OK, I took the plunge last week and bought myself a Jeep Wrangler. Nothing fancy, a 1999 Sport with 122K miles. Its in very good shape judging from the number of other 98 & 99's I looked at before bringing this one home. I also took the advice of members of this board and made sure it had the Dana 44 rear with 3.73 gears, 5 Speed, 6cyl. It also has a Hard Top and a decent stereo system. Teh tires are almost new, the battery brand new, its been mostly garage kept and only had 1 previous female owner. This is also my first Jeep so I an a new convert as well.
Here are some of my newbie questions, please feel free to share your advice.
1) The New Tires are 31" x 10.5"and there is no lift, is it possible that these rub when the wheel is fully turned? I definately hear somehting going on when the wheel is fully turned, Is that a big problem, safety wise? Will a body lift fix this (I know please don't cream me about body lifts, if it will help this and be cheap then I may have to add an inch or 2).2) The spare is undersized. It looks like a 29" but is definately smaller then the 31"s. Is this an issue I need to address before I get a flat, will driving on the undersized spare wreck anything?
3) Has anyone used anything to brighten up the oxidized fender & flares? I assume they were black once and are now chalky grey. I see that there are some products out there but don't want to waste my time or money unless I know its been done. Is it cooler to just keep that faded worn in look?4) One of the AC knobs came off of the the opnly replacements I see at Quadratec are $50 for a set of aluminum ones. Is there a way for me to order cheap plastic knobs online or is it something I would need to get from a dealer or salvage yard?
Thanks for reading my questions and offering advice if your in the mood