Shawn350

So I have jumped into Cherokee life feet first.

I pick up my first XJ today and this is my official build thread.





First things first figure out what it has on it.


STATS

1995 2 Door Blue

33" Tires

Some kind of long arm lift 4" (any way to tell the brand and model?)

NP231 Xfer

Axles ?

Gears ?

Repairs needed

Drivers Door Latch

Drivers Door window crank

lift gate plastic cover

New Valve cover Gasket

Do I need a SYE / does it already have one?



First Upgrades

Front Bumper
Smittybilt XRC Multi Optional Design (M.O.D.) Front Bumper with Bull Bar & Quadratec Q-Series Self Recovery Winch
http://www.quadratec.com/products/12051_08X1_PG.htm

Roof Rack

So far looking at the cost of these racks I will just build my own. I have a 220v Lincoln Electric Mig Welder

Paint Flat Olive Green


Cold Air Intake
(Suggestions?)

Bushwacker Fender Flares (Hoping it will match up with the current cut outs.) (How hard is it to change the front fenders?)

unidentifiedbomb

Take a lot more pictures and we can help you on those questions. Looks like a good jeep though, love my 2 door. I will say that you should look at Napier fender flares instead, they are more durable, less bulgy, and more reasonably priced. As far as the bumper, look at JCR, top-quality, better than smitty (aka ****tybilt), and also cheaper due to not being a giant corporate business. Good luck on your build!

Shawn350

Picture of the Transfer Case.





Rims 33" x 12.5 Tires





Front Axel





Sterring





Long arm lift??





Rear Axel





Front Spring and Shock





Side View

freegdr

Looks good ....

V69_XJ

those look to be some sort of aftermarket LCA not long arms. And it looks like you dont have a front swaybar.

DeltaOP4

Looks good Im not a big fan shiny wheels personally (At leats on Jeeps) but I really really like that blue color. I saw one that color in JP magazine and it looked fantastic!

Shawn350

The rims Scream the 90's to me. They came on it

I like the blue but I am really thinking about a flat desert brown. as the blue is fading on the hood and roof.

Shawn350

So my drivers door handle broke, now I have to roll down the window to open the door... The issue is the pocket had a screw that holds it in place when that broke I lost all leverage on the lock. I made a trip over to Jeep Parts Depot and picked up a replacement. 35.00 and I was on my way. I will post the installed pic later tonight.





Just need to clean it up





No leverage





The pocket broke out.

JandDGreens

You have a great XJ to start out with. Take a picture of the back of your t-case and the drive shaft. I am curios if you have a SYE that would be nice. (it is on my to do list). Look forward to seeing your progress and trail rides.

Shawn350

Will do J&D

So I replaced the door handle, I can now get out without rolling down the window. However If I lock it, its almost impossible to unlock with the lever or the key. Do I simply need to replace the locking mechanism or do you think it just needs to be cleaned.






Replaced with a new (salvage yard) unit. <br/>

Shawn350

So I picked up the sway bar from the previous owner. Looks like it is off because the OE connects will not fit on what I think is a 4.5" lift that is on the jeep. I just ordered these http://jksmfg.com/i-13306724-cheroke...-6-0-lift.html I am hoping this does the trick. Also back to the salvage yard to get the bolts to attach it to the frame. Unless someone knows the size bolts I need.

TMC

As others have said, you do have a awesome one to start out with. It also seems to have some decent mods done to it so far.

Based on your photos:

Your front axle is the Dana 30 (all XJ's had the 30) High Pinion WITHOUT the annoying vacuum disconnect that the earlier ones had. The rear axle is the Chrysler 8.25 so your better off with that than the Dana 35 most of the older ones had as well.

Looks like you have around a 2" spacer up front and (like V69 said) you have aftermarket non-adjustable lower control arms. Only judging by the color of the coils and whatnot (the PO could have just painted them red) I'd guess maybe a 2" Skyjacker or Rancho (putting you at 4" with the spacer)

You can use this LINK to tell if your NP231 has a SYE or not. Its even a 1995 XJ like yours lol. That second pic is how it looks factory (with the yoke removed) and the first pic is what it would look similar to if it has a SYE installed.

You can request your factory build sheet from Jeep to find out what was originally on it. I sent it mine on a sunday and got it back that Monday morning. Some people say that they even got theirs within a couple hours.

Here:
Build Sheet Request

Sorry if that was all too much information.



As a fellow 2 door owner I'll be watching this one.

Sub'd for sure!

Shawn350

Awesome thanks for the info! I will go look at the Xfer case and take some photos.

Shawn350

Took a few photos and looked at the article about SYEs. Looks like mine does not have that. How do I tell if I need it. Part of me says just do it because it looks like a fun project and hey its just money.

JandDGreens

Mine is doing just fine with out a SYE, but it is putting a lot of stress on the u-joints. The thing is it does cost $$$$ and you will need a different drive shaft (which you can get away with another front drive shaft I believe) but I want to wait until I do an Ford 8.8 axle swap and just go for the SYE plus a good after market drive shaft with the proper fit. I would like to do up-grades just once with Quality parts.


Those locks are a PITA I have the same issue with my passenger lock (usually in cold weather) I have to work it back and forth (lock/unlock) and finally can get the door open. I would try using some penetrating oil it could solve the problem.


Mine is a 2-door as well, love the way yours looks. The color is rare for a two door.