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Post by Paul T on Oct 11, 2009 9:00:52 GMT -5
After a ridiculously stupid week, that involved 3 locked up calipers, 2 slashed tires, and a grenaded transfer case, i traded in my former trusty sidekick for a new Mazda3. I know, chick car, but hey, 35 mpg on the highway and ZERO maintenance is hard to argue with, and commenced craigslist scouring. I found a 1991 Jeep Cherokee at a dealership in Lynn. After a drive over, and some haggling, i took her home for the princely sum of $400.
The basics:
4.0 Litre I6 with 177600 miles. With the faint perfume of antifreeze and the endearing sound of marbles down low.
AW4 transmission with power/comfort mode. Not sure which i'm supposed to drive around in, but it shifts well and doesn't slip.
NP242 Transfer Case. No more complaints about "the shovel," i think i could get this thing to scrape the ground if i hit a pothole just right.
Dana 30 High pinion front/Dana 35 rear. I thought people were joking about a dana 35 having a rubber fill plug! til i found one!
The Good:
1. Cheap
2. Doesn't have to be driven every day
The meh:
1. Most guages work
2. Engine still has some pep despite the noises it makes
3. Rust, but nothing that can't be taken care of with a cut off wheel
The bad:
1. Needs a steering column
2. Needs a better drivers seat
3. Temp guage is kaput
4. The carpet has lollipops melted on it and bondo spilled across it.
5. Smells like a wet chimp.
6. Drivers door doesnt open
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Post by Paul T on Oct 11, 2009 9:16:17 GMT -5
(Pics to come as i load them) To start things off, i opened a "new car scent" tree and left it in there for a couple days. Still smells like a chimp, but only faintly! I called around to some salvage yards for miscellaneous items. After being told that a steering column would cost about $80 and a new door would be about 125, i've taken to scouring craigslist and jeep forums for part outs. so nothing has been done there. I replased the coolant temp sensor hoping my the guage would magically start working. No success. If you're reading this and know of a solution, one would be greatly appreciated! Then i decided i needed to have some fun with the old bag. Total invested to this point: 417.88. I ordered a front tow hook kit and 242 skid plate from rusty's offroad. The same day, i decided to order the Zone Offroad 3" add a leaf kit. I must say i'm impressed with the Zone kit. New coils, 2 aals and 4 new shocks for $290. Figuring that my rubicon's coil spacers and Skyjacker shocks came to around $240, i'm quite happy with the kit. Carl was going to let me tag along with him on this weekends run, until it got canceled! So we planned a wrenchfest instead. Here she sits at 10ish AM  Front done!  Almost there!  (thanks for the pics carl, i'm feeling lazy today. i'll put my 2 pics up later) And here she sits at 6pm, after 6-7 hours of wrenching, and a great steak tip sub from LaCascia's in Medford. (Its not just a bakery you know!) 31 x 11.5 LTBs and 3 inches higher.  After her maiden voyage, some things became apparent. I'm going to need wheel spacers, as the tires are quite close to the leaf springs in back, and scrub on the control arms slightly before full turn. I'm also going to need extended brakelines and a track bar. ( Suggestions on where and/or what to buy are welcome) She handles what might be 55 very well, tracks fairly straight. She tends to wander after large potholes, but i never felt unsafe after a 50ish mile voyage late Saturday night. Total Cost to date: $1138.xx (purchase, minor parts, lift, tires, tow hooks, skid plate) +72 replacement rocker panels +121 adjustable trackbar = $1320ish Future purchases are brake lines and rear bumper. Future plans also include turning AC compressor into OBA, door replacement, carpet getting ripped out and probably bedlined and spray bomb paint job. Next update should be soon enough, and be me trimming the hell out of the fenders. |
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Post by Carl McFly on Oct 11, 2009 10:37:55 GMT -5
Dude - I may have to hijack your post(s) and do a write up in Tracks! That wrenchfest was fun, I learned a lot. My daughter plans on rolling in an XJ next year. The more I know about them, the better. But when you're 16, a lot can happen in a year. Next year, XJ's might be "ewwwww"  |
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Post by Paul T on Oct 11, 2009 14:40:52 GMT -5
go right ahead Carl! you've got almost as much time invested in this pig as i do! No real updates. i had big plans for this afternoon, but the combination of a mild hangover and 81st/4th birthday party and patriots game led me to doing this only:  Taped off the drivers side fenders to be trimmed. If the Pats game isn't entertaining enough, maybe i'll get out there later this afternoon to start hacking it. But, I know a guy with a bloodlust for metal cutting, maybe i'll invite him up next weekend after the meeting to partake in the carnage! |
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Post by Chris75 on Oct 11, 2009 18:03:41 GMT -5
Did you sell your Jeep??
