MetalCloak UnderCloak:

Taking advantage of MetalCloak’s Memorial Day free shipping promotion, I pulled the trigger on their UnderCloak system for Rube.

For those of you interested in armor for your Jeep, but unfamiliar with the MetalCloak UnderCloak skid system, it’s a 3-piece boat-sided 3/16″ steel plate skid system, which includes the following:

• Replacement heavy duty cross-member (2x thicker than the stock cross-member)
• Maximum approach oil pan skid plate
• Boat-sided gas tank skid plate
• Boat-sided transfer case skid plate

The system comes together to protect the motor, oil pan, transmission, transfer case and gas tank all while replacing the weak stock cross-member with a much stronger piece. Keeping with the theme of their signature control arms, the cross-member comes coated in black zinc while the skid plates are finished in clear zinc. The zinc provides additional protection against the elements, helping stave off corrosion.

 

I’m excited for the skids to arrive and to get them installed. For more on the UnderCloak system, MetalCloak has a product video on YouTube:

Riddler Manufacturing Dana 44 Differential Covers:

The first time I really got Rube off-road, at the Gulches of Indian Mound in Waterloo, South Carolina, the front differential cover took a pretty good shot from a rock. It highlighted the need for extra protection in this crucial area.

Since I had just ordered the MetalCloak UnderCloak, and that meant some shop time was imminent, I figured I’d just go ahead and get differential covers as well.

I decided to go with the Riddler Manufacturing differential covers, as a friend of mine whose opinions I trust, especially when it comes to product reviews, speaks very highly of them.

Plus, there is also this hilarious video that shows just how much of a beating these diff covers will take: