Shurik

Well, I did it.
After years of kicking myself for selling off our '91 Land Cruiser, I just couldn't be without my 4wd any more.
So... I've jumped into the deep end of the pool, and bought myself a '94 Cherokee with 148,000 miles on the clock

It's got the 4.0L (the only reason I didn't mind the miles), and auto trans.... and that's about all I can tell you at the moment. Pretty much everything is bone stock; even down to the fading paint and the peeling clear coat. The PO had replaced the alternator and serpentine belt a few months prior to my buying it, and the engine is looking good, with a nice dry (if dirty) oil pan; no leaks that I could see.

The engine runs cleanly and started right up, with no knocking, and the transmission seems to shift smoothly and strongly. The 4X4 engages as well as could be tested in an empty lot, and it seems to be an overall solid vehicle with next to no rust visible on the body or underneath.

Now the down side...
The driver side seat belt doesn't work (it just kind of flops there), and the passenger side headlight needs a new mounting. There's a bit of body damage just in front of the driver's door, but it doesn't effect function.
Other than that, it's merely the worn cosmetics of a 15 year old Cherokee.

Correct me if I'm way out to lunch here, but I though $900 was a good price.

So now what?
As I'm only 1 person, and this is a second vehicle, I need to wait till Wed to get some transit tags and pick it up. In the mean while, I'm trying to plan out how I can turn this into a capable, and (more importantly) a solidly reliable rig. I have plenty of experience with my good old LC, and I've rebuilt a '75 K-10 from the ground up (cost me $15 at Checkers, and a screw driver ), but this is my first time with a Jeep.

Aside from the usual hoses, wiring, fluid flushes, etc, where's the best place to start with improving the overall reliability of these things?


Of course mods are in the works , but first thing's first: Reliability.

And here's the sellers pics: no the Wrangler and (gasp) bug aren't mine.

94xjstud

It is pretty reliable stock. What are your plans with it and how is it going to be used?
Lift? Axle? Tires? Lockers? etc...
Rock crawling? Mud? DD? Occasional trail rider? ect...

From most of my experiences when you start lifting and modifing is when you start to break stuff, because most people either don't want to pay to strength all of the weak links or they don't think about it.

Shurik

Those weak links are exactly where I want to start.
I'm not looking to build a bad a-- rock crawler or mudder from the begining, and honestly, a lift will probably be among the final things that I do.
First off, I'm looking to strengthen the driveline (not sure where to start there), possibly replacing components (i.e. t-case, tranny, diffs, axle shafts, hubs, etc) with stronger/more robust units. Maybe throw in an ARB, or OX locker, etc. Tire upgrades will probably be among the first things to happen.
Any engine/exhaust/standard system mods/upgrades to make it more reliable/less prone to damage from heavy use will be top priority (again, not sure where to start there). Body armor, but nothing like a crazy full on exoskeleton, rather maybe some sliders, skid plates, etc. I'm not planning on bouncing off rocks, rather being able to get around them to the same destination; but doing so while carrying a full campsite with me.

I'm looking for something that'll take me anywhere... maybe not straight up the face of the cliff, but to the top of the hill none the less. I'd like to get there in as much comfort as possible, maybe with the intention of staying a day or two. So it'd have to be like a compromise somewhere between a rock buggy, and a camper.
Not really the best at any one thing, but much better than average at most things. I'd like to build this with the intention of being able to explore in comfort, to be able to do so independently, over protracted periods of time (carrying maybe a week's worth of supplies or so?), etc.
To sum it up, I want to build it into a better vehicle before I build it into a more capable vehicle.

I don't know if that makes any sense or not, but that's what I'm thinking.

Something like a Cherokee/American version of this:

ol"blue

Doesn't look like a bad deal at all.

94xjstud

Axles:
For your Dana 30 you will be good and reliable up to 33" tires, if you have abs (they have a stronger shaft and u-joint) if not then you can grab some shafts out of another cherokee with abs or a 97+ xj.
You will want to upgrade the rear axle with either a xj 97+ 8.25 with 29 spline shafts, a 87-89 xj Dana 44, or a ford explorer 8.8 w/disk brakes. All of these will hold 35's.
Tranny/transfer case:
Your tranny and transfer case are very reliable and I would only recommend getting a transmission cooler.
Steering:
A great way to upgrade your steering is to get the steering off of a v8 zj grand cherokee (there is lots of info on this). Or you can do even better and go with a newer model grand cherokee wj and get bigger brakes and OTK steering.
Armor:
Rock Sliders, Gas Tank Skid, treks offroad belly pan (or something similar), and heavy duty diff covers.
Lift:
Depending on how big you want to go and how much you want to trim/bump stop is up to you, but I recommend that you go with either Old man emu for smaller lifts (probably the best ride) or rubicon express with some very nice shocks and go with long arms for the most comfortable and best performing ride. Also for the rear make sure you have a combo of lift springs and a boomerang shackle, check Deaver springs for your leafs.