Some of you have already visited my thread titled "Feeler"... when I was looking for an XJ for my son. Thanks for your help and comments. I figured I'd better start our thread now, rather than pile up a bunch of redundant stuff on a thread that shouldn't have lived for 3 pages! So this will be our data-collection site for the duration of this build. Fallon is my son. He is 13. He helped his older brother and I complete a 3 year long CJ5 resto/build, and he got the bug. But he likes Cherokees. Or Cherry-Okees, as he USED to call them! This isn't going to be much at first. I have a lot of XJ research to do, plus I have a CJ7 that I need to complete at the same time. But Fallon (or Fal, rhymes with Hal) will be pulling his own wrenches and providing the motivation. Our goal is to put 33 x 10.5 tires under it, whatever lift is needed to properly clear, some body mods, some paint, bumpers, cage, seats, and maybe some axle work. No rock crawling here, but woods, sand, mud, and water. Not building a basher/beater. This will have good road manners but capable of diving off the highway when he feels like it.
So... a 1990, 4.0L, auto, 4x4, AWD, 227,000, rattling timing chain, zero shocks, flat springs, some rust holes, runs/drives well, leaks perfectly, and needs TLC. I really have no idea what I've got, only that it looked good, started quickly, drove well, stopped well, and I thought it was worth the grand that Fal paid. I haven't determined axles, ratios, tranny/Tcase, or anything. I don't even know what options were available for drivetrain. I DO know it does not have the D44... bummer.
All doors close tight, no slop. Glass is all good. Tires have tread, but dry rot is starting. I like the factory rims... probably keep them, maybe. Needs weatherstripping all around. Some rust holes in areas around the roof rack and around the bottom corners of the windshield. The WS rust scares me a little. How is that for ease of repair? What do ya'll commonly do there?
Tranny shifts alright. Engine accelerates alright. Lots of stuff under the hood. What can I get rid of? No emissions here.
PO changed the oil before I bought it. I drove it ~120 miles home @65MPH. The oil is still clear. Like new clear! I feel like it should be a little discolored considering the cheap battery and oil filter the PO used... he probably used cheap oil too.
Besides the rust spots and bad shocks, where do I start?
Pics to follow...
So... a 1990, 4.0L, auto, 4x4, AWD, 227,000, rattling timing chain, zero shocks, flat springs, some rust holes, runs/drives well, leaks perfectly, and needs TLC. I really have no idea what I've got, only that it looked good, started quickly, drove well, stopped well, and I thought it was worth the grand that Fal paid. I haven't determined axles, ratios, tranny/Tcase, or anything. I don't even know what options were available for drivetrain. I DO know it does not have the D44... bummer.
All doors close tight, no slop. Glass is all good. Tires have tread, but dry rot is starting. I like the factory rims... probably keep them, maybe. Needs weatherstripping all around. Some rust holes in areas around the roof rack and around the bottom corners of the windshield. The WS rust scares me a little. How is that for ease of repair? What do ya'll commonly do there?
Tranny shifts alright. Engine accelerates alright. Lots of stuff under the hood. What can I get rid of? No emissions here.
PO changed the oil before I bought it. I drove it ~120 miles home @65MPH. The oil is still clear. Like new clear! I feel like it should be a little discolored considering the cheap battery and oil filter the PO used... he probably used cheap oil too.
Besides the rust spots and bad shocks, where do I start?
Pics to follow...