OP
05 Flame Red TJ Build
- Thread starter JMT
- Start date
OP
Thanks! Yeah, that stupid tailpipe. I chopped it once, now I need to chop it again. Before I do I want to check the departure angle. It may be okay.
The pics are several months apart because I forgot to take befores. At any rate, it’s much better overall. Very happy
OP
I finish the jeep (for now)! Got some MC rear extension brackets because the rear shocks were rubbing the perches after the D 44 swap. This was the simplest solution without cutting or trimming the perches. I’m ready to go to Moab! Just have to find a good sleeping bag and get all the meals planned. My wife is great On that front. It’s all happening soon boys!
Me too....good luck and keep us posted. What are you having for breakfast? Wild pork sausage with eggs, hash browns, toast and coffee? 
OP
Man that sounds good! I’ve had several venison pork breakfast sausages over the years. I’m all out now because we’re moving so we limited how many deer we took this season. The breakfast, if you must know, was a sausage, bacon and cheese omelette and coffeeMe too....good luck and keep us posted. What are you having for breakfast? Wild pork sausage with eggs, hash browns, toast and coffee?
️. Next post for the trip results...
OP
For those of you who are following, but don’t know, my TJ had a sad day about a week and a half ago.
I backed into the garage when I got home from work and took my doors off and hung them on the wall. The weather is turning great here in TX, for the short spring. My daughter jumped in the Jeep and asked for a lesson. She’s 15. This isn’t her first rodeo, but she is still learning the ropes. I hesitated because the Jeep was in the garage, but it was pointing forward so I jumped in. She cranked it and let out on the clutch with the shifter in R. WTH? It died because she popped it, but it rolled just enough to leave a nice imprint of my Cooper STT Pro on the passenger door. The doors were practically perfect. Very frustrating because I had just finished the Jeep on Friday. I know, a Jeep is never finished, but this phase was done and ready for our Moab trip!
I backed into the garage when I got home from work and took my doors off and hung them on the wall. The weather is turning great here in TX, for the short spring. My daughter jumped in the Jeep and asked for a lesson. She’s 15. This isn’t her first rodeo, but she is still learning the ropes. I hesitated because the Jeep was in the garage, but it was pointing forward so I jumped in. She cranked it and let out on the clutch with the shifter in R. WTH? It died because she popped it, but it rolled just enough to leave a nice imprint of my Cooper STT Pro on the passenger door. The doors were practically perfect.
Very frustrating because I had just finished the Jeep on Friday. I know, a Jeep is never finished, but this phase was done and ready for our Moab trip!
OP
I took the door to Escamillias body shop. They wouldn’t even look at it. The guys in the shop saw the Jeep and they told the lady in the office, no. I was told that they hate doing body work on Jeeps. OK?! So I called my buddy who restores classic cars. He came and took the door to another body guy he uses a lot. The guy said it’s not worth fixing it. The issue with our TJ doors is that metal is very thin and flat. A flat panel is very difficult to get flat again, nearly impossible. So, I started trying to source another door in Flame Red. I found like the only one in the US (on EBay) about 110 miles from me for $450. The next day I came into town and stopped at another body shop. Two very nice guys came out and we chatted about the Jeep for awhile. One of them was doing the estimates. We talked about a door skin, which I had seen on EBay for $100. He did an estimate for replacing and painting just the skin, with some minor body work on the interior portion of the door. That came out to about $1100. Apparently, red is hard to match. The other option was he sourced a door in another color, prep and paint. That estimate came out to about $1200. I talked him down to about $700 if I did some of the work like take down the entire door
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OP
I decided to go for the door at the salvage yard 110 miles away. It was a shot in the dark in some sense. Will it match? Are there nicks, scratches, et al? It was from a 2004, I have a 2005. There were pics of the door on the Jeep but it was just hard to tell. And they didn’t take good pictures, even when I requested more. The most they could give me was they though the paint code was PR4 (Flame Red). But it was a A class door with a 000 code which means no nicks, no scratches, et. Al. It’s the overall best rating they give. So we made the trek today. I put the door on the Jeep and was pleasantly surprised at the color match. That’s a remarkable testimony to Chrysler paint consistency. The edges all lined up perfectly (which I expected). Interior looked like hell, but maybe it will clean up, and if not, switch my old panel into it.
Here’s the door as I saw it on EBay.
Here’s the door as I saw it on EBay.
OP
I got it home and washed it, used some rubbing compound on my wool pad and drill for a bit, worked several spots repeatedly till I was happy. Would you be happy?
I’m ecstatic. SUPER JEEP AGAIN!
I’m ecstatic. SUPER JEEP AGAIN!
OP
Yes, interior panels match. Just have to switch out the lock cylinder and I think I’ll switcheroo the exterior latch too.
Back in business!
So... Did your daughter have to help pay for the door? Thats tough... Glad you got a good replacement!
OP
That thought crossed my mind too. Somewhere in my build thread my son threw a rock from inside the garage to the outside of the garage but it hit the garage door on the ceiling and broke my windshield. He had to pay for it. That’s just being stupid. In this situation I blame myself for not moving the Jeep outside of the garage before letting her in the drivers seat. Tough call. Glad you are conscientious enough and firm enough to give tough love.
OP
Not at all.
My wife and I decided it was a stupid thing I’d done. On a sub-note, my wife did the same thing in her 1996 Plum Convertible Mustang GT to her dads garage. Ran right into the wall when she popped the clutch. Like mother like daughter.