ARB Under Vehicle Protection - Bash Plates Install Question

[PhatVelvet]

Hi all,
Ran a few searches but couldn't find anything on my issue. I received my UVP kit from ARB today and wasted no time fitting it up. Very impressed with build quality, front plate was a little tight but bolted up with no modification necessary. The only problem I had was one of the three bolt holes to join the sump panel to the transmission panel is blocked by a factory bracket welded to the chassis. I've attached images and was just wondering if anyone has any knowledge of this issue and has a fix before I go back to ARB and ask them. Theres nothing in the fitting instructions indicating that modification is necessary. Any help would be much appreciated. Cheers

[Cowboy Dave]

Dunno mate but is there some way you can drop the other plate down, bolt them together and lift back up? Hard to pick it from the photo. How many other attachment points does it have? Enough to get by without that one?

[PhatVelvet]

I think it will be fine without that bolt. That plate is the transmission plate, it has 2 more bolts attaching it to the sump plate at the front and 2 bolts attaching to the gearbox mount at the rear. 4 out of 5 ain't bad?
The idea of dropping it down etc is achievable reattaching it might pose a few issues, at a minimum it will sit lower on the passenger side probably 10 -15mm with nut and leftover thread. That's if it would bolt back up. The steel causing the problem is in the centre of the hole as per the last picture.
I was kinda hoping somebody has had this installed by ARB and they just left that bolt out, I'm fairly happy to as it's rock solid as is, just wanted some peace of mind i suppose. I might throw up some more pictures tomorrow, comparisons etc. Cheers matey.

[Cowboy Dave]

I reckon 4 will be plenty. My dump plate only has 4 and that has held the whole weight of the frond end before .

[ARB 4X4 Accessories]

Hi guys, I'll flag this with our Product Manager and see what the go is.

Cheers, Sam.

[fridgie]

Cheers Sam, good to know you're still keeping an eye out here

[DocBassett]

my plates aren't ARB, but I also had trouble fitting my avenger plates to the gearbox. Front skid, engine and transfer case went on fine, but from memory I had an issue with mounting the gearbox plate because there was no area on my car that matched up with the front holes of the plate. So I couldn't put the bolt through. End result was I never fitted the plate, so I hope you sort it out champ, but perhaps it's not an issue only unique to ARB.

[PhatVelvet]

Cheers for that Sam, much appreciated. Just thought I'd throw up a couple more pictures for anyone else who is interested in the plates, I know there are lots of different brands and already a myriad of topics on here covering them fairly well, I'll just put up some info to address a couple of the PM's i received.

The Under Vehicle Protection Kit from ARB set me back $530 and I was quoted $680 fitted but with a 2 week wait i decided I'd have a go myself. I also enquired about purchasing individual plates but was told it comes as a set only, surely this wouldn't be the case for repairs/replacement though?

In the box (which was labelled ML/MN/Challenger) was a front plate, sump plate, transmission plate, transfer case plate and a mounting bracket and bolts.

The fitting instructions were pretty clear and its a fairly simple install that I'm sure most people would manage with ease. You reuse all factory bolts and mounting holes, and at the rear there is an additional bracket which is bolted to the gearbox mount nuts to hold up the rear of the transmission plate. The transfer case plate is attached directly to the base of the transfer case by removing 4x lowest bolts attaching the plate and retensioning the bolts back up. It was all fairly simple.

The only thing (apart from the aforementioned issue) that i would change with the kit is to include another 2 washers for the 2 factory bolts at the very front of the vehicle as the bolthole in the plate is almost the same size as the bolt head, potentially causing issues if one doesn't pay attention to alignment when tightening.

All in all though a good bit of kit it seems and I'm fairly happy with the outcome.

[ARB 4X4 Accessories]

No probs, PhatVelvet, I'll pass this info on as well.

Cheers, Sam.

[ARB 4X4 Accessories]

PhatVelvet, can you please let me know what the build date is on your Triton, as well as the specific model details.

Cheers, Sam.

[PhatVelvet]

Sure it's built 11/12, MN GL-R manual 2.5l td

[ARB 4X4 Accessories]

Thanks.

[ARB 4X4 Accessories]

Hi guys, just a follow up to let you know that the feedback has been passed on to our Product Manager and we'll be reviewing it in due course.

Cheers, Sam.

[siwren]

I fitted my UVP kit this weekend and found the same problem.

Initially the gap between the two plates was longer than the bolt, so doing up the middle and drivers side bolts pulled it closer. Then, I pulled the two plates down that enabled me to fit the nut in between the plate and the bracket, then I added the bolt. Then I undid the other two and tightened them up evenly. All good after that.

Taking it apart might be fun but I'll worry about that if/when needed.

The front plate on the other hand was a pain in the butt. Needed flattening and the front flange depth is too great to fit properly against the ends of the frame rail. I had my panel beater mate assist and the whole thing needed a lot of coaxing to make it fit. Fortunately wont need to take it off any time soon. If the front lip that lines up with the three holes in the front crossbar was a little narrower then it would have been easier to fit.

As for the washers, yes bigger ones are definitely needed for the front plate as the smaller washers supplied pull through the hole.

[Spinner80]

I purchased the ARB UVP and found the same problem with the bolt so I left it out but pretty confident that it should hold together ok. I also have the deluxe winch bar from ARB which I am happy with also but after I put the UVP on the A/C fan (what I've been told anyway) comes on when travelling on the highway but doesn't do it around town...... It only comes on when the A/C is on but it makes a noticeable noise.... Has anyone else had the same problem and is there someway to stop this?