Jerks Engineered Every Part

[Blake Noble]

Guess I should finally post an update here.

The green Jeep, obviously, is long gone. I eventually reached a point in the teardown process where I discovered the rust was far, far worse than I had initially realized and had to come to the conclusion it sadly wasn't much good for anything else other than a trail toy. So, I sold it to trade up to a better Jeep that I had found through AutoTrader at a small Chrysler dealer in Paris; this one was a solid '97 five-speed two-door model. Long story short, someone came in and snapped it up what could only have been hours before I showed up with the money.

From there, I sourced a cheap '98 four-door SE model missing a fender flare and stereo for $850 through Craigslist. It was driven by an older man and was well maintained for most of its life. Despite this, I was a little leary of buying another sub-thousand dollar XJ and wanted a night to think it over. When I finally decided to buy it, it too had already been snapped up.

So that finally brings me to what I've finally wound up with here. This is a rock-solid 2000 model Cherokee Sport in Desert Sand featuring the uncommon Selec-Trac NP242 transfer case with full-time four-wheel drive. It has a few niggles and it needs to be cleaned horribly, but it's been well taken care of for most of its life and (it's sad I'm happy to share this) I drove it home without any drama.

Third time's the charm I guess.

Edited July 16, 2013 by black-knight

[Intrepidation]

Wouldn't that technically be 4th? Anyway that Jeep at least doesn't look like a heap. Here's to no maggots, and a drive home that didn't require AAA!

[Blake Noble]

Wouldn't that technically be 4th? Anyway that Jeep at least doesn't look like a heap. Here's to no maggots, and a drive home that didn't require AAA!

Thanks, man.

This is the third XJ I've had, but the first that's actually fit to drive.

I had photos of how bad the rust ate away the floorpans of the '91, but I lost them when I had to restore my phone back to the factory default settings. After knocking the loose dirt and grit out of the pans with a wire brush and sanding them out, you could see a good amount of earth around the area where the rear leaf spring mounts welded to the driver and passenger side frame rails. Spending the money to fix something like that wasn't out of the question, but in the end it made more sense to just cut my losses and move on to another Jeep

In the end, though, I don't completely regret buying the other two XJs. They were both weren't terribly expensive in the end and turned out to be invaluable hands-on learning experiences in what to look for and consider when buying a decent Cherokee. Also, now that the dust's settled, I also feel pretty confident tinkering around with them. The 2000's power windows are sort of wacked-out, but I know how to fix them after working on them in the black '98 I had.

Edited July 16, 2013 by black-knight

[David]

Black-knight, that 2000 is a sweet ride, nice job it was clearly meant to be for you to have a drama free 4x4 back in your life. Enjoy it as I really like the style and think Jeep needs to remember not every Jeep needs to be a Jelly Bean.

[Blake Noble]

Well, I had to clean a whole can's worth of corn out of the Jeep today.

Lucky for me, it was still in the can.

I also found my rear view mirror.

Okay ... the real one is still in the Jeep, I just have to reattach it to the windshield.

Black-knight, that 2000 is a sweet ride, nice job it was clearly meant to be for you to have a drama free 4x4 back in your life. Enjoy it as I really like the style and think Jeep needs to remember not every Jeep needs to be a Jelly Bean.

Thank ya, sir.

I have to dig in a little more on the clean-up process tomorrow (shampoo the seats and brush the stupid dog hair out of the carpet) and blow the cobwebs out of the fuel system, but I don't think I've ever seen an XJ with over 200,000 miles this solid before. It doesn't even rattle, squeak, or clank over bumps!

And, yep, it's too bad Jeep didn't take this approach for the KL Cherokee ...

[Robert Hall]

Looks like a solid, non-worn out Jeep...good luck w/ it. How many miles?

Edited July 16, 2013 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[Blake Noble]

After driving it for a total of 60 miles today, it has 280,227 on the clock. I don't want to jinx my luck so far (this is a 0331 4.0L Cherokee after all), but this Jeep may just last for another 200,000 miles without any major problems. I do want to give most of the cooling system a thorough updating, however (flush and fill, then install a new lower main radiator hose, water pump, and thermostat). I don't think it's really needed, but it would be extra piece of mind.

