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Clifford The Jeep
Introduction:
Hey everyone, introducing Clifford, my (not so) big red Jeep. The plan is for Cliff to just keep on growing through the years, in various stages. As this is my first build thread on Cherokee Forum, I'll probably be making edits to the layout. Any and all suggestions on how to better organize the information and thread are greatly appreciated. I hope you all enjoy the updates as they come! Short term plans involve completely refreshing and "perfecting" this little ruby in the rough. Long term dreams include (but are not limited to) an LS swap, tons, etc. Like the dog, Clifford won't stop growing. Pictured below after I bought it, cleaned it up, and did some essential maintenance before I brought it from Maryland to Florida: https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...781778d91.jpeg |
The Back Story:
Clifford is my second XJ. My first vehicle was a patriot blue XJ, on a modest 3" RC lift and 31" tires. I really beat the heck out of that rig from 16 years old to 22. It forever solidified the Jeep Cherokee as an all time favorite, and clearly carved out a special place in my heart. Fast forward a few years of regret from selling my trusty steed, and I found myself living in Florida, in the market for a project beach cruiser. As months went by, my dad called me up and said one of his neighbors in Maryland was looking into selling his beloved Cherokee, but specifically wanted it to go to a new home and an owner that would love and care for it. Enter Clifford. I hopped on the phone with the PO and he gave me the rundown: His father bought the car new in 99. Gave it to him as a college vehicle. It went with him when he joined the military. It was still his daily when he got married, had his first kid, bought his first house. Over the years he tastefully modified it and had ALL of the paperwork for the suspension work, the wheels and tires, the bumpers, the crate engine (got a reman @ roughly 156k, at 190k now). He even gave me the original window sticker that he still had all these years later. Once he had kids, he got a safer and more reasonable car, but it meant the Jeep got a little love in upgrades, and no use. For the last few years of ownership, it hardly moved. I asked what he wanted for it, and it turned out to be well within my budget, and we made a gentlemen's agreement that I would buy it sight unseen and hand him cash the next time I visited Maryland. Two weeks later, I showed up at his door with a bank envelope, and took Clifford back to my parents garage to prepare for the trip to Florida. Pictured below 30 seconds after shaking hands and receiving keys: https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...7487617398.jpg |
First Days:
The Good: It started, shifted, stopped. The Bad: It was in need of a week or two of work. The Ugly: I had 3 days. Small Issues that NEEDED to be fixed before the trek to florida:
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...a1398efbf.jpeg By the time the weekend was over Clifford was looking, running, and driving 10x better, but I wasn't sure I had the kind of faith to make it to Florida without an issue that would delay me from getting back to work. Then, an idea was born: the Autotrain. Clifford turned heads waiting to be loaded up, and the guy unloading it even had a little fun on the skinny pedal (I blame the exhaust) when we got to Florida. The rest would have to wait until the journey was complete. |
Restoration Continued:
Once I got to Florida, I began to get through the long to-do list that I had created. Sadly, I don't have pictures of everything I've done. Moving forward, I'll be sure to document the processes much better.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...317c1c50d9.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...b36e29c952.jpg |
Current Project: Suspension HELP PLASE
I'm trying to fix the "carolina squat" issue I have in the rear. I have a complete parts list from the PO for all of the parts installed...but somehow theres no mention of the rear leaf pack. Given the rest of the below parts list, I want to assume that its part of the Rubicon Express 3.5" Super-Flex kit, but all thats mentioned for the rear is a 1" block and it does ride low in the rear...but its also a 5 leaf pack and from what I remember the factory packs came as 4 leaf? No single leaf looks newer or older than the rest. I need to take some measurements to figure out how much lift I'm really lacking in the rear. What measurements would you suggest? Rough measurements (didnt remove wheels so not 100% accurate...I'll double check when theres time) from center of hub to bottom of stock fender flares: Front: 22" Rear: 20-20.5" Options in my head so far are:
Tires: Firestone Destination M/T 32x11.50r15 Rubicon Express SYE and Driveshaft are installed. Haven't looked for a stamp, but thats what the part numbers on the work order state. Has anyone had this issue? Any advice on which option to go with to fix it? I was under the impression that the RE kits tend to sit extra high. Below is the list on the work order from the previous owner and the shop that installed the kit (Installed March 2019 with 179k miles, current odometer at 190k), and a picture of how it sits: https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...7ab02374d4.png https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...b9ce6b3989.jpg |
Can you share better pictures of the rear setup? You should just assume you'll be buying a new set of leaf springs...
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Factory ride height is as follows measuring from top of axle tube to bottom of uniframe directly above:
Front 6.75" Rear 6" |
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