Evolution of my '01 Sahara Daily Driver

alaskajohn

alaskajohn

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Gibsonia, PA
I bought my '01 Sahara in 2015 to use as a daily driver. I was not an offroad or Wrangler enthusiast, but I did regularly find myself on old dirt roads in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest and I wanted a vehicle I could take the top off... other than an old '79 Blazer that I wanted for sentimental reasons, the Wrangler was the obvious choice.

After four years of trips up and down the West Coast (the only additions were a new soft top and radio), the wrangler was starting to look rough. Previous unnoticed body damage was starting to show through (bumps and bruises from previous owners) and those damn fenders really started to rust through in the traditional spots. It really was starting to look bad and was making me feel guilty at not doing SOMETHING.

Still nervous about attempting any bodywork on my own, reading this forum and watching YouTube videos gave me enough courage to take the plunge and order new fenders, fender flares, and bumpers.

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The first test for me was whether or not I could take those old fenders off. I made several assumptions that turned out to be totally wrong but the biggest was:

Assumption : The fenders would be harder to remove than anything else I was planning to do (including fender flares and bumpers).

I could not have been more wrong. It's true that they were more complicated (or at least had more things to unbolt) than the flares or the bumpers... but the bolts all came out fairly easily with just a standard size ratchet. And there are two bolts on each side that are hard to reach.. but with patience those bolts came out easy (an akward 30 degree turn at a time).

I put all the bolts in their own ziplock bag collections labelled appropriately (aka. "Driver Side Wiper Fluid", "Passenger Side Relay Box", etc).. which really helped later on.

I started with the driver side, removed the flare and then the fender. But with the passenger side I learned my lesson and just removed the fender with the flare still attached. Advice online suggested removing the tires first. Probably should have done that as well, but it fine.

I might have jumped the gun a little, because I removed the old fenders before the new ones arrived. While waiting for the new fenders, I figured I'd just quickly remove the rear bumper as well... But nothing quick about it. The rear bumper removal ended up being a total pain in the neck that took three trips to the hardware store for extra tools (first for a better socket because one bolt started to slip, second trip for a bolt removal set to remove the now stripped bolt, and finally a third trip for a metal grinder to remove another bolt that holds on the hitch.)

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Oh, and here is a thing I wish I knew... that hood will push all the way back and lean against the windshield. Wow, that would have made some things a lot easier. Also, you can see in that last photo that at first I left everything attached including the windshield wiper reservoir. Kinda stupid and made wiggling the fender out more difficult than it should have been.

Things I should have done (that I would do next time) to make life easier on myself.
  • Removed the wiper fluid reservoir completely before pulling out the fender.
  • Push the hood all the way back before trying to get at those firewall bolts.
  • Remove the "fender skirt" before pulling out the fender.
  • Remove the tires.
 
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Okay, as I mentioned, I was waiting on the fenders to arrive when the rear bumper showed up first and I thought.. well this will be easy!

I had been browsing online and found a set of oEdRo bumpers with built-in LED lights on sale. They looked pretty cool .. a bit aggressive but not over the top.. and affordable .. so I figured, "why not".

The rear bumper arrived first and had clearly been opened previously, so that gave me pause. I took lots of photos to document the unboxing, just in case anything was missing and then set to remove the OEM bumper and receiver.

The front of the receiver is attached to the frame on either end with the worst designed bolt attachments I have ever seen. Basically, they are threaded into a bolt that has a thin piece of metal sticking out to hold it in place. I am sure they were very easy to hold in place while they were being installed... but if you don't know what to expect (and I did not), then when you start spinning that bolt, the metal backing spins with it ... sucks that piece of metal up with it as it wraps around and around leaving you nothing to grab on to and with a mess that you're pretty much SOL without a metal grinder.

I had a fairly rough experience with one of the bumper bolts as well. Basically the nut had been tightened so tight that the locking washer popped out and expanded around the nut, preventing the socket from getting a good hold. I didn't realize it until I had stripped it.. and then the bolt extractor socket couldn't get enough grip either. However.. eventually I smartened up and with a flat-head screwdriver and a rubber mallet I was able to remove that locking washer... then the bolt extractor did the job.

The new bumper in place and still waiting on the fenders, I figured I'd start on the original rear fender flares and rocker panel guards.

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With my newly purchased grinder in hand along with some words of warning from those online I unscrewed/pulled/man-handled/ground-away/tore the damn fender flares, nut-serts, and rivets until I had removed the flares and rocker guards with fairly minimal damage to the body.

With that done (one afternoon for each side) ... and still awaiting the arrival of my fenders and paint I installed the new rear flares which went on beautifully and there was much rejoicing.

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So, at this point I have to admit that while buying the new fenders and bumpers, I also bought a few other non-essential things including an angry-eyes grill and a "Life Is Good" tire cover. I know the grill is cliche, but I was feeling a bit goofy .. and its easy to remove when I get sick of it.

I also picked up a new battery which was a long overdue upgrade simply from a reliability perspective.

The fenders arrived (one slightly bent and the other with accessory holes that don't match up exactly, but close enough).. they were painted, the flares attached, and the reinstall went fairly smoothly.

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The finished fender and flare attached (with the fog light connector sticking out).

