Sam Krahn 
If you’re a Jeep Wrangler fan, then you know Quadratec as one of the best aftermarket parts suppliers out there. This year, the company is celebrating its 30th anniversary, and decided to do something special. Very special. To celebrate the milestone, and its founder Ted Wentz Jr., Quadratec has created what they call the Jeep Wrangler YJL, and it’s one of the most unique JL builds out there.
To understand what makes this JL Wrangler so special, you first need to understand some of Quadratec’s history. After retiring from his position as a racing driver, Wentz Jr. bought a 1989 Jeep Wrangler Sahara, painted in Khaki Metallic. He loved the vehicle, but realized there was a lack of aftermarket parts, upgrades and support, so Wentz Jr. began Quadratec.
30 years later, the business is still family owned, and Wentz Jr. still owns that same Wrangler Sahara. To celebrate the milestone, they have created the Jeep Wrangler YJL, a modern JL Wrangler that’s been upgraded and modified in the spirit of the Wentz family original. It rolled off the production line as a black Wrangler Sahara, but it’s nothing like that now.
Quadratec teamed up with Greg Henderson, an expert fabricator, to create the build. It uses a combination of custom parts and components you can buy from Quadratec. The most obvious change is up front, where the JL Wrangler front is replaced with a YJ inspired design, rocking square, heated headlights and a new, custom grille. Custom is the front bumper, which mimics the original. The other obvious visual change is the color, which matches the family’s YJ Sahara Khaki color perfectly, even down to the pinstripe and side badge.
The Jeep Wrangler YJL’s exterior looks are also improved with Rock Slide Engineering fender flares, Quadratec’s own color matched side steps, tube doors and retro YJ alloy wheels. Around back, they’ve filled in the taillight holes to make way for some retro-style LED units. There are some small details you wouldn’t notice at first glance, either. The gas cap is relocated to behind the license plate, which flips up for access, and the windshield wipers are purposely stuck up slightly, just like the YJ.
The upgrades are under the skin, too, with numerous off-road performance parts. For starters, there’s a 3.5 inch lift thanks to Teraflex RT4 Long Arm Suspension and Falcon 3.5 Adapt Shocks. This makes way for huge 37 inch Mickey Thompson off-road tires. There are also Steer Smart linkages and track bars to keep handling in check, and a MagnaFlow axle back dual exhaust to let the Pentastar sing.
Inside, the upgrades continue. Since they started out with a base level Jeep Wrangler Sahara two door, they team threw out the standard five inch touchscreen in favor of a nine inch Alpine unit. The Corbeau Trailcat seats are also a highlight.
Quadratec say they’ll be continuing the build over time, but to our eyes, it’s already one of the coolest Jeep Wranglers we’ve ever seen, whether you want to call it a JL, YJ, or the first ever YJL. It’s even good enough to join the many OEM Jeep Moab Easter Safari concepts, if you ask us.
