So I just picked up my first XJ yesterday (Black 2001). It's actually going to be my first ever project/modded vehicle. My main issue is that I have no idea where to start with this thing, and so I'm glad I found this forum!

I'm not looking to make this thing purely a rock-crawler; I want it to be able to travel distances for future excursions across the country as well as hit the trails when I'm feeling frisky. I want a solid vehicle that is powerful, handles well, and looks mean as hell.

Let me give a quick rundown of where I'm at:

• The previous owner put a 3" Rough Country lift on the Cherokee with new wheels(15x8) and tires(33x12.5)
• Currently the tires rub when I turn sharply. Same owner had to cut away the fenders and, imo, didn't do a good job of it or replace with flares.
• The back hatch hydrolics fail to keep the door open.
• Leaf Springs appear to have some rust (is this a big issue?)
• The only other modication I know of is a steering stabilizer (unsure of specs)
• Passenger side rear panel has a good amount of rust damage (one other known small rust spot on driver door).

After reading up a bit I'm considering switching out the axle and replacing the 0331 head before it decides to crack, but I'm not sure I need to do these things. I'm also really wanting to fix the rust issues, whether I fabricate something or just buy new panels.

Opinions, directions... any comments are appreciated. By May 1st I want this thing in shape and ready for adventure.

EDIT: Pictures of the Jeep.

 

Tire rub could be because there's not enough back spacing on the wheels. Surface rust on leaf springs is common and nothing to worry about but we'd need pics to see for those and the body. Lift assists for the rear gate are a cheap 5 minute replacement...well worth it after you get hit in the head a couple times!

 

Looked into lift assists, piece of cake for sure. Thank you.

As far as the rubbing goes, I'll have to snap a picture. In order to get better back spacing I assume I'll have to buy some different wheels? I do think it may be possible to cut away some of the plastic underneath the wheel well that it is rubbing on, because the last guy kind of butchered it anyway.

Currently looking into new exhaust since the current exhaust looks pretty rusted. Would also like to tighten up the steering somehow and get better reaction out of my breaks.

Exhaust I'm looking at: http://www.autoanything.com/exhausts...xhaust-systems

Here are a few snapshots of the dirty side:











A small oil leak and rust on the exhaust. Planning on replacing this.








Rust on the leaf springs and Hub. Issues?





It may be a little hard to see here, but this is the trim join the last guy did when cutting away the fenders. I want to put on some flares, but do I need to replace this or can I remove/fix it?





Here is my biggest rust spot on the rear quarter panel. Thought about trying to weld on a piece of sheet metal and Line-X the bottom of the body all the way around. If I buy a new panel, I'll have to paint.





Found this weird bag of insulation looking stuff inside the rusted area. WTF is it?

 

None of the exhaust/underbody "rust" is of any concern, it looks like just very minor surface rust. Body on the other hand, yeah, fix that.

As for the rubbing what are the tires rubbing? Two options really...

Suspension components: the Backspacing on the wheels isn't right, BUT you can lengthen your steering stops slightly to fix that -- with a minor loss in steering radius. I have this done to my Wrangler, works fine.

Other ****: trim, bigger lift, bump stop extensions.

 

Service the cooling system!!

The 2000s and 2001s were prone to head cracking, which is aggravated by poor cooling system maintenance.

 

Oh yeah, and remove that black stuff from the headlights. smdh

 

Yeah seriously. You want it to look mean. You don't want people to laugh at it.

If you want strong and reliable, I would do the head swap so you can trust it. You don't have to, until you do. I would rather do that on my timetable instead of according to the head's whim.

 

Yeah, I read up a little bit on this. I'm currently at 144K miles; should I spend the money and preemptively replace this? Thanks for the tip on servicing the cooling system.


LMAO... I hadn't even noticed this. Thanks for the observation.

Looks like I will be replacing that head soon then.

 

Agree, agree, agree. A simple cooling system flush is probably adequate, but for around $200 in parts and some of your time you could basically have a new cooling system. Good insurance in my eyes.

 

Sound deadening. You don't need it, so toss it.

 

Is there some sort of standard I should adhere to when it comes to backspacing, for instance "x inches of backspacing for every inch of lift"?

 

3.75" is a safe bet for backspacing. You may still have to trim. You could always go up a little in height.

 

I'm also at 3in with 33s and have 3.75 back spacing. if your rubbing your fenders check to see if you have after market lower control arms. On stock control arms 33s rub like crazy on only 3 in. Because the axle is to far back.

 

You're on the right path, overall. Drive it the way you want to drive it, and when you notice something that is not operating the way you want it to, fix/replace/upgrade it.

You'll be able to go a LOT of places with the set up you currently have.

 

It looks like you scored well with a good vehicle there. That's a great baseline to work from.

The wheels and tires also look good there too. :-)



...