Very nice Ralph !! And I really like a black XJ ... When I addressed the wiring harness I saw the third BL had a short run to it... I want to make sure that hole is sealed up tight, I can see where the water could eventually get around the seal and in there.. I'll show what I did when it's done.. I have a few ideas...

 

I don't have any pictures of that weird dent in the hatch that is giving me problems.
Thinking some RTV and gasket paper, cut a small whole for the wiring from the third eye to go through, and should be good to go.
I always refer to my '00 as my Limited/Up Country/Police Version/European Orvis XJ Clone.
The spoiler and these are the Orvis XJ part.
LOL.

 

I like those hood vents Ralph.. ..
Somewhere in one of the previous threads from years gone by on the Orvis I read where you ended up using just the tape for your spoiler because of drilling the hatch... Well, let me tell you...Adding the studs are no easy task ... You probably saved yourself a big headache.. And I wouldn't recommend anyone that is not well versed in engineering marvels to tackle the job.. I don't know what they were thinking with the placement of the stud locations and I can tell you why the factory didn't use studs in the first place...
In order to use studs the spoiler needs to have them placed where they pull down evenly on the spoiler as it's tightened.. Hense the reason for the locations..And the actual drilling isn't the problem..The problem with studs is in order to gain access from the back side EVERY hole would be drilled exactly where the lift gate seal rides the inner gate..... So... After some thought I marked where the seal rides.. And then offset each hole to miss the sealing surface of the inner lift gate..


I ended up with 17MM holes... And the reason for that is I've got serrated, flanged locknuts for the duty of holding everything down..Here's the specs on the nuts..I'll have a few MMs to get them in there and make a turn to hit the studs..

There's two ways to cover the access holes {the holes on the "upper" side are exposed when the gate is closed}.. I'm going with a flat plastic body plug{with sealer} like the ones used for undercoating.. But you could easily use a thick plastic tape like the stuff used on the old Durango lift gates to seal them and the seal would still ride right over them if need be..
And finally the third brake light..
With one stud passing through the center of the TBL hole it needs some type of cover with some structural integrity.. And with the locknut pulling "up" towards the spoiler you wouldn't want the cover on the outside it could bend the cover and ruin the seal.. That leaves the cover on the inside of the brake light hole so as it's tightened it helps seal the hole..
Anyhow, I used 1/8th inch aluminum with a radius at the top to conform to the sheetmetal.. It's a good 1/2-3/4 inch past the hole around the perimeter..This won't bend under pressure, and a little sealer will get the job done.. Big hole is the stud, small hole will be the new offset wiring passage into the spoiler.. And as stated before everything will get sealed up with the final assembly after paint...

 

While I would love to take credit for the idea of using the '98 Grand Cherokee 5.9 hood louvers it is just one of the many ideas that I stole from people here.
LOL.
If I had a picture of he weird dent in the top of my hatch then this would be clearer.
It like valley pretty much in dead center.
So with the double sided tape the spoiler is not on the hatch in that section.
I have email buddy in AZ who drilled his and while I would have to go through his emails I don't remember him saying anything overly difficult about the installation.
I figured if I took some thick weather stripping, double sided taped it to the spoiler, and bolted the spoiler on I might be able to seal it off.
I was thinking of using those blind punches.
Something along the lines of this:

https://www.penntoolco.com/precise-2...SABEgIK5PD_BwE

I figured screw them into the holes in the spoiler, position it best you can, and press hard to make a mark for drilling.
Thinking it doesn't have to be perfect and the holes you drill in the inside to screw in the bolts just get covered by those solid grommets.


But.....
LOL.

 

If you need a new factory fit/look seat cover, I used these guys. Really happy with it. They somehow got ahold of the factory fabric!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/185196229159

 

Thanks for the link I bookmarked it.. And I'm glad to see there's some options out there.. I'll run my experiment with the seat to see how it holds up then probably change it out...I bought a seat bottom {from the other company suggested} for a silverado truck at work and the material for that one was an exact match as well..
I'm getting ready to get back into this build..I've done some great one of a kind mods I need to show .. But between work and the summer activities..It's tough to get the time...We've been mostly going boating this year.. I bought a 24 ft Checkmate with a 496HO last fall and we've been blasting around in that ...Going 80 plus MPH is no joke on the water... Here's the summer toy I snagged in North Carolina...

 

I found these guys a long time ago and link them when guys ask about seat covers.
To bad they really only seem to deal with '97 and up though.
But the good thing is that when it comes to the "gray" and the "tan" they actually know that there is difference between '97 and '98 and '99 to '01.
Now if they just made heated seat version of the factory covers I would be in business.
LOL.

 

amazing thread

 

Now that the summertime fun has come to an end it's time to get back on this project... The next phase of the build will be the bodywork and paint...I'm already well on my way with the sanding ceremony.. The whole body will get sanded with 320 grit for good adhesion of the 2k primer/surfacer...

The tops of the fenders and the hood will get the clearcoat stripped because of how far it degraded.. Luckily there's only a few door dings and a few imperfections to be addressed..I use a board sander for the long areas and different block sanders {still using 320 grit} to get the panels nice and straight.. This makes the block sanding of the 2k much easier..

 

Speaking of the hood.. I'm in the process of a custom hood scoop that will actually let the hot air out...I like the idea of hood vents but didn't want the rain to get right in there every time it got wet.. More on the hood scoop later... But the immediate concern with the hood is the 8 inch round openings needed under the scoop for the air flow... I used an air nibbler for the task.. It cut the holes with no distortion to the sheet metal... A good eye can see the outline of the scoop and the fastener holes..

Now, with the holes cut there's something needed so the water doesn't run into them...A simple water dam around the holes is the solution... And the winner is :

A dog dish !! I cut the top lip a fraction of an inch down into the bowl so I now have a lip to stop against the bottom of the hood...
I made a jig to hold it against the bottom of the hood and used some 3M panel bonding adhesive to get the job done.. This is just what I needed to create that water dam.. Now any rain or washing will simply route the water past the vent holes..

The panel bonding adhesive will pretty much weld the two together for a permanent bond/seal...

 

Here's a view of them in place from the underside

...

 

Sanding, sanding and more sanding...Once the sanding is complete it's time to tape off.. Only advice here is to use a quality tape.. I use 3M brand {it's yellow now it used to be green} it hasn't let me down with extended times before the paint flies.. I'm only one guy and work on it in my spare time so it's taped up for days not hours and the 3M tape never releases until I pull it...

 

Unless something has changed the yellow is not a substitute for the green.
Looking at my Napa seeing neither is available at the moment but we sold both.
Yellow is more like regular masking tape if you ask me.

 

Something must have changed... A buddy of mine has a body shop for 40 years and stated the green hasn't been available and yellow is all that's offered.. He's used the same stuff for a few months now... It appears 3m is in a transition with their paint edge masking tapes.. Both the yellow and the {non existant} green show new part numbers.. The new yellow has a higher sustainable temp than the green... I guess we'll see how it performs...

 

Hey Ralph.. I did more checking after confirming the 3m tape... It appears the yellow 388N is the only automotive refinish masking tape available in that category from 3M at this time... 3M™ Automotive Refinish Masking Tape 388N | 3M United States