Djkindt

So I have been into many other types of cars in the past, mainly aircooled vw's and older bmw's. My only experience with building a 4 wheeler was an '84 subaru wagon that I cut and bobbed, lifted 4" with toyota truck wheels and wildcats, and a welded diff:




I'm expecting my first baby soon, so decided to buy something more family friendly than what I was driving I picked up this 1991 Cherokee Sport from a close friend for $400 and drove it home, 2 1/2 hours away. It's been my daily driver since! 5-speed, came with 31's. Has 230K on it, but I was told these motors run forever if taken care of. It runs and drives really well. My buddy rebuilt the transfer case apparently, which cost him over $500 and replaced the clutch master (and slave?), which still needs to be bled. There are some electrical gremlins, as the guy who owned it before him wired the cd player into the headlight circuit, but I've just about got that sorted out. Sorry for the lame pic, it's all I have right now:


Future plans are to keep it as a daily driver, but keep up with my dad's CJ and my buddy's FJ-40 on the weekends:
1.) 4" lift (already purchased)
2.) 33" tires
3.) Fender trimming
4.) Sweet roof rack
5.) ??? Suggestions?

Like I mentioned above, this is my first REAL 4x4 build, so I'm completely new to everything here. But I am mechanically inclined, so look forward to picking your brains!
Dylan

a1racer

sounds like you have a fun time coming just make sure to get as much done on the jeep before the kid comes

Drewdertuder

sounds like a good ideas as a build.as for suggestions id take of that red stripe along the side.we used a heat gun and got it to the right temp. and it peels easy.

ol"blue

After modding that Soob' you shouldn't have any trouble at all with an XJ! And there's plenty of knowledgeable people on here if you get into a jamb or need some expert advice.
And Welcome to CF.

AZ_XJ

Welcome to the forum and the XJ addiction. Which lift did you go with?

Djkindt

Thanks for the tip, but for now I think I'll keep it. Maybe it's my previous addiction to aircooled vw's and their tendency to stay original, but I actually like the pin striping! I also like the bronze colored wheels!

As for the lift, I got a "rubicon" 4" off of craigslist for $100. It came with the front coils and rear lift blocks and shocks. I'll probably ditch the lift blocks and go with some sort of Bastard Packs everyone is raving about here. I guess s-10 springs are the unanimous choice??
Also, to add to the list, I think I'll have some fun with a welder and make my own bumpers and roof rack... maybe a roll cage or bar at least? Thanks for the comments so far! I think I finished re-wiring the headlights back to stock and fixing the stereo wiring today. Hoping to find someone with a garage to help me install the lift this week

Drewdertuder

nice, as for the ba$tard pack i used s-10 leaves all of them exept bottom one -atttched them to the main xj and got around 3.5. to 4 inches.

Djkindt

Thanks! I'll probably do the same. Any particular year or style of s-10?

93XJRay

where you located man? i got my 93 5 speed for 500 bucks too. nice deal! i got mine with 200,xxx i got like 210,000 now.

Djkindt

I live in Bonney Lake, WA. Looking for some nice used (and cheap) 33's currrently. Hoping to get the jeep lifted this week. Will definitely take pictures, I know the rear of my jeep is pretty messed up, so I'm curious how it will go.

Anybody have any experience or pictures of smitty built nerf bars? There's a set on craigslist in my area for $75. Seems like a good deal.

STROMVADER

Congrats on your purchase and welcome from NE Illinois. You should buy some PB Blaster, a couple boxes of band aids, and some neosporin. These things are made of razor sharp sheet metal that loves knuckle tissue!

Djkindt

So it's been a while since I've been able to post! So much has happened in the past few months. The biggie being the birth of my 10lb 4oz son on July 14
So needless to say, the jeep project kinda got put on the backburner... until someone came to our apartment complex and vandalized 20 cars! Including my jeep: 2 slashed tires.



Well I managed to score some free 32" buckshots from a good friend of mine. They aren't exactly what I'm looking for, but the price was definitely right! I put them on and realized I need to do some trimming... or lift... or both.





I cut the rears with a 4" cutoff wheel. I worked pretty well, but I'm going to have to weld the seam back up and paint it still. I also scored some brand new Rough Country shackles for $20. Come to find out the lift I purchased on craigslist (while still a hell of a deal) only included 1.5" lift blocks for the rear.
With the rear fenders cut, my jeep was still driveable (keep in mind this is my daily driver) but it rubbed like a motha around corners and large bumps. So I FINALLY got to install my lift! Haven't purchased the u-bolts for the blocks yet, so it's not quite level yet, but it doesn't rub. I'm really excited to finally make some headway on this project!



Future plans:
Weld stuff! I got a small mig welder for my b-day and I plan on making a roof rack for it. I'll use an arc welder to make front and rear bumpers, rock sliders and possible a roll bar. I would like to get a locker or limited slip but can't really afford it now. So I might just weld up the rear until I can afford (and have time) to get a d44 or ..???
Pictures are from my cell phone, so sorry for the bad quality.

Djkindt

So it's been a while since I've updated the progress on my project!
I had major clutch issues which ended in having to pull my tranny twice to replace the faulty slave Schucks sold me. Once that was fixed I was eager to to give her a try! So we went up to Evan's Creek ORV on New Years day. My tires were rubbing on the rear links in the front so I installed some 2" wheel spacers on the front but then they rubbed on the outside of the fenders. So I got to cutting my front fenders.
What a blast! The jeep did so amazing and only needed to be pulled up one section of the trail! Unfortunately both times I went (called in sick to go two days in a row) I had to get a tug up the same spot, and both times the person who was towing me didn't stop when I was up and yanked me into a tree But I guess it just gives it more character.
Here's a few pics:

Djkindt

A few more:











NEAR future plans:
-Ford 8.8 axle with LSD. Looking for 3.73 gears or 4.10
-Re-gear front d30
-I have lift blocks for the rear, but I think I might go with add-a-leaf
-A buddy of mine is giving me 33x10.50 baja claws
GO WHEELIN' AGAIN! I was instantly addicted.

dougy_fresh

looks like you were having a blast. nice jeep