On my quest for something to protect my upper quarter panels and to match my lower quarter panel armor. I came across a company that appears to be improving on others ideas, JCR off-road.
There have been other companies who have made upper quarter panel armor and seeing them in person I found they looked good on the vehicle, but either very expensive, or the use of thin material and not quite the fit I was looking for.
JCR Off-road had started to make their own version for XJ’s a year or so ago and I waited a while to here some feedback on them. Hearing some good feedback from fellow XJ owners about them I decided to move on them and ordered me up a set. For $170 for a set with tail-light protectors plus $30+ shipping they were around $200. They also offer for another $110 full tail-lights as well, but I wanted to keep the electrical and lighting OE and simpler.
They have a couple weeks fabrication delay as they make them on the spot. Two weeks after I ordered them they arrived on my doorstep. Very impressed!
Looking at their pictures on there website they changed the top part of the guard by adding another 1″ of material bent in to match the curve of the XJ body. That is a BIG bonus as working with fabrication in the past this adds structural strength to the guard. Now why they do not update the pictures of their product on the web-page I do not know, because it is an improvement over other brands and a good selling point.
The Good: Reasonably priced for the quality you get. They fit perfect, they were a cinch to align to the vehicle, and they look good! Thick material unlike others brands use of thin gauge metal.
The Bad: They are heavy and takes two people to install: one to hold the guards, while the other aligns it up and marks the holes. They are too pretty and like a new pair of shoes you cringe when you scratch them up but that is what they are there for. Go figure…….
The Ugly: The bolts JCR supplies are raw metal, If you forget to paint them they will instantly rust in the first week. Nothing to do with the guards, but getting to the bolts on the driver’s side guards is a PITA! Need a long armed person with child like hands to get to them as the gas filler and all the electrical on that side is like sticking your hand in a snake hole filled with glass shards sticking out of the sides. Ouch!
Nice write up Matt.