1991 XJ Project "Carlos"

[tgdoumit]

picked up another project XJ last week for my 16yo son and i to work on.
some may know we had a wagoneer but as nice as it was outside, it was rotten to the core. lots of structure/frame issues. we traded it for another basket case...

this XJ had a engine swapped into it from a 93 Cherokee and it seems to hold oil and run decently. the body is pretty good and the electric doors are functional.
it has a dana 30 up front which is fine with me. and a chryco boat anchor in the rear.

so far i can work with this...

some of the bad:
floor needs a small amount of patching.
seat stud or two need replaced
master cylinder upgrade planned
exhaust needs help
previous-previous owner did a shackle on shackle in the rear but it doesn't seem to have damaged anything. kids....
headlights dont work
brake lights and running lights messed up electrically
tie rod is bent
needs wheels and tires
sunroof won't close
headliner needs reworked
mold eradication in works
seat belts have been cut out ******???? lol
steering column messed up somehow
power seat bases non/partial functional and I'm thinking just swapping in standard type
heater fan works but no air blowing. could be a vacuum issue.
no front bumper
missing door panel

I've dealt with most of this stuff before on the last xj project. the sunroof bit is new to me.

anyways, the last one was a success. hoping this one will be too.

i'll try to keep up on our progress here for myself and for others who are interested. i have two ongoing projects right now and I've always just done one at a time. hope i don't burn out before they are done.

thanks for looking and I'm looking for input so if something interests you let me know.
tim

 

[ADTR14]

Looking forward to seeing where this build goes!

 

[borison]

Sounds like a good father/son project, can't go wrong w/a XJ.

 

[tgdoumit]

oh yeah! looking forward to some learning him on this stuff. its hard to compete with electronics and he's getting to where he wants to drive.
i dont know if we will have it together for moab next spring but we will sure try!

today we wire wheeled the floor looking for thin spots to replace and we found quite a few. far less than the last xj project "TED" not sure if i am allowed to post a link to my build thread for ted? TED has been making trips to moab the last few years and has been playing on the difficult trails along with my tj... i hope carlos will be as solid of a player.

both xi's were overgrown in a field at some point meaning someone totally gave up on them.

for the next week or two i want to take care of a few things:
weld rusted floor sections
park the sunroof permanently and seal it
prime and truck line floor with duplicolor or some other stuff that will live under the rug anyway.
bastard pack the rear springs. did this on the other xj and i am more than pleased with those results!
the amount of work depends on the young man's work and football schedule (yup, it's started already again)
i told him that nothing happens unless he is there and his hands are not in his pockets lol!

PIX:

my son as we pick it up. my old waggy in the background


double shackles! what???


i wonder if they used real sunroof tape or is that just the stuff that came with the blinker fluid?


TED checking out the new meat...


the young feller getting the chunks...

 

[tgdoumit]

update:
have about 6" of suspension in there now and the floor is mostly welded up.
started welding in the roof a bit to make the new sunroof fit nicely.
replaced all brake hardware at the wheels and am planning on a 00 wj master cylinder. it worked so well on our other xj...
anyways, its been so busy this summer so not much time has been spent. i still haven't made any progress on my cummins project but it will happen!

 

[tgdoumit]

heres some recent pix that i thought might be appreciated by me laters....


lifted on 33"


welding in some sheet metal to make the new sunroof fit.
i trimmed it to the correct size later.


this is the pattern that came wif the new sunroof. it required about 1.5" narrower hole and i had to lengthen it too.


glad i kept the box!


the hole roughed in. the ring drops in and fits well. i have a bit of touch up welding to do and some rattle can paint to spray....
i really want to get to the cummins project so the bare essentials for this one.
the young man can fend for himself when this thing gets mobile......

there ya go... always good to see you..
say hi to your mom for me.
see ya later...



you can go now.

 

[Mitch502]

Sweet. Where did you get the sunroof?

 

[onemanarmy]

glad you are saving the XJ. too often they are given up on. such a great platform.

 

[tgdoumit]

Thanks guys.
This is my second xj project and I'm wondering why I'm doing this again.
Heh!
Actually I like xjs but no where near how much I like my TJ.
The old chees look pretty awesome lifted too and they don't cost too much to start with.

I got the sunroof through Amazon I think. It was the largest I could find anywhere.
It was available through many vendors all around the same price.

 

[tgdoumit]

We finally got the sunroof in. We also sealed up the patches and all interior rust inside of the xj.
Next thing is a few more coats of rust primer then some kind of Bed liner to go under the carpet.
Soon we will have an interior in this jeep!
Still need rear shockies and a front track bar.
Closer..... 螺

 

[tgdoumit]

 

[tgdoumit]

a little progress!
gonna stuff that interior here before too long!
i need to find the master cylinder i want soon. this one is terrible. say goodbye to the abs.... anything i can eliminate that is a comfort type electronic doo-dad is a plus.
learned my lesson on the last XJ build... quirky S.O.B.s! LOL!!

 

[BNJeepsta]

A 97-01 XJ master or a 99-04 WJ master would be a great upgrade. Also, since it has ABS, that means it has a d35 rear axle. Ditch that turd for an 8.25, preferable 97-01 8.25, but any year is better than the turdy5.

 

[tgdoumit]

Yup. I have a wj in the other xj and the brakes are phenomenal. As for the rear axle I'll prolly do another 8.8.

 

[BNJeepsta]

8.8 is overkill unless you plan on 35"+ tires. A 29 spline 8.25 with cromo's will handle up to 35's and smaller with no problems, unless you are mashing the throttle with the axle locked all the time. The housing on the 8.8 is huge and doesn't give nearly as much clearance, plus, the 8.25 is a bolt-on affair.