By Tony K
If you are going to wheel a wagon you are going to need armor. You can wheel without it but more than likely you will regret it. This write up is just a bit of an overview and elsewhere on the site you find more detailed info on these modifications.
Skidplates are at the top of the list for me as they protect important parts of the running gear, damage those and you are not going anywhere. That joke of a plate that comes from the factory would better be called a gravel shield as that is about all it is good for. To truly get protection for the tranny and transfer case you will need to fabricate a sturdy skidplate. I made mine from heavy square tube and 3/16 plate with a little heavy angle iron thrown in to mount it. Don’t forget to leave access to the drain plugs for service. My skidplate is easy to remove but its easier to pull one plug over the eight bolts that hold the skidplate on.
Rocksliders are the next most important thing to have as they protect a huge part of the body and ensure your doors still open after a tough day on the rocks. I saved time and probably money by purchasing a set from Trail Gear. Their sliders are made from DOM tubing and come with some of the steel to mount them. I didn’t (and still don’t) like the idea of welding them to the frame so I made mounts that pinched the frame with bolts and flat plate. This way they are easy to fix when they eventually get bashed and it is a plenty tough way to mount them. Mine did survive Rubicon…
Quarter guards are something you may not be familiar with but get into some hardcore rocks and you will know just why you need them. Due to the extremely long overhang of our 60’s there needs to be some protection when you come off of rocks and ledges. I even tied mine into the custom bumper I made. And these all bolt on as well. I took a little short cut when I made them too. To make sure they matched my sliders I just bought another pair of sliders and cut one in half to make two quarter guards. This way they are a 
perfect match to the sliders.
I found out about Roof rack sliders mostly by accident. Driving through the woods one day I managed to get a tree between two of the posts for my Yakima rack. Mind you it wasn’t an overly large tree, just one big enough that it took a side pull from my rear winch to allow me to pull forward away from the offending tree.
