Hey Guys,

Don’t want to drag this out but I need to provide context. Bought my 96’ XJ in 2020 at 20 y/o. Wanted to rebuild it well, take my time with it. Started making money, so I pulled my motor and stroked it. It’s been sitting outside the vehicle since I got back from deployment in 2023. I’ve put a lot of good money into parts, although they haven’t gone in the XJ yet. I tore it apart so quick to replace everything, that I’m left with a shell. Only thing sitting on the frame is the wiring harness and lower suspension, that’s it. I bought a second 96’ for parts, and roadmap to put it back together. Found out that the previous owner of the original swapped so many 97’ parts on the 96’, that I pretty much almost gave up. Wife is giving me a couple choices, sell everything from the vehicles to extra parts and the stroked engine, or get a third XJ (97-01) and toss all the decent parts into it including the engine and perhaps sell that. I got myself in a mess with this whole rebuild and I was just immature about it. I would appreciate your guys’ advice, harsh or informative it’s fine. Realistically, I still want to keep the finished product.

 

'96 was a transition year and the ones built later in the year left the factory with a lot of '97 parts. Time, available skill and money are the limiting factors in any restoration. Re-selling parts will be at a huge loss. Try to find a decent XJ with a rust-free body and good interior. Put the new engine and parts on it, sell the spare part car and dispose/sell the shell. Take your wife on an overland trip in your finished XJ and lavish attention on her. Hopefully, she'll grow to like it

 

I appreciate the advice and support Red. I can’t give up on the XJ, it’s been my project for years and I never gave up on it. Currently pricing everything out in excel as a cost comparison in selling every part vs completing the project in a finished XJ. Wife likes the idea of going on a trip and spoiling her lol, I think it’ll all work out, just needed some advice from the big dogs.

 

If you start dedicating time and effort to finishing one of the currently owned jeeps, then I'd say pursue it! Keep that motivation and get onto enjoying the spoils of your hard work.

However!

If you find yourself dragging your feet and making excuses "oh I'll start doing the thing next week, next month, later this year" then id say with the swiftness get rid of it all and consider starting over.



It's better in my opinion to pursue a current more intriguing picture of fulfillment than to just keep kicking the same old can simply on the basis of "well i said i would do this soo".