Looks like I’ve been gone for over 10 years. Lots of things change, but some don’t, for example my love for XJ’s…

I’ll warn you from the beginning I’m terrible about staying engaged in social media, so I’ll probably disappear for periods of time so bare with me. This jeep got its name from my 2 year old daughter who simply calls it “purple jeep”.

I picked up a 1999 XJ classic a few months ago, I got it for $1200. The PO experienced a clogged radiator and shut it down before it caused any significant damage. They left it on the side of the highway waiting for a tow, when wouldn’t you know it, some tweakers stole the cat. The PO didn’t want to mess with it, so they sold it cheap.

She has 270k miles and was well maintained. She runs like a top and shifts smooth as butter. Here are a few from the day I got it…

 

I gave her a wash and worked on towing it home. I picked it up in eastern oregon, and live on the oregon coast. It cleaned up nice.

I started by replacing and flushing the cooling system and installing a new exhaust…

 

Once I got it running cool, and no sign of over heating came the fun parts…









I found a good deal on a set of 285/75/R17 Gladiator Rubicon take offs, combined with a 3” Zone lift, and some LED headlights and clear marker lights gave it a new look.

 

I got some Bushwacker flat flares to add some room for more clearance.

 

THE PLAN:

This is going to be a very mild build. The intentions behind getting this were A) hoping my wife would take an interest in wheeling and have something cheap and reliable to wheel. B) Something I can fit the growing family in while taking mild adventures. C) I’ve just always wanted a late model XJ!

I have a 99 TJ that is my toy/wheeler, and a 21 Gladiator that is my DD. I plan to keep this XJ pretty tame, but capable. I plan to put in a rear locker, maybe a front locker, bumpers and a winch.

I have the paint for the rear hatch and just have to get around to taking it off, sanding it and re painting it. I haven’t decided on bumpers yet, but am leaning towards JCR or DirtBound DIY stuff. Stay tuned…

 

I like the color... Bought a 99 Durango new in deep amethyst pearl.. You don't see too many XJs in this color...Nice upgrades and a nice addition to the fleet...

 

Thank you. I have grown fond of the deep amethyst pearl color. We will see how well the touch up paint matches on the hatch.

 

A while back I had used a carpet cleaner to clean the seats a little better than a dry vac. Living on the coast meant I was never able to get it all the way dry, and just had a consistent “damp” feel…


Today I moved the dehumidifier that is in my basement and closed it inside the jeep for most the day. I emptied about 32oz or so out of the tank in that short of time and all the seats feel all the way dried out.

 

those wheels and tires look really good on that jeep.
What are your thoughts on the Zone lift, specifically the leaf springs? I have Zone 3" in leaves, and they ride TERRIBLE, even with Stinkyfab no lift shackle relocation and brand new Bilsteins

 

Thank you, they turned out better then I thought they were going to look.

The zone lift isn’t bad, after going back and forth I settled on doing the AAL in the rear to save some money for now. The shocks leave lots to be desired, but I knew that was going to be the case when I purchased the kit. Are your leafs still pretty new? If so flex them out and ride around with a bunch of weight in the back to soften them up a bit, that’s what I had to do years ago with a rough country lift I put on an XJ.

 

No I put them on last March and dailly drove with them since. Im yet to flex out with the new shackles and shocks because I need longer bumpstops and brake lines. They still give me about 4-5 inches of lift, I've checked part numbers multiple times and I have come to the conclusion that I just got unlucky with them.

 

Not a whole lot going on with the XJ other than putting miles on it. Last week I did plugs and wires as a piece of mind maintenance item.

Today I added a cheap apple car play head unit from Amazon. I still have an issue with the front speakers not working, so I’ve got some replacements on the way. Still trying to decide if I want to add the back up camera that came with the radio or not.

 

Have you checked the door wire harness? its a very common failure point for the front speakers. I had to repair the drivers door harness to get the speaker working on my 2001.

 

I’ve not gotten a chance to look at them yet so that is good info to have. I have shied away from popping the door cards off until I had some new clips on hand, as I am sure a few will break.

 

Took some time this morning to look at the speakers and determined it was the wiring that had failed somewhere. It’s easier to just run new wires in the front, so I did that.



I also took advantage of having the bezel off to install the 3D printed clip mount for my UV5R radio. I use the same mount in my TJ and it works well.