SO here I am starting my build, it is finally worthy of having a build... Enjoy...

My name is Jake, I am located in San Diego, I enjoy the outdoors and would like to get out there more often but unfortunately between work and school that is very difficult. My little cherokee helps get me there when I can!

I came across this jeep through a friend of mine but i had no intention of buying a car... It was an incredible deal and in amazing condition... So I did some further research, inspected it closer, moved some things around, talked to the guy selling it and bought it! Boy was I excited!

So here's what I'm working with...

1996 Jeep Cherokee SE
4x4
4dr
Automatic
AC
...Thats about it.

63k miles
ZERO rust!!
VERY clean, inside and out
Dark Blue (Not OEM)
Brakes redone prior to purchase
Bare essentials, I was lucky to have AC

I have slowly been doing aesthetic and functionality upgrades as time permits

I have also taken any chance I can to enjoy my little XJ... My girlfriend laughs at me cuz ill go out of my way to drive through a huge puddle or drive down a service road if i see one.

I thoroughly enjoy owning my Jeep and haven't once regretted it!

Also if you're also in the SoCal area let me know cuz I'm all alone and am being forced to offroad with toyota and landrover guys... yuck haha

 

Here the little guy is just after I bought it



And I was bored (supposed to be shopping), found an embankment at the mall and remembered seeing all the cool guys on here flexing their jeeps anywhere they can...
So what do I do?... What any other sensible person would do...
Drive up it!





As you may have guessed, I did not get very far.

 

Here are the very first two things I did to it.

#1
I had no center console, just a "mini console" as the guys at the Jeep graveyard I go to call it.
Anyways it HAD TO GO. So I found a decent one at the graveyard and installed it.

New Console Before Install:



During:



I must say it was well worth the effort, I took my time and did it right the first time.
It took about 4 hours including distractions and food break.

Before:



After:



Also, the console top is grey in the pictures because there were no clean/remotely presentable tan tops at the graveyard.
I have since replaced the grey one for a nicer tan one that matches.

#2
I am an Eagle scout and one thing I have always been a fan of is being prepared, so, I installed a flashlight.
I found that it fit perfectly next to the driver's seat and there was some hollow area beneath the trim so that's where I ended up installing it.

Its just your average Maglight and Maglight brand mounts that I added some support to. I did not trust the plastic trim nor the screws it came with because i tend to be rough with things so I also added nuts and bolts as well.

The Light/Mounts/Support:



All Mounted Up:



Oh yeah, and I added some cheap rubber floor mats to the front and back temporarily but they have turned out to be awesome so they still sit there almost two years later.
You can see them in the last picture.

 

I of course eventually plan on a lift kit and better tires.
Thats a given, however, before I had a chance to do that I got a chance to take it offroading which was a blast!
It was just the local desert (about 45 min drive)
I believe it was Ocitillo Wells area.

Pictures:







My dad and brother decided to tag along...
I definitely will NEVER be inviting them again!!
The trip was a lot of fun, did some offroading, did some shooting, etc, etc, desert stuff.

Here are my plans:
-Lift, ~3"
-Tires, ~31"
-Roof Rack
-Bumpers
-Skid Plates
-Sliders
-Tire Carrier
-Winch
-Survival Gear
-Drawer System/Sleeping Platfrom
-Possible RTT?

Goal: Exploring, Adventuring, "Expedition Style Travel" around the US

I want to male it self reliant and able to cover long distances.
I originally hadn't taken into account weight, but now that I have driven it some more and realized how much weight can affect Cherokees (or any vehicle in general) I have decided to work on losing some weight with my plans by making the design of the bumpers less bulky.

O and my dad is a metal fabricator/welder/whatever so the majority of the metal work he will be helping me with while I learn.

I do plan to do this by myself and do anything that I have the ability to do.
I admire the "built not bought" idea and want to build my Jeep so it is just that, MY jeep!

 

My dad and I have been working on a roof rack for a while. It has been a slow process as it is quite difficult to coordinate our two schedules.
I am doing this before the lift mainly because it is FREE!!!
My roof rack ended up being a whopping $35 because that is how much the primer I bought was, we had 100% of the metal and equipment so we got to it and made a rack!
I am pretty impressed with it. We designed it to have a large cargo capacity while being strong enough for my girlfriend and I.

Here it is in the drawing/measuring stages:



Only the side sections and the framing is finished, we wanted to get the mounting set up out of the way while it was still easy to lift up/down multiple times. We ended up deciding on a low profile, custom mounting set up, Its out of the way, looks good, and is very strong... Only one downside, it involved trimming the rain gutters a bit. It was worth it 100%

Trimming:



Welding the mounting feet:



The rack is completely removable btw, We just mounted the feet to the rack while it was on the car to get the right angles without too much pain. It worked out really well!

O and the fat guy is my dad... He is doing a lot of the smaller, more visible details as I am still learning to weld.

