The CheroKeep
 

I finally found a Jeep Cherokee, something I've always wanted. My mom's friend sold her's after driving it around Wichita, KS for the last 20 years. This thing was owned and garage kept it's whole life by a nice, older lady who never abused it, never drove it off road, and maintained it religiously via the dealership, and the Jeep comes with a stack of service recipes as thick as pea soup. That's the only way I would buy any vehicle with 244,000 miles on the odometer, "sight unseen" at that...

Turns out it was a great investment. The only things that don't work are the heater and A/C, and it looks like the valve cover gasket needs replaced. Oh and the shocks are so far gone it's scary.

But everything else has been maintained to perfection! And the stack of receipts is literally 1.5" thick. Sorting through it, the XJ went through 5 pairs of tires, 6 batteries, 3 water pumps, two front bumpers, 2 alternators, etc. It had all the XJ problems taken care of: the neutral indicator sensor, the crankshaft position sensor, etc.

http://dannix.net/sites/default/file...?itok=M6ZFhbS_

http://dannix.net/sites/default/file...?itok=kYOJ6h_Q

[SNEAK PEAK: HERE'S HOW IT'S RIDING NOW:]


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...b307308f8d.jpg


It's an automatic, 4x4, sport, and green (I love the green!). Very standard stuff. I've been doing some research and the '97 model was a very good year! This was the first year of the slick redesign and second year of the improved engine (right?), but it was before they started putting sub-pare engine heads and rear ends in the two years before the Cherokee was killed off. It has the desirable Christler 8.25" 29-spline rear differential. The transfer case is your traditional 2H-4H-N-4L (that means it's an np241, right?).




I'm going to have to decide if I want to use it as a daily driver instead of my truck, or if I want to put some big tires under it and make it an off-road rig. I'm thinking the later! But first things first, it's very high millage so I'll have to see what needs fixing and how reliable the motor is. So far it's been rock solid. It takes a few seconds to fire up however, and the idle feels more like a V8 than an inline 6.

This isn't my first time dealing with old vehicles, or with 4x4s either. This is my truck:

http://dannix.net/sites/default/file.../finished6.JPG

It has a chevy 350 motor with high compression heads, sm465 4-speed tranny with the granny low gear, a np205 cast iron transfer case with no slip yoke, and manual locking hubs on front axle. (Jealous yet?) But it's about 2000 pounds heavier than the Jeep, gets 15mpg highway on premium gas only, doesn't go faster than 65mph and has a rather small 8.5" rear end.

Ok so.. Rusty's 2" lift kit is on it's way here (full coil springs in front, add-a-leaf in rear) and I'm planning on buying 31" tires and trimming the fenders to fit them.

But first, I needed to test out the stock capabilities. After all, the ol' jeep as been driven by an old lady it's whole life and never gotten to stretch it's legs off road, so that had to change ASAP.

http://dannix.net/sites/default/file...?itok=1g7j0WUz

http://dannix.net/sites/default/file...?itok=g6-kGKJV

http://dannix.net/sites/default/file...?itok=ePwWtZ4L

The trail was less than a mile long, lol, but I still deserved a sandwich and a beer:

http://dannix.net/sites/default/file...?itok=m9Gj_RDQ

Obviously this was no hardcore proving ground but I'm just glad my jeep finally got to stretch her legs after being driven by this ol' gal her whole life:

http://dannix.net/sites/default/file...?itok=siq0dm32

haha!

Anyways.. I was actually surprised at how smooth the jeep conquered those rather large ditches and mud holes. The 4wd worked flawlessly and there was even a little mud to play in but those street tires are absolutely awful. Can't wait to replace them! I'm thinking Falcon Wildpeak AT3W's.

Nice jeep...but why add a leaf?:cursing: and no you don't want the falken tires bad reviews so far from customers I've gotten feedback from. Go cooper at3, bfg ko2, or general grabber at2 and don't look back.

add-a-leaf because that's what's in the lift kit and because I'm a cheap ass. Right now the springs aren't frowning at all, they're flat as a board, and I'm measuring 17" from center of rim to the fender flare.

