more than possible... I cannot comment however, as I have an auto...
Click to expand...

Thanks looking at it there is no way it can bolt up like that on mine. It seems like mine is in the same spot but there is no hole there.
 


Removed the rear set and just bolted up the front set. You can see the in the picture above there are no holes near where I used the bolt to scrape of the road grime. I am really thinking this is a transmission issue.

Maybe I just nee to drill a hole to make it work.
 
Honestly, after seeing your picture. It looks like you're mounting it on the wrong side. [MENTION=88391]NateMob[/MENTION] I'm stealing one of your pictures.

IMG_20130116_124312.jpg~original


You can see in the above picture that the skid needs to be mounted toward the driver side, not the passenger side.



The picture above is yours, and that's your passenger side.



The picture above shows where you're trying to mount it (not marked) compared to where it should be mounted (in red).



The picture above shows where you're trying to mount it (red) vs where it should be mounted (green). I've got a rear section of skids of my house that I looked at last night. If I held it to the driver side it lined up perfectly. If I moved it to the passenger side I had the same issues you're describing.
 
Last edited:
MStudt said:
Honestly, after seeing your picture. It looks like you're mounting it on the wrong side. [MENTION=88391]NateMob[/MENTION] I'm stealing one of your pictures.

IMG_20130116_124312.jpg~original


You can see in the above picture that the skid needs to be mounted toward the driver side, not the passenger side.



The picture above is yours, and that's your passenger side.



The picture above shows where you're trying to mount it (not marked) compared to where it should be mounted (in red). I've got a rear section of skids of my house that I looked at last night. If I held it to the driver side it lined up perfectly. If I moved it to the passenger side I had the same issues you're describing.
Click to expand...

Nailed it! Props to [MENTION=98153]MStudt[/MENTION] for doing to leg work and flipping the light switch.
 
Last edited:
MStudt said:
Honestly, after seeing your picture. It looks like you're mounting it on the wrong side. [MENTION=88391]NateMob[/MENTION] I'm stealing one of your pictures.

IMG_20130116_124312.jpg~original


You can see in the above picture that the skid needs to be mounted toward the driver side, not the passenger side.



The picture above is yours, and that's your passenger side.



The picture above shows where you're trying to mount it (not marked) compared to where it should be mounted (in red).



The picture above shows where you're trying to mount it (red) vs where it should be mounted (green). I've got a rear section of skids of my house that I looked at last night. If I held it to the driver side it lined up perfectly. If I moved it to the passenger side I had the same issues you're describing.
Click to expand...

Thanks for taking a second look, unfortunately that's not it. The hole you have labeled as #2 has a big bolt coming in from the top that hold the transmission mount to the crossmember.

You are looking at the second picture wrong, in the photo you are actually suggesting to move the skid much further to the passenger side. Look at the gas tank for reference. What you have labeled as "Wrong mounting location" in the top photo is the same hole you have labeled as "#1" in the next photo.

I wish I could put it up on the a lift so I could take better overall photos.
 
Well since you know what its supposed to look like now, why not just drill the hole as long as you have access to the top and bottom? Aside from the one missing bolt are yours lined up like mine? Adapt and overcome. Good luck.

edit; lol submitted both our responses at the same time. Awesome, at least we know you are in the right spots!
 
NateMob said:
Well since you know what its supposed to look like now, why not just drill the hole as long as you have access to the top and bottom? Aside from the one missing bolt are yours lined up like mine? Adapt and overcome. Good luck.

edit; lol submitted both our responses at the same time. Awesome, at least we know you are in the right spots!
Click to expand...

This what I am thinking now.

MStudt said:
Unless your picture is really putting things out of perspective. The skid looks like it's almost below the cat.
Click to expand...

It is just the photo, looking at the pictures I see why you are thinking this, but I assure you it is in the right spot.


The Facts!
The crossmember is indeed different from the auto. I went to Safari LTD armed with a tape measure and parked my 5speed right next to their auto 3rd Gen customer shuttle truck. What I found was the crossmember are very similar but differ right where the transmission bolts up. On the auto truck there is a hole right where I need one to be.

Now the question becomes should I drill a hole in the crossmember to make it work.
 
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