I bought my 1991 YJ the spring of 2008, my senior year of High School. This was the first vehicle I had bought. This was the first Jeep I had looked at and had no idea what I should look for and more importantly, what to avoid. It had 111K on the clock, recent clutch and some other work. It appeared to be in good condition, ran well with relatively low miles. I never thought to pull up the carpet or crawl underneath. Prior to purchasing the YJ, the oil change I did at my tech school was the extent of my automotive abilities.
When I bought it, the Jeep had: 33x12.5 R15 all terrains, 1" shackle lift, trail master shocks, 4.o liter, 6 cylinder HO, 5 speed AX-15 with 111K on the clock. I paid $2000 for the Jeep, a pair of vice grips used for a window crank and a box of random little Jeep parts.
I bought it in Rhode Island, near where my brother goes to college. My buddy came and helped by driving the two of us back home in the newly acquired Jeep. As soon as we got into town I had him show me how to drive a stick. I picked it up like it was nothing and drove to school the next day (out of town, about 17 miles).
The day I bought it:
I was very exited.
I quickly realized how awesome it is not having a top on the Jeep. This was probably 3-4 days after buying the Jeep, driving it to school for the first time:
I drove my Brother's Taurus most of my senior year because it was his freshman year in college and couldn't bring it down with him. I had no problems whatsoever, switching to a Jeep.
Over that summer I didn't do a whole lot to the jeep. Mostly things like getting the radio working properly. I ripped the carpet out in the summer because I was sick of how it got inside the Jeep. It helped a little but I then realized how bad shape the body was in.
I bought a soft top August of 2008. Better late than never. These are pics of the install.
This is my idea of heaven:
After taking the carpet out it was obvious to me that it had some serious body rot issues. The body mount bushings were also very decrepit. The body was rusted in the typical spots. The "Jeep" logo had been tacked over and the Jeep had aluminum rockers self tapped to cover up the rust. The driver's side floorpan had been "replaced" with a hastily bent, thin piece of sheet steel and secured with self tappers. The pass floor pan was solid but rusty. I now know that it's too thin (bends) and will need replacement this spring. The rear corners of the cab, where the roll bar mounts, is also very rusted out.
Here's a good example of one of the bad body mounts:
For some reason the previous owner had cut away (with a grinder) at the inside of the tub to gain access to the body mounts, but hadn't replaced the mounts. The rear two mounts had no bolt securing them. They were simple placed between the frame and body.
Although he hacked up the tub pretty poorly, it made the future body lift easier.
Passenger rear corner prior to fiberglassing, but shows the extent of the rust:
This is the driver's side, from the inside:
This is also more recent but is a clear picture of the damage.
When I bought it, the Jeep had: 33x12.5 R15 all terrains, 1" shackle lift, trail master shocks, 4.o liter, 6 cylinder HO, 5 speed AX-15 with 111K on the clock. I paid $2000 for the Jeep, a pair of vice grips used for a window crank and a box of random little Jeep parts.
I bought it in Rhode Island, near where my brother goes to college. My buddy came and helped by driving the two of us back home in the newly acquired Jeep. As soon as we got into town I had him show me how to drive a stick. I picked it up like it was nothing and drove to school the next day (out of town, about 17 miles).
The day I bought it:
I was very exited.
I quickly realized how awesome it is not having a top on the Jeep. This was probably 3-4 days after buying the Jeep, driving it to school for the first time:
I drove my Brother's Taurus most of my senior year because it was his freshman year in college and couldn't bring it down with him. I had no problems whatsoever, switching to a Jeep.
Over that summer I didn't do a whole lot to the jeep. Mostly things like getting the radio working properly. I ripped the carpet out in the summer because I was sick of how it got inside the Jeep. It helped a little but I then realized how bad shape the body was in.
I bought a soft top August of 2008. Better late than never. These are pics of the install.
This is my idea of heaven:
After taking the carpet out it was obvious to me that it had some serious body rot issues. The body mount bushings were also very decrepit. The body was rusted in the typical spots. The "Jeep" logo had been tacked over and the Jeep had aluminum rockers self tapped to cover up the rust. The driver's side floorpan had been "replaced" with a hastily bent, thin piece of sheet steel and secured with self tappers. The pass floor pan was solid but rusty. I now know that it's too thin (bends) and will need replacement this spring. The rear corners of the cab, where the roll bar mounts, is also very rusted out.
Here's a good example of one of the bad body mounts:
For some reason the previous owner had cut away (with a grinder) at the inside of the tub to gain access to the body mounts, but hadn't replaced the mounts. The rear two mounts had no bolt securing them. They were simple placed between the frame and body.
Although he hacked up the tub pretty poorly, it made the future body lift easier.
Passenger rear corner prior to fiberglassing, but shows the extent of the rust:
This is the driver's side, from the inside:
This is also more recent but is a clear picture of the damage.