Close Enough For Government Work

 I wanted to make another of my New Years predictions come to fruition so I went out and bought another project car. The vehicle in question just turned 22 years old so it's not technically a classic yet, but it does have totally classic styling. What is this wanna be classic you ask? It's none other than a Jeep Wrangler Sport. The Jeep is in excellent condition, needs nothing and is ready to drive and enjoy as-is. What that means is that it is ready for me to dump thousands of dollars into it. Unbeknownst to most is that the word Jeep is actually an acronym for Just Empty Every Pocket. It doesn't help that they make literally every part under the sun for Jeeps and who doesn't want to customize their Jeep? It's practically a law, isn't it? Kind of like ducking and the "Jeep wave". It's a Jeep thing, you wouldn't understand. Yes, I am jumping in with both feet. 

That being said, my Jeep was begging for some new parts. The previous owner had updated the entire suspension which included adding a lift kit. He must have been Too Tall Jones because he left the stock side steps on the Jeep, and unless you were really tall or a yoga instructor, you were not using them to enter the cab. I proceeded to purchase a really nice set of nerf steps from Rough Country, part number RCJ9746A. The front bumper on the Jeep is also from Rough Country so I figured I would match the steps to it. These are well made but not very well thought out. I don't believe the manufacturer properly test fitted their design prior to releasing it for sale, but I could be wrong. This is the kind of stuff that is right up my alley. What fun is it to just buy stuff and bolt it on? I relish the challenge of discovering a major flaw mid install and then figuring out a solution that does not involve either Mickey or Mouse. Follow along as I tackle this major oversight and lay out the solution.

The Problem: The forward bracket that mounts the step is designed to fit inside the body mount frame bracket, sandwiched between the rubber insulator. The problem is that the bracket is a little too wide to sit flush in the bracket.

A solid bracket with zero flexibility

Notice the flared ends which actually make it wider

To confirm what I was seeing I put some grease on the corners of the bracket in question and snugged the bolts up. With the rubber bushing covering the hole you really can't see anything but I noticed that the bracket did not look straight and the bushing was compressed a lot more than normal.

The telltale grease marks

The Solution: I did not want to modify the body frame brackets lest I weaken them. If I couldn't come up with a simple solution I would just have to return them, which I really did not want to do. I had to find a way to narrow the end of the step bracket so that it would fit properly inside the frame bracket and seat correctly around the bushing. After thoroughly looking over everything involved I solved the problem by cutting a slot in the upper half of the step bracket and grinding the flared edges flat. This allowed the bracket to compress slightly so that it would fit correctly up inside the frame bracket.

A clean cut and the flared ends ground flat

Painted and ready to install

I used a c-clamp to help compress the end of the bracket

Now it's a proper fit around the inner part of the bushing and inside the bracket 

These body bushings can only compress to a certain point by design. The inner steel sleeve pictured limits how far the metal cap on the bushings can compress. With the step bracket in place it actually increases that limit. To avoid over compressing the rubber body bushing and possibly damaging it, on this location I installed a split lock washer that was roughly the same thickness as the bracket material. I placed the washer between the steel sleeve and the underside of the metal bushing cap. It worked perfectly.

Correct location for the washer

The bushing after torquing to specs

The other mounts are very straightforward

The finished product

Epilogue: I surmise that there are more than a few folks that have installed these without even noticing the issue with the forward bracket, and the over compressing of the rubber bushing which could lead to premature failure. I really like the looks of the Rough Country Nerf Steps on my Jeep and the solution to the fitment problem can be done by the installer, alternatively it would also be easy enough to implement during manufacture. But as the saying goes, perhaps they thought it was close enough for government work.

Parts is Parts, Part 2

 Back in 2008 I wrote about the parts industry, both past and present, in a blog titled Parts is Parts. A lot has changed since then. My first clue was when I got a job at NAPA, which I also wrote about here. The vast majority of their parts are made in China. When the tariff wars started we were warned there could be supply chain issues. I watched prices go up across the board. I was my store's "old car expert", and as such customers would seek me out when they would come in to buy parts for their classic car. Procuring the parts was a different story. Almost everything had to be ordered in, either from the warehouse, a legacy store, or the manufacturer. Some parts, like a rebuilt carburetor, were no longer available to us. Heck even getting a rebuild kit was tough. Times have changed and I can't say it's for the best.

In September of last year a major shake up happened in the aftermarket parts industry. It was so significant that industry analysts anticipated a period of higher prices and decreased availability for essential maintenance components, marking the end of an era for some of the most trusted names in the industry. This was when the First Brands Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Opinions vary, but many view First Brands Group as just another American corporate raider who did leveraged buyouts and accumulated insurmountable debt. To give you an idea of the magnitude of their debt, at filing, First Brands owed about $11.5 billion but had only about $12 million in cash on hand. Making matters worse, in early 2026 federal authorities indicted former CEO Patrick James and his brother, Edward James, on charges of conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud. Prosecutors allege the executives deceived lenders using falsified collateral and misleading financial statements to sustain the company’s massive debt load. 

Some of you may be wondering just how significant one company filing bankruptcy can be. Well, this one company acquired numerous auto parts manufacturers, some 24 in total according to their website. That's 24 different U.S. based companies that were affected. Some were bought but many were forced to close up shop and lay off their employees. We are talking about some major, legacy names here like Fram, Autolite, Raybestos, Trico, Anco, Carter, Cardone, Reese, and Drawtite just to name a few. First Brands confirmed that it would be winding down its Autolite, Brake Parts, Inc., and Cardone subsidiaries after being unable to secure funding and complete a sale for the three companies. If Autolite spark plugs were your favorite, you now have to choose another brand. Cardone was a major re-manufacturer of automotive components that was in business for over 50 years. Is there even a company big enough to fill those shoes that is not located in China? Food for thought, or should that be 中国菜 for thought?