I may have to make a trip to Hobby Lobby and buy some material (as long as it isn't the $h!ty stock rat fur stuff) to fix the headliner soon. It sags worse than a fifty year-old coke whore. It also likes to play with my hair like I would assume a fifty year-old coke whore would do as well.

I'll have some updated photos on here tomorrow. I still have more cleaning to do, but she's really shining up nice.

Edited July 18, 2013 by black-knight

[David]

Yea you do not need the rub of a 50 year old coke whore. Better to go with an amazon rub.

[Robert Hall]

Wow..that's a lot of miles..it's the same year as my Jeep, but with 135k more on the clock...

[Blake Noble]

Here are a few new photos.

First few are before I threw some Mother's Back to Black on the bumper end caps, ripped the crappy door guards off, and scrubbed the wheels down for the billionth time.

Here's an up-to-date pic after some further cleaning.

I'm stil not done with it yet. I'm going to spray the living crap out of the underside of it, try to clean the engine bay out, and clean the seats and carpet again to get the million year-old dog and kids smell out of the interior.

Wow..that's a lot of miles..it's the same year as my Jeep, but with 135k more on the clock...

I'll admit, the mileage was a little off-putting at first. The more I checked the Jeep out in depth, though, the more I could tell it really wasn't horribly abused. I'm almost convinced that someone was beyond determined to drive this Jeep until they were on their death bed. Like I said earlier, I've driven and owned XJs with fewer miles that were in far worse condition than this one.

Just for the record, this was the first XJ I bought, a '98 Cherokee Sport. It only had about 163,000 miles if I remember correctly and it already needed the top end of the motor rebuilt and a decent number of cosmetic problems sorted out. Granted it was only $450 dollars, but even still. It had fewer miles and it was in dire need of intensive care.

Just for the hell of it, here's what I managed to turn that Jeep into after a thousand gallons of elbow grease and a few hours with a socket set.

It's also neat that I have plenty of reciepts, warranty cards (for the aftermarket stuff), and all of the original books for my Jeep. That's just further proof that it came from a loving home. Usually, someone would've just thrown that stuff away or misplaced it by this point.

Edited July 19, 2013 by black-knight

[Intrepidation]

Need some tire shine on those old tires, also they have trim restoration kits that would help the back parts.

[Robert Hall]

Wow..that's a lot of miles..it's the same year as my Jeep, but with 135k more on the clock...

I'll admit, the mileage was a little off-putting at first. The more I checked the Jeep out in depth, though, the more I could tell it really wasn't horribly abused. I'm almost convinced that someone was beyond determined to drive this Jeep until they were on their death bed. Like I said earlier, I've driven and owned XJs with fewer miles that were in far worse condition than this one.

It's also neat that I have plenty of reciepts, warranty cards (for the aftermarket stuff), and all of the original books for my Jeep. That's just further proof that it came from a loving home. Usually, someone would've just thrown that stuff away or misplaced it by this point.

That's good to have...I've kept a file w/ 13 years of receipts on all the maintenance and repairs that have been done on mine. I do think about driving mine until it falls apart...150k is the next milestone, then 200k...or maybe I should trade it on a Prius as friends have recommended..

[David]

Wow..that's a lot of miles..it's the same year as my Jeep, but with 135k more on the clock...

I'll admit, the mileage was a little off-putting at first. The more I checked the Jeep out in depth, though, the more I could tell it really wasn't horribly abused. I'm almost convinced that someone was beyond determined to drive this Jeep until they were on their death bed. Like I said earlier, I've driven and owned XJs with fewer miles that were in far worse condition than this one.

It's also neat that I have plenty of reciepts, warranty cards (for the aftermarket stuff), and all of the original books for my Jeep. That's just further proof that it came from a loving home. Usually, someone would've just thrown that stuff away or misplaced it by this point.

That's good to have...I've kept a file w/ 13 years of receipts on all the maintenance and repairs that have been done on mine. I do think about driving mine until it falls apart...150k is the next milestone, then 200k...or maybe I should trade it on a Prius as friends have recommended..

:fryingpan: :fryingpan:

For the Prius WiseCrack!

[Robert Hall]

Wow..that's a lot of miles..it's the same year as my Jeep, but with 135k more on the clock...

I'll admit, the mileage was a little off-putting at first. The more I checked the Jeep out in depth, though, the more I could tell it really wasn't horribly abused. I'm almost convinced that someone was beyond determined to drive this Jeep until they were on their death bed. Like I said earlier, I've driven and owned XJs with fewer miles that were in far worse condition than this one.

