retirement jeep build
 

Hello , been working for nevada dot as a mechanic for the last 17 years so I want to build a nice cherokee to have some fun with, hunting, fishing, camping rig, nothing to crazy moving were their is some snow

I want to replace , rebuild what I can to make it reliable . I have a crew cab 4 wheel drive but crew cabs dont work well off road and the MPG suck's 8.1 .

I dont want to go cheep on the parts , but I wont be rock crawling , It's a trade off I guess .

I did a lot of reading on this site before I bought my cherokee trying to find out what would work best for me . There are a lot of smart people here so it did not take to long to decided. and I thank you for that .

1 I wanted a standard transmission

2 I wanted OBD 2 because it was easy to trouble shoot

3 It must have the 4.0 six it's hard to beat that engine

4 I looked at the 2000- 2001 but with the cracking heads and the low pinon it seemed best to steer away from them , not fond of the coil packs as well .

So that left me with trying to find a 97 - 99 Cherokee all most bought a 99 in Utah but it had to much rust for me . Then I found another 99 5 speed no rust and it had the up country kit on it so I went to look at it , BUT he said he did not have a title, he said he lost it and filed for a new one , and wanted me to put a 500.00 deposit on it LOL I don't think so .So I will just keep looking pasted up a lot of nice XJ's waiting for one with a 5 speed . I was about to buy one with a AW-4 when the guy called me, and said he had the title , I payed the asking pricing and did not even try to talk him down on the price 3,500, I may have payed to much but it had everything I wanted .

1999
AX-15
4.0
up country kit ( but that wont mater much by the time I am done )
176 thousand miles, low mile XJ's are hard to find
lots of dents and dings but there easier to deal with then rust LOL

here are some pictures if they post

I have had this xj for about a month progress is slow it's all about the money LOL
So far I have replaced the rear hatch, the old one was pushed in bad and would not open , and replaced the muffler and tail pipe , or should I say, I put on a muffler and tail pipe on it as did not have one when i bought it LOL way to loud I installed a walker Dynomax Super Turbo muffler and tail pipe part number 17340 much better I like it 159.72
My cherokee has the dana 35, well that baby has got to go !! went to the pick a part wow 35 xj s but not one newer then 97. Found one at another wrecking yard out of an 99 2 wd cool 29 spline just what I need 300.00 ouch . While I was their I bought the proportioning valve and front brake lines those anti lock brakes have to go !!

The plan is to do a 3 / 3.5 lift 4.10 gears and true tracks front and rear

parts I have bought to date

full set of repair manuals 7 book set 80.00
OME Leaf Spring CS033RA 272.00
PROTHANE leaf spring bushings part # kit 1-1007 50.99
JKS MFG Quick Disconnects Part #:2000 157.50
JKS HD SHACKLES JKS OGS651 95.94

From Rusty's
Rusty's Coils - XJ 3" Front RC-CS300-XJ 1 99.00 a pair
Rusty's RX100 Performance Shock: RX-26 RX-26 2 33.00 x2 66.00
Rusty's RX100 Performance Shock: RX-27 RX-27 2 33.00 x2 66.00
Rusty's Brake Hoses - Stainless Steel - Front and Rear RB-SBL10-UV 89.00
Rusty's Track Bar - Adjustable Front (TJ,XJ,ZJ) RC-TB122-UV 1 129.00
Rusty's Chrysler 8.25 – U-Bolts - HD Grade 8 (each) RC-UB-3 4 27.80

And from Core 4x4 that I have not received yet

Front Control Arm Set TJ-LJ-XJ-MJ - Bushings: Rubber (No Zerks), Lift Size: Less than 4 inches, Hardware Kit: Complete Kit, Color: Red* 1 $379.99

so far so good here is a few pictures

That's about what I am looking to do on my build too

Where did you find the service manuals? Are they original or reprint?

I know its probably a goofy thing but I have been searching for a set for my '01. Therese something to be said for shop manuals, it was something my Dad always taught me was that having that reference is a gold mine if you are having a hard time figuring something out.

I have only ever been able to find the reprints that someone wants way too much for as if they were original literature. Or electronic copies someone converted to PDF format.

Hello Jackace I agree with your Dad having factory manuals is priceless I get them for everything I own . The set I have was a used set that I bought from ebay they are in grate shape new they are 250.00 for the set so I was happy to get them for 80.00 .

I see you have a 2001 I found you a set on ebay 5 volume set he wants 129.00, with 7.65 shipping and it said or best offer , I love to see or best offer. offer him 100.00 he may take it

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2001-JEEP-CH...BXVd0C&vxp=mtr

Winginit, thanks, that's actually the best price I've seen in a long time

Good find.

Its been slow going , buy parts and wait . might as well put disk brakes on the rear while I have it out .

Here is a parts list of what it takes
1, Brake Hose - Rear Left BH380226 H380226 13.99
2, Brake Hose - Rear Right BH380225 H380225 13.99
3, 4 Rear Parking Brake shoes 701 17.56
4, Raybestos H7002 Parking Brake Hardware Kit 13.58
5, BR5360 Rear Disc Brake Rotor pair 23.45
6, Raybestos PGD666 Rear Organic Brake Pads 17.80
7, Wheel Lug Stud Rear Dorman 610-368 10 each 27.90
8, Bruin Brake Cable-95064-Right/Rear-Ford Explorer-'95-'02 21.41
9, Bruin Brake Cable-95969-Rear Right-Ford-Fits '00-'01-Explorer 19.94
10, Raybestos H5045W Rear Brake Caliper Bolts for 2 Caliper 14.00
11, 98 Grand Cherokee backing plates with calipers and proportioning valve 150.00

That brings it to 333.62 for the disk brake conversion , not to bad .

And I got my core 4x4 upper and lower control arms in, powder coated red, Currie Johnny Joints on the adjusting end and rubber on the other end .
I like um !!!

I believe this is a Cherokee I looked at a few months ago wanting to buy it but at that time he had no title at all lol excited to see where it goes.

Must. Have. More. Info. On. The. Red. Pontiac. In. The. Background.


I know, I know. "Duh! Jeep forum, dude."
Seriously, looks like you're off to a good start on your XJ.

I am sure it is the same one , he said he had a lot of people that wanted to buy it when he came up with title , which is why I offered to give him his asking price ,I feel lucky, 5 speed 97-99 are hard to find, and with on rust is a big plus for me

I bought that 69 firebird back in 1990 did a little bracket racing with it its just siting for now . zz 4 400 crank th400 3500 stall 12 bolt 4.11 and a big blue bottle in the trunk 12:20 et, street car. toys toys toys got to have them. LOL

I'm along for the ride! I'm just about to complete the 8.25 swap as well for my d35. Be gone with it! You're one step ahead of me with the brake conversion, though. Nice work so far!

Some good looking parts ya got there!

The only thing I am not sure about, is the E-brake cables , I wont know till get them installed.

And I still need 1 steel brake line to do away with the abs , And I need to get a master cylinder with a 1 1/8 bore for 4 wheel disk brakes 99-2010 dodge Dakota should work .time and money. LOL