And what was wrong with the falken wildpeak tires? Hard to get them balanced or what?

you'really gonna hate add a leafs. Rough as hell. Nah the falkens suck offroad and struggle in wet weather.

edit: just saw you were talking about the at3 tires. Those are better then the other offer ring from falken, but they aren't in bthe same class as the other choices I gave you.

I had Mastercraft Courser AXTs on my last jeep, and plan to put them on the current one since i already have them.

they are pretty good and since they are seemingly a cheaper version of the Cooper AT3s that Martlor mentioned, theyd be a great buy.

They are decent. I had them on for a bit. Since I work at a tire shop I can try out different tires at a reduced price, plus get feedback from customers. The mastercrafts are a middle tier tire. Definitely a cheaper version of the cooper's. They aren't nearly the performers but they do get the job done. I like the khumo AT 51 more though as a middle tier option. Those are some pretty nice tires and nice budget type option as well.

Is the K10 a 74?

Yup, I mean, you're right that it's a K10 and it looks like a 73 or 74, but but technically the body is from an 83 c10 with a front clip from a 73 or 74 c30 and the chassis from an 80s k10 (exact year unknown)

they dont make trucks like that anymore. My dad had an early 80s chevy and the thing was a tough bugger. and plenty of room under the hood to work!

I like that two-tone interior of your clean XJ, btw. ive only seen the insides of 97+s that were grey so i assumed the brown interior was like my 96 and just one color, not accented in black. thats sharp.

Martlor, for my next set i might get either the Cooper At3s, or maybe wrangler authority, which the local wally world has for like 140 a pop.
I ran wrangler radials when i first got the previous jeep. then it started riding funny and thre were about to blow at the same time!

I knew it wasn't a 73 because it has drip rails over the doors. My non xj project is a 73 c10

You're in ICT?

Getting ready for the trip to Colorado that's in a little over two weeks. So far I've only removed the rear sway bar so I'm a little behind on schedule.

Parts are all here though. Rusty's 2" lift w/ shocks, steering stabilizer, larger bump stops, and new brake pads.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...c746c7209f.jpg


Wondering if I should replace the rear wheel brake cylinders. They're not leaking and they're not broken and when I last did a brake check all 4 wheels skidded in the dirt.

But I hear that these things break and I'm just looking at preventative maintenance. However, the saying "if it's not broken then don't fix it" might apply hear, and everything int here is pretty rusty and I don't have the special tools for pulling the springs and

What do you think?

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...d85b16faee.jpg

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...a1b996e7a9.jpg


No, I'm in Lawrence KS, but Wichita is where the Jeep came from.

246,000 miles and the original factory starter finally went out. Bravo!

I would give those rear brakes a nice cleaning and make sure they're adjusted properly. Other than that, they look great. Clean your hub up too!!

Yup, plenty of meat left on those rear brakes. Clean, adjust, and be good to go!

Nice clean Xj!

From this angle the rear leaf looks like its got a little bit of inverted action going on. Just a heads up, i did an AAL to mine when they were like that, and they sagged in a month, and i ended up replacing them with IRO full leaf packs.

I'd went back and fourth about AALs, but i personally think i'll go with a Crown Upcountry pack. If i want more lift down the road i'll get shackles.

However, thats not to say AAL i the worst option. Ive seen it done many a time.
Better than blocks!

That leaf pack is shot. I didn't even notice it, good looking out Pinky. An AAL is a waste of money.

great

How much lift does that give

They are replacement leaf packs for the factory Upcountry package, so they are heavier duty and give 1-1.5 inches of lift. So they say.
They are like 79 bucks a pack on Amazon.

I myself would prefer to stay under 3" as to avoid the many issues that usually arise from a lift that high or higher. I singled out the "upcountry" route to keep as many stock parts as possible as well as keep as much driveability intact (Mine's my DD as well).

You could also make a 'bastard pack' from junkyard leaves, im not sure about Rusty's return policy.

