2000JeepCherokee

I've had my Jeep a few years now and I love it! Loved it when I drove it off the lot for the first test drive in October of 2012. 2000 Sport with 93,000 at the time. I like it because 1) it was black, 2) it had an updated stereo with CD player and 3) it had a sunroof. I'm hooked on the XJ now so there's no going back. It has been a bit of a learning process though as you all know. That's the nature of the XJ, right?


I had the Jeep for a year before I started modding anything and I have a very long (and expensive) list of things to come. I've got a ton of pics saved up that I figure might be of use to someone as a lot of the great information at CherokeeForum has been of use to me.


I had a laptop crash after last year so I lost all my pics of when I first bought it but there's been plenty since then.

2000JeepCherokee

So in the summer of 2013, I started getting some overheating issues.
I replaced the radiator and water pump. Flushed the system a couple times. Still overheating. Turns out with 2000 XJs there's this issue with the heads cracking and of course I had the 0331 head.
So, out with the old...





and in with the new...





Everything went pretty smooth. This was probably the largest job I've done with auto engine.
At least it was smooth until I was reinstalling the air intake. It must have warped because of the heat. Then I was cranking down on it when...





So again, out with the old, in with the new.





She fired right up after and has been running well since. No overheating!!!
There's several write-ups around for the 0331 head issue. Beyond the overheating, there was a nice residue in my valve cover gasket.

2000JeepCherokee

It was time for some new shoes and I didn't have a lot of cash so I found a great deal on Craigslist on these. I knew they wouldn't fit directly on the XJ so it was time for some adapters/spacers.




Some quality billet adapters to fit the new wheels.






The profile view. Not a bad stance.
Ole wheels in the background.




Not a lot of clearance though so that will have to be remedied with some cutting.




I'm liking the black lugs. Sooner or later I'll black out the wheels.




After the install. Fender trimming is next but I kind of like the look. Reminds me of a Hot Wheels car. Ultimately, I'll go with a different combo but I'm liking these for now.

2000JeepCherokee

After a bath...




I trimmed the wheel wells according to the directions for some Bushwacker Fender Flares. Sooner or later I'll get around to purchasing some. I painted the trimmed area with some bedliner from Harbor Freight. It's held out really well and I like the matt look. May be a sign of things to come...
Not a lot of clearance with the new shoes however...





Even closer in the back.




So it was time for a little lift. 2" budget lift. Shackles in the back. Pucks in the front. New shocks all around.
Of course 3 of the 4 upper shock bolts broke off...




Putting the boy to work...




I didn't like the white shocks.




Front ready for install.




And done.




All done. No more rubbing.

1999 xj

Your fender trim looks hideous .and if u put bushwackers your gonna be trimming a crap load more then that.

STUD IN THE MUD

Certainly not the finest fender trim in the world but be easy on the guy LOL!

Be careful with those wheel spacers friend. Good looking XJ so far.

unidentifiedbomb

Yea, because if you can't put on a wheel then they won't work..... just make sure the bolts are tight once in a while and inspect them on oil changes and you won't have any issues.

2000JeepCherokee

So you have or have installed Bushwacker's before?

2000JeepCherokee

Thanks for the positive comments.
I actually did a lot of research on the spacers/adapters before I purchased. I check them regularly and keep them torqued with my handy dandy HF torque wrench.

2000JeepCherokee

This is a couple pics of my son's '94' Cherokee. Great suspension but it had a lot of other issues that were bleeding him dry so he sold it. It had a Rusty's long arm lift with 36" Mickey Thompsons.




One from last winter.
I wish I could have bought it from him and parted it out but it wasn't meant to be.
At least we got to do the removable door mod and went doorless most of last summer.

2000JeepCherokee

When I got her, she only had 93,000 miles. She was my DD for a few years. My wife and I work at the same place now so we take the car.




A little camping expedition with the Mrs.




Broke a sway bar connector installing the lift. I went without for a while but I didn't really care for the boatlike experience so these guys got replaced. The bushings were a little shot.

2000JeepCherokee

For my son's graduation gift last year, he decided he wanted a lathe. So, we hopped in the Jeep and headed to Springfield, MO. The home of Grizzly Tools. If you're into woodworking and live in the Midwest, I'd highly recommend a visit. Great tools at decent prices and a very cool store/showroom. They've got EVERYTHING out on display.




Here's the lathe on the showroom floor.




And my son turning a bowl. He's done several things but he really enjoys turning bowls. He's made some pretty amazing ones.




But back to the Cherokee. A couple new stickers...






And a pesky oil leak. Time to tackle the dreaded Rear Main Seal.




Not the most difficult job but it's an incredible PITA to get to.




At least I got the oil pan looking good before reinstallation.




A tip if you have this project in your future. I stole it from a YouTube video. A little twine to keep the gasket in place while reinstalling the pan. Once you get one or two bolts in place holding it up, snip the twine and slide it out. Worked great!




I did it in four spots and never had to adjust it once.

2000JeepCherokee

Got to make a Sears run for some tools that had disappeared from my toolbox over the years.




I didn't need any of those tools for this job but it was time for a valve cover gasket replacement.




I decided a while ago that whatever I replaced or repaired on the Jeep, I was going to go ahead and paint.








Much Better...




And looking good under the hood. Now only a million other things I could clean up and paint...

2000JeepCherokee

It was time to paint the lower rear panels after removing the plastic bumper trim that I really didn't care for. This side was fine...




Unfortunately, this side decided to reveal a little bit of cancer. I removed the trim from inside and cleaned out as much as I could. Then gave it a dose of Rust Reformer paint. It's a temporary fix but will have to do for now.

bnard101

I like the XJ! Like the previous guys said, be careful with those spacers. I knew a guy who lost a wheel going down the highway because of them! Also, you could pick up a set of Rugged Ridges fender flares that are replicas of the buschwackers for almost half the price. I have them on my build and they're actually pretty similar