Michael White wrote:
>
> Ervin Charles (charleserv@charter.net) wrote on Saturday 14 August 2004
> 11:02 pm:
>
> > Hey group,
> > I need to replace the front fenders, windshield frame, floorboard....etc
> > on my 86 CJ7. I am wondering about the quality of aftermarket parts from
> > distributors like "4 Wheel Drive" et. al.. I recently restored my wife's
> > 76 Super Beetle Convertible and the steel (?) replacement parts I had
> > ordered were much thinner gauge steel than the originals and most were a
> > ****-poor fit. Is this something I am going to have to deal with on my
> > Jeep as well? Would I be better off watching for usable steel on e-bay? Is
> > there a better
> > swap shop online somewhere? I would appreciate any input from you folks
> > that have already been down this road.
> > Thanks,
> > Charles E.
> > charleserv 'at' charter.net
>
> Charles,
>
> Some of the parts are worse, some better. I had to replace my tailgate, and
> the replacement was definitely lower quality. On the other hand, I
> replaced one of my front fenders with a kevlar fender, and it seems to be
> of very good quality. If you can find a kevlar windshield frame, I'd go
> with that, too. As for floorboards, you're going to have to cut the old
> out and put in your own material anyway, so that'll be up to you to find
> some decent replacement material (aircraft aluminum should work great).
> --
> Michael White "To protect people from the effects of folly is to
> fill the world with fools." -Herbert Spencer, 1891


'Glass or Kevlar for a windshield frame only works if you have a hard
top on all the time or no top. They do not work with soft tops. They
flex and the glass can fall out.

I got an aftermarket windshield frame and it is crap. Don't know the
maker. Too thin and the holes for the wipers aren't correct so the
linkage jams if you blink at it sideways. I had to cut the hole for the
drivers wiper out and use the one from my old frame.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

 

Michael White wrote:
>
> Ervin Charles (charleserv@charter.net) wrote on Saturday 14 August 2004
> 11:02 pm:
>
> > Hey group,
> > I need to replace the front fenders, windshield frame, floorboard....etc
> > on my 86 CJ7. I am wondering about the quality of aftermarket parts from
> > distributors like "4 Wheel Drive" et. al.. I recently restored my wife's
> > 76 Super Beetle Convertible and the steel (?) replacement parts I had
> > ordered were much thinner gauge steel than the originals and most were a
> > ****-poor fit. Is this something I am going to have to deal with on my
> > Jeep as well? Would I be better off watching for usable steel on e-bay? Is
> > there a better
> > swap shop online somewhere? I would appreciate any input from you folks
> > that have already been down this road.
> > Thanks,
> > Charles E.
> > charleserv 'at' charter.net
>
> Charles,
>
> Some of the parts are worse, some better. I had to replace my tailgate, and
> the replacement was definitely lower quality. On the other hand, I
> replaced one of my front fenders with a kevlar fender, and it seems to be
> of very good quality. If you can find a kevlar windshield frame, I'd go
> with that, too. As for floorboards, you're going to have to cut the old
> out and put in your own material anyway, so that'll be up to you to find
> some decent replacement material (aircraft aluminum should work great).
> --
> Michael White "To protect people from the effects of folly is to
> fill the world with fools." -Herbert Spencer, 1891


'Glass or Kevlar for a windshield frame only works if you have a hard
top on all the time or no top. They do not work with soft tops. They
flex and the glass can fall out.

I got an aftermarket windshield frame and it is crap. Don't know the
maker. Too thin and the holes for the wipers aren't correct so the
linkage jams if you blink at it sideways. I had to cut the hole for the
drivers wiper out and use the one from my old frame.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

 

