Slate Website / Configurator Update + New Accessories and Parts

[E90400K]

You got that right!

But maybe you got your naming wrong? The Wrangler model codes were YJ to TJ to JK to JL. The mid-sized Cherokee was coded XJ.

YJ. Apologies. Rusty old man memory. 1st Gen Wrangler with the squares.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

YJ. Apologies. Rusty old man memory. 1st Gen Wrangler with the squares.

No worries. Those YJs weren't initially accepted as 'real' Jeeps but now are hard to find.

 

[E90400K]

No worries. Those YJs weren't initially accepted as 'real' Jeeps but now are hard to find.

Yeah, major brain flatulence on my part. Not sure why Mopar went with the square (really rectangle) headlights for the first Wrangler. Maybe just to distant it from the CJ's and their perceived propensity to flip over. But I swapped in some Hella Euro H4's with 80/100W bulbs, which vastly improved night driving. It WAS a real Jeep, regardless. IMO, the current Wranglers are too fancy (like my Bronco too) for trail beating.

We took our YJ to many times to New England for wintertime road trips and the salt just ate the thing to death. It looked like the Titanic underneath. The beauty of the YJ was you could beat on it on the trails and not really care, and the canvas top was so simple. I wish I could have kept it, but it was just getting too unsafe to drive on road trips.

My Gen6 Bronco will never see salt and I do not intend to beat it up on the trails, its too nice and it cost too much - LOL.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Yeah, major brain flatulence on my part. Not sure why Mopar went with the square (really rectangle) headlights for the first Wrangler. Maybe just to distant it from the CJ's and their perceived propensity to flip over. But I swapped in some Hella Euro H4's with 80/100W bulbs, which vastly improved night driving. It WAS a real Jeep, regardless. IMO, the current Wranglers are too fancy (like my Bronco too) for trail beating.

We took our YJ to many times to New England for wintertime road trips and the salt just ate the thing to death. It looked like the Titanic underneath. The beauty of the YJ was you could beat on it on the trails and not really care, and the canvas top was so simple. I wish I could have kept it, but it was just getting too unsafe to drive on road trips.

My Gen6 Bronco will never see salt and I do not intend to beat it up on the trails, its too nice and it cost too much - LOL.

1. Remember, the YJ Wrangler debuted in March 1986 for the 1987 model year, right about when Chrysler took ownership of the brand. All the design decisions were made by AMC. Besides, I think the CJ was among the last road vehicles to still have round headlights...
2. CJs had weak spring shackles up front that under certain hard turns, would collapse, change the geometry of the steering and lead to a catastrophic rollover. Later reports showed that the track tests demonstrating how the CJ series would roll over were done under unrealistic driving conditions and extreme steering maneuvers. Still, these tests led to some positive changes in the YJ...
3. Absolutely it was a REAL JEEP! The suspension landed between the CJ and the XJ and led to the development of coil springs for the TJ, largely considered a big step forward in comfort, handling and flexibility. Also the YJ body tub fit the CJ, and many were rescued with a YJ tub transplant.
4. So many former Jeep owners wish they still had theirs. I get it - I kept mine! Too many good memories & miles together to let it go easily. I'm lucky to have a Jeep enthusiast garage nearby who helped restore it and get it back on the road.

And despite all that, I'd still consider trading it for a Slate. If they ever make it to production...