2000 XJ Overland Build
#106
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Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Reston, VA
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Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
Picked up an Eaton e locker for the dana 30 up front. Currently building a HP 30 with grand cherokee knuckles, high steer, JCR truss, JCR C gussets, chromoly shafts, and this locker. I'll get some more photos of that axle soon.
Lines and switches
Also ordered the JCR CB radio mount.
It goes behind either your passenger or driver side tail light (you chose). Also picked up the spring, threads, and radio cabling. Still haven't decided on my radio but it'll probably be a hand-held CB.
#107
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Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Eagle River, Alaska
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Year: 1999
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
I installed ZJ seats in my XJ. The rears are a huge pain in the ***. If I could do it again, I would just use the front seats and keep my cloth bench in the back. There is about three different threads on the different cherokee forums explaining the process for reference that I used. I was missing the piece of the bracket that allows them to be folded down, so I lost that functionality. Yours look great after you cleaned them up though. I'm gonna need to pick some of that conditioner up for mine.
#108
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Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 6 cyl
Ha, I was just reading through your thread again and saw your pic from Mid-Atlantic Overland Festival. I thought your rig looked familiar and now I figured it out. I'm pretty sure I was camped out just up the hill from you, near the guys from First State Overland.
#110
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Location: Reston, VA
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Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
Put 1 of the newly cleaned WJ seats into the jeep. Unfortunately I do not have existing power seats in the jeep so I had to lose that functionality. I'm searching for power brackets that will fit the XJ so I can use the functionality. Otherwise I'm going to need to find a way to manual adjust the seat back (which sounds terrible0
I also got the JCR CB antenna mount installed. Took 3 seconds to install as it uses the existing bolt pattern behind the taillight.
Put the firestick hardware on and everything worked very easily. Now it's just time to run the antenna wiring.
#112
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Location: Reston, VA
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Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
The seats are pretty comfortable actually. The issue with the xjs is the transmission tunnel and the weird floor pan, so most options that are aftermarket have brackets or adapters that raise the seats up. I already am just at the roof line so that wouldn't work. Just as with everything mod I do to this xj, none of them come out as easy as I read online. I picked up these leather, heated, automatic, with memory and lumbar support for a great deal. Figured this would be a sweet addition to the jeep. Turns out I had to lose all of those sweet features because I currently have manual seats in the jeep, so when I swapped over my OEM brackets to the WJ seats it didn't work.
I don't know if this is something already explained on the forums, but the manual bracket from the XJ seat is almost identical to the bracket fitting on the WJ seat.
The only difference is the location of that last bolt seen on the far right of this bracket.I am going to create something so that it can be bolted down but for now it'll have to be. I will say that there are 2 more additional bolts that go up alongside that side bolster. I had to unclip the leather pieces at the bottom of the seat back and slide the leather up to reach the bolts. It can be done carefully without cutting or damaging the seats at all. Now I have completely manual leather WJ seats
It's not exactly what I wanted because I lost all that functionality, but sure is still better than what I had before.
Night photos that don't show too well but you get the idea
I'll grab some more interior pictures when I get around to finally cleaning and organizing everything :-p
I don't know if this is something already explained on the forums, but the manual bracket from the XJ seat is almost identical to the bracket fitting on the WJ seat.
The only difference is the location of that last bolt seen on the far right of this bracket.I am going to create something so that it can be bolted down but for now it'll have to be. I will say that there are 2 more additional bolts that go up alongside that side bolster. I had to unclip the leather pieces at the bottom of the seat back and slide the leather up to reach the bolts. It can be done carefully without cutting or damaging the seats at all. Now I have completely manual leather WJ seats
It's not exactly what I wanted because I lost all that functionality, but sure is still better than what I had before.
Night photos that don't show too well but you get the idea
I'll grab some more interior pictures when I get around to finally cleaning and organizing everything :-p
#113
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Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
I am in the process of building a small trailer...very small. The idea is to keep the weight low and be able to use this as my "base camp". I often bring my mountain bikes with me when I go out and it's a PITA to have to break down camp every time I want to drive to a trail that isn't near where I camped. Also, the wife has been coming along more often so it will be great to have this trailer stay behind with the wife and others while I head out to a trail. The game plan right now is to install the Thule Xsporter truck bed rack to use as the main system for the trailer. It has the adjustable height feature so I can ride with RTT low behind the SUV and then lift it up to have the RTT annex or awning be useful.
It's a torsion axle trailer. It's a bit on the small size but we plan to build up the side another 12" or so and then mount the Thule rack on that (to ensure we get enough height when rack is extended). Below are the pix of how it currently sits...granted nothing is mounted or built out really. What do yall think?
It's a torsion axle trailer. It's a bit on the small size but we plan to build up the side another 12" or so and then mount the Thule rack on that (to ensure we get enough height when rack is extended). Below are the pix of how it currently sits...granted nothing is mounted or built out really. What do yall think?
#114
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Join Date: May 2016
Location: Southeast Texas
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Year: 1999
Model: Cherokee(XJ)
Engine: 4.0
This is probably one of the better trailer builds that I've seen. People go so overboard with these things, but to me the ideal set up is small, simple and light weight like this one. Great design, I look forward to seeing more progress.
#116
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Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
Because you have to transfer the Cherokee brackets to the bottom of the WJ seats. Since my factory XJ seats are manual, there is no electric functionality. The brackets for the WJ seats don’t fit into the XJ floor.
#119
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#120
Seasoned Member
Gotcha, I was thinking the electronic bits were built into the bottom seat frame for some reason.