A little help
11-06-2017, 05:38 PM
#141
Yea if those are drilled into that back hatch then you will have to fill in those holes. Possible they are flush with the metal meaning the cutouts for the lights don't exist leaving you with less holes to fill in instead of patching them with new sheet metal. All in all you could always source another hatch from the JY depending on price but I would also consider removing the lights and if you can't do it find someone who can weld in patch panels to fill in holes if necessary. Then just repaint that area to match.
11-07-2017, 01:58 PM
#145
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Model: Cherokee
I have a good idea on everything I’m going to do but I’m stuck on lifts. There’s a lot of options. I’m not going to be mudding or doing anything crazy but I want a 3” or 3.5” so I can run 31s. I don’t want add a leaf. Is rusty the way to go? Also, what else should I replace while I’m in there? It’s been a while since I’ve lifted anything and back then if you didn’t have rough country you weren’t cool.
I’ll be digging into those lights later and will post pics.
I’m just going to use this as a build thread if a mod would like to move it to the appropriate area I would appreciate it.
I’ll be digging into those lights later and will post pics.
I’m just going to use this as a build thread if a mod would like to move it to the appropriate area I would appreciate it.
11-07-2017, 03:09 PM
#146
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Year: 1999
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
Huh. Gonna need to ask my pops about this. He was big into lifted trucks back in the day. He custom built a 85 Chevy with an 18 inch lift and 44s.....thing was literally a monster truck. Nowadays, everyone has rough country because it's the cheapest hahah
11-07-2017, 03:29 PM
#147
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I’m not that old lol. Maybe it was just a thing in my area
11-07-2017, 07:47 PM
#148
Senior Member
Regarding lifts, Old Man Emu, or OME, are considered by many to be the best if ride performance and quality are important to you. They seem to have excellent customer satisfaction. They are not the lowest cost. I am staying stock on mine for now but if I do a lift it will be a mild lift using OME.
Regarding the body moldings, you might find it easier to replace the damaged ones than to remove all of them. For the undamaged ones they should clean up nicely using a plastic rejuvenator.
Regarding the body moldings, you might find it easier to replace the damaged ones than to remove all of them. For the undamaged ones they should clean up nicely using a plastic rejuvenator.
11-07-2017, 08:08 PM
#149
Senior Member
As an FYI, a 1997 Cherokee Sport version with 82k miles sold yesterday, 11/6/2017, on an auction web site for $14.5k. It is red and in really nice stock condition but wow, what a price! I have noticed that prices on these are climbing upward quickly so your $1700 is a good investment. I believe you can put some money into this one without concern for resale value over the long run as long as any mods are reasonable in cost and scope. To me, the further a vehicle strays from stock the less I would be willing to pay for it. But that is just me.
11-07-2017, 09:09 PM
#150
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Sota - You identified you have ideas of what you want to do with your new Jeep. May I offer a few quick and low cost suggestions to do first before you get too involved with improvements and mods? These are focused on safety, reliability and longevity of your Jeep. Well, here they are:
* Check all brake lines! Replace all that are suspect. They seem to rust first along the drivers side going from the front to the back junction block on the rear axle. You would hate to drive your new Jeep into something due to a compromised brake system. Although I have very little corrosion underneath mine the front to back brake line began to leak after a thorough cleaning. The line from the axle junction block across the axle to the right side was also fairly rusty. Good news is that you can get both of these lines from your Chrysler dealer at a very reasonable price. Or at least I was able to for my 2000. Best part - they fit perfectly and are not too hard to change out.
* Change engine oil and get an oil sample for analysis. For under $30 this is a great way to get a baseline and an idea of any engine issues before they become catastrophic. I routinely use Blackstone Labs in Fort Wayne IN for oil analysis on all my vehicles and am very pleased with their work and reports. They detected components of antifreeze in my Jeep's oil before I suspected a problem. (I am changing the cracked head now) See their web site to obtain sample bottles.
* If you don't have records of front and rear differential oil change recently do that soon. Check for unusual wear. I believe the recommendation is every 30k miles and suspect that it often gets missed. Transfer case also. Inexpensive to do these.
* Check front brakes for wear and caliper hang up problems (rear drum brakes can be a pain and don't wear quickly so you might skip those initially) and flush the brake fluid at all 4 wheels if the bleeders cooperate.
* Clean the throttle body and mass air flow sensor. These are often neglected and can impact idle and fuel economy. Note that it is recommended to use a special cleaner for the mass flow sensor. While you are there, verify that the air filter is in good condition.
* Check headlamps and other critical bulbs. (you are covered with the additional lights on the back
) The metalized coating inside my sealed beam headlights was flaking off and the result was very little light. You probably already have upgrades in mind.
* Look for rust-through directly behind both rear tires and in the driver and passenger foot well area. If needed at least do temporary repairs to seal things up. Holes here allow water and salt to quickly cause more damage.
Enjoy!
* Check all brake lines! Replace all that are suspect. They seem to rust first along the drivers side going from the front to the back junction block on the rear axle. You would hate to drive your new Jeep into something due to a compromised brake system. Although I have very little corrosion underneath mine the front to back brake line began to leak after a thorough cleaning. The line from the axle junction block across the axle to the right side was also fairly rusty. Good news is that you can get both of these lines from your Chrysler dealer at a very reasonable price. Or at least I was able to for my 2000. Best part - they fit perfectly and are not too hard to change out.
* Change engine oil and get an oil sample for analysis. For under $30 this is a great way to get a baseline and an idea of any engine issues before they become catastrophic. I routinely use Blackstone Labs in Fort Wayne IN for oil analysis on all my vehicles and am very pleased with their work and reports. They detected components of antifreeze in my Jeep's oil before I suspected a problem. (I am changing the cracked head now) See their web site to obtain sample bottles.
* If you don't have records of front and rear differential oil change recently do that soon. Check for unusual wear. I believe the recommendation is every 30k miles and suspect that it often gets missed. Transfer case also. Inexpensive to do these.
* Check front brakes for wear and caliper hang up problems (rear drum brakes can be a pain and don't wear quickly so you might skip those initially) and flush the brake fluid at all 4 wheels if the bleeders cooperate.
* Clean the throttle body and mass air flow sensor. These are often neglected and can impact idle and fuel economy. Note that it is recommended to use a special cleaner for the mass flow sensor. While you are there, verify that the air filter is in good condition.
* Check headlamps and other critical bulbs. (you are covered with the additional lights on the back
) The metalized coating inside my sealed beam headlights was flaking off and the result was very little light. You probably already have upgrades in mind.* Look for rust-through directly behind both rear tires and in the driver and passenger foot well area. If needed at least do temporary repairs to seal things up. Holes here allow water and salt to quickly cause more damage.
Enjoy!