While waiting for some parts to arrive, I spent some time addressing an aspect of the Trail Cow that has been bothering me; the rear view. Now, I've said it before and I'll say it again - JK's are UGLY. But the combination of cut flares, stock steps, terrible wheels, and a modified factory rear bumper all added up to something I just couldn't stand any more. I'll be addressing the steps and wheels at a later time, but the rear view was something I could deal with a little sooner...
Similar to a TJ, the JK has a bulky plastic shroud for the rear license plate, and it pokes outside the body tub by a fair amount just begging to snag on a tree or rock:
![Image](https://i.imgur.com/SdP4khg.jpg)
![Image](https://i.imgur.com/EEys5Fz.jpg)
Step one was to pull the platic off, and then figure out what to put in it's place. All the cool JK kids order up this nifty little plastic cap that snaps into place to cover the hole, but I took the opportunity to "fabricate"... It's hardly a big job or a complex piece, but I like it better than a piece of plastic, if for no other reason than because I made it:
![Image](https://i.imgur.com/onzKb3U.jpg)
![Image](https://i.imgur.com/itF6tQw.jpg)
![Image](https://i.imgur.com/TU1G3J1.jpg)
![Image](https://i.imgur.com/y0awMf8.jpg)
The other thing all the JK kids seem to do is relocate the license plate to the center of the swing gate, using an overpriced piece of sheetmetal that often times has some terrible graphic on it... I took the free route (again), and mounted my plate below the gate and above the rear crossmember:
![Image](https://i.imgur.com/SdDGXK1.jpg)
You may also notice that I ditched the rear bumper completely. I'm going to let this marinate for a while and see if I like it. There are a few aftermarket crossmember covers out there that sort of catch my eye, although none of them are exactly what I'd want. I'll probably run it like this at least until I come up with a final design for the rock sliders, and maybe try to tie a rear bumper into that theme??