It's also neat that I have plenty of reciepts, warranty cards (for the aftermarket stuff), and all of the original books for my Jeep. That's just further proof that it came from a loving home. Usually, someone would've just thrown that stuff away or misplaced it by this point.

That's good to have...I've kept a file w/ 13 years of receipts on all the maintenance and repairs that have been done on mine. I do think about driving mine until it falls apart...150k is the next milestone, then 200k...or maybe I should trade it on a Prius as friends have recommended..

:fryingpan: :fryingpan:

For the Prius WiseCrack!

Yeah, I don't think I'll be doing that...I'm leaning towards a Charger or 300 for my next ride...

[David]

Wow..that's a lot of miles..it's the same year as my Jeep, but with 135k more on the clock...

I'll admit, the mileage was a little off-putting at first. The more I checked the Jeep out in depth, though, the more I could tell it really wasn't horribly abused. I'm almost convinced that someone was beyond determined to drive this Jeep until they were on their death bed. Like I said earlier, I've driven and owned XJs with fewer miles that were in far worse condition than this one.

It's also neat that I have plenty of reciepts, warranty cards (for the aftermarket stuff), and all of the original books for my Jeep. That's just further proof that it came from a loving home. Usually, someone would've just thrown that stuff away or misplaced it by this point.

That's good to have...I've kept a file w/ 13 years of receipts on all the maintenance and repairs that have been done on mine. I do think about driving mine until it falls apart...150k is the next milestone, then 200k...or maybe I should trade it on a Prius as friends have recommended..

:fryingpan: :fryingpan:

For the Prius WiseCrack!

Yeah, I don't think I'll be doing that...I'm leaning towards a Charger or 300 for my next ride...

Very Cool, Both are Awesome cars!

[Blake Noble]

Yeah, I don't think I'll be doing that...I'm leaning towards a Charger or 300 for my next ride...

Trust me, though, you'll want to keep that WJ of yours regardless.

Need some tire shine on those old tires, also they have trim restoration kits that would help the back parts.

The Back to Black helped quite a bit, but I'll look into a restoration kit eventually. I'm not terribly worried about the front bumper end caps. The passenger side end cap does have a crack in it, so it'll have to be replaced ... or thrown away if I buy a winch/bumper combo from Quadratec. Ditto the tires. I've scrubbed the living hell out of them and gave them two good coatings of tire foam and that nasty red clay mud is still buried down in the rubber. They're on the block to be replaced after the coming winter months with a set of these:

Edited July 20, 2013 by black-knight

[Blake Noble]

You know, the old Cherokee Casablanca concept was kind of cool. Hmmmm ...

[GMTruckGuy74]

Gotta disagree with you there, black-knight. I find that "concept" a lame attempt at trying to breathe new life into an old model. The headlights alone look like Chinese-knockoffs bought from eBay

[Robert Hall]

I don't remember that concept..the lighting treatment reminds me of the Land Rover Defender, but reversed. Neat concept.

[Blake Noble]

Well, the old gal started running a little rough tonight and the CEL came on, so I swung by O'Reilly's and hooked it up to a reader. The scan came back with a misfire on cylinder three. Long story short, I bought a set of plugs and immediately changed out the number three spark plug. Problem solved. The CEL went off and she's running smooth again.

Why, exactly, did this happen? Because someone wanted the best of the best for my old XJ, they went ahead and put a set of Bosch Platinum 2 plugs in it. Believe it or not, many 4.0 I-6 engines don't like Bosch Platinum plugs and will burn through them. There's a hole where the electrode should be on the old spark plug. It's also my understanding the 4.0 requires a longer tipped plug for the best spark and the Bosch plugs are too short.

[Intrepidation]

Bosch plugs suck in Chrysler vehicles.

[David]

Gotta disagree with you there, black-knight. I find that "concept" a lame attempt at trying to breathe new life into an old model. The headlights alone look like Chinese-knockoffs bought from eBay

Specifically from Cherry Motors as I have seen them on their own cars when traveling there for business. I think the whole Concept was not well executed.

Bosch plugs suck in Chrysler vehicles.

Agree, Chrysler and Ford. I have found them to work fine in my Suburban, but other than GM, other auto's I have tried Bosch in have always not run very well with them.