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Post by Carl McFly on Oct 11, 2009 18:07:11 GMT -5
is that a "I survived cash for clunkers" sticker on your window?
;D
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Post by Paul T on Oct 11, 2009 18:08:59 GMT -5
Traded her in actually. is that a "I survived cash for clunkers" sticker on your window? ;D Why, yes, i think it is! Thanks for that. It goes with the rust motiff very nicely! Continuing my saga, i never got out to trim the fenders. Instead, i surfed the internet for bumpers and track bars. I like this rear bumper. JCR Offroadbumper The first time i saw it, JCR was doing a 20% off sale, so i think i'll wait and see if it happens again. Its one of the few relatively cheap bumpers that has tabs for d-rings, and comes with tie-ins for the unibody. And a cool sticker too! As for the trackbar, I'll probably go with a Rusty's adjustable for aroun 130. I read somewhere that trackbar brackets from them rip off pretty easily. My other inexpensive option seems to be a JKS from 4wd.com for about $145. Haven't decided yet. |
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Post by norstar on Oct 11, 2009 19:45:23 GMT -5
Very nice and got it done in a day! That looks pretty good without wheel spacers. I would just extend the steering stop bolt at the knuckle a little to stop the tire from rubbing the control arm. If you have not trimmed the rear fender, don't just cut the metal off. Cut between the spot welds and fold the sheet metal into the wheel well. Did you say you traded your Rubi? Really?
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Post by Paul T on Oct 15, 2009 10:17:43 GMT -5
After a botched root canal, which lead to having a ridiculously painful "surgical" extraction, i've been home for 2 days doped up and staring longinly out the window at my heep (which i'm so happy i can finally call my rig!), i took some action. Bright eyed and bushy tailed, i set out to give milady a slight haircut. I left a lot more on the front than i intended too, in case i was shakier than i thought. Heres how she came out:  I'll get back out there and clean her up a little better, theres some burrs i'll have to sand or grind down, but i'm pleased with my first time behind a cutting wheel. Taking Kai's advice about not cutting off the rear, i re-read the write up on NAXJA i had seen earlier and hadn't paid much attention to. I cut some slits up to the old fender flare line  some of them weren't quite even, but it happens.  Then using some pliers, i began bending the easy access ones. My floor jack is kaput, so i left the tire on. I need a new one, and i'll make it look purdier and finish her up. I only bent them enough to get a picture out of it. I need to put something sticky in the back, then i'll spray bomb over the cuts to avoid more rust. anyways, heres how it came out:  I'm planning on finishing up the trimming this weekend. |
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Post by norstar on Oct 15, 2009 10:46:15 GMT -5
Dana 30 High pinion front/Dana 35 rear. I thought people were joking about a dana 35 having a rubber fill plug! til i found one! If the gear ratio is 3.55, I have a 29 spline C8.25 you can have for free. |
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Post by Paul T on Oct 15, 2009 10:48:17 GMT -5
hell yes i'll take it!!!!
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Post by Carl McFly on Oct 15, 2009 20:23:50 GMT -5
sounds like another wrenchfest! And dude - if you have any more cutting planned, you know my number!  Seriously, I never did anything like swapping out a rear diff. But if you need help, give me a call. I'm always looking to learn new stuff. And it's cool to see your beater being transformed into a trail beast! |
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Post by norstar on Oct 15, 2009 21:01:33 GMT -5
Will you be at the fall meeting this Saturday? I can bring it.
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Post by Jon W on Oct 16, 2009 16:04:40 GMT -5
sounds like another wrenchfest! And dude - if you have any more cutting planned, you know my number! Seriously, I never did anything like swapping out a rear diff. But if you need help, give me a call. I'm always looking to learn new stuff. And it's cool to see your beater being transformed into a trail beast! Sounds to me like they aren't going to mess with the diff -- would be a swap of the entire axle to replace the D35 with the C8.25. JW |
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Post by Scott on Oct 16, 2009 16:45:24 GMT -5
There seems to be a lot of red XJ's in this club. Looks like mine except for the extra doors. Funny thing is mine smelt like a wet dirty pig till i riped the whole interior out and sprayed it w/ bed liner. Now it's noisy and cold. may need to get a rubber type mat. |
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