Tail light repair…

A month after I bought my XJ back in 2006, I was rear-ended by some dude who just wasn't paying attention.  Thanks, pal.  It broke off the colored plastic of my passenger tail light and damaged the end cap as well.  The light still functioned so I just put in new bulbs and continued to drive it.  I had more pressing issues at the time.

It evolved into an identifying characteristic of the Jeep but it's not like some scar that you can't get rid of; it can be fixed, I just hadn't bothered to do it.  When my radiator hose sprung a leak, I had to drive my TJ for a couple of months while my XJ just sat.  Once I replaced the hose and began to drive it again, I realized how much I love to drive it.  To top it off, people have made comments about how much nicer the TJ is than the XJ.  Since that doesn't have to be the case, I'm determined to get it looking good again.

I've been inspired by the hardcore XJlovers out there - and there are a ton of us out there.  These guys have their rigs looking as good as my TJ so it can be done.  I don't want to sacrifice ride quality or gas mileage for looks, but there are some things I could do.  But first things first… gotta get The Chief functional.  The culprit:

I took the endcap off because I was sick of it grinding into my tires.  Also, the XJ is capable of looking ruggedly stylish with some very, very minor adjustments.  Removing the endcaps is one of them.  I've taken both of them off so it has a little balance.  Here are some better views:

I'd been going to Pull-a-Part in vain to find a passenger-side tail light.  Once pick-n-pull I went to a quarter mile south of one of our Pull-a-Parts had a '99 XJ that had only been on the lot a couple of weeks but, alas, they'd picked it (mostly) clean.  I spent about 30 minutes scavenging and thought I'd found one but it was actually a driver's side tail light that someone had removed and discarded.  Fuckers.

After calling around to some junkyards I found this:

Finally.  I went ahead and coughed up the $35 they were asking.  I could have gotten it for $20 at Pull-a-Part but after 3 different trips with nothing to show for it, I'm sure I've spent a good $20 or $30 on gas alone.  Fuck it, they can have the extra $15.  Here are my tools:

I actually didn't use the wrench.  The flathead was used for prying.  The Philips was used unconventionally as well.  3 10mm bolts on the outside, one small (7mm, maybe?) bolt on the inside, plus about 15 minutes and it was done.

Shitty pictures I know.  One of my neighbor's car is on the right and you can see the front end of my TJ (the sexy bitch) on the left.  For my next trick, I'll be replacing the liftgate supports.  Should arrive in the middle of next week.  Not really a repair but it needs to be done. 

In terms of short term repairs/replacements, I hope to have new front and rear bumpers in the next couple of months.  I'll likely just get black and stick with that color.  I've also decided to remove my front endcaps as well, as I've seen some people who've done so on '97 & newer XJs and capped them with pre-'96 endcaps.  I like it.  I also saw a guy put pre-'96 fender-flares on his '00 XJ.  They actually fit and they look good.  I like that they're flatter.  Plus, I'm fairly certain that I can find a good set at PnP/PaP, as they seem to have a ton of earlier XJs out there.

Until next time…

Spring 2011 Jeep outlook.

Been an extremely long time since my last post.  Some days I'm thriving, others I'm fighting to survive.

I'm still One Man with Two Jeeps.  Since my TJ was purchased as a heavily modified, finished product, my focus has been planning upgrades for my XJ.  I recently sprung a leak in a radiator hose, which the place where I take them for oil changes offered to do it for $75.  $16 and 20 minutes later I had a new hose on there myself.  It would have taken less than 5 minutes but it took some time for me to find a pair of channel lock pliers to get one of the clamps off.

That singular experience has rekindled a renewed interest in working on it.  Personally, I love my XJ as much as my TJ for totally different reasons.  Does it have the top-off, fun-in-the-sun capability?  No.  But on the other hand, it's a smooth, comfortable ride, far better on gas and that inline 6 has the giddy-up that we all know and love.  And it's paid for.  Unfortunately, I was rear-ended about 2 or 3 months after I bought the damn thing.  This fucked the back passenger rocker-guard/end-cap, bent the rear bumper at that corner and cracked open the tail-light assembly.  The tail-light is still functional, but it looked a little rough from that angle.

Recently, I just got sick of looking at that corner is such a state and I also had a sneaking suspicion that the slightly hanging end-cap was grinding into my tire.  Initially, I figured to remove the cap and see if I could bend it back, but that's nonsense.  I mean, taking it off was simple but bending it back?  Fuck that noise.

So, I removed it and learned a bit about exterior parts removal in the process.  Several YouTube videos and write-ups about how other Jeepers are modifying their rigs so I had plenty of ideas.  Once the cap was off, that corner looked a lot cleaner, even with the cracked tail-light assembly.  So, I decided to remove the other one as well (which was ever-so-slightly dented from a different minor fender-bender).  Took a couple of minutes and pops right off with a wrench, torque-wrench and a Philips screwdriver.  Now the corners match a little more.

I went to one of our pick-n-pulls (the closest to me) because they had a 98 XJ: my year though a different model.  Unfortunately, they've no pictures (no way could they run such an operation and update photos) and it wasn't until I drove out there and hiked to row 83 that I learned that that someone else had liberated the tail-lights prior to me showing up.  Great.  There are a few others in metro Atlanta and I need to go past one tomorrow so I'll stop in to see if I'll have better luck.  I don't want to order one new when I can get one for $15 or $18.  I might call junkyards.


So, after taking a general evaluation, here are some of the things that it definitely needs and a few things it doesn't need but I'd like to add:

•New rear bumper.
•New front bumper: 
•Tire carrier.
•Lift.
•Roof rack.

Bumpers:  unfortunately, the hatch isn't closing flush due to the manner in which the present bumper is bent.  It's close but I can tell the metal from the bumper is stopping it and not the contact with the rubber seals.  Spinning out on the interstate across 4 lanes of traffic on a wet night and hitting the wall caused a bit of damage that needs addressing.  The front is cosmetic and can wait.  The rear has a functional component and is most pressing.

Tire carrier:  I have always felt like Jeep tires belong on the outside of the vehicle.  Plus, I want a full spare.  Since I'm getting rid of the old bumper, this will give me the opportunity to install a new one that accommodates a full-spare on the back of the vehicle.  It just looks fucking cool.

Lift:  I've wanted to add an inch or two for a while.  I have a suspicion that my leafs are sagging but it could be my coils for all I know.  At any rate, I only want about an inch and a half.  2" would be pushing it.  I'd like to install a stock system that is just in good shape, but we'll see.  I'm not overly interested in adding bigger tires, but that would give me the option.

Roof rack:  It would be nice.  Extra space would be helpful as weekend trips could require a lot of clothes and gear depending on the destination.  We'll see.  I'll keep you posted.