That's pretty good thinking there RegularGuy

What I might do is buy some new OEM leaf springs and add the leaf to them before installing. There's a factory not far away from me that makes them and I can just go there and pick them up to save quite a lot on shipping, I did that with my k10 pickup and it worked out great. They make u-bolts too, he made them for me when I arrived to pick up the springs, but I already have those. Generalspringkc.com is their website and they do list XJ leafs. $100 each or $120 each for heavy duty (says it's a higher weight capacity but doesn't say if it's taller)

I did a thing
 

Starting installing the lift kit yesterday.

Started with the rear...

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...84cc59483a.jpg

It started out smooth and all. The u-bolts came out easy. I had planned on cutting them but it was less effort just to un-bolt them.

Then I started removing the shocks.

Now, I think you guys know what problem I ran into, but I didn't know anything about it at the time so it was quite a shock (no pun intended). All four upper shock bolts broke off. The first thing I did was search this forum and learned right away that this is a very common problem and the solution is to hammer out the welded on nuts and use new nuts and bolts. I decided I'd deal with that later and remove the leaf springs next in order to make more room for hammering out the broken bolt/nuts.

I could not, for the life of me, remove the leaf spring bolts! I'm talking about the rear ones that connect the leaf to the shackle. And from what I read, the front bolts are even harder! I tried throwing money at it, went to Oreilly's and dropped $100 on tools. I tried torching them with MAP gas. I tried hammering many many times until my back couldn't handle any more (it still hurts).

So I gave up. I cheated. I went back to Oreilly's and got the dreaded aluminum lift blocks.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...6ff3e8529c.jpg

I'm running out of time to prepare my jeep for my Colorado trip which is in two weeks. I still have all the front suspension to do, steering reinforcement stuff, and then regular maintenance before a trip with a vehicle with over 246,000 miles. FYI I'm not planning on rock crawling, I just want bigger tires that can handle the rocky roads a lot better, and new shocks.

THIS IS ONLY TEMPORARY!!

Yes I know these lift blocks will hurt my leaf springs. I plan on removing them and installing new leaf springs. But that will have to wait.

Bonus: the lift blocks came with 2 degree wedges to help with driveshaft angles.

Still have to get the broken shock bolts out...

An air hammer works great for removing those broken bolts. It can also be done with a long punch and hammer.

It sure sucks when stuff doesn't go the way it's supposed to, huh?
FYI I do t think blocks are THE WORST way to lift... My brother test drove an XJ that had some sort of coil spring stretchers or something upfront? That was garbage.

Yes, and it won't help my confidence when going over a rough trail either. I still think that will be the limiting factor on the Jeep though.

I was only able to get one of the four broken bolts out with a punch and BFH. Actually I used the backside of a wood splitting maul/axe. After 20 minutes of this, back was in too much pain to continue.

If at first you don't succeed, go and buy $200 in air tools.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...17621d5850.jpg

Zing! With the pressure up high enough (90psi is what I used) those broken bolts/nuts just flew right off.

Getting the new bolts in was actually the easiest part of the whole job. I used a magnetic tool and just dropped the bolts in through the little whole in the unibody frame.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...fd60221a4f.jpg

About 15 seconds elapsed between taking that picture and this one:

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...c849417189.jpg

Now I can install the shocks.

However, Rusty didn't install the bushing and bar pins and sleeves, I had to do that. My little bench vice was just barely large enough. Getting the bushings in was easy enough - I just

Damn you Rusty!!

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...e8b8682e8b.jpg

I learned pretty quickly that I needed to round off the sharp corners of the bar pin before squeezing them into the bushings. And even with this, if they go in just slightly cockeyed, they will dig into the bushing and then you're SOL.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...23063af35b.jpg

But aside from those minor issues, I was able to get the new shocks in and put the wheels back on.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...3c8b0995be.jpg

Yay!

Now, onto the front which I hope will be a little easier. Though there's more to do: brakes, steering stabalizer, steering box spacer, and the sway bar link & disconnects. I also bought the heavy duty lower control arm mounts but I don't think I'll have the time to weld those in.

T-10 days until we take off for Colorado.

