Rymanrph

Yeah, the drips rails are one thing I haven't decide on yet. I may leave them chrome for now. How do they come off? Do they just pull off? I need to remove them for paint.

Congratulations! Can't wait to see it with a bright coat of red paint on it.

Well, you're right. I could paint it any color and it would look better than it does now. From the day I bought the truck, I knew I would never be truly happy with it until I painted it. I narrowed it down to the two colors and after showing a bunch of people, I was surprised to see that most leaned toward the rescue green (which is what I was leaning toward too). I'm sure the blue would look fantastic and I'd probably love it, but a part of me would always regret not painting it rescue green. So, unless something changes between now and when I drop it off, that's what its going to be. I'll probably get it back looking something like this (with a new windshield and '97 rubber molding): And then I will probably add the clear or smoked markers, maybe powder coat the wheels and black out the hood. I've got two grills and headlight bucket sets. I'll paint one set and leave the other black so I can swap them out whenever.

Well a local connection turned out pretty good. I'll be sending the Jeep off for paint here real soon. This past Saturday he told me 2 weeks. It won't be a $5k paint job because at the end of the day, its still an old truck. However, I will be having the dents removed and body work done. The doors jams and the bottom side of the hood will be painted. The engine bay itself will stay black (I painted that before dropping in the motor) and the inside of the bed will not be painted either. I'll be doing a DIY spray in bed liner. This weekend I'll start pulling parts to save some money like the flares, bumpers, mirrors, etc. So when he's ready I can just run it over there ready for the body work. I'll take some final black pictures this weekend.

I always wanted one of the AWD Eagle Talon TSI turbo cars, but the reliability is what kept me away. I ended up with an SRT-4 for a while that was a fun car despite being wrong wheel drive.

I feel the same way, but I just can't justify spending that kinda money on the bushwackers. They are just so expensive.

Man, I wish I had been able to work as quickly as you. You've come a long way very quickly. Good job Mike. Are you going to paint your rear flares since your fronts are painted?

I sold my TJ today, so now I have paint funds. I'll start shopping around to see who will give me a good deal. Opinions on paint color? I'm still leaning heavily toward Rescue Green or something like Viper GTS blue.

Yeah, I'm just messing with you. If you're wheeling, it isn't always necessary and sometimes it helps to have that extra bit of movement to see what you're doing. Now driving down the highway, that's a different story.

You look real safe sitting in front of your seat belt like that. :smart: lol

I used the front flares on my conversion, but I still have the rear if you need them.

Let me know if you still need one. I think I might have one.

I've got one. I'd like to get $45-50 shipped (figuring $35 plus $10-$15 for shipping).

If you're willing to pay a little for shipping, I've got one I can put on a pallet and ship to you. I have access to discounted rates through my work. I'd have to know where its going to get a quote on shipping, but I'd work with you to get it to you as cheap as possible.

Just the door? I've got a black one. How does $25 shipped sound?

I've got the remains of my '97 swap in my garage, but I have no idea what a wheel moulding bracket is. If you can give me a better description, I might have what you need.

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/ctd/2344647914.html

I like both of those colors, but I'd give Mango Tango the slight edge since its a Jeep color.

What is your timeline on the paint? I'm going to start shopping around on some body shops here soon for mine.

Me too! Good work man.

I know the cut out ones from the 2-dr XJ are the same for the MJ. I wondered if that applied to the flat style too. I'd be interested to see what they look like on the bed.

I can't wait to see your progress on the bumper. It was one of the things that always bugged me before on this truck. It looks like you have a great design laid out.

Good luck on the swap. Seems like all new style XJ swaps I've seen started with a black or red MJ. Way to keep the trend going.

I wish XJs were that cheap around here. It's hard to find any in decent shape under $3k and most want $4k+.

That reflection is fantastic. Let's see that pearl in direct sunlight!