mdcmn7

Guys,

I got a new to me cherokee last year, and have been having a blast working on it. Breaking stuff, and then having to work on it again.

I should have taken a pic of it the first day i got it. The XJ was a fleet truck from Con Edison in upstate New York. It was white with a powder blue stripe up the side. Bone stock with nothing but a 4.0, auto and manual everything, 78k miles

I paid $2200 for it.

It had been sitting for a few years by the time I got it. Needed inspection, everything rubber was trash and it leaked from every gasket I could find. Since it was an upstate new york truck the suspension was pretty rusted

Perfect!!!

mdcmn7

I am not a mechanic by any stretch of the imagination. I have been working on motorcycles for years so I have seen a wrench or two, but this is all a learning experience for me.

Of course like everyone else I am on a tight budget, and this is my DD so it needs to run well, and I can't have it off the road for more than a day or two.

By the time I got to taking this photo I had already replaced belts, fluids, brakes. did a tune up, and painted that god awful blue stripe black. I added front and rear recovery points and wheeled it!!!

No lift, no armor, and bald as hell street tires!!!!

jeepman156

That's what's up. When I first got my xj I wheeled it bone stock for about 4 or 5 months. During that time all my friends with their daddy's trucks used to bag on me cause i had a "***** little jeep". HA! I ended up pulling all of their big *** trucks out of the mud and plowing new trails for them to go on.

n_csmith

yep yep know all about the budget...had to wait for extra money and clear weekend to get the jeep fixed, my trac-bar was shot and it was a ***** to drive, Jeep looks like it is in pretty good shape and is going to be sick! just remember this if the jeep aint leakin you got problems..lol my jeep marks it spot everywhere we go.

mdcmn7

I am working on more pics. The computer keeps giving me errors anytime I try and upload

mdcmn7

I think I am finally getting this whole pic thing down now. I kept trying to upload ones that were way too big.

This is one of my favorite stock pics of the XJ. I have a small camper that it pulls like a champ

mdcmn7

About a year ago I got sick of the whole stock thing and bastard packed the rear, That gave me somewhere in the range of 3 inches. I used the cherokee main spring, and two dakota springs. It is sagging now, but will be fixed soon

mdcmn7

That is how the Jeep sat for most of last winter.

I threw a t-case drop in the solve some drive line vibes and spent most of my time trying to get it running like a champ.

Bunch of gaskets got replaced; valve cover, oil adapter, rear main, tranny, diffs, and anything rubber I could find.

T- stat, tras cooler, ZJ seats, new bumpers, temp and oil sending units, 4x4 switch, bla bla bla, all of that jeep stuff that needs fixed when something has been sitting for years.

mdcmn7

This spring I put in some 2" pucks up front to round out my budget boost. My tires were bald and my rims sucked so I found some ZJ wheels and got some 30" tires from pep boys.



In retrospect I should have probably gotten at least 31's instead of the 30's. The extra 1/2 inch of lift isnt as big as the width.

I chose the 30's because I only had 2" of lift and with my stock tires I could knock off my fenders if I was trying. The ZJ rims also have less backspace so I wouldnt have hit my control arms, but I was worried about smacking a fender.

mdcmn7

Or at least that was the thought at the time

mdcmn7

On a trip to Rausch last summer I was coming down a hill and managed to find a big old rock. That trashed my tie rod and put a dent in my diff cover.

Ok, I can fix that



ZJ upgrades. All of my TRE's were garbage so it all needed to go anyway. I did use the ZJ drag link also. For some odd reason it was $20 cheaper at autozone when I was getting the new stuff, and it is a little beefier.

Since I was replacing the whole thing anyway I looked at some of the aftermarket tie rod setups and all new ZJ was only $105 shipped to my door from autozone. That was for tie rod, drag link, and TRE's. I only need to get a sleeve from the JY. I just couldnt beat it..

JY diff cover, and a rustys skid.

You will also notice the nice brand new oil pan. My old one was rusted through. Thanks New York salt!!

mdcmn7

I found a brush guard on craigs list for $30



I wouldnt normally spend much on the guards, They arent tops on my list of things to spend money on, but it was cheap and a bumper isnt in the budget right now

mwdouglas

looks good so far keep the updates coming

mdcmn7

When I got the jeep it didnt even have power windows or locks which I am kida thankful for now. Especially since it seems like they crap out after a while anyway. It never came with carpet, just a rubber mat, and the guages were just idiot lights

Fog lights, tow hooks, roof rack, a new set of guages, floor mats, a full size spare , and a whole bunch of other stuff all came from the JY or craigs list

mdcmn7

This is my XJ as it stands today. A pretty tame build by many of the trucks on here, but it is mine.



I have 3" shocks, and some skid plates sitting in my garage. Over the next few weeks I am hoping to pick up a new trac bar, some ZJ front springs and re-pack the rear leafs. Hopefully that will get me into the 3-4 inch lift range.

Those little 30's will have to do for now. Tires just arent in my budget, and those only have about 5k miles on em.

I came to wheel, and I am gonna wheel what I got!!!

Chuck