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All attached and waiting for clean-up.

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Fenders being painted.

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Notice the bend. I rolled the dice and installed it anyway, stretching it into place as I bolted it on. Seems fine now.

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Feeling pretty good about the way this is looking.

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The new look along with all the garbage I pulled off in the foreground.


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The holes in the fender for the washer fluid reservoir don't line up... but I was able to get one good bolt in and I'm not too concerned.
 
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Here is the progress so far... I'm still waiting on a new switch to hook up the fog lights.

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Thanks to all of you have posted advice on threads. It makes it so much easier for those of us that are trying to figure it out.
 
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Weekend work:

LED Taillights finally arrived. With the rewiring needed for hooking them up I also took the opportunity to connect the reverse lights to the OEDRO bumper and simplify the trailer harness that was there when I bought it.

I also removed the angry eyes earlier this week. As I had been warned, the engine was running a bit warm (or perhaps it's just my imagination).

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Jeep is looking like it's coming together. And you're in Snohomish?! I grew up there and now live just across the trestle.
 
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alaskajohn said:
Weekend work:

LED Taillights finally arrived. With the rewiring needed for hooking them up I also took the opportunity to connect the reverse lights to the OEDRO bumper and simplify the trailer harness that was there when I bought it.

I also removed the angry eyes earlier this week. As I had been warned, the engine was running a bit warm (or perhaps it's just my imagination).

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Love the front bumper what brand is it??
 
nceagle03tj said:
Love the front bumper what brand is it??
Click to expand...

It is an OEDRO bumper. They are surprisingly affordable (currently $217 before discounts) and I loved that the LED foglights came built in. I have not had a chance to test how much light they throw in the fog... but they seem fairly bright and were easy to wire up to the existing connectors on the Sahara.

They also had an option without lights for less than $200.

Currently free shipping plus promo code (
$20 OFF ☆ PROMO CODE:JEEPBUMPER20OER ) it seemed like a better option than anything else I was finding online.

If for whatever reason it doesn't hold up, I will report back in this post... but so far it has been on for a month and I love it.

The product description is;
"OEDRO® Front Bumper for 87-06 Jeep Wrangler TJ & YJ Rock Crawler Bumper with Winch Plate & 4X LED Lights & 2X D-Rings Off Road"

Product Link:
https://www.oedro.com/oedro-front-b...87-06-jeep-wrangler-tj-yj-rock-crawler-bumper
 
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alaskajohn said:
It is an OEDRO bumper. They are surprisingly affordable (currently $217 before discounts) and I loved that the LED foglights came built in. I have not had a chance to test how much light they throw in the fog... but they seem fairly bright and were easy to wire up to the existing connectors on the Sahara.

They also had an option without lights for less than $200.

Currently free shipping plus promo code (
$20 OFF ☆ PROMO CODE:JEEPBUMPER20OER ) it seemed like a better option than anything else I was finding online.

If for whatever reason it doesn't hold up, I will report back in this post... but so far it has been on for a month and I love it.

The product description is;
"OEDRO® Front Bumper for 87-06 Jeep Wrangler TJ & YJ Rock Crawler Bumper with Winch Plate & 4X LED Lights & 2X D-Rings Off Road"

Product Link:
https://www.oedro.com/oedro-front-b...87-06-jeep-wrangler-tj-yj-rock-crawler-bumper
Click to expand...
That's cheaper than Amazon even before the discount...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KSX2QC1/?tag=wranglerorg-20

Interestingly their listings don't show the front bumper when you look it up for a 2000 Sahara :unsure: :unsure:
I know it'll still fit but that's kind of weird....

https://www.oedro.com/bumper?find=2000-jeep-tj-sahara-sport-utility-2-door-none-53908
 
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I've been thinking if getting a rear bumper like that because people here drive like crap and it looks like it offers a little more protection. They make one similar to the stock bumper for towing too.

I've had 2 people pull out in front of me and another rear end me in the last couple of years. So I want to armour up some.
 
Does the rear bumper hitch have a tow rating....I'm looking at a very similar bumper but can't find any tow rating. Your Jeep is looking good..nice work.
 
InOmaha said:
I've been thinking if getting a rear bumper like that because people here drive like crap and it looks like it offers a little more protection. They make one similar to the stock bumper for towing too.

I've had 2 people pull out in front of me and another rear end me in the last couple of years. So I want to armour up some.
Click to expand...

Yeah, they claim it as a "full protection rear bumper". I'm not 100% sure what that means, but it is a nice replacement to the original bumper. My TJ has a bit of impact damage in the back corner by the license plate from the previous owner. The old bumper's plastic cap was busted. If nothing else, this new bumper hides some of that damage and protects better than those plastic caps.

Here's a link to the rear bumper on Oedro's website:
https://www.oedro.com/oedro-rear-bu...-2x-led-lights-off-road-textured-black-bumper
 
TJ Rubicus said:
Does the rear bumper hitch have a tow rating....I'm looking at a very similar bumper but can't find any tow rating. Your Jeep is looking good..nice work.
Click to expand...

Thanks!

I just posted a link to the bumper on their website. They list the following:
"Large Class 3 towing capacity with ratings of 3,500 lb gross trailer weight and 350 lb tongue weight. "
 
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