[Drew Dowdell]

I stopped trying to be fancy with plugs for my old car. I had the NGK Iridiums in there and they ran no better than plain old AC Delco copper plugs at 1/4th the cost. I can gap and swap out the 8 plugs in under 20 minutes, so there is no point in buying the fancy plugs for me.

I suspect you'll find yourself in the same situation.

[David]

I would agree with you Drew, I think for most of us, we have found that the normal non fancy plugs work just fine. After I had gone through the fancy plugs and never really saw a difference in performance or mileage, I went back to the less expensive plugs. No need to waste money.

[Robert Hall]

Another electrical thingy to watch out for w/ the 4.0 is the coil packs...I had mine replaced at about 120k when it started running roughly on 4 or 5 cylinders.

[Drew Dowdell]

I would agree with you Drew, I think for most of us, we have found that the normal non fancy plugs work just fine. After I had gone through the fancy plugs and never really saw a difference in performance or mileage, I went back to the less expensive plugs. No need to waste money.

The need for the fancy plugs is generally on newer cars where the plugs are difficult to access or in the case of the Hemi, an engine 2 plugs per cylinder. In those situations, you really do want a 100k mile plug. On cars like my Olds or these Jeeps where it is a 20 minute job with a socket wrench and a gap tool, there really isn't much point to them.

[Intrepidation]

Get the the plugs that your vehicle came with from the factory. Manufactures spent millions in R&D to develop the vehicle and chose the plug they found worked best for that application. My car came with NGK Laser Platinum ZFR5LP-13G, and that's what goes in it when they are changed.

[Blake Noble]

Well, the damn cylinder three misfire code reared its ugly head again last night on the way home from work. As an added bonus, it brought a friend: a code for an open circuit on fuel injector three.

So, I'm going to chuck the whole Jeep. Stupid piece of crap. It's up on Craigslist right now and I hope I never see it again.

Just kidding. I think I've got a good idea of what could be going on here.

Theory one (most likely): It's a bad fuel injector, so spend about $100 bucks (that's parts and labor since I don't have exactly the tools to work on the fuel injection system lying around) to have the faulty injector replaced. I'm going to pull the coil pack and the number three spark plug to check for any fouling or carbon build up. If there is, then I'll feel even more certain about replacing the injector.

Theory two (also likely): Many XJ Cherokees produced between 2000 to 2001 have "heat soak" issues. Basically, because fuel injector three is so close to the exhaust manifold, the heat coming from the mainfold combined with an already hot engine (a heat soaked engine) will sometimes cause fuel to vaporize within the injector and then a subsequent misfire (so, basically, this is sort of like vapor lock just with a newer engine).

Theory three (less likely, but still likely): It's a bad coil pack. I know my local Advance Auto liked pushing that idea when I had them read the code this time. I mean, I know how a bad coil pack could cause a misfire on that cylinder, but it doesn't explain the fuel injector. Alternatively, it could be a bad Camshaft or Crankshaft Positioning Sensor, but I'm not betting money here since the Jeep doesn't have any major stalling or sputtering going on.

I also bought some repair and restore items for the old Jeeper today.

Fun stuff should be in the pipeline after I get this engine hiccup sorted out.

Edited July 24, 2013 by black-knight

[Robert Hall]

I think I've replaced coil packs, fuel injectors, crankshaft and camshaft positioning sensors on my 4.0L over the last 5 years. The scariest was one of the positioning sensors--70mph on the freeway and it just shut off...no check engine light, no warning...

[Drew Dowdell]

Plug wires would be my next call.

[Blake Noble]

Plug wires would be my next call.

I wish I were that lucky. For 2000, the 4.0 went to a distributorless ignition system. The coil pack is overall easier and cheaper to replace than a distributor and wires, but it makes plug changes and inspections a headache.

[Blake Noble]

The injector is bad, or at least that's how it's turning out so far. Used the old "screwdriver as a stethoscope" trick to listen to each injector and the number three injector doesn't sound ... healthy, I guess?

Edited July 26, 2013 by black-knight

[David]

I wonder if it is really a bad injector or just a dirty partially clogged one that needs a professional cleaning. Here in Seattle we have Dr. Injector and he has saved me a ton of money. My daughters Durango was acting like a bad injector and the dodge dealership wanted to replace them all at over 1K plus tax and doctor injector did an assesment of the injectors and recommended a professional cleaning was all that was needed and to stop using arco gas. Just under $500 including tax later and 3yrs down the road and it still drives great.

