ITSAJEEPXJTHING

WHY?

I AM BUILDING THIS JEEP FOR SEVERAL RESONS.

1 - My 1990 lifted convertible jeep Cherokee got totaled in a car accident. “side note: I drove it home from the accident before realizing the extent of the frame, floor, rocker, body, and suspension damage, But the car that hit me at 55 MPH, and the car I got pushed into both where totaled and hauled off on flatbed tow trucks”

2 - I figured after how the jeep held up during the accident “even being chopped”, and that even know my driver seat bent back several inches in the impact, and I did sustain a back injury, It could have been a hell of allot worse.

3 - After giving the 1996 Cherokee to my father, who drove it for a few years and then gave it to my brother who drove it for another year. My brother gave the jeep back to me a few month back when he could not get a inspection sticker on it.

4 - I negotiating with the insurance company I got my old jeep back for parts, so I have tires, lift, axles with 4.10 gears and a nice heavy front bumper.

WHAT?

The jeep is a 1996 Cherokee 2dr. 4x4 5spd with 4.0 215k miles. When received some old custom bumpers a made about 6 years ago that where already spoken for, 10 year old 3” rough country suspension lift, no rocker panels, nice size holes in what was left of the floors, a cracked exhaust manifold, leaking muffler, no rear brakes, and it did not run all that well.

THE PLAN?

The plan is this. Build some serious new rocker panels that not only wont rust out again as long as I own the jeep, But also stiffen the unibody. Cut out and replace the floors. Weld up the exhaust manifold. Build a new rear bumper with a swing out spare tire carrier with HI-Lift jack mount. Herculiner the interior floor. Install a pair of all red Waggoner tail lights “I have about 3 sets of these” Build and install a roll bar. Buy and install a stereo system and CB. Swap over my front bumper, lift kit, longer YJ transmission shifter, 33” tires, and install the ford 8.8 and Dana 30 axles with 4.10’s from the totaled 1990 XJ.

I plan on installing a transfer case shifter from a 1990 YJ.

I may also add a winch to the front, and rusty’s or custom fender flairs in the future.

The catch is I want to drive this jeep for the winter so I can put my Firebird in storage, so most of my list will have to be done on weekends while leaving the jeep a daily driver during the week.

HERE IS WHAT I HAVE DONE SO FAR!

Removed center console, seats, rug, and all associated trim panels.
I have gotten the floors and rocker panels cut out.

Removed front header panel and fenders for better access to front of rocker panels.

Unbolted front doors so I could get easier access to the rocker panels and floors.

Cut front hinges with the doors off so I could remove the doors and install tube doors in the spring.

I then welded 2x4” 1/8 wall steel tube to 2x1” 1/8 wall steel tube to make 2x5” tubes. Cut the tubes to length , capped the ends, made 2 cleats to weld up into the sill plate where the A and B pillar sheet metal overlaps.

Then welded in the rocker panels.

Welded some angle iron to the rockers to mount my new floor to.

Made up some poster board templates for my floor, traced the templates to sheet metal, Cut out my floor pans, hand hammered the pans into shape before marking there the existing metal was on the floor and unibody to I could mark and drill my spot welds, primed the areas I would not be able to get to then the floor was welded in, then welded in the panels.

After welding in the rockers and floors I used 3M seam sealer to seal all the edges before priming and painting.

Herculined interior floor.

Make up some adapter brackets to mount front of 1996 seats to the unibody on the front floor. “they are ugly, but they are solid, and will do till I find some better seats to invest some more time on mounts.”
Installed front seats, along with doors, fender, header panel, and some OEM bumpers.

Welded up exhaust manifold, brazed any other leaks in exhaust system for now.

Replaced rear brake shoes, adjusters, LH wheel cylinder, and a 18” section of brake line.

Got a inspection sticker!

Will add pictures as soon as I can.

ITSAJEEPXJTHING

The jeep that got totaled. "parts jeep"


The 1996 project jeep back in 2007. 3" lift, 31" tires, 5" c-channel bumpers.


The rust.




Removed some bad metal.



Got the rockers welded in and some sheetmetal floors

The Blacksmith

haha saw you on JF, was wondering when a build thread was going to pop up.

I'll be watching.

ITSAJEEPXJTHING

Seam sealed, Primed, Painted rockers and floors. Then Herculined the inside floor.



Started building my new rear bumper. The main portion is now painted black and on the truck. still need to paint the swingout portion. It is made of 3" square tube. 3/16" wall. The mounts
also use 3" c-channel. and the bumper uses a spindle hinge from AtoZ fabrication.



Rear bumper mounts with [12] bolts. [8] factory at stock location and [4] 1/2" grade 8's
along the unibody trailer hitch mounts.



Added pull points. Also from AtoZ fabrication.



Latch is a 180 degree cam lock off the back of a wrecker. Spring loaded.

ITSAJEEPXJTHING

Think I should add the brush guard?

The side plates are over 1/2" thick steel! its heavy.

The bumber was on my 1990 xj. It survived 2 accidents with only a few scratches. The mounts go back 18" on the unibody and act as a power steering box brace. This is made of 3" square 3/16 wall steel tube, and 6" c-channel. It also has 2 tow hooks.

finneys98xj

nice build so far.

ITSAJEEPXJTHING

I have also had to swap my gas tank from the 1990. It is 1" shorter than stock "due to accident" but it doesnt leak!

Power steering pump went. Had to replace that.

Heater blower motor was seized. Another repair.

ITSAJEEPXJTHING

EMTXJ98

That's pretty sweet man. I'm thinking about doing the same thing for my spare tire. Thanks for posting that!