I've got a used set of rear TJ flares which I'm working out the final fit-up for and will have the front set once the guy buys his new extended flares. I got a set of the front side markers from the local dealer and modified the YJ sockets to fit in them. I was originally going to use YJ flares with factory side steps, so now I'll have to come up with another solution for steps (at 6' it's a stretch for me to get in and almost impossible for my 5'6" wife).

Another Jeep-L Badlands Run came up in October and I rode shotgun once again. This trip was also a parts mission. I was trading my steering column and a YJ skid plate for a tilt-column with delay, and picking up a used Ramsey winch that I had bought earlier which had been shuttled down by another Jeep-L'er. It was crustier than I expected, but it turned out to be an RE8000 and was well worth what I paid for it. I've removed the homebrew mounting bracket from it and begun dis-assembling it and refurbishing it. It'll get some new wiring, a new cable, and a fresh paint job of some sort...I'm thinking maybe Hammerite, and I'll need to pick up a mounting bracket and mounting foot for it. The steering column could use a paint job as well, and I swapped out the chrome levers with the black ones that I had in my daily driver Jimmy since I'm getting ready to get rid of it.

As mentioned before, I had surface mount backup lights and red reflective stickers installed in the rear. I was never happy with this and then one day while driving home from work I happened to be behind one of the little vans that the mail carriers drive and I saw the lights that I wanted. They were rectangular flush-mounts with the backup lights in the center and a red reflector all the way around and looked to be about the right size to fit in the space I had available. Following a tip from someone on the Jeep-L, I poked around Truck-Lite's web site and just as I was about to give up, I found them along with dimensions for the cut-out...a perfect fit. I called and got the number for a local distributor and ordered them up. Time to break out the jig-saw again.

Since I've blown wheeling season around here at this point, I'm undertaking some other upgrades. I picked up a '73 Blazer blower motor and started performing that retro-fit since the heater box is still out at the moment. I'm drilling out and tapping the breather hole in the rear Dana 44 to accept a standard breather fitting, and will probably begin work on the replacement Dana 60 that's sitting down at Chicagoland 4WD Center waiting for me. As one of my little retro-fit mods, I'm using YJ fenders with the CJ hood & grill, so I tried my hand at fiberglass work and patched up the unused bolt holes in the fenders. I'm also trying to get the whole brake pedal/brake rod assembly fitup worked out and just got the pedal assembly from a YJ to try out. I will also be tackling the retro-fit of the rear section of a TJ rollbar. I've already done the measuring and have located a used bar. It looks to be an almost direct swap with the exception of modifying the main hoop feet to attach to the existing holes in the YJ tub.

Watch this page for updates over the Winter!!