Not to discourage modifications, since I've been modifying cars and trucks since I could drive, and I'm 72 now, but when do modifications to an XJ go so far that it's no longer an XJ? If you put an LS engine with GM trans, and aftermarket transfer case, with 1 ton axles all you have left is an XJ unibody. That to me is not an XJ so why didn't you just build a rock crawler frame, suspension, and drivetrain and drop an XJ unibody on it? To be honest the automobile hobby is out of touch on what is restored, modified, restomoded, etc and it's pretty sad. People have no clue what rare really is or what a restored car is, etc. So before I go off too much and before you kick the soap box out from under me, where do you draw the line on when an XJ is really not an XJ?

 

I think as long as you retain the unibody, then it still is an XJ. If you weld up a bunch of tubing and throw on an XJ hood, then no

 

I wouldn't harp too hard on what people do with their projects. Just because it doesn't appeal to your ideal mold of modified/restomod/rare-restored doesn't mean its a waste of time.

After all a vehicles rarity largely depends on its dependance of value. Rare in itself means nothing if its not sought after - if no one is looking for it or has a need for it then can it really be viewed as rare?

Soo for what makes it too far gone to be an XJ anymore? Id say from an exterior view when there is more "other than factory" body work than what is original - then its no longer distinguished as the XJ. This is far more commonly exampled by the wranglers out there today. When they take a wrangler tub and removed everything BUT the firewall and windshield frame well then its not really a wrangler anymore is it? Its purely become a buggy or tube chassis at that point.

Most of these rock crawlers or buggies that you might see dont go from factory road driven to buggy status over a short span of time. They take years of incidents to morph into their present day setup. Not necessarily being their end-goal for a purpose built rig but more soo what they feel is needed to be done to keep doing what they enjoy. Building a frame and suspension and then dropping the XJ's unibody onto it is just not that simple or common. That also takes a fair amount of work that your average jeep enthusiast likely doesn't have the means to do.

lastly id say simply changing a vehicles drivetrain and axles wouldn't change what it is in-fact that your driving anyway. You wouldn't look at a vehicle driving down the road, the sound of a V8 engine catching your ears and notice 8 lug nuts when there should only be 5 and then describe it as being something else would you? If you would then what would you call it? "oh look that's not a jeep, that's a mod - there goes that mod"

I thinks its more important that gear heads still exist -that offroad enthusiasts are still out there challenging factory equipped and modified vehicles to do much more than what the auto industry intended for them. If it wasnt for this culture, some folks may not ever become motivated to learn basic mechanics, how to weld, understand geometry or have a passion for making a vehicle their own.