A $300 Alaska XJ? Here we go...
 

Just like the tile says, I picked up this girl for the low price of $300:

https://i.ibb.co/j6QGGzJ/thumbnail.jpg

A 1995 Cherokee with about 165K on the clock.

She starts quickly, stops slowly, moves forward and backwards and turns in one direction better than the other. Doesn’t overheat and doesn’t leak anything (much).

I wasn’t planning on picking up another vehicle, but the time and price was right. She needs a few cosmetic items and a more then a couple parts to get her reliable. Even came with Cooper tires with decent tread left.



Here’s my short-term game plan:

- Fix driver’s side front door (wont open and needs the top hinge re-welded)

- Find and install exhaust (Jeep currently has no exhaust at all)

- Install rear shocks and possibly new leafs. (Rear shocks are currently blown.)

- Adjust steering (Sheeting wheel currently points 180 degrees off top dead center. Hopefully just a simple drag link adjustment)

- Replace windshield.

- Check/replace every fuse. (Currently most electronics don’t work. No external or internal lights, horn, wipers, low beams…Hope the issue is in the fuse box, which I can’t get to because the driver’s door won’t open. Fuse/relay box under the hood checks out.)

- Check brakes and replace rotors and pads as needed.

- Look into possible very slow leak in transfer case

- Install front drive shaft (currently removed by previous owner. I need to track down the hardware for that)

- Deep clean the hell out of it. (Currently smells of cheap weed and cigarettes)

- Replace ignition with one that doesn’t need a screwdriver…



My goal is to have her into a reliable vehicle by the first snow and to do it as cheap as possible. I started an Excel spreadsheet to try to track and keep in check the cash I spend on this project. Junkyards here I come. Then, if I can justify the cost maybe later we can start on the mods. But for the moment, I just want to get her road worthy. Maybe add a few lights…and a roof rack….and a mild lift….

So a small update. Spent the last week or so cleaning out the interior as much as I can with a door that wont open. I plan on pulling the seats this week and getting in all the nooks and crannies as much as I can. Might even shampoo the carpets if I have time. Before and after shots coming soon.

I also was able to drive to the big city and do a parts run. Diddnt get everything I needed but was able to grab a new headlight switch from NAPA and found a couple parts XJs to pull from. Walked away with a new headlight bezels, drivers side marker lens, grill, new set of taillights, gauge cluster, dash trim, most of a skyjacker lift kit and a few sets of door cards:

https://i.ibb.co/w7JhNx5/thumbnail.jpg

Also not pictured is a set of front rotors, calipers and pads and set of wheel bearings off a 97 with about 100k on it. The gentleman who sold me the Skyjacker parts threw in the rest for free. Thanks @Sharpienads. Not sure if I need rotors and pads yet but they are nice to have JIC. On the shelf they go. Hope to do more this week...

Did a couple small cosmetic things this morning. Threw on the grill, headlight bezels and one marker lens I picked up. Still needs more love but we are getting there:

https://i.ibb.co/wQwDS7m/20200422-131819.jpg

Almost every plastic insert for the grill screws was broken or missing. Luckily NAPA had these guys in stock and they worked perfectly:

https://i.ibb.co/NSMD3sT/20200422-131628.jpg

Also discovered the drivers side of the bumper had no hardware in is so I tossed in some random bolts I had around to at least make it look better until I figure a permanent solution or replacement bumper:

https://i.ibb.co/XJ0Mtcr/20200422-132837.jpg

Its not perfect but at least with a proper bolt and a nylock nut, I know it wont fall out when I drive. Also found this guy behind the bumper:

https://i.ibb.co/gtsD5MP/20200422-132040.jpg

Doesn't help me with ignition, but at least I can lock the doors now. I hear that's a useful feature to have.

A $300 XJ, the possibilities are endless!

I'm thinking so! We shall see where the next few months takes us!