I couldn't work on it at all yesterday as I had to work on the house I'm renovating (lolfml)

New tires were ordered on Amazon and are scheduled to arrive next Thursday. 31" x 10.5" x 15" Falcon Wildpeak ATW3s. Only $135 each and free shipping!

I went through the enormous stack of receipts and tallied up everything:

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...4e22903452.png


Here's the most recent 4 major service receipts:

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...2bb8c81fbb.png

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...16a15a7b3e.png


What's just as shocking as the number of times the radiator as been replaced (four) are the items that were never replaced! Shocks, starter, rear brake wheel cylinders, leaf springs... the entire suspension really.

I will need new leaf springs soon now that I put lift blocks on the rear (just temporary, don't have time to remove the leafs, I tried but the bolts are seized of course). I also replaced the shocks and the starter. So maybe I ought to replace those rear brake wheel cylinders. They're not leaking at all and when I did a brake check I thought the rear tires had skidded in the dirt but it was a little hard to tell. Maybe I'll check it again. The brakes feel a little crummy, but I have new front brake pads that will be installed before the trip.

I hope to get this Jeep to 300k miles! At 246k miles it's already driven further than the distance between the earth and the moon :head:

Definitely getting some driveshaft vibes. Still need to raise the front 2" so that might help a little, right?

Little tip for those bar pins, Put the bar pins into the bushing first then put the bushing with bar pin into shock eye. I use white lithium on the surfaces then find a socket that fits the diameter of the bushing. You can push it the majority of the way in on the vice then take it out and give er a smack with a hammer and it'll go right in with no damage.

^^^ good idea, I'll keep that in mind for the front shocks

I got started on the front suspension.

Got the shocks off no problem this time. Driver side shock was completely useless. Passenger side still had some life in it. Not bad for 246,000 miles! They're the original shocks.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...b8474a31ce.jpg

First problem I ran into was the sway bar link bolts. They're impossible to get off. It was only after trying a MAPP torch, breaker bar, and 18v impact driver that I went online to read more about it which is when I learned that they're studded and pressed on. :bangin:

I tried to get the nut on the back off but apparently it's a 18mm which I do not have a socket or wrench for. I tried a 13/16 socket (iirc) on the end of the breaker bar, but it slipped off causing me to smash my pinky into the concrete and that's when I gave up for the night. :wallbash:

So I think I'm just going to leave them on! I was planning on replacing them with this upgrade from Pro Comp but they might be too tall anyways for only a 2" lift. I was also planning on rigging my own quick disconnect pin but I'm running out of time and inspiration.

Here's the Pro Comp ones compared to the stock:

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...a473e1097c.jpg

However, the bushing definitely need replaced. I could easily cut them off with my angle grinder and then pound the remaining hardware out with my new air hammer.

But that all depends on if those Pro Comp ones are too tall or not. Let me know what you think!

[edit: inspiration is starting to come back after reading this]

Longer sway bar links really aren't needed at 2". You'll be fine either way. But I'd say just throw them in the garage until you make it into the 3-4.5" range. Looking good... Keep it up.

Hmm, i remember having to replace the sway bar link on the driver side of my '96 (it snapped on my crappy backwoods country road) and it wasnt pressed or staked in. I think it was just a torx bolt.

did they change this on the 97+? im thinking of putting new Moog links on my 98 so i may run into issues.

in any case, yeah, those bushings look shot. and glad you are getting those shocks done, another thing thats on my list.
You're getting ahead of me!

Finished the front suspension yesterday!

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...5fb959bc9e.jpg

I was finally able to get the sway bar links off after buying a 18mm socket for my 1/2" breaker bar to get the nut off of the lower bolt. The right tool for the job!

With those removed I could get to work replacing the coil springs.

I could not, however, lower the front axle enough to freely pull out the springs because the lower control arms were hitting the bracket as shown here:

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...f50cdd0f25.jpg

So I went to Oreilly's and borrowed their coil spring compressors for free.

