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I have a problem, an addiction. Every night I come home, and check craigslist...
Because of my Craigslist addiction Ive had a ton of different cars and trucks. My first car was a very early Rx-7, Ive owned and built some 4x4 Toyotas. And a few years ago I bought a Miata to daily, and its now becoming a focused track car (Road racing lol It is really slow in a straight line!) But I havent owned a 4x4 in years, and I miss wheeling, really bad!
Prior to owning the Yotas, I had a weird opportunity to get a free car. A buddy was filming a local B-movie, and needed a police vehicle for several scenes. He gave me a budget, and I ended up buying a 1986 Cherokee. I was supposed to have a budget to paint it, but that never materialized. They filmed it for one scene with a crappy lightbar sitting on the roof, and I ended up with a free truck. I dont even think that scene ended up in the movie! It was a 4x4 with the gloriously awful 2.8 V-6. I think we blew it up on the way home from filming while trying to hit 80 on the interstate (Yes, downhill lol) It was full of oil, and just puked its guts all over the highway. It was so slow, I swore I would never buy another early Cherokee.
Fast forward to present time, I wanted a new rig. I look at Toyotas because Ive owned a bunch, and they are all way too rusty. Ive had too many really rusty vehicles (Thats Ohio for you..). Most of the CJ's and YJ's in the area were just as rusty. All of the Cherokees I looked at either had no floors or rockers left. Then I found a Jeep about three blocks from my house. Super solid (Floors and rockers were intact) It was even a stick, and I love banging gears in a rig. Too bad it had one glaring problem. It was a 1986 with 2.8 liters of fail. It is from out west, still had a Washington state title! I figured it had two more gears than the slush box that I used to have. How slow could it be?
To be honest, it isnt that terribly slow. But I have a 63 horsepower 1985 Corolla Diesel at my house (Waiting on unobtainable parts for it, have been for years lol), and I race a Miata... So my sense of speed may be skewed. Did I mention it had a blown head gasket? It was $500 and I didnt have to tow it home. Win-win for me.
In case you were wondering how slow a 2.8 is. In the event of an actual zombie apocalypse the only zombie you will outrun is the one with no legs. And that isnt even for certain!
Oh it has 269,000 miles, but I was pleasantly surprised by what I found inside!
Super clean, and 0.40 over pistons! Its been rebuilt, and judging by how easy it is to clean the pistons Id say its relatively low mileage!
And here is some junk getting a new top end.
Been together for a few days, and she is running great! Going to run her for awhile longer before I take her wheeling. I want to be certain I have at least most of the bugs worked out. Buuuuut... I did see this sweet rock, and I needed to make sure that the vacuum disconnect on the axle was working. Yeah thats right, this was a test. Mind you sways are still connected, and the bigger rocks nearby may have ripped the air dam and bumper caps up. So until I modify those, Im taking it easy.
All the shocks are blown, going to do a junkyard lift. Dakota or S10 bastard pack, and some Thunderbird coils. So Ill wait until then to replace shocks. Some 31 or 32 M/T's. And maybe an engine swap at some point. It has to stay 5 speed though, that is the only thing I dont want to change.
This will be a slow and boring build, I need to do a tune up, reliability mods, fluid changes/flushes, brakes... But man, I cant wait to hit the trails!
Man I love it! What an interesting combo you got there. What year is it? Those rebuild pics are cool, I like how the cylinders are offset like that. Good luck with her in the future!
It is a 1986, I edited the post to reflect that. The final year AMC owned Jeep, and the final year for this 2.8 liter. Which was a good thing, the 4.0 is worlds better.
V-engines have to have that offset, most any V8 you look at has it. It just isnt as obvious unless you are looking at it from overhead.
Im hoping to daily this thing for awhile, Ive been daily driving a car that I take racing on the weekends. And its kinda sketchy taking a car you depend on and beating the snot out of it. I dont mind wheeling a daily, Im not hardcore, and I am pretty slow. On any other rig Ive owned I over engineer/over build for what my end goals are. And I have had pretty good luck so far.