I work at a Napa and always telling guys that when it comes to crap like this to check out their local Napa.
Does your Napa have that big loose leaf binder with all the parts in it?

They may, I have seen the row of binders at other Napa's before. Problem is this is very small town Napa that also specializes in marine parts. Plus with the whole virus thing they were only doing phone orders and customers were not allowed in the store. If I'm honest the last person who answered the phone wasn't exactly helpful. Might have just been a part time person called up to work but it's whatever. I was able to tell them the part numbers I was looking for and figured it out in the end. Either way, because of where I live and the distance to other towns, I'll be going back.

We are very small independently owned store too.
Not much on the marine side but pretty big in small engine stuff.
The row of binders you are talking about were to look parts before computers.
Still used though for those not so simple part look ups.
The binder I am talking about is pages of parts similar to what you bought.
They are not pictures but the actual part. Makes matching up something a breeze.
And if there is not an exact match in there most times you can find something that will work.
When all this is over if they do have this binder you should go give it a look.
Hell every once in awhile I breeze through it just to refresh my memory of what is in there. LOL.

I'll have to keep an eye out for it when all this is over. Thanks for the advice!

Easiest fix yet. Found a set of hatch struts for $28. Less then 5 min and no tools later we went from this:

https://i.ibb.co/T08mqLd/20200427-155730.jpg

To this:

https://i.ibb.co/92rTFBr/20200427-160116.jpg

If they survive the winter ill be happy. No longer do I have to worry about bashing my eye on the corner of the hatch all the time. Its the little things.

It has been said to not push up on the hatch when opening. Just let it go all the way up all by itself.
The struts will last longer.
Not sure if it is true or not but I try to remember not to push up on the hatch. LOL.

I have heard that as well so, hell you may be right. The old set would lift the hatch most of the way, then let it slowly drop a foot over the next few min. Its nice to not have to worry about that now.

I'll continue to not push up on the struts lol

Good news/ bad news kind of day. Finely got the door open:

https://i.ibb.co/SRTZM11/20200428-135726.jpg

Top hinge still needs to be re-welded but unfortunately my local welder isn't in town today so getting it fixed will have to wait.

Was able to get the seats out. Don't know how I didn't strip the bolts but I am glad they came out in one piece:

https://i.ibb.co/2sf0n5P/20200428-153942.jpg

Soaking them everyday in WD-40 and three pairs of vice grips may have helped. The seats will be in and out a few times this summer so the bolts are going to be replaced with new ones with proper anti-seize.

Pulling the driver's seat left me with this mess:

https://i.ibb.co/3yLzrD3/20200428-153949.jpg

My shop vac and drill brushes are going to get some work this week. I think the carpet will be "good enough" when I'm done.

Last thing today was getting a new headlight switch installed. I was having an issue where I didn't have low beams at all and the highs wouldn't stay on. The switch itself was a pretty big pain to get to but once I got access to it by removing the gauge cluster it wasn't too bad. Got the new switch installed and tested everything out. Both lows worked, both highs worked and all running lights worked. Cool. Got the dash put back together and.....

https://i.ibb.co/zht5VHw/20200428-155102.jpg

Driver's side low beam isn't working. It was before I mounted the switch in the dash and before I put the gauge cluster back together. But afterword no luck. I swapped the headlight with another one I had lying around and no luck. I diddnt feel like digging back in the dash today so I will deal with that issue later. If anyone has an idea what happened I would be happy to hear it. May save me some time. I am hoping it's something simple like a connector that isn't snapped in all the way.

On another note: Is there a trick to getting the steering wheel to lower enough to allow me to put the dash trim back in? My old dash trim was broken in half so it came out easy. The new one I picked up feels like there is not enough room to bend it in place and I don't want to break something. Thanks everyone.

On my 96 it feels like you're gonna break the dashboard bezel, always scares me, but you just have to carefully bend it to get it in place.

Fair enough, thanks. Do you go bottom edge in first or top edge in first?