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.