thecheat1206

i'll get pics up tonight or tomorrow--scout's honor...

so, i got this free cherokee from a buddy of mine, though at this point, i'm wondering if i'm a frenemy or not.

it has 246,000 miles, lots of floor rot (as in, no floors), has the death wobble, steering is off, and the brakes are decent at best.

did i mention no interior?

now, it does have some serious positives going for it (besides that it's a 4.0 and an xj ). this truck has dana 44s front and back (so says the old man), some sort of mild lift with 31s (this, i may ditch and actually LOWER the truck, but more on that later), a newer np231 and a kick-*** stereo. the heat works (good, because i drive with the driver's window open all the time as the floors are rotted and i don't want to get co poisoning), the air works (but i have the non-ac bracket and idler from the mj, so that may go), it has power windows, and if i don't beat on it, i actually see 18mpg.

i'm not intending to really go crazy with this truck as it's my daily. the main things i'm attempting to accomplish here are safety, economy, and reliability. if i want to go fast, i have the mj. if i want to look good, i will have the gti or mj.

in the pursuit of safety, i'm fixing the floors so i can actually put my family in it without wondering if the wife is going to put her foot through the remnants of floor. gotta chase out the death wobble and misaligned steering as part of this too.

after safety is attacked, i will make this truck stupid reliable. we're talking bulletproof here. if it breaks, the new part will be built stronger and better. i drive 40 miles one way to work, so this is nearly as important as safety.

once i get the truck somewhat safe and reliable, i can go to work on economy. i will be keeping the 3.07s (yes, it's a 5speed), go to a 235/65r16 on some lightweight rotas (remember, a 31 is HEAVY), and find a way to bring the truck down to earth. i'm not up on lowering these trucks (though i do know drop coils are made for the front, and i'm assuming drop shackles and blocks for the back). i figure, if i can make it safe, reliable, and get say, 22mpg, then i'll be happy.

let me know if i'm being dumb here, thoughts, suggestions and comments always appreciated.

thecheat1206

joy.

been noticing as of late the front brakes (and rears too!) were spongy and not stopping well.

end result: new front pads/rotors/hubs. new rear shoes/hardware/cylinders/drums/lines. $400 later, i hope this thing stops and doesn't hum as loudly on the freeway.

still need to do axle seals in the front and make SOME kind of floorage, then maybe i can trust it again.