Project DD slow build - 94 2-door XJ
 

My diesel tow rig finally lunched a head gasket, so I'm thinking rather than have that AND a Tahoe that I daily drive, I am going to sell the Tahoe and the truck and buy a Vortec BBC Suburban as my tow rig and get something cheap as my DD. I went back and forth on what to get till I realized I had this sitting here for sale. Figured since no one was buying it, might as well keep it.

Bought this thing a year ago with a blown motor. Like BLOWN motor, windowed the block and all. Still ran and drove though! I had another wrecked XJ here with a motor that had 40k miles on a rebuild, so pulled that motor and stuck it in this Jeep. Did some other cleanup work and took it for a test drive and the rearend is whining like crazy. I parked it and put it up for sale as-is. No one bought it, so I'm going to pull it back in here and get to working on it. Overall it is a really solid Jeep. Has a little rust in the passenger side rear floor pan and some other bumps and bruises, but is a very solid and good running 2-door. Pretty uncommon color too.

Initial plans:
Chrysler 8.25" out of 00 XJ I have here, 3.55 gears
4.5" Rusty's lift kit I have on the shelf
Procomp 7089 16x8 wheels I have sitting behind the shop
Some 31s, whatever I can find that are good.

Future plans:
97+ frontend swap
new bumpers
new skids
bedline interior
bedline the headliner
ZJ rear disc conversion

We'll see how it progresses. I am going to try and swap the axle this weekend, maybe install the lift at the same time.

Pics as it sits now.
http://www.schochauto.com/projects/94XJ-1/IMG_0499.JPG
http://www.schochauto.com/projects/94XJ-1/IMG_0501.JPG
http://www.schochauto.com/projects/94XJ-1/IMG_0502.JPG
http://www.schochauto.com/projects/94XJ-1/IMG_0503.JPG
http://www.schochauto.com/projects/94XJ-1/IMG_0504.JPG
http://www.schochauto.com/projects/94XJ-1/IMG_0505.JPG

So this Jeep had no headliner when I got it, it is like a tin can inside. I am not sure if this will work, but I'm pretty sure I can make it happen. I pulled the headliner, soundbar, and dome lights out of a wrecked 00 XJ in the shop last night. I am going to pull the material, put some gray bedliner on it, and mount the soundbar and dome/map lights off of the newer model into this Jeep. Should be pretty cool looking. I thought about redoing it with the cloth material, but I have two sons and they will get the headliners dirty in no time with cloth, so bedliner it is!

Got a little backed up in the shop tonight with customers coming over and trying to finish scrapping another XJ. I got one side of the lift done, gotta finish off the other side of the front and mount the new axle and rear lift tomorrow night.

I also hadn't started the thing in like a month, but it fired right up first shot. Runs great too.

Got the front lift done other than installing the new extended brake lines and the track bar and snugging everything down. I also need to install new shocks all around, something with a little more travel and that aren't dead. Going to order some today.


Also got the rear spring packs built and installed, the upper shackle bolt is stuck in there really good, so soaking it in PB Blaster and tonight we'll heat it with the torch and hope for the best. Hopefully tonight we'll be able to get the new shackles and axles installed and start snugging everything up.


I also picked this guy up yesterday. It is really nice but rusted to ****. It was a western NY truck and shows it. Probably weighs a few hundred pounds less because so much metal is rusted away. :lol: It has a ton of new and good parts on it though, including an almost new winch and front bumper. Not sure how I feel about the front bumper yet, but I'll think about it. This Jeep has pretty much every part I need that is bad on mine.

Since when does a used jeep cherokee have a headliner? Lol. Nice jeep! Look forward to the build!

Well, maybe I should say no headliner board. Of the 50+ Jeeps I have had through here I think I may have had possibly one with a good complete headliner. LOL

Well, got the lift mostly installed. Still have to tighten up the front suspension, install a new front track bar, install all new brake lines, install new shocks, and tighten everything up.

I had to do a mockup with some bald 33s on the ProComp wheels I am going to run.

Nice!
 

How nice!! Reminds me of my black two door with grey leather interior and factory gold tinted windows Totaled now.... :icon_evil:. Good luck with the resto!!

So the Jeep is almost done. I still need to install the shocks and adjustable track bar that will be here on Tuesday along with one of the shackle bolts. If you look at the last pic I posted of it on the lift, you can see there is a u-bolt in the rear shackle as a place holder. LOL

I installed the new brake lines last night. I installed 94 C1500 front brake lines and a 95 Dakota 4x4 rear line.

Quick update, the Jeep is almost done. I have a problem with the driveshaft binding, so I need to address that. At full drop the driveshaft has no compression left so I'm thinking when I turn or the suspension loads/unloads it is binding. Probably could solve that with adjustable control arms, but the pinion angle is actually ok so I think I am just going to have the shaft shortened for now. I am going to order the tires this week. Not sure what yet, but we'll see.


Don't mind the crappy pic. It was cold, rainy, and after midnight when I left the shop last night. It also looks higher in the front, but that's just because I had the back in a little dip in the yard.

You removed the rear sway bar right?

I am going to, it was late and I hooked it up without thinking really. When I have it back on the lift to put the new wheels and tires on it I am going to remove it. Also going to build some sway bar disconnects for the front sway too.

Went and ordered tires today. I wanted something that had good road manners since it will be my DD but still had a decent tread on it. Went with the new Falken Wildpeak A/T3W in 285/75/16.

Those look nice. Looking forward to seeing them on your Jeep.

Got the tires in and mounted today. Probably won't get time to put them on the Jeep until Saturday though.