If money were no object this thing would be on tons, LS swapped, with 37 inch hummer take-off tires. Exo, lockers, and lots of armor. Seeing as I am in Ohio, and I am an occasional wheeler... That might be more than Ill ever utilize. Id also love to go to Moab, been before, not in a rig though. But I dont know how the 2.8 will like I-70 through Colorado.... May engine swap or sell this to get a 4.0 if I decide I want to go.
Awesome truck man! Welcome to CherokeeForum. It looks so old and so cool. Have you checked out emptypockets' 2.8 of Doom build!?! Should give you some inspiration on what that turd is capable of.
Engine swap wise, have you considered the 3.4 liter 60 degree V6? It should bolt right up and there's a pretty decent backing for it. I know Delta will regrind its cam and there are bolt ons and what not to make it fairly punchy.
Ive looked into all of the 60 degree V-6's Im not ruling them out. But I dont like them from a reliability stand point. They have a flawed design that leads to intake gaskets leaking too often.
I have three setups I am looking at,
Something diesel, like a Mercedes or VW engine. Unknown drive train solution at this point.
A Chevy 305/350 adapted to an AX15 and an NP231
A 5.2 Magnum, Dakota bellhousing on an AX15, and an NP231.
Tune up time! Ever since the rebuild I was still using worn belts and plugs. Plugs/wires distributor cap/rotor, air filter, second oil change since Ive had it (Full synthetic).
Bought a new radiator and converted to an electric fan.
Full emissions delete, only running the axle disconnect, cruise, brake booster, and vacuum advance.
Its a little cleaner in there, at least a lot simpler. Debating on ordering a carb rebuild or just springing for a weber 32/36 setup.
Its hard with as much as I am working, but after the carb its time for some 31-10.50s and a lift. (Ordering new ball joints, tie rods, and an adjustable track bar before lift. Already ordered wheel joints.)
I want to daily this turd, so I might as well make it reliable and drivable before I modify it.
The 2.8s used the same radiators at the 2.5 4cyls....
What's part # is that radiator and what electric fan are you using?
Are you going to use an epal system to give the correct current to cool down the engine bay?
Welcome to CF. My first Xj was an 86 with that same engine. Between the emissions delete, 32/36 DEGV carb and 3100 aluminum heads, it really woke that engine up. If its maintained well, it will be reliable. If abused and neglected, syanara!
Took her off road for the first time, just drove to the beach and a little ways into the water and on some easy trails. I felt naked without a winch, although there wasnt anything too hardcore on this trail. Still, I didnt want to go into any of the holes on street tires. I promise once I build up some trust in this rig Ill get some real action shots.
I did have a buddy with me, but he just bought his as well. And his wheel joints were popping and clicking like crazy, so he tried to keep it in two wheel drive the entire time. Truth be told, mine didnt sound much better. Good thing I already bought a set, just need to install them!
So I wanted to have way more cool stuff done, lift, mud tires, etc... But Ive learned my lesson over the years, so Im still fixing as much as I possibly can. In the meantime I am daily driving the Jeep.
I also work for a company that sets up events for auto manufacturers. Our most recent event was an off road course for Ram at the Michigan State Fair.
The course consists of several obstacles, that arent that impressive, unless the furthest off road you have been is in a grass parking lot, at the state fair... (There are LOTS of people that eat this stuff up!) We drive them, no way would we let Joe Blow drive on these obstacles in a brand new truck.
Im a trained driver, dont try this at home... (lololololololol)
The Jeep did fine on the trip up, but on my way home the float kept overflowing. And I got tired really fast of dealing with it in gas station parking lots. A new float would have fixed it.... Buuut....
A Genuine Weber 38 conversion is way cooler than a replacement float!
If you have a 2.8, get a Weber, like yesterday! Its worth every penny!
The biggest reason I havent been wheeling my Jeep, is that the front driveshaft cackles like your mother-in-law. Early Cherokees have a true CV joint in the front driveshaft, its also the diameter of a popsicle stick. I went to the pick and pull, bought a driveshaft from a 1991 and pulled the front output yoke off of the NP231. The driveshaft needed shortened, but since Ill be using the 207 for awhile I figured Id go ahead and do this.
I replaced the brake hoses tonight, and my busted drivers side mirror. (It was held on by baling wire lol) She is coming together slowly!
Project: Why did I buy this garbage?
