Nothing-2-Deep-4-Cherokee

Im going to start putting money into my 1999 cherokee , what do yuo think i should do to it first?

MoparNJeep

2" budget boost, spacers and shackles. remove rear sway bar, trim/relocate fenders/flairs and throw on some craigslist 31" mud terrains.

christianbe

What kind of budget are we talking about here?!

Nothing-2-Deep-4-Cherokee

Relatively cheap, not too expensive

OEJ

search. thats free and abundant...lmao. this ? is asked way too much. there is so much info on here allready and all you new guys are just posting ?'s like its never been answered before.

I don't mean to single you out buddy; and i'm sorry if it looks like i am. but there are countless threads on BB kits. then there is the lifted thread that is a stickie in the chat section.

so much info here. just take the time.
good luck.

XJwonders

^^x2

Having a jeep shouldn't be about what other people think u should do with your jeep. It's all about YOU. What type of wheeling do you like to do? What look are you going for? How capable do you want your rig to be? All those factors determine what you should buy and or build.

By the way, welcome to the forums. And good luck with your build, you will have a lot of fun.

OEJ

^^^^^. definatley that too.

haha..oh yeah welcome to CF

xjsnake

Spend the couple hundred bucks to ensure that it's 100% mechanically sound before throwing money at it.

Change all the fluids

Engine oil
Trans oil
Transfer case oil
brake fluid
blinker fluid

Check your u joints and bearings

Put hands on every part of the frame rails and were the axle mounting surfaces are. (you are in Michigan, I used to live there I know how well rust can hide from a visual inspection)

Once you've done those (and probably some other basics I'm forgetting) then start reading the threads on lift kits, lockers, winches, bumpers etc and formulate a plan for what you want your XJ to become.

You can keep it stock looking
Mildly Lifted
Moderately Lifted
Super Lifted
Insanely Lifted
Make a low center of gravity rig etc.

It's all up to you. Welcome to the addiction.

ohio95xj

if your xj is an auto i would not recommend changing your transmission fluid, because if it hasn't been done before, it could actually make your transmission slip.

OEJ

^^^^^^^^
completely true. or worse it could blow. you could change the screen if you want to, but i would just re-use the fluid you drain out.

in short... a tranny that has not had regular fluid changes builds up a varnish coating on all the components. when the fluid is flushed and new fluid put it in, all that varnish gets stripped off and now all the clutches etc don't have the protection it used to have.

I've seen this first hand, and when the car left the shop,10 miles down the road, the tranny burned up.

Dino's 99XJ

What XJSnake said.. Too many people on here 'build' their rig up and have it parked a week later because they did not do preventive maintanence. Get the rig in tip top shape and by then you will have your original question answered 1000 times.. Welcome and good luck! 99 XJ's rock!