I rarely endorse ANY products unless I'm very familiar with their content and history. The hinge dilemma led me to a company called "MORryde". I believe they have the one hinge that I can modify slightly to remedy my issue of needing more radius for the rear hatch kitchen area. The parts are tough and great looking. They advertise that the parts are serviceable and much stronger than the originals (things I like when reaching into the aftermarket sector). However, service is what sold me on the item. I called them yesterday to discuss and hopefully talk to a human, (preferably in America). To my surprise- I spoke with a lovely, professional representative named Maria at their Indiana office. We discussed the dilemma and Maria contacted the engineer in charge of design of the part I was inquiring about. Within a few hours she made a follow up call to me and advised that the hinge does have a built in stop, and provided a CAD print showing me the specs so I could determine if the product could be used. I vowed that I could modify the part to open wider without sacrificing the integrity of the part use, even though it was being used for a different purpose.
I may have just been happy to find a solution, but then started to research the company. The on-line info is very impressive. They specialize in "adventure type" vehicle parts and I was humbled to find that they have many item that I wish I had researched earlier in the build as I would have used them... Maybe next build. I really like their attention to detail and focus on the quality rather than cheap/mass sales. I'll shop around their dealers, and see if I can find the set on sale, but will order them regardless and post the final fix.
In closing, the parts seem pricey, but the parts they produce are not the type items that you would want to "save" on in the short term, as the long term loss will most probably be a major failure when there is no place to repair it properly. Yes, it changes my budget slightly, but saves me the headache in the long-run. If you haven't taken a look at the gear, (I'm sure many Jeep enthusiast have already)- take a minute to browse at their stuff. I wish I had a while back. If you need to talk to someone who makes a difference, really cares about the products and helping clients, ask for Maria.
