Project Big Red Snow Harlot
11-07-2009, 08:13 PM
#1
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Location: Highland IL
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Year: 94
Model: Cherokee
Project Big Red Snow Harlot
Today I finally got my XJ drivable.
It's a 94 Cherokee Sport 4x4, purchased for $500 with 193K miles some kind of a 3" lift. Automatic 4.0HO. The goal? I daily drive a Civic that's lowered 3", and it doesn't really work on the snow at all. My wife has a Honda CRV, but I can't steal it from her to go to work everyday, and it's not so hot offroad. GREAT in snow, but that's about it. Plus, I play in bands, and I needed something I could haul equipment in.
I'll probably offroad it a bit too, but here in southern IL, everything's pretty flat and boring.
When I picked it up on 10/25, it was crunched up pretty bad, and shooting coolant out as fast as I could pour it in. Nevertheless, I managed to drive it 20 miles home, stopping about every 3 miles to pour in water.
Here's what it looked like then:
You can't see it, but it was also rear-ended, which twisted the receiver under and bent the passenger side framerail INTO the rear leaf spring mount, which was causing the leaf spring to bind up and not move much. Also, the hatch latch was broken, and the latch pin was bent so far downward that it wouldn't engage the latch anyway, so it was roped shut.
The front bumper was twisted bad, the radiator support was bent up, and the lighting wireharness was crimped and shorting out on itself.
It was also VERY rough riding in the back end. Eventually I determined that about 80% of that was due to the bound leafspring problem. Another 20% is shocks, which I haven't done yet.
So, after 5 hours of work today, it's drivable. I already replaced the radiator, so I was able to drive it to my brother-in-law's shop with a hatch full of body parts. It rode extremely rough and had no turn signals, but at least it wasn't overheating. After several hours yanking with some big body bending machine thing and replacing the header panel and fender, here's what's left:
I picked up a loaded header panel, loaded fender, front bumper, and all bolts from someone parting out an IDENTICAL truck for $100. We also pulled out the back bumper, so now the hatch closes and the leafs can move properly.
Total expenditure so far:
Jeep: $500
New radiator: $140
Bumper, header, fender, etc: $100
Junkyard hatch latch: $5
misc junkyard stuff: $5
beer money for brother-in-law: $90.
Total: $840
Still to do:
1. Still needs new shocks, especially rear. They're going to be a pain, I can tell already.
2. Radio's shorting out on something. It wasn't working at all when I got it, but after I redid the harness, it's working, but cuts out occasionally.
3. More rust than I'd like in floorpans. Going to cut, patch, and POR15
4. Some jackass previous owner cut off the front swaybar endlinks. Need new ones.
5. Looking for a matching set of 5-spoke steelies that I'm going to flatblack.
6. Think it needs a transfer case drop, there's a little driveline vibe.
7. Headliner needs help. I'm thinking of replacing it with some crazy pattern, just to be different.
8. Headlight harness connector is all corroded and looks like crap. I'm going to try to junkyard a decent connector and swap it.
9. Battery and connectors look like crap.
Other than that, it runs very strong, and is very comfortable. So far I love it.
It's a 94 Cherokee Sport 4x4, purchased for $500 with 193K miles some kind of a 3" lift. Automatic 4.0HO. The goal? I daily drive a Civic that's lowered 3", and it doesn't really work on the snow at all. My wife has a Honda CRV, but I can't steal it from her to go to work everyday, and it's not so hot offroad. GREAT in snow, but that's about it. Plus, I play in bands, and I needed something I could haul equipment in.
I'll probably offroad it a bit too, but here in southern IL, everything's pretty flat and boring.
When I picked it up on 10/25, it was crunched up pretty bad, and shooting coolant out as fast as I could pour it in. Nevertheless, I managed to drive it 20 miles home, stopping about every 3 miles to pour in water.
Here's what it looked like then:
You can't see it, but it was also rear-ended, which twisted the receiver under and bent the passenger side framerail INTO the rear leaf spring mount, which was causing the leaf spring to bind up and not move much. Also, the hatch latch was broken, and the latch pin was bent so far downward that it wouldn't engage the latch anyway, so it was roped shut.
