Off-Road capable side protection should be able to support the weight of the vehicle.

Experienced wheelers often advise new Jeep owners to add skid plates before hitting the trail. Sure, Jeeps come ?Trail Rated? these days and your new TJ has the basics such as transfer case and gas tank skid plates. You may even have optional factory accessories such as oil pan, transmission, steering box skid plates and maybe even some body protection. Examine your TJ carefully to determine how it is currently equipped. Is it able to conquer the trail and return unscathed? When I evaluated my 99 TJ Sahara, I made note of items to immediately change even before my first off-road adventure. I noted the factory side steps not only reduced ground clearance along the quarter panel; but also were not capable of sustaining the weight of the vehicle when resting on an obstacle. In other words, they would likely get torn off and probably cause greater body damage to the rig on impact. I immediately began searching for a sturdier alternative.

Custom 4X4 Fabrication products come professionally packaged and exceptionally well powder coated.

My first word of advice to you is?BEWARE. There are many products on the market that look tough enough to provide true off-road side protection, but are no more durable than the factory step. I looked at a round tubular side bar offered from the dealership that provided a nice flat skid resistant step and was shocked to find it attaches to the body behind the battery tray in the front and body mount in the rear. Obviously, it doesn't take an engineer to figure out that if you are trying to prevent body damage, you don?t attach the item to be bashed to the body itself. Another aftermarket round tube side bar requires the owner to drill through the frame to bolt it on, but the 3-inch diameter tube resides so low and hangs so far out I was afraid it would catch every obstacle on the trail.

Installation begins by positioning the Side Bar's U shaped brackets over and under the frame.

The small U shaped bracket is fitted inside the larger U shaped bracket.	The U shaped brackets work together to create a sturdy box around the frame.

Align the holes, insert the supplied hardware and tighten.

Custom 4X4?s approach is to use 2X4-inch rectangular steel tube centered along the body seam and attached by a unique frame bracket that requires no drilling to install. The side bars are shipped in a professional package to prevent damage and are exceptionally well powder coated in your basic black. The rectangular tube extends out from the body just far enough to act as a useful step, yet not far enough to hinder trail capability. The 2-inch thickness provides a good compromise between maintaining ground clearance and providing the strength needed to rest against an obstacle and pivot the vehicle around it. The mounting system uses 2X2-inch steel tube runners to the frame and a unique bracket that wraps around the frame for unquestionable strength. Installation? Well all I can say is that in more than 25 years of Jeeping (read modifying) I cannot remember adding an accessory that was this easy to install. Follow along:

On the driver's side, carefully maneuver the small U shaped bracket behind the fuel and brake lines.

Take one side bar and position it under the vehicle so the U shaped brackets fit over and under the frame. It will hang there and you can line it up with the front and rear fender flares.

Roll under the vehicle with a socket wrench, open-end wrench and the provided bolts, nuts and small U brackets. Fit the small U brackets inside the larger side bar U brackets (bottom of the U against the inside of the frame), align the bolt holes, slam the bolt through, tighten and your done.

Note: On the driver?s side you need to gently pull the fuel/brake lines from their plastic hangers and wiggle the small U bracket between the lines and the frame. Once everything is tightened up, snap the lines back into the plastic holders.

To test the design, I positioned a floor jack under the driver?s side bar and lifted the vehicle off the ground. Observing no deflection and no hint of failure, I carefully lowered the vehicle back to the ground. I don?t recommend you do this, not because the sidebars can?t take it, but because the vehicle?s weight pushing laterally against the jack could cause it to come flying back at you. Confident in the bars ability to protect the quarter panel, I took a trip to a local play area and crested hills, rocks and washouts without hesitation knowing my quarter panels were protected. If you want to protect your TJ from body damage, you should call Custom 4X4 Fabrication at (405) 799-7599 today, or visit them on-line and order a set of TJ side bars today.

Mike Houlette
Custom 4x4 Fabrication
11825 S.E. 109th
Oklahoma City, OK 73165
United States

(405)799-7599
sales@custom4x4fabrication.com
www.custom4x4fabrication.com/