I have come to the assessment that dealerships have turned true mechanics into parts changers with no real troubleshooting skills to understand what the problem really is. I do not know what all is included in the so called ASE certification in regards to actual troubleshooting skills training to really fix problems, but except for my cadillac dealership which has a clearly older mechanic base, experiance at chevy, ford and dodge of the last few years has not been good from a repair stand point.

[Blake Noble]

I've already had the injectors cleaned, so that's out. I'm going to inspect the harness running from the injector and possibly replace it along with the injector.

[Drew Dowdell]

Can you swap injectors? See if the sound moves or if it stays in the same spot.

[Blake Noble]

I wasn't able to, but the injector change seems to have worked for now.

Now I have a busted driver's side rear brake line to deal with and loose flex plate bolts.

I also removed the console and seats today to clean the carpet. I never, ever want to do that job again. Ever. I should have worn a fricking HAZMAT suit, it was that much of a disaster area. The odor of pet urine was almost overwhelming after I removed the back seat. I also discovered a mouse had made the HVAC duct work its home for a period of time. I had old Honey Comb cereal in my vents. It's clean now, though, and it's going to stay that way.

I'm also convinced that this Jeep doesn't have 280,000 miles. Honestly. I'm going to pull the DMV records on it and see if the cluster was swapped out for a higher mileage cluster at some point before I bought it. The more I work with this Jeep, the more I believe it's more like a 180,000 mile vehicle. This Jeep needed intensive cleaning and a few odds and ends, but I've been sailing way too smooth so far to be dealing with a vehicle with almost 300,000 miles on it. I know I have a reciept showing this Jeep only hit the 100,000 mile mark in '06 or so. Something doesn't add up.

Edited July 29, 2013 by black-knight

[David]

Other than the cleaning issues, I really do hope it continues to be a smooth sailing project for you. We all deserve a break and a smooth sailing project in our life.

[Drew Dowdell]

For the price you paid, I'd even consider an entire upholstery swap out..... but this is coming from a guy who would swap out the leather seat covers on an avalanche because they have a few cracks.

[David]

My 2006 Escalade ESV leather seats still look amazing with no cracks after 125,000 miles. Even still smells kinda new when I get in it. Course I do not smoke and mostly just drink, rarely eat in the SUV.

[Drew Dowdell]

this is just from my current shopping... I notice a lot of Avalanches have leather seats with cracks in them... so I priced out the cost of OEM replacement leather.

[David]

this is just from my current shopping... I notice a lot of Avalanches have leather seats with cracks in them... so I priced out the cost of OEM replacement leather.

Is it real leather? I have been told that Cadillac uses real leather but Chevy used pleather or how ever you spell fake leather?

[Blake Noble]

Fix one thing, another thing breaks. I spliced a new hard line in to fix the bad brake line (the hard line busted right around where it screws in to the bracket that holds up and mates it to the soft line), now I have the oddest stalling and sputtering issue along with what I still suspect is a rattling flex plate. I spoke too soon about sailing smooth, but whatever. I'll navigate through the choppy waters.

If the Jeep has less than an 1/8th of a tank, I've noticed that it will randomly buck at highway speed (55 to 60 miles per hour) and stall at a dead stop. It will also randomly die and somehow revive itself while driving at speeds of less than 40 to 45 miles per hour, especially with light throttle (it's speedy about waking back up if you depress the throttle about half way and tap it a few times). I'm not sure if I have a filthy IAC sensor, nasty throttle body, faulty TPS, or a lethargic fuel pump. It defintely seems fuel related to me, and the PCM doesn't store any codes when the Jeep takes one of these epileptic episodes. There's a remote chance that this could be caused by a (suspected) faulty flex plate, the CKS, or the CPS.

As for that flex plate, I'm not 100 percent certain about it. I'm confident there's a light clacking sound coming from somewhere underneath the Jeep where the engine and transmission meet, but it also sounds like a clogging cat or possibly a bad main bearing. Thoughts?

[Drew Dowdell]

Stalling at less than a 1/8th tank could just be a fuel gauge out of calibration. 1/8th is your new E.

[Blake Noble]

The thought certainly crossed my mind.

