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I have 6 months and $4500 to turn my rag tag 97 XJ into a trail ready rig, so I bought a welder . Made sense at the time. Certainly makes me feel more manly. As this build progresses I'm open to words of advice and/or ideas that might help me avoid some of the problems others have run into.
The Patient:
1997 Cherokee Sport
Moss Green
285,000 Miles
Blown Water Pump
Swiss Cheese Exhaust
Nasty 4WD Wheel Hop
Hard Hitting Tranny
Minor Body Rust
Some Bent Bumper Mounts Compliments of the PO
Faulty Fuel Pump and Relay
The Plan
3" Zone Lift
Zone Steering Stabilizer
33" BFG's
Rebuilt Cylinder Head
Power Steering Pump
Water Pump
Radiator
Fuel pump
DIY WELDED Bumpers Awwww Yeah!
Bondo and Bed Liner everywhere like it was duct tape!
Lower Control Arms
Whatever else breaks or can be afforded
So the fenders have come off along with almost everything else in the engine compartment and the steering. Let the fun begin. I also started repainting the engine compartment.
So the Head is at the machine shop and the suspension is ordered. In the mean time I decided to start the body work. I took aircraft paint remover to the front quarter panels, that stuff is legit. I might still be high. After the fumes cleared I took a grinder to the panels and made room for my tires.
Pulled the oil pan and cleaned it up for some new paint. It cleaned up really nice and got a fresh coat of High Temp Primer and Hemi Orange engine enamel.
Today I recycled the pieces that were cut from the quarter panels and used them to add some support. It stiffened them up pretty good. I used some 3/4 angle to fill in the gaps, didn't even burn through the panel. Tomorrow I'm gonna clean up the welds and send it out for paint, or just move it to the other table and smear Herculiner all over it.
Looking forward to seeing your lift installed. I keep hearing good things about Zone, their coils are just like BDS coils, they can take full coil bind. Pretty nice if you ask me.
Looking forward to seeing your lift installed. I keep hearing good things about Zone, their coils are just like BDS coils, they can take full coil bind. Pretty nice if you ask me.
It definitely looks sturdy on the bench I think the UPS guy wants to kill me, he had to come three times today and the boxes just kept getting heavier. Hopefully the weather clears up tomorrow and I can get wrenching on the front end.
It definitely looks sturdy on the bench I think the UPS guy wants to kill me, he had to come three times today and the boxes just kept getting heavier. Hopefully the weather clears up tomorrow and I can get wrenching on the front end.
The front lift got done today. The leafs are a work in progress, only took a 4' cheater to break the bolts loose. Also gonna need new shackles, any input on a good set would help.
09-29-2014, 10:29 PM
So I bought a welder (97 XJ Build)
. Made sense at the time. Certainly makes me feel more manly. As this build progresses I'm open to words of advice and/or ideas that might help me avoid some of the problems others have run into.
Awwww Yeah!
I think the UPS guy wants to kill me, he had to come three times today and the boxes just kept getting heavier. Hopefully the weather clears up tomorrow and I can get wrenching on the front end.