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Front clip 97+

that does sound like the proper new header for your conversion... i assume you are aware of the body-line modifications you will need to make to make it look right? and there is a difference in the screws that hold the header to the forward edge of the fenders.. i think both styles use 2 screws on each side but they arent in the same location so you will only be able to use 2 of them (i looked over a rig with this conversion last year and some of the details are foggy now) i always wanted to do that mod to an MJ...
 
Yea I realize that I will need some new fenders as well. Right now my left fender is pretty banged up, so I'm just waiting for the other side to give in as well. Maybe I'll get those raised fenders though.... then again, they'd probably snap once I hit them on a tree/rock
 
RSalemi did this to his XJ, but reused his original fenders. He did a nice job blending the slightly different body lines with Bondo. That's a good price for a new header panel, BTW.
 
Does anyone happen to have any pictures of the process? I can figure out the bondo part if it comes down to it, but I'd rather see how some of these people went about changing the front clip. I might end up taking mine off to see how's it done. Then I just might go out to a junkyard and find the front clip and do the rest.
 
Suggest you go to parts yard for 97+ header complete - because you need the grille, parking and marker lights, etc. also the wiring plugs for the 4 parking/directional bulbs as they are different from the early lights. And a HD directional flasher as you will have 3 bulbs per side to flash, instead of the original 2.
I just filled the uper corner of the header with fiberglass and ground a flat on it to match the early fenders.
 
Oh, my mistake Bob. I thought you had blended the rounded contour of the header panel into the angled shape of the fender with Bondo.
 
So, there are three lights for each corner? I know that I only see 2 actual places to a light to shine from, so where is that third bulb hidden? Is it a double bulb setup for the front turn signal?
 
Yes - 2 bulbs in each turn signal (with different bulbs and sockets - so you need some splicing and connecting) You can't use the newer wiring harness ($117 from dealer) because it has a different multi-wire connector under the left headlite than the early XJ - so its easier and cheaper to splice in the parking lite sockets.
 
Lawn Cher' said:
Oh, my mistake Bob. I thought you had blended the rounded contour of the header panel into the angled shape of the fender with Bondo.
Click to expand...
He did. But the difference is enough that if he had just chamfered the upper/outer corner of the header panel he would have gone right through the material, so before mounting the header and fenders he filled in behind that corner with additional fiberglass so there would be enough solid material there when he recontoured the corner of the header to fair it into the fenders.
 
Eagle said:
He did. But the difference is enough that if he had just chamfered the upper/outer corner of the header panel he would have gone right through the material, so before mounting the header and fenders he filled in behind that corner with additional fiberglass so there would be enough solid material there when he recontoured the corner of the header to fair it into the fenders.
Click to expand...

I understand what he did, I just mistakenly thought he had added bondo to the fender on the outside at the chamfer and blended that into both the curved and flat geometry rather than the inside of the header panel to support removal of material from said component.
 
Here's a picture of what I want to accomplish

Bens8.jpg


Bens9.jpg
 
I would probably just end up doing the front clip and forgetting about all the trim for the bumpers and what not. And I'm thinking that I'm going to leave the fenders how they are too. If there is someway that a body shop could fix it for me if I've got a clip that isn't the same color so that it'll match the jeep, then I'd do it that way, and not even worry about it.
 
i would go with the early fenders.. have you noticed the newer style are about TWICE the cost of the older ones?? use the older ones and blend the corners.... i was also talking about RSALEMI's rig when i posted.. guess more people need to do this conversion.... maybe i will add it to my "list" for the new trail rig.... :yelclap:
 
sidriptide said:
i would go with the early fenders.. have you noticed the newer style are about TWICE the cost of the older ones?? use the older ones and blend the corners.... i was also talking about RSALEMI's rig when i posted.. guess more people need to do this conversion.... maybe i will add it to my "list" for the new trail rig.... :yelclap:
Click to expand...
97-01 fenders are about $100 ea. from an aftermarket supplier. How much are the earlier fenders?
 
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