I should add that the random stalling/restart issue while driving below highway speeds seems to happen regardless of whatever the tank has in it.

[Robert Hall]

Sounds also like it could be a clogged fuel filter...I had an issue like that w/ my Mustang GT years ago. When my Jeep had the problem w/ the CPS it didn't throw any codes, just died randomly.

Edited August 6, 2013 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[Blake Noble]

Well, I decided to have the muffler and cat replaced and it seems to have cleared up the hiccuping issues I mentioned so far. It's also nice to have a decent muffler again. I knew the exhaust needed a mild overhaul when I bought the Jeep, but original muffler had begun to rot away on the top facing the floorpan in a way that was impossible to initally see.

In any case, I believe I will have the fuel pump/filter replaced (since it's all one part on later model XJs) at some point in the near future just be on the safe side, but so far I'm sailing smooth again. Plus, with the new high flow cat and the Dynamax Turbo, the exhaust note sounds nice and throaty now, especially at idle. Eventually, I'll have the header, downpipe, and tailpipe replaced and it'll sound that much better.

[Blake Noble]

Forgot to add, I am getting very close to getting into "the good stuff" for this Jeep. My rear leaf springs look pretty saggy, sooooo ...

[Drew Dowdell]

make sure it is running right first

[David]

Partial clog cat can cause the die issue you were having. Glad to hear it is doing much better. I have to replace the whole exhaust on my Suburban. Leaks and it is straight thru pipe with Muffler tips. The wife says it is tooooo noisy.

[Blake Noble]

Update: the stalling and sputtering issues came back after the exhaust upgrades, so I decided to weed out the possible parts that could cause the problem. I bought a new crankshaft positioning sensor from O'Reilly and had it installed ... only for the Jeep to run worse. It no longer stalled or sputtered, but there was a horrific loss of power, terrible bucking while kicking down to accelerate, and the CEL was on with a "Loss of Camshaft Crank" code. Turns out, the cheap Chinese crank sensor O'Reilly sold me was defective out of the box, so I returned it. Luckily (?), they were out of stock of that particular brand of sensor and gave me the better Borg-Warner one. That fixed the problem for good. I think within the next 5,000 to 10,000 miles I'm going to go ahead and replace the camshaft positioning sensor for good measure as well.

After that, I used a can of Seafoam to clean out the upper part of the motor, the block, and the fuel system (one-third of the can to each location). It runs a lot smoother now, it's improved the fuel economy, and there's a noticble power gain. I was expecting a massive half-hour smoke show, but it only took 5 to 7 minutes for the Seafoam to clean everything out and the smoke to go away. I guess the old 4.0 wasn't as dirty inside as I had expected.

Of course, since I ran the Seafoam through the crankcase and drove it for about 50 miles, I need to change the oil. It certainly isn't reading as full as it did before the Seafoam treatment and it's pretty filthy. I started to do that this morning only to find out that whoever changed the oil last over torqued the damn drain plug down.

That also brings me to my next open question. I've read from dozens of XJ owners that Shell Rotella 10W30 is an excellent motor oil to use in the 4.0 and the additives in it helps to quiet down noisy lifters and so on. I have also heard that some people will run it in gasoline engines built for racing. However, Rotella is an oil designed for diesel engines. Think it would be wise to stick with a good synthetic motor oil or would it be worth giving the Rotella a shot?

Anyway, I think the old 4.0 will make it for at least another 20,000 miles before it's time to tear the motor down and rebuild it. I've driven the Jeep for a total of 1,200 miles since I bought it last month (roughly 150 miles on the new sensor) and I feel 85 percent confident in its reliability (100 percent when it comes to durability, that's for sure). I think it's time to get on with restoring the old girl.

In other news, disaster struck the Charger a couple of weeks ago.

Okay, so it didn't get totalled, but it was still enough to boil my blood. A simple spray off at a local car wash sprayed off more than just dirt. It took two nice strips of paint off of my front bumper.

I have very good reason to believe someone repainted the front bumper at some point in this car's life and did a crappy job at it. After I got home that night, I ran my hand over the front bumper and felt the texture of the paint. It was rough as sandpaper, which leads me to believe someone resprayed the paint but didn't bother with clear or anything else. Anyway, I had it properly fixed for $100 bucks by the shop that painted the Cutlass.

See? Good as new.

Edited August 17, 2013 by black-knight