Here it is being weight tested before paint:



Here it is being used, again, before paint. Only primer:



I am very impatient and absolutely HATE the painting/bodywork side of things so I used it a few times before it was finished for kayaking/mtn biking. My girlfriend and I also ate lunch up on it quite a few times which was a lot of fun!

And Final Product:



It looks a little goofy in the picture but it looks much better with lights and stuff on it.

...More to come...

 

Looks great! Subscribed.

 

After a looooong 1 1/2 years of owning it and dreaming of a lift and tires, I got a few packages in the mail!!





I had done some research and found the best deal on:
-Rough Country 3" lift with shocks, lower control arms, AAL, etc.
-31" BFG a/t's

I didn't have much of an idea of where to start because the instructions were TERRIBLE, I ended up finding a youtube video from Rough Country on how to do it which saved me so much trouble!

My dad actually told me not to do it myself and that it would be a pain in the ***** to do by myself... I took that as a challenge and tore into it by myself with just a few tools. I had some help/moral support from my girlfriend but other than that I did it completely by myself!!
My girlfriend did want to help so I handed her a wrench and had her take a few bolts out after I had loosened them.
She also brought me food and drinks and kept me from throwing a wrench through my windshield when I was having trouble getting the control arms lined up during reassembly.
I had ZERO trouble getting things loose and disassembled which I was nervous about after hearing all the horror stories on here.
My only trouble was getting the control arms to line up!
I had also been spraying pb blaster daily for the month leading up to the install. Looking back I don't think it was entirely necessary but I wasn't taking the chance.
I ended up doing it in two half days, one for the front and one for the rear.
I was extremely lucky because it started raining literally 30 minutes after I finished and test drove it around the block!!

Here is where I started:



Here are some pictures during the install:







Here's my amazing girlfriend, thank you!!











So anyone who tells you that you cannot do it by yourself is a liar!
I have very little experience with anything related to suspensions or cars in general (I'm learning as I go ) and I was able to pull this off in a driveway!
I am extremely happy that I did it by myself and learned a lot about the Jeep.

Before:



After:



After Tire Install:



Going in for an Alignment:



I love it! I did not want it to lose too much on road performance but I did want better ground clearance, larger tires, and of course... more aggressive style!!
I definitely got everything that I wanted in that so I am content... for now...

 

Hey man, that's awesome that your girlfriend helped ya out! Mine was right there tooling on mine too. And yea I agree, I had very little knowledge about cars before I lifted my jeep. Obviously I had some guidance from a friend, but other then that it was me. Keep up the good work!

 

Ya its pretty awesome when they take an interest in it and want to help!!

I can't believe anyone who would be willing to pay $400+ to have someone else do the lift for you!!
If anyone tries to take their Jeep to a shop for the installation I would rather do it myself for them for much cheaper!!

Anyways, here are a couple more shots of the lift...

Before:



After:



I tried to take the shot in a similar position as before the lift but the place has gotten pretty overgrown and there is a giant bush where i was standing last time I took the picture!

I did some other playing around in the area as well.











I have my backpack on the roof because these were taken right before a trip to Big Bear for some snowboarding with my girlfriend and her mom. The trip was tons of fun and the Jeep got quite a workout... Pics of that coming soon.

 

Lookin good man! Doesn't it feel good to do it yourself?

 

looks great, you will be amazed at how capable 3 inch and 31's are.

 

nice, wish i got packages like that in the mail

 

Haha ya it did feel great! My dad was even impressed... he was mad that I did it even though he said not to.

It was definitely pretty freaking exciting seeing those boxes on the doorstep when I got home!

I have some good stuff coming up, mainly interior/creature comfort stuff, but good stuff none the less.

-Full speaker system (courtesy of my girlfriend for my birthday)



This included 4 speakers, 2 tweeters, sub, amp, head, and a bluetooth connect thing

-Keyless Entry & Remote start (GF, Christmas)
-CB radio set up (Parents, Birthday)
-Overhead console(bought it a looooong time ago, will be used as a home for my CB)
-Door pocket things from a "fancier edition" XJ that I found at the junkyard
-Custom Drawer system/sleeping platfrom in the rear of the jeep, this is where the Sub will be incorporated

 

wow the girl friend has good taste in speakers, i want someone to buy me a full stereo system, i peiced together a used set in my truck, i have a 2003 modle alpine that i bought off a friend after she totaled her truck and got 4 soneys from u pull it and no room for a sub. i need to find boat speakers for my jeep

 

off to a great start for 16 definitely. you had more tools than me with the compressor and your dad being a welder, but yes doing it yourself is all worth it.

Next things if you havnt done is some maintenance so things dont break down. The normal engine stuff, steering tie rods, stabilizer, hubs, ball joints.

you can get a v8 grand cherokee tie rod for cheap at the junkyard and its an upgrade.

check my thread for some info on that stuff as well as plenty of others here.

keep updating and using it!