Removed the fenders to restore the plastics (and replace a bunch of broken clips). Also did a clay and wax detail.





I used Eastwood's plastic restorer. It's like a spray paint but specially made for automotive plastics.

I also added the grill inserts during the detail. This was right after waxing.

 

I removed some stickers during the wash too. Has anyone else's paint faded weird? Mine got darker it seems.

 

Poking around under the rear, the trailer wiring looked like a mess. So I ordered a new kit and just put it in. You can see all the wiring I pulled out and the splices. I'm not sure what the coiled up wire was for, but it ran to the front through the frame.

I also don't think that hole should be in the taillight. There was a hole in the passenger side too...

 

Same thing when I removed mine. Not quite as noticeable as yours though. Its been a month or so since removing them, I don't really notice it anymore.

 

Yeah mine is pretty noticeable. I figured I'd get the black stickers for the sides, but I'll probably leave it as is too. Just weird the paint changed so evenly too.

 

Got the JKS rear wheel delete and these Vertically Driven end cap conversion things. And I planed and stained the hoist beam to class the joint up a little.

 

I've also been trying to decide on a lift. I put a Rubicon Express 3" on the XJ and I really liked it. Probably going to go with them again, but not sure if I do 2.5" or 3.5".

Add I've been looking for M/T tires for these stock wheels. Need to figure out a good size for them. Thinking 33". Just don't know brand yet. And I'm kicking around colors to paint the wheels too. Bronze maybe?

 

Bronze wheels would look pretty good with that red jeep IMO. Regarding that sun screen.....I've always found the screens that attach with bungees to perform better than ones with straps. Things like Spiderweb Shade or Alien Shade. Might consider those nest time or if you end up not liking that one much. None of them stay "installed" well when putting the hard top back on. Usually it's just easier to undo the front part and toss it over on top of the rear portion, giving you clear access to mount the freedom panels back on. Also, agree with Karl that those brackets are the 4dr soft top brackets for the non-spring assist tops. They are just held on with 2 bolts ea to the rollbar under the cover. You might remove those and see if you can sell em for $20 or something to someone that needs a replacement cuz if you ever buy a soft top, new or used, it will come with the hardware necessary to install. Just a thought at least. I wouldn't feel like the PO was screwing you over or anything and not telling you about a soft top. People buy and sell tops all day long, a lot of which were tops that came as a dual top package. You can usually pick up used soft tops pretty cheap if you ever decide you want one. On the 4dr they are more hassle than they are worth IMO. Nice for a long trip if you want to be topless when you get there, but for a DD they don't get used much.

 

There's just other things he said that aren't adding up anymore. He had said they only ever took the hard top. Off once ever, in 11 years of ownership.

I'm finding weird wiring around now too. I think he had a lot of auxiliary lights or something. Stuff wired directly to the fuse box. Those holes in the tail lights and all the splicing of the trailer wiring.

 

jeeps that came with a dual top option had those brackets installed from the factory. I'd guess it was a dual top jeep, PO probably sold the top and forgot about those brackets. I just bought a soft top someone had from dual top option and used it once in 6 years. I had to call back and get those brackets cuz forgot while there. If PO used the top once, probably bot tired if storing that soft top and moved it on. The wiring and stuff is nbd IMO either. Builds change. If I sold my jeep today, I'd probably pull a lot of stuff off it too to sell separately. Either way though, you have a nice jeep that's coming along! Many years of smiles ahead.