I tried to use my socket driver head on an 18v Ryobi multitool but it started smoking! Bad idea.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...9a45d85d69.jpg

Other than that and the fact that I forgot to put the new bump stop in the coil spring before installing, I had no problems getting the new coil springs in. And yes I made sure they springs where in the correct position to contact the lower spring pad the right way. Pushing the bump stops into place though was a major major pain in my ass! Did not enjoy that part..

Here's the new bump stop compared to the old. I may need to cut them to be a little shorter, but first I'll have to put the new tires on and do some flexing.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...a7d48db1e3.jpg

I decided to reuse the stock sway bar links as advised, and so I went got some new bushings for them. But when I went to bolt them to the sway bar, this happened:

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...94d704fe5a.jpg

Obviously the metal was severely weakened from rust and it didn't take hardly any torque at all for it to snap, so good thing it happened now and not on the road!

So I installed the larger Pro Comp sway bar connectors and I think they'll do just fine.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...9acadbfb86.jpg

Finally, I installed the new Hawk brake pads and hit up all the grease points with a new grease gun.

Done!

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...4e046f8b85.jpg

I'm a little bit underwhelmed by the perceivable amount of lift on the front. Here's the measurements. Front:

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...96100501d3.jpg

Back:

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...9a8eb3473e.jpg

Before and after:

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...572629d5b8.jpg

19.5" in the front and 20.5" in the rear, measuring from center of rim to the edge of the fender flare. Are those measurements what they should be? I think I will definitely need wheel well trimming to fit the 31" tires which are arriving some time today from Amazon.

I still need to install the steering brace and steering box spacer, and lower the transfer case with some longer bolts and washers. 6 days until we hit the road for Colorado!

New tires are here! This calls for a selfie

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...16ecdbbb51.jpg

T-5days until I leave for Colorado. And in those days I have way more to do than work on my jeep: take care of girlfriend after wisdom teeth are removed, install ceiling fan in bedroom, take down a popup camper, get all my hiking gear together, plant things in the garden, etc.

So yesterday I knocked out the TC drop.

I used my big brain and went to the HW store and bought some grade-8 bolts: M10 x 1.5 pitch x 1.5" long (they didn't have 2" long ones or that's what I would have got). And then I got 12 matching nuts for the bolts as well.

My plan was to use the nuts as spacers. 3 nuts was about 7/8". I just needed to drill out the the threads with a 3/8" drill bit (high quality one, a cheap one will not last through that grade-8 steel, I used black oxide bits). It was, however, just slightly too small yet my next biggest bit was 1/2" which would have been too much. So i removed the rest of the material with a dremel fitted with a Tungsten Carbide Cutter bit. Expensive but worth it as that bit has lasted a very long time and is still sharp. I used WD-40 will drilling and milling to keep all the bits fresh.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...3ecc6d4752.jpg

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...8140d7c926.jpg

After unbolting the crossmember, I had a little problem with it getting cockeyed and I couldn't get the new bolts in. I solved this by using a tow strap wrapped around the rear axle and the crossmember. Did I tell you about my big brain?

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...2ecffcde6a.jpg

Done! No more bad vibes!

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...9e9a4ddb5f.jpg

Maybe one day I'll replace it with something a little more sturdy but I think it will be fine for now.

Meanwhile... I have the new tires on!!

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...d1443e6384.jpg

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...062597c320.jpg

They're 31x10.5x15 Falcon WildPeak AT3Ws. They're just barely hitting the lower control arm when the steering wheel is turned all the way, so I'll have to add some washers to that bolt on the steering knuckle. Easy.

I'll also have to trim the wheel wells I think but I'll need to do a flex test first I guess. Stay tuned!

Nice job. Looking good! :cheers:

Some 1x1 square tubing could have saved you a whole lot of grinding. :)

Not sure how long I would trust those "spacers" for. As long as you are aware of the negatives of running a TC crop, carry on. Those stock crossmemebers arent the strongest but a lot of their strength comes from being up against the unibody rail. Now that its dropped with such a small contact area id be keeping a very close eye on it.

:cheers:


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...93195c48a.jpeg

Nice clean Jeep. The 97 has the nicest interior color hands down.