dtaylor21

hey guys, some of you have recently helped me lately tell a piece of crap cherokee from something decent and i'm hoping/thinking that i just bought something decent.
heres the ad. http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/1228429265.html
i bought it earlier and am hopefully picking it up tomorrow. It does need a few things but I think my fabrication buddies and I can get it all right.
I was told he hit a ditch while wheeling that bent the front drivers spring pocket back some, the rear is center and the alignment isnt bad but the pocket is bent enough that there is a small gap between the pocket and the spring in front and the spring rubs, it's only off by like 1/4 inch if that, drove straight when i let go of the wheel and all. the frame and everything both up top and down bottom looked straight so i won't really know whats going on until i rip the tire off and get in there.
the other issues are minor, i need exhaust from behind the cat back, its open at the back of the cat and loud as hell lol.
and i need both the hood release latch cable and the rear hatch cable.
the body's not all rotted just a few small dents and scratches.
As soon as i get it home i will snap pics of everything for you guys.

G_P

AFAIK there is no rear hatch cable. If you have power locks it will unlock along with the doors and you have to push the button on the latch to open it.

If he bent the spring pocket that may be a hard fix depending on the damage. also check all front suspension components for bends/cracks including the bushings.

Mike1998XJ

What do you mean by "Drivers Spring Pocket"? If I understand you correctly... and if the spring is rubbing on the bumpstop shaft it's bent more than 1/4". Wouldn't you say?
$800 isn't bad though...

dtaylor21

its not rubbing the bump stop its rubbing what i guess is the frame/subframe if that makes sense?? i don't really know how to explain it, i probably shouldnt have posted since i can't get pics right now but you know the part of the cherokee that the coil seats in up top? towards the front the coil doesn't sit like it does in the back of the coil and the coil looks like its rubbing a little on the inside(outside of the coil is rubbing towards the motor if that makes any sense at all) I'm going to get pics posted up as soon as I can and see if you guys can't help me fix it. if not it's getting cut up and some fresh metal will help us get everything right lol.
and it is power locks but the outside handle doesn't work, i figured after i figured out the spring pocket or atleast while i'm trying to figure it out I would rip the panel off of the hatch and figure out whats going on in there lol. the spring pocket is priority but thanks for letting me know there is no cable, I was going off of what the previous owner told me since I don't know jeeps yet.

Mike1998XJ

I understand. Interesting that the spring moved laterally towards the motor. I wonder if he hit the ditch sideways? You know how people on here measure if their axels are centered side-to-side when they install lifts? I think some of them pick a spot on the frame and measure out to the tire, or hold a straight edge on the fender flares then measure to the tires. That would tell you if the axel is shifted over.
As I always say... if it's dirty your first step is a good powerwashing so you can readily spot any defects like others mentioned here...
Post pics when you get them.
One of my Cherokees was hit in the front and the frame buckeled on the top, right in front of the motor mount bracket. Easily visible when compared to the good side...
Mike

BamaXJ

G_P

From what youre describing it must have been a sideways hit. I wouldnt doubt that he was hit by another car directly in the pass side front tire and is trying to pass off the damage as being done on the trail.

Are there any marks on the rims? Look at all 4 as he may have swapped the damaged one for one of the other 3 to hide it.
I could see pushing the spring back or even forwards but pushing it sideways would be odd unless he slid into a ditch sideways at a decent speed.

jd4x426

i see that it has lift on is there an adjustable track bar on it or is the axle end redrilled if no that is most likely why the spring is rubbing the coil bucket check that before you start getting to indepth hopefully for your sake its that easy and as for the rear hatch remove the interior panel and grease up the locking mechanism with some white lithium grease in the spray can and work the locking mechanism manually until its freed up

dtaylor21

it's got an adjustable track bar and something like a 3.5" lift. no damaged rims, neither fenders are damaged. as far as i can tell it shows no sign of being hit or hitting another car. he said that the rear was shifted over after it happened which is why he bought the adjustable track bar maybe he just didnt adjust it properly? I won't know until get it home and start measuring everything. thanks for the help so far, and for the pics I am still waiting to see if i can get the flat bed with my bro in law to get it home today so hopefully pics later but idk. and thanks for the info on the rear hatch. I just hope nothing is gonna be a pricey fix because i have plenty of time but no money(got laid off 2 months ago) but from what im thinking and looking at the most expensive fix is going to be the exhaust because i want to run it out the back but i want the 2.5"piping with no muffler.

Mike1998XJ

Wait a minute... You just said he got the adjustable track bar because the REAR was shifted over. Did you mean to say the front? Or is the rear suspect now too?
Mike

dtaylor21

i mean the front rear lol, its a rear end it's just in the front haha. I've had the argument with many people and have had a bunch of other people that also agreed with me so calling it a front rear is just how i feel comfortable lol. only the front is where the problem is.

dtaylor21

looking into a couple of other threads I'm begining to think that possibly when he hit the ditch it possibly bent the control arm or mount or something. i won't really know until i get it home which wont be until either tomorrow or the following afternoon. I'm so pissed that my new xj isnt sitting in my driveway yet.

dtaylor21

I've got pics of the cherokee but not of the spring like i had hoped(got dark too fast)
can anyone please let me know how to add pics? i've searched and can't find out how lol.

dtaylor21

I learned how to add pics haha, I'm gonna snap a pic of the coil issue first thing tomorrow.