So, when I started in on this whole Jeep transformation project, Harry found a source in Austin for a whole bunch of cool Jeep stuff. I bought a whole Jeep so I could harvest the 304 V8 & TF999 automatic transmission to upgrade my Jeep’s drivetrain, and wound up sending the ‘leftovers’ home with Dave for a project of his own. When Harry and I went to pick up the Jeep, I also grabbed an early YJ Hardtop (with bigger glass) so I could upgrade the top on mine. Dave found me a set of late-model ‘paddle handle’ doors, and that got me just that much closer to where I want mine to be. Well, Dave didn’t want my old top and doors, instead opting for a YJ half-door and soft top set-up like he had on his ’92 YJ Islander (knowing Dave would want them, I snagged a set of YJ half-doors when we picked up the Jeep from Austin.

So my Jeep’s in the carport with its original top and doors lookin’ all spiffy.

Since I got my new top and doors, I no longer needed my originals, and Dave didn’t want them. Harry asked if he could get them for a future project, and along with my old rims and tires, he now owes me $600.

Here we are with the new Pro Comp 069 rims and 35×12.50 Swamper SSRs (March 2022)

Fast forward to May of this year, and for some reason, Dave is now wanting a hard top and full doors. Well, Harry still hasn’t paid me for my wheels, top and doors, so let’s pay him a visit. Suffice it to say, Harry hasn’t gotten anywhere on that project he mentioned, and has realized that retirement pay is substantially less than he was making before… so, we took the doors and top back. Unfortunately, Harry left the top out in his back yard and the doors, while tucked away inside his barn, he’s managed to lose the striker plates and hardware needed to function properly.

Dave wasted no time getting busy with the doors, but they were pretty ragged compared to how nice there where when I first took them over the Harry’s.

Lesson learned: If you want something to age/look old rapidly, take it over to Harry’s and let him store it for a bit.

Sometime soon, I’ll be getting a double kit of U-POL RaptorLiner, which we’ll wind up doing both tops, and I’ll finally paint those paddle-handle doors to match. Dave’s already working on stripping down and repainting these doors. Just gotta find some strikers now.