Michael White wrote:
>
> Ervin Charles (charleserv@charter.net) wrote on Saturday 14 August 2004
> 11:02 pm:
>
> > Hey group,
> > I need to replace the front fenders, windshield frame, floorboard....etc
> > on my 86 CJ7. I am wondering about the quality of aftermarket parts from
> > distributors like "4 Wheel Drive" et. al.. I recently restored my wife's
> > 76 Super Beetle Convertible and the steel (?) replacement parts I had
> > ordered were much thinner gauge steel than the originals and most were a
> > ****-poor fit. Is this something I am going to have to deal with on my
> > Jeep as well? Would I be better off watching for usable steel on e-bay? Is
> > there a better
> > swap shop online somewhere? I would appreciate any input from you folks
> > that have already been down this road.
> > Thanks,
> > Charles E.
> > charleserv 'at' charter.net
>
> Charles,
>
> Some of the parts are worse, some better. I had to replace my tailgate, and
> the replacement was definitely lower quality. On the other hand, I
> replaced one of my front fenders with a kevlar fender, and it seems to be
> of very good quality. If you can find a kevlar windshield frame, I'd go
> with that, too. As for floorboards, you're going to have to cut the old
> out and put in your own material anyway, so that'll be up to you to find
> some decent replacement material (aircraft aluminum should work great).
> --
> Michael White "To protect people from the effects of folly is to
> fill the world with fools." -Herbert Spencer, 1891


'Glass or Kevlar for a windshield frame only works if you have a hard
top on all the time or no top. They do not work with soft tops. They
flex and the glass can fall out.

I got an aftermarket windshield frame and it is crap. Don't know the
maker. Too thin and the holes for the wipers aren't correct so the
linkage jams if you blink at it sideways. I had to cut the hole for the
drivers wiper out and use the one from my old frame.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

 

The aftermarket CJ fenders and windshield frame that I bought from Wyllys
Overland two years ago were thinner than the OEM parts. There must be
more than one stamping plant in operation.


On Sun, 15 Aug 2004, RoyJ wrote:

> The parts I got from J.C. Whitney a few years back were actualy thicker than
> the original and aluminized to boot. Downside is that there are some subtle
> variations from year to year on the Jeep, the relacement parts are a "one
> size fits all" I was replacing floorboards. The parts needed to be tweaked a
> bit to fit up correctly to the floor tunnel and firewall. I suspect the
> fenders would be less of a problem, they really only touch the body in a
> limited way. (Hard to get a flat surface too messed up!)
>
> Ervin Charles wrote:
>> Hey group,
>> I need to replace the front fenders, windshield frame, floorboard....etc
>> on my 86 CJ7. I am wondering about the quality of aftermarket parts from
>> distributors like "4 Wheel Drive" et. al.. I recently restored my wife's
>> 76
>> Super Beetle Convertible and the steel (?) replacement parts I had ordered
>> were much thinner gauge steel than the originals and most were a ****-poor
>> fit. Is this something I am going to have to deal with on my Jeep as well?
>> Would I be better off watching for usable steel on e-bay? Is there a
>> better
>> swap shop online somewhere? I would appreciate any input from you folks
>> that have already been down this road.
>> Thanks,
>> Charles E.
>> charleserv 'at' charter.net
>>
>>
>

 

The aftermarket CJ fenders and windshield frame that I bought from Wyllys
Overland two years ago were thinner than the OEM parts. There must be
more than one stamping plant in operation.


On Sun, 15 Aug 2004, RoyJ wrote:

> The parts I got from J.C. Whitney a few years back were actualy thicker than
> the original and aluminized to boot. Downside is that there are some subtle
> variations from year to year on the Jeep, the relacement parts are a "one
> size fits all" I was replacing floorboards. The parts needed to be tweaked a
> bit to fit up correctly to the floor tunnel and firewall. I suspect the
> fenders would be less of a problem, they really only touch the body in a
> limited way. (Hard to get a flat surface too messed up!)
>
> Ervin Charles wrote:
>> Hey group,
>> I need to replace the front fenders, windshield frame, floorboard....etc
>> on my 86 CJ7. I am wondering about the quality of aftermarket parts from
>> distributors like "4 Wheel Drive" et. al.. I recently restored my wife's
>> 76
>> Super Beetle Convertible and the steel (?) replacement parts I had ordered
>> were much thinner gauge steel than the originals and most were a ****-poor
>> fit. Is this something I am going to have to deal with on my Jeep as well?
>> Would I be better off watching for usable steel on e-bay? Is there a
>> better
>> swap shop online somewhere? I would appreciate any input from you folks
>> that have already been down this road.
>> Thanks,
>> Charles E.
>> charleserv 'at' charter.net
>>
>>
>

 

The aftermarket CJ fenders and windshield frame that I bought from Wyllys
Overland two years ago were thinner than the OEM parts. There must be
more than one stamping plant in operation.


