Finally found an xj to play with. My goal is returning it to stock, mostly. Just bought it in California but it turns out this 2000 Cherokee Limited spent most of its life in Florida. Although the body and interior are

in great shape, the rust on the undercarriage suggests its seen saltwater. Whatever. Looking for 16 x 7 original silver Ionic wheels to replace the huge, noisy 31 x 10.5 15s that are now on it. Now have it garaged n Arizona but hope to drive it back to Iowa after new road gear, etc. Really a newbie and enjoy learning all about xjs from the experts on this site. Also looking for a cherokee expert mechanic in the Phoenix area.

 

Welcome! Nice looking. It doesn't look like you have a lot to do to get it back to stock: remove the lift, and pick up a set of factory wheels.

I'm doing the same with mine, bringing it back to mostly stock configuration. Keep us posted on the progress!

 

Like the Old Man says - although picking up a set of any 16" (except KJ) wheels might not be so easy.

What you've got is what so many want, so should find a ready market for the stuff you take off.

Glad people are still finding affordable XJ's as I doubt I could find a scrapper for the total cost of my 3 now.

Good luck - & enjoy!

 

I picked up a set of Ecco's with tires for mine for $200. But they are 15" rims. I need one more wheel for a spare. I only got 4.

 

Looks great. Is that stock lift?

 

My Orvis has those, my favourite of 15" wheels available here.

Difficult to find though, at least for sensible money, as I think they were only part of the Orvis package.

 

If there is much rust on the underside its advised to check it thoroughly and remediate it before it gets worse. If you see some rust typically you will find a bunch more when you really look. The concern is that if there are any areas that can let water in it will soak the carpet, hold the moisture and get much worse quickly. Some prime problem areas include along seams in the cargo area floor pan, rear area under the rear seat (you can easily pull the carpet back here) and the passenger side foot well.
Nice looking (except for those wheels, in my opinion). Definitely worth preserving. Typically the more stock it is the more value it will have long run. Best wishes on your project.

My build thread for my '91 may have tips you will find useful to help with preservation, especially at post #25. I also put a better, more reasonable lift on it which you might want to consider:
https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f46/19...thread-256001/

 

It's the Upcountry option. Raises it 1-2" if I recall. I bought it that way. It's really all the lift I want.

 

Appreciate your comments. I haven't figured out why the coils, leaf springs, running gear is so flaked with rust )(even the horn is case is rusted through) and yet the body panels, under the carpet, seat frame feet, etc., all look perfect. I'll be studying all your suspension work. Your xj looks beautiful.

 

You are doing nice work on that Jeep of yours. I didn't see the specs for your lift. For rustyfender and myself, can you tell us what you used and how much lift you achieved? I may have to redo mine at some point and would be looking for no more than 2" lift. I don't want to run into driveline angle problems and start getting into SYE, dropped trans crossmembers and all that.

 

Thanks for the compliment. I stalled on the project for awhile but am now back to it. I'll update my build thread soon.

I used Old Man Emu parts that I got from DPGoffroad. It is intended as a 2.5" lift. I removed one leaf of the rear springs per DPG recommendation to achieve about a 2" lift. I need to check what it ended up after it has set for over a year on the new suspension. I retained the removed leaf so that I can add it later if necessary. High quality parts if not a bit pricey but I wanted good ride quality and to only do it once. I agree about not wanting a big lift and then having to deal with the related issues that you point out. High lifts negatively effect suspension geometry and can result in poor handling at speed. When I got the '91 it had something like a 4" economy lift and it was terrible. I would be happy to answer any questions.