cap'n cook

I just bought a new to me 1992 xj. I am a toyota guy and love rock crawling. i have owned 3 toyota trucks that were awesome two 1987's and an 83. two years ago i totaled my 87 and broke my T8 vertabrae in my back and have been in a slump and with no vehicle since.
I was in a back brace for about 8 months and for the first year I barely had a place to stay and food to eat. i was denied twice from disability twice and had no money or medical treatment for my back in that first year. dont know what i would have done without friends letting me stay on their couches.
about 8 months ago i started seeing a chiropractor (had 15 visits). and had 5 physical therapy visits. also in this 8 months i was going to the gym trying to get my back strong again. my back is now much better even though it is still pretty bad and i might not ever be able to hold a job doing what i used to do which was automotive mechanic and construction.
but things are starting to come together and it was time for another rig. i have a 12 ft travel trailer that i pulled all over the place with my 4 cyl 22r and 33's LOL. it actually didn't do to bad. i could pull any hill that i have came across including some very steep and long grades at 45 mph in second gear. pretty slow, but not that bad considering it could only hold 55 mph without the trailer. i have never really liked Jeeps (cj's,yj's tj's etc), but i have always had a thing for the xj cherokee and as much as i love toyota trucks im tired of rocking 100 hp lol especially pulling my trailer. plus decent toyota's are going for around $3,000 while xj's can be had for much less. there are about a million xj's in the town that i live in. when i started wheeling in high school my buddy had an xj with lockers and a RE 4.5 long arm kit and that rig always impressed the hell out of me. i have seen him put a beat down on high dollar rigs with 37's many times. and the xj's engine and high speed offroad handling is probably the best out of any low buck rig.
I paid for this jeep by walking to the shooting range 2 miles away almost everyday and picking up brass and selling it. im in a rural area and having a job without a vehicle is about impossible, but that is about to change now that i have the Jeep.
anyway onto the jeep. this is a 1992 xj 4.0, AX 15, np231, 30/35. it started life as a 2wd that was overheated to the point the engine was fried. the guy i bought it from has about 20 cherokees and comanche's that he parts out or fixes. he swapped in the 4.0 and 4wd drivetrain from a wrecked cherokee. it has 233,000 on the body and around 210,000 on the replacement motor. he was asking $1,500 and i talked him down to $1,000. it runs great and the motor feels strong so i went ahead and bought it. it needs some odds and ends, but its a solid jeep and i am stoked to have it. it came with a rustys 3" with rustys LCA's, coils and an ad a leaf. which will be getting replaced with some long arms eventually when i get back on track more.
didnt mean to make such a long post LOL oh well.
here is the jeep

F1Addict

I went a couple years without a car, too. Then I got my XJ. I don't think anyone who hasn't experience that trapped, helpless feeling can understand the sense of freedom when you finally get back on your feet. Congratulations on the new wheels and welcome to the forum.

cruiser54

Good starting point for sure.

Are you planning on towing a trailer?

cap'n cook

thanks guys.

yes i will be towning my 1965 catolac deville that i did a semi restoration on.