My first jeep build, My Goal is to make a trail worthy Daily Driver on a High School Budget. I'm 17 years old and have a jeep addiction at the moment, I have a 2001 Cherokee XJ that at the moment is stock. Starting in a week or two i will be putting in a 4.5 inch Rubicon Express Super flex lift and swapping out my dana 35 for a Chrysler 8.25. from there i plan on front lockers, a decent winch, half doors, and cutting and folding the rear fenders. I bought my Blue jeep for $1500 and bought a donor XJ with a the Rubicon Express lift and the axles I need for $500 due to it only running on 4 cylinders and spraying oil everywhere. Ill try my best to get pictures and keep the build up to date.

 

Bought her for $1500

 

Nice! Congratulations! Just so you know there is no cure for what we have!

 

Spent $500 on this xj

 

Depending on color preference I guess why don't you just swap the motors instead of the lift and axle? I swapped my blown out motor and it was pretty easy by myself.

 

That was my plan initially but the floors in the red one are completely rotted out and the other side of the body is pretty banged up whereas the blue jeep has no rot and isn't too dinged up

 

Word. Nice pick up too for 500 bones!

 

Thankyou! I got pretty lucky I bought it the day before it was going to the junckyard.

 

Nice come ups

 

Today I decided to limp Big Red down the trail in my back yard one last time before I strip her down due to her running on 4 cylinders, so I pulled the doors off, jumped her got about half a mile down the trail and the engine light turned off hahaha Either way it's the last ride I'm taking in it before I drive it to the shop that I'll be working on my next build at. Kinda sad! But that just means Big Blue is starting this weekend!

 

In your position, I think I'd just have to find a donor xj for my donor xj haha. A crashed one, and swap the engine into the red xj...Then either use the blue xj as a dd, or swap the lift to the blue one and use the red as a beater...Either way, if I owned 2, I'd need to keep 'em both running haha.

Looks like it'll be a good build though, and at least you're getting parts from the red one before she dies...Would be a shame for that lift to go to waste...Does it have a track bar, lcas, etc.? If so, AMAZING deal...Well it's a great deal you got either way, but...

 

Sorry I have been nonstop with the quarter ending at my school but yes the red jeep has everything I couldn't have gotten a better deal! The lift has only been in it for 8 months also.

 

I've been non stop at school and work starting up again but I was able to get the red jeep down to the shop this weekend, next weekend I will be removing the axles, lift and drive shafts, wire brushing and recoating them. If all goes right I will begin to put the axles and lift in the blue jeep the week after that.

 

Also took the blue jeep out on the power lines by my house, everything's pretty wet right making for great wheeling even if it's in a stock rig at the moment

 

Had the afternoon off today so I had some time to strip down the red jeep, everything came apart pretty easily knock on wood, haven't taken out the upper control arms yet they might be a pain.