The front bumper was twisted bad, the radiator support was bent up, and the lighting wireharness was crimped and shorting out on itself.
It was also VERY rough riding in the back end. Eventually I determined that about 80% of that was due to the bound leafspring problem. Another 20% is shocks, which I haven't done yet.
So, after 5 hours of work today, it's drivable. I already replaced the radiator, so I was able to drive it to my brother-in-law's shop with a hatch full of body parts. It rode extremely rough and had no turn signals, but at least it wasn't overheating. After several hours yanking with some big body bending machine thing and replacing the header panel and fender, here's what's left:
I picked up a loaded header panel, loaded fender, front bumper, and all bolts from someone parting out an IDENTICAL truck for $100. We also pulled out the back bumper, so now the hatch closes and the leafs can move properly.
Total expenditure so far:
Jeep: $500
New radiator: $140
Bumper, header, fender, etc: $100
Junkyard hatch latch: $5
misc junkyard stuff: $5
beer money for brother-in-law: $90.
Total: $840
Still to do:
1. Still needs new shocks, especially rear. They're going to be a pain, I can tell already.
2. Radio's shorting out on something. It wasn't working at all when I got it, but after I redid the harness, it's working, but cuts out occasionally.
3. More rust than I'd like in floorpans. Going to cut, patch, and POR15
4. Some jackass previous owner cut off the front swaybar endlinks. Need new ones.
5. Looking for a matching set of 5-spoke steelies that I'm going to flatblack.
6. Think it needs a transfer case drop, there's a little driveline vibe.
7. Headliner needs help. I'm thinking of replacing it with some crazy pattern, just to be different.
8. Headlight harness connector is all corroded and looks like crap. I'm going to try to junkyard a decent connector and swap it.
9. Battery and connectors look like crap.
Other than that, it runs very strong, and is very comfortable. So far I love it.
Last edited by Vindicator9000; 11-07-2009 at 08:28 PM.
11-09-2009, 10:36 AM
#5
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Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Highland IL
Posts: 305
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Year: 94
Model: Cherokee
thanks man.
It's running pretty good, and riding a lot better than it was, but I still think it's waaay too stiff in the rear. As it sits, it's very drivable, but I wouldn't want to wheel it. I'm kind of wondering how the previous owner lifted it... I can't see any spacers or anything, but I don't know enough about these yet to know what's stock and what's not.
It's not bouncy in the rear. On the contrary, it's very hard, and tends to jar very hard on bumps. It was a lot worse before I pulled the receiver out of where it was touching the leafs, but it still doesn't ride as good as I think a Cherokee should. I can get up to 40-45 on backroads now instead of 25, but then it starts to get scary.
I just really don't think it's blown shocks, because shocks just don't tend to fail stiff.
I do know that I have some troubling gaps between some of the leafs. Is this normal? I've never worked with leaf springs before in my life, so I don't really know how they're supposed to look... So far I've always been an import guy lol.
I'm considering hitting the junkyard and trying to put together a bastard pack to see if that helps the rear any, but I'd like to get some input first.
It's running pretty good, and riding a lot better than it was, but I still think it's waaay too stiff in the rear. As it sits, it's very drivable, but I wouldn't want to wheel it. I'm kind of wondering how the previous owner lifted it... I can't see any spacers or anything, but I don't know enough about these yet to know what's stock and what's not.
It's not bouncy in the rear. On the contrary, it's very hard, and tends to jar very hard on bumps. It was a lot worse before I pulled the receiver out of where it was touching the leafs, but it still doesn't ride as good as I think a Cherokee should. I can get up to 40-45 on backroads now instead of 25, but then it starts to get scary.
I just really don't think it's blown shocks, because shocks just don't tend to fail stiff.
I do know that I have some troubling gaps between some of the leafs. Is this normal? I've never worked with leaf springs before in my life, so I don't really know how they're supposed to look... So far I've always been an import guy lol.
I'm considering hitting the junkyard and trying to put together a bastard pack to see if that helps the rear any, but I'd like to get some input first.
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