I don't think anyone has a hard top for it. I have a soft top. I have a warn all range overdrive in it. It was one of the last ones made.
it had its last frame off done around 2007.
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Badlands to Heritage Grille Swap -- part number, purchasing, painting, installing
it had its last frame off done around 2007.
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- #17
That rig is awesome...and I bet it tows behind an RV like it isn't even there...does it weigh in the mid 2s?I don't think anyone has a hard top for it. I have a soft top. I have a warn all range overdrive in it. It was one of the last ones made.
it had its last frame off done around 2007.
If I recall it weighs in around 2400. It is an easy tow. originally all you have to do is put the transfer case in neutral and off you go. Then I added rear floating hubs to my Dana 44 and if you look you can see locking hubs in the rear. This way it easily free wheels.
5:38 axle ratio and a low range that is slower than you walk.
It is beyond simple. horrible to drive down the highway but off road it can get stuck where nobody else can get to you.
You know back in the day we thought a Cj7 was a long wheelbase. My 2 door bronco is a land yacht next to the Willy's. Same with a new wrangler.
I was jealous of the Fj's because they had windows, doors and a heater. Plush, plush plush. And they were the monsters on the trail. Back in the day those Fj's were awesome and full of comfort. The gen 1 Fords had "the bronco hop" and if the they got the front end bouncing on a hill it would become a ride.
My user name should be "Lots O Fords and a jeep."
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- #19
I had an old CJ5 and a CJ7 and an LJ and a JK...and a '69 FJ. The earlier rigs definitely were not very confidence-inspiring on the street, but I'm glad that my newest FJ as features that make it nearly as easy to drive as the Bronco. The steering configuration with the PSC steering box and the rame assist and the heavy duty tie rod that's located above the spring equates to no bump steer and no death wobble...even at 75 mph. Joy!
Well, you know what the old ones are like with that list of vehicles for sure. Your drive them down the road, you don't ride in them. As some would say, you participate in the general direction of travell.
To have the Fj drive down the road like that has got to be a joy. I guess when an older simple vehicle can become a retro-rod, meaning it has the stuff that makes the vehicle more useful while preserving the classic style and as we both agree, simplicity is a win win.
So for the gen 6 bronco we can change the grill to give us old school provided proper air flow, sensor placement, camera etc., and on the oldies we can change steering without an app or scan tool. You just gotta love the classics.
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With a nod to the technology I'm going to miss from the Bronco I'm adding a rear view mirror to the FJ with a rear camera and a front camera and GPS. Anyone who has a big spare on the back or even a medium sized spare in the back knows what it's like to be trying to see what's going on behind you in your rearview mirror...and it'll be cool to have a front camera that I can mount wherever I want and be able to switch views in that rearview mirror. I don't have cruise or blind spot monitoring or lane departure warnings, but there's a trade off with most things we do.
Just to confirm, I've got a 23 Badlands High package. Am I missing any needed parts to swap over to the Heritage grille?
1x W713407-S439 Grille Clip
9x W707501-S900 PAL nut
1x M2DZ-8312-A Deflector
1x W713407-S439 Grille Clip
9x W707501-S900 PAL nut
1x M2DZ-8312-A Deflector
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From my list I have all that plus bracket M2DZ-8A154-AA
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- #24
That should do it...grille, deflector, bracket, clip, pal nuts, letters. Are you painting the grille (it comes in black primer) and the letters (they come in red)?
I liked the factory finish of the grill on my Black Diamond but I am also considering gloss black on the Cactus Gray. Keeping the original red letters. I work at a Ford dealer and it looks like all that comes out to 799 including tax
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- #26
Youch...what kind of discount do you get? I have no affiliation with Ford but just typing in the part number yielded pretty decent prices for even non-employees:
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- Badlands
Did I miss the pictures of the final product amongst all of the <gag> Jeep pictures?I have a Badlands and was never in love with my grille...and I was jealous of the base model grille simplicity/retro vibe. Unfortunately the base grille didn't have a camera provision, and I was hoping for small Ford letters versus the Bronco letters. I had been searching for an alternative, and just about the time Xipex released their white retro grille (and I was waiting for them to become available) I realized the Heritage grille was added to the Ford parts catalog.
While it was on infinite backorder, I did some research and found that along with the grille a rear support bracket was required...and the Ford letters. Unlike many if not most of the aftermarket grilles, the OEM grilles have rear brackets that not only structurally support the upper portion of the OEM grilles but also direct airflow. They also differ by grille shape. For example, if you have a base model, your bracket should fit the Heritage grille because the holes in the grille are the same. The Badlands is different so I was on the hook for buying the bracket.
I used the Bronco6g discount at Ruxer Ford and bought the grille, letters, and bracket. I later realized I also need 9 5mm PAL nuts to secure the letters to the grille...and bought them from a local dealer (at full price, unfortunately). While my parts were shipping I learned a lot about preparing ABS plastic for painting (I know a lot of members like white on the Heritage grille, but I prefer a dull black).
After an informative conversation with a representative from SEM, I went with SEM Plastic/Leather Cleaner and SEM Sand Free. The grille is molded in black, and appears as if it can simply be bolted on without painting, but it apparently is primed. When I used the SEM cleaner, I was initially concerned because the surface started to get gummy...but then I realized that either primer or a mold release agent (or both) was slowly coming off on the rag. I soon realized that the most effective technique was spraying the rag, not the grille, and rubbing (a lot) until all the coating was off (which took some time).
The easier part is spraying the SEM Sand Free adhesion promoter and then the paint (while the promoter is still wet). For paint, I went with 1-stage 2k SprayMax Hot Rod Black. They have a patent on the can that mixes the paint and the catalyst.
Pics of the grill and bracket reference and PNs:
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That's a drag that you're an employee and they're charging you more than they are just the average person on the internet that just types in that part number and gets it from whatever site happens to be selling it at the lowest price...but if you don't have to pay for shipping then that leaves you coming out ahead!
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- #30
Ha ha JEEP...it looked like this:Did I miss the pictures of the final product amongst all of the <gag> Jeep pictures?
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