I love my Wrangler. I’m using the word love here. heh. (That’s a riff from a line used by Jack Nicholson in “As Good As It Gets“). Anyway, I bought my Jeep last August and have made a number of changes to it. I tinted the glass, upgraded the engine intake, tweaked the ECM, installed a gas tank door, installed a locking gas cap, installed billet pedals, installed a heavy-duty hood lock, installed wheel locks, covered my spare with “Life is Good”, installed an alarm system, installed Lo/Jack, and applied custom decals just above the “Wrangler” logo. The decals were the best addition; I designed them myself using Adobe Illustrator, had them printed by a company specializing in vehicle decals out of Brooklyn, NY, and applied them myself. Overall, I have had a blast upgrading the Jeep and doing the work myself. There are some things I haven’t been able to do like Lo/Jack or the alarm system, but hey… there are some things best left to the pros. No matter what though, it’s a total high!! (And for all you cool teenagers… it’s a natural one.)
Lately, one of the things I have wanted to do the most was upgrade the wheels. After all, I bought a Yellow Jeep. With the exception of the wheels, everything is yellow and black. As my buddy says, “go for the hornet color scheme”. (Words on a blog don’t do that line justice!) I agree. Well, I took the Jeep over to Discount Tire Company and had 20″ G-FX black wheels installed with new 32″ BF Goodrich A/T’s. Oh they are so awesome! Now the Jeep doesn’t have a trace of silver; everything is yellow and black, just like a hornet. The paint is yellow, the decals are black, the handles are black, the windows are black, and the top is black. It is sweet. Pimp works too. HA!
Hornet Wrangler
20" Black Wheels
Now that the wheels are done, I have more I want to do. I want to upgrade the front bumper, install a winch, add Bluetooth and iPod Integration, and upgrade the sound system. I also want a soft top for the summer, an upgraded exhaust system, and a CB radio. Yep. I figure I have another $10K worth of stuff to do. It’s fun because I take every upgrade a little at a time. It is really cool to see it go from “stock” to “one-of-a-kind”. That “one-of-a-kind” thing carries a lot of weight to me because I will never sell it. Ever. Of course, I will be more than happy to pass it on to my son or daughter with the caveat that they never sell it either.
So how much longer until summer?! It can’t come fast enough. I want to hit the trails (treading lightly, of course!) with the top down, a winch at the bow, a gal at my side (or heck, she can drive!), and nothing but mother nature surrounding us. Then, when we get to the end of the trail, hike up to the top. Is that asking too much?! Nah! Bring it on.