Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler YJ engine mounts

Why is there so much hate against YJ square headlight Jeeps?

Fendert65 said:
The purest didn’t like it and felt Jeep was going in a direction that was geared towards the market and not staying true to their origins. A lot of people labeled it the Yuppie Jeep. At least that’s the story I’ve been told.
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"Yuppie Jeep"? That sounds like most JKs and Unlimiteds on the road today, at least where I live. People hardly ever take the doors or tops off the newer models, and many I see are driving around the summer with the windows up and AC on. All dolled up with big tires and accessories that havent seen dirt. They shouldve just bought an Audi convertible- they're almost as costly. Me? I love the simplicity of my 95. No top, no doors year round. I'll take my truck if the weather is bad.
 
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In life you'll find that's the case on many old VS new styles of types. Take BMW air head bikes, The Old school Iron butt winner. The new junk cant even finish the race these days. The original bevel drive Ducati engine, the HD shovelhead, or even EVO motor. lets go back to the days of the Dana 60'ied ,iron cased trans and T Case trucks. Sure the new group of "super duty" stuff is far ahead of the old days of the mid 80ies chevy K10/20/30 with a whopping 155hp 350. The towing capabilities etc and they also cost $65,000+. The dark days as I call them. Last new truck I bought was in 07 and it cost me $24000 off the lot. The XR600 I raced in the Dist 37 desert series in the 80ies was under $1700 new. Now what, $9000 for a CRF 450? You get the picture, Think "KISS", "Keep It Simple Stupid". I'll keep my YJ and its square, or shall we say rectangular head and tail lights.
 
They did to Jeeps what they did to pickup trucks, turned them into cushy oversized cars. A pickup used to be the cheapest thing you could buy, now they're like buying a vacation house. Other than general snape/size, there's very little if anything truck about them.

Just what they did to the Jeep, removed the utility from the utility vehicle. "It's what the public wanted." Mmm... it's what you realized you could sell more of, is that the same thing? And I don't really care if people want to buy cushy Jeeps or pickups, but I do care that there's no option or replacement for what they used to be (and the price scale they used to occupy).

A couple people, when they first saw my YJ said "there's nothing in it!?" (meaning no interior) I said... Yeah, that's what I like about it!
 
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cas said:
They did to Jeeps what they did to pickup trucks, turned them into cushy oversized cars. A pickup used to be the cheapest thing you could buy, now they're like buying a vacation house. Other than general snape/size, there's very little if anything truckabout them.

Just what they did to the Jeep, removed the utility from the utility vehicle. "It's what the public wanted." Mmm... it's what you realized you could sell more of, is that the same thing? And I don't really care if people want to buy cushy Jeeps or pickups, but I do care that there's no option or replacement for what they used to be (and the price scale they used to occupy).

A couple people, when they first saw my YJ said "there's nothing in it!?" (meaning no interior) I said... Yeah, that's what I like about it!
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You got that right, there's no more buying a truck or a jeep with just a heater and a radio.
 
Around 1980 or so I bought my first 4x4 truck. The seller, a friend of my dads, wanted a new CJ. I remember him telling us he was angry because a passenger seat in the CJ was an option.
 
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My passengers seat bracket is driving me crazy with all the noise it makes, a bi-product of a now quieter exhaust system. I'm getting ready to take the passengers seat out, to start removing the bed liner and start preparing to fix the rusted floor on the passengers side. That's when it dawned on me, if I take the passenger's seat out... I don't need to fix the floor. ;)
 
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cas said:
My passengers seat bracket is driving me crazy with all the noise it makes, a bi-product of a now quieter exhaust system. I'm getting ready to take the passengers seat out, to start removing the bed liner and start preparing to fix the rusted floor on the passengers side. That's when it dawned on me, if I take the passenger's seat out... I don't need to fix the floor. ;)
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I can't stand a rattle, that's why I had to replace my whole exhaust system.
 
My 1989 Islander cost 12 K new, 25k in 2021 dollars. I paid 7K for mine used in 91. List price for a 2021 Islander is 35k. 10K more in options I guess.
 
