i have a 2.5 body lift and a custome make front tube bumper and i am making a skid plate that attaches to the bottom of the bumper and then to the Aarm crossmember, Queston:  i always see all these skid plates with some holes in them, is there a reason for this?  looks like it is just a way to let air and mud and water up into the radiator area...  its to low to make a diference in the air flow to the engine?  thanks.

i would think that those holes are to let water escape like if u are washing the engine..or to let depris that comes down from the engine bay

they are not necisary though my grandpas friend has a calmini front skid plate on his track and has no problems driving it anywhere even though it is solid

Will my stock skid plate work when I put my lift and body lift in?

my guess: to relieve suction in mudholes. you get a big, flat plate under a vehicle, drop it into a mudhole and get stuck, and it's gonna be twice as hard to get out because of the suction.

edit: my stock skidplate (or at least the skidplate that was on the tracker when i bought it) wouldn't fit back on because of the differential drop. one of my future projects is to fab up some blocks so i can put the skidplate back on.

explosivo, i think your right, because it would just act as a huge suction cup woth out it, you could ask mike hagen, i think he has just 16 ga. steel under his and i dont think he has holes in his.

Yea, but Mike uses his skid as a Ski

Here's how Calmini does it.

Note that they don't bother with anything that goes "up" from here.  The gold part, is the front of the belly armor.

I bought heathers 2 inch lift, Its probably going in this weekend or next. Depends on when it goes to the body shop. Trying to Con my dad Into letting me use the insurance money to buy tube bumpers. No point in paying the same price for the stock ones. hehhehe