On Sun, 15 Aug 2004, RoyJ wrote:

> The parts I got from J.C. Whitney a few years back were actualy thicker than
> the original and aluminized to boot. Downside is that there are some subtle
> variations from year to year on the Jeep, the relacement parts are a "one
> size fits all" I was replacing floorboards. The parts needed to be tweaked a
> bit to fit up correctly to the floor tunnel and firewall. I suspect the
> fenders would be less of a problem, they really only touch the body in a
> limited way. (Hard to get a flat surface too messed up!)
>
> Ervin Charles wrote:
>> Hey group,
>> I need to replace the front fenders, windshield frame, floorboard....etc
>> on my 86 CJ7. I am wondering about the quality of aftermarket parts from
>> distributors like "4 Wheel Drive" et. al.. I recently restored my wife's
>> 76
>> Super Beetle Convertible and the steel (?) replacement parts I had ordered
>> were much thinner gauge steel than the originals and most were a ****-poor
>> fit. Is this something I am going to have to deal with on my Jeep as well?
>> Would I be better off watching for usable steel on e-bay? Is there a
>> better
>> swap shop online somewhere? I would appreciate any input from you folks
>> that have already been down this road.
>> Thanks,
>> Charles E.
>> charleserv 'at' charter.net
>>
>>
>

 

The aftermarket CJ fenders and windshield frame that I bought from Wyllys
Overland two years ago were thinner than the OEM parts. There must be
more than one stamping plant in operation.


On Sun, 15 Aug 2004, RoyJ wrote:

> The parts I got from J.C. Whitney a few years back were actualy thicker than
> the original and aluminized to boot. Downside is that there are some subtle
> variations from year to year on the Jeep, the relacement parts are a "one
> size fits all" I was replacing floorboards. The parts needed to be tweaked a
> bit to fit up correctly to the floor tunnel and firewall. I suspect the
> fenders would be less of a problem, they really only touch the body in a
> limited way. (Hard to get a flat surface too messed up!)
>
> Ervin Charles wrote:
>> Hey group,
>> I need to replace the front fenders, windshield frame, floorboard....etc
>> on my 86 CJ7. I am wondering about the quality of aftermarket parts from
>> distributors like "4 Wheel Drive" et. al.. I recently restored my wife's
>> 76
>> Super Beetle Convertible and the steel (?) replacement parts I had ordered
>> were much thinner gauge steel than the originals and most were a ****-poor
>> fit. Is this something I am going to have to deal with on my Jeep as well?
>> Would I be better off watching for usable steel on e-bay? Is there a
>> better
>> swap shop online somewhere? I would appreciate any input from you folks
>> that have already been down this road.
>> Thanks,
>> Charles E.
>> charleserv 'at' charter.net
>>
>>
>

 

I'd expect that. I was pleasantly surprised when I measured the
thickness of the parts I got.

Lee Ayrton wrote:

>
> The aftermarket CJ fenders and windshield frame that I bought from
> Wyllys Overland two years ago were thinner than the OEM parts. There
> must be more than one stamping plant in operation.
>
>
> On Sun, 15 Aug 2004, RoyJ wrote:
>
>> The parts I got from J.C. Whitney a few years back were actualy
>> thicker than the original and aluminized to boot. Downside is that
>> there are some subtle variations from year to year on the Jeep, the
>> relacement parts are a "one size fits all" I was replacing
>> floorboards. The parts needed to be tweaked a bit to fit up correctly
>> to the floor tunnel and firewall. I suspect the fenders would be less
>> of a problem, they really only touch the body in a limited way. (Hard
>> to get a flat surface too messed up!)
>>
>> Ervin Charles wrote:
>>
>>> Hey group,
>>> I need to replace the front fenders, windshield frame,
>>> floorboard....etc
>>> on my 86 CJ7. I am wondering about the quality of aftermarket parts from
>>> distributors like "4 Wheel Drive" et. al.. I recently restored my
>>> wife's 76
>>> Super Beetle Convertible and the steel (?) replacement parts I had
>>> ordered
>>> were much thinner gauge steel than the originals and most were a
>>> ****-poor
>>> fit. Is this something I am going to have to deal with on my Jeep as
>>> well?
>>> Would I be better off watching for usable steel on e-bay? Is there a
>>> better
>>> swap shop online somewhere? I would appreciate any input from you folks
>>> that have already been down this road.
>>> Thanks,
>>> Charles E.
>>> charleserv 'at' charter.net
>>>
>>>
>>
>