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Bucky said:
My 1989 Islander cost 12 K new, 25k in 2021 dollars. I paid 7K for mine used in 91. List price for a 2021 Islander is 35k. 10K more in options I guess.
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Yea, with the new Jeeps, you get a lot more tech and the advancment in automotive engineering has advanced at a rate that’s insane.

Horsepower, torque, lack of vibrations, lack of harshness, and lack of road noise. Some would say it’s a good thing, others will disagree.
 
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The rectangle headlights is what sets the YJ apart from all others. It's controversial but those of us Jeepers that love our YJ's are hardcore about them. My boy Stitch is a 93 and he is hands down my favorite Jeep. I've had many but there's something about the look of those "Squares". They said back in the day that the YJ stood for YUPPIE JEEP. As far as I'm concerned all these 4 door "Wranglers" are the Yuppie Jeeps. People are buying them for the name and they know nothing of the Jeepers Brother/Sisterhood. I wave at my Jeep brothers and sisters, we are Family ;)
To be honest, I wouldn't be caught dead in a 4 door Jeep that wasn't a Cherokee or Liberty or the like that were MEANT to be 4 door. These new 4 door things are NOT WRANGLERS! Just like that new Gladiator isn't a Gladiator prior to this new year where they actually made it look like a Gladiator. All previous models are SCRAMBLERS!!! NOT GLADIATORS! But, again, to each their own.
 
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JeepaholicGypsy said:
The rectangle headlights is what sets the YJ apart from all others. It's controversial but those of us Jeepers that love our YJ's are hardcore about them. My boy Stitch is a 93 and he is hands down my favorite Jeep. I've had many but there's something about the look of those "Squares". They said back in the day that the YJ stood for YUPPIE JEEP. As far as I'm concerned all these 4 door "Wranglers" are the Yuppie Jeeps. People are buying them for the name and they know nothing of the Jeepers Brother/Sisterhood. I wave at my Jeep brothers and sisters, we are Family ;)
To be honest, I wouldn't be caught dead in a 4 door Jeep that wasn't a Cherokee or Liberty or the like that were MEANT to be 4 door. These new 4 door things are NOT WRANGLERS! Just like that new Gladiator isn't a Gladiator prior to this new year where they actually made it look like a Gladiator. All previous models are SCRAMBLERS!!! NOT GLADIATORS! But, again, to each their own.
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I like 4 doors on a Jeep, if it's a full-size Waggy.
No one went bananas when they were switched from round to square with a plastic grill..
 
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Walt Jaquith said:
It's not necessarily the YJs fault. Some of us are old enough to have been wrenching in the 80s, and we know that those square headlights are the visual representation of some of the most dismal years the American automotive industry has ever known. First, that was the time when American rigs were half standard half metric due to the industry gradually switching over. Then the US car industry was getting it's butt handed to it by the Japanese, and economic times were hard anyway so they were under intense pressure to build 'em cheaper and cheaper. It was the last gasp of the carburetor on production rigs, and endless vacuum-run widgets to get them to pass emissions. The yj missed the dreaded smog pump, but a lot of square headlight rigs had them. Remember the Chrysler K car? the Chevy Chevette? The fact that they were hard to kill just meant that the lousy driving experience and tacky styling went on and on. A lot of square headlight rigs also had the laughable 80 mph speedometer that was regulated in in '79 and out in '81, just long enough for Detroit to order a whole bunch of them that then got used into the mid 80s.

Don't expect the square headlights to be an endearing feature for some of us. There's no nostalgia in that era for those of us who remember it. I tolerate mine, but honestly would like it better with a CJ hood and grill, and anyone who doesn't like it can stuff it. I don't care what you think about my rig, and you shouldn't care what I think about yours. The whole point of a Wrangler is to please yourself.
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ALL sooo sad but true!
 
ShawnM said:
Like Huey says, “It’s Hip to be Square!” Ever throw a wave to a $50K brand new Jeep with $50K more in bling that’s never even seen a dirt road? Don’t waste your time. They’ll just look look at you like you’re pushing a shopping cart. Other than my mother, the longest relationship I’ve had in my life is with my YJ, but I do occasionally talk to my ex-wife on the phone. Bitch.View attachment 116068
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Comedy Gold!!
 
Novak Conversions Jeep Wrangler YJ engine mounts
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