ok i got a 85 cherokee. pioneer 2 door 4cyl 5 speed 2.5 engine. i was wondering. what other yr jeeps. the whole assembly. grills can i put on my 85 and i want to lift it. idk **** about. jeeps or lift but i want to do 2 or 3 inch lift. and. what do i need to do that any info will help thank you

 

Welcome to CF and congrats on your "new to you" XJ.

If it's just the grill you're wanting to replace, I believe '84-'90 will work as a straight swap. If you want to install from a '91-'96, I believe you also have to replace the header panel.

As far as a lift goes, here is a link with a chart to assist you with questions in regards to that: https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f67/al...579/index1668/.

Since you're unfamiliar with Jeeps, I would suggest reading as much as you can and asking questions here at the forum to prepare yourself for installing a lift.

Enjoy!

 

You should have the 207 t-case and a c/v front driveshaft which isn't keen on lifting. I have an 86 and upgraded everything when I did my swap.

 

This is mostly sort of correct. A 91-96 grill will fit, but the top and bottom horizontal bright strips will need to be cut off to fit the pre-1990 header panel. Those early header panels had the bright strips (stainless steel-AMC days) attached to the header panel and separate from the grill insert. And conversely, you can add the earlier grills to a later header panel by intalling the earlier ss strips. They will need to be cut down in length since the fit the to the headlight bezels is different.

I know this because I added an 85 Wagoneer 21 slot grill to my 96 header panel and made the mods. Not hard. (I have since replaced the 21 slot with a Wagoneer quad light front)

Just saying this so you know you have options.

BTW, I have a complete 91-96 chrome grill for sale. Let me know if you are interested. In very good condition.

 

And by the way...

Welcome to the two door world! They are special and cool looking. But some parts are nearly impossible to get. Especially the interior parts. And especially in the blue and red.

This is a 1996 Sport with a 1990 Wagoneer quad light grill and AMC era full size Cherokee badges from the '70's. Along with some Laredo bling like the power chrome mirrors and chrome door handles.

(The factory never made a quad light two door)

 

Thank you for pointing this out. I knew there were some details I couldn't recall when I responded.

Your rig looks really nice, btw.

 

Thanks for the thumbs up on my rig. I can't help but tinker with it. It is my 4th XJ. I bought an 86 V6 new back in the day. Then a new 90 Laredo. Was away from the XJ world for a while. But came back a couple of years ago with this one.

Going back to the AMC era, I thought those XJ's had better trim and interior options than the Chrysler era ones. AMC used lots of stainless. Chrysler loved plastic. Most consumers and car enthusiasts never really understood AMC, which was a merger in 1954 of Nash and Hudson. Both innovative but underfunded in an era that demanded lots of money to compete and win against the Big Three.

Hudson was winning NASCAR. Nash was teamed up with Donald Healey producing some amazing sports cars. But that is all forgotten now. Perhaps a few know of AMC Javelin, Rebel, and AMX muscle cars. Mix all that DNA with ****** Overland heritage (Jeep) and Kaiser industrial production engineering (Kaiser owned Jeep for a while) and you find the result of all the best of that history is the Cherokee XJ. A ground breaking unitized body downsized highly capable and economical sport utility vehicle that defined the whole SUV automotive category for the next four decades.

XJ's gave a new definition to the blend of good looks, economy, innovation, capability, options, and quality. To borrow the tag line from Packard "Ask the man who ones one!"

Only a handful of vehicles have ever stayed true to their main theme and looks for 17 model years of production.

 

Love 2 doors. my 92 5 speed xj was the best rig i EVER owned and hope to buy it back VERY soon