 

I'd expect that. I was pleasantly surprised when I measured the
thickness of the parts I got.

Lee Ayrton wrote:

>
> The aftermarket CJ fenders and windshield frame that I bought from
> Wyllys Overland two years ago were thinner than the OEM parts. There
> must be more than one stamping plant in operation.
>
>
> On Sun, 15 Aug 2004, RoyJ wrote:
>
>> The parts I got from J.C. Whitney a few years back were actualy
>> thicker than the original and aluminized to boot. Downside is that
>> there are some subtle variations from year to year on the Jeep, the
>> relacement parts are a "one size fits all" I was replacing
>> floorboards. The parts needed to be tweaked a bit to fit up correctly
>> to the floor tunnel and firewall. I suspect the fenders would be less
>> of a problem, they really only touch the body in a limited way. (Hard
>> to get a flat surface too messed up!)
>>
>> Ervin Charles wrote:
>>
>>> Hey group,
>>> I need to replace the front fenders, windshield frame,
>>> floorboard....etc
>>> on my 86 CJ7. I am wondering about the quality of aftermarket parts from
>>> distributors like "4 Wheel Drive" et. al.. I recently restored my
>>> wife's 76
>>> Super Beetle Convertible and the steel (?) replacement parts I had
>>> ordered
>>> were much thinner gauge steel than the originals and most were a
>>> ****-poor
>>> fit. Is this something I am going to have to deal with on my Jeep as
>>> well?
>>> Would I be better off watching for usable steel on e-bay? Is there a
>>> better
>>> swap shop online somewhere? I would appreciate any input from you folks
>>> that have already been down this road.
>>> Thanks,
>>> Charles E.
>>> charleserv 'at' charter.net
>>>
>>>
>>
>

 

I'd expect that. I was pleasantly surprised when I measured the
thickness of the parts I got.

Lee Ayrton wrote:

>
> The aftermarket CJ fenders and windshield frame that I bought from
> Wyllys Overland two years ago were thinner than the OEM parts. There
> must be more than one stamping plant in operation.
>
>
> On Sun, 15 Aug 2004, RoyJ wrote:
>
>> The parts I got from J.C. Whitney a few years back were actualy
>> thicker than the original and aluminized to boot. Downside is that
>> there are some subtle variations from year to year on the Jeep, the
>> relacement parts are a "one size fits all" I was replacing
>> floorboards. The parts needed to be tweaked a bit to fit up correctly
>> to the floor tunnel and firewall. I suspect the fenders would be less
>> of a problem, they really only touch the body in a limited way. (Hard
>> to get a flat surface too messed up!)
>>
>> Ervin Charles wrote:
>>
>>> Hey group,
>>> I need to replace the front fenders, windshield frame,
>>> floorboard....etc
>>> on my 86 CJ7. I am wondering about the quality of aftermarket parts from
>>> distributors like "4 Wheel Drive" et. al.. I recently restored my
>>> wife's 76
>>> Super Beetle Convertible and the steel (?) replacement parts I had
>>> ordered
>>> were much thinner gauge steel than the originals and most were a
>>> ****-poor
>>> fit. Is this something I am going to have to deal with on my Jeep as
>>> well?
>>> Would I be better off watching for usable steel on e-bay? Is there a
>>> better
>>> swap shop online somewhere? I would appreciate any input from you folks
>>> that have already been down this road.
>>> Thanks,
>>> Charles E.
>>> charleserv 'at' charter.net
>>>
>>>
>>
>