As part of the fender replacement, I had to remove the front right side marker light (which was already cracked up, dirty, and dead). Here's the gratuitous before shot:
Replacement was as easy as a call to BJ's Offroad for a new set for all four corners. I wanted, above all, to have working running lights, so I also opted for some bulbs and bulb housings. The front ones were quick and simple, with Nath helping me the whole way. The after shot, with the new fender:
The driver's side rear marker was an entirely different matter. Here's what I had to work with, thanks to the previous owner of my rig. I'm not sure what he hit or how he tried to "repair" the damage. But it was lumpy, bumpy, and quite out of true.
I couldn't get the new side marker housing to fit this mucked up area (the base is L-shaped, wrapping around the fender corner to get close to the taillight housing). So I had to get a little creative with my bandsaw. Basically, I cut off the part of the housing that wraps around the end and then scribed the remaining section to better fit the "unique contours" of the body panel. I then elongated the hole seen in the pic above (where the bulb base comes through the body to provide the bulb itself with juice) to allow for the more forward placement of the side marker base. After, I scrubbed the damaged portion of the fender around the taillight with a wire attachment on my drill to get rid of any paint flakes, followed by a quick spray of silver Rustoleum paint to retard future rusting of the area (I didn't have any gold in the garage, and I'm cheap). The final result:
Overall, I'm pleased. It works, it's sealed from the elements thanks to some clear silicon caulk, and it doesn't look bugly. I'll address the busted taillight housing later--for now, it lights up so I'm legal.
