expo xj on a budget

[IronRoberts73]

I have been without a camping/expo vehicle for over 10 years hoping to get back into the less traveled parts of the state. My wife and I have been sharing a car for most of our marriage and I will say she has been very tolerant of the situation. We are a family of 6, 4 boys from 5 to 18 and our car of choice has been the toyota sienna. Not the most capable expo rig offroad but reliable and economical as they come. Back in August my wife experienced the value of toyota safety, a very high teenager ran a stopsign and t boned her totaling both vehicles. Luckily he had excellent insurance and no one was hurt badly my wife ended up with a sore neck and a couple bruises. So fastforward to the day before newyears eve we get a call saying the insurance is ready to settle with us in one lumpsum check. Immediately I started scouring craigslist auto trader and google.
At the moment I am impatiently waiting for Monday to come so I can pick up my new to me 99 XJ.
here's the rundown I either know or suspect.
99XJ 4 door
124000 miles
1 owner
4.0L
newly serviced 5 speed and clutch
I believe they are Rubicon moabs with 31x10.50 MT baja MTZs with around 3k miles on them
3" OME lift
ARB front bumper with no name lights
fresh oil in the front and rear diffs
new brakes all around
new heater core
new hoses and thermostat
new plugs wires and cap
Semi new cat and muffler
average condition interior missing radio
99% clean body someone in a very large truck dinged the drivers rear tail light
new tail light provided but some minor sheetmetal work will need to be done
Salvaged rear hatch in very good condition already installed
Headliner has been stripped and prepped for recovering
All in all exactly what I have been looking for and at what I consider a fair price at less than 4k
now to make the clocks speed up so I can get my hands on it lol.

 

[Eaglefreek]

Welcome, to Expo. Sorry to hear about your wife's accident but glad she wasn't severely injured. I can't imagine sharing one vehicle for the whole family. I'm single and have 3 cars. Hope the XJ sale happens for you.

 

[IronRoberts73]

Thanks! We were very fortunate to score a 2011 traverse for her at a very good price. So she's give me a little budget for upgrades and fun stuff.

 

[IronRoberts73]

Well we picked it up this morning and everything went smoothly. Although about 15 miles from the house it developed a teeth rattling vibration I immediately pulled into the first auto parts I could find I figured if its broke where better than a parts house. I checked the lugs checked the front axle and started towards the back along the driveline found a missing bolt in the front shaft drive flange. Ok minor problem then noticed the oil leak developing under the rear pinion oil seal that's when the giant white whale of a problem appeared. At some point in its life the rig lost a rear u joint and thrashed the pinion yoke and driveshaft. Then some excellent shade tree mechanic decided to install a salvage yard shaft I think from a 2wd being that the ujoint was so small the cap was only held by a 1/8" of the retainer strap and the other side was tack welded in place apparently at highway speeds it broke loose. Well 6 hours 2 trips home for tools and $100 in parts I was able to install new ujoints up by the tcase and new retainers and studs out back.along with a new outer bearing race and oilseal.

I dont know how long its been like that but the shaft is dented like hell and the diff was full of lovely glitter. Now I have to drop it off at the driveline shop to have the correct shaft built and the diff evaluated for damage.I can build the shaft myself at work even balance it but ill be scouting and waiting for parts and they estimate it will only take a day and costless than $150 to build a bullitproof shaft. Although it was a bit hectic at first it shure is nice to cruise along listening to the 4.0 purr and the at's sing. Its good to be back in a jeep!

Best part was my wife's comment when I took it out to fill up the tank "look honey she likes it here she even marked her territory " all the while pointing at the small oil stain on her freshly washed driveway lol

Cheers!

 

[Septu]

Welcome, to Expo. Sorry to hear about your wife's accident but glad she wasn't severely injured. I can't imagine sharing one vehicle for the whole family. I'm single and have 3 cars. Hope the XJ sale happens for you.

No kidding!! Single and have 2. But then I don't share too well, and love having the freedom a vehicle provides.

Best part was my wife's comment when I took it out to fill up the tank "look honey she likes it here she even marked her territory " all the while pointing at the small oil stain on her freshly washed driveway lol

LOL Classic! Glad to hear everyone is okay, and that you're back into a jeep. Can't wait to see how it turns out. I love my JK, but still miss my 99XJ.

 

[IronRoberts73]

Thanks! took it by the driveline shop today $350 for a new shaft and pinion yoke was the estimate. also called 12 different salvage yards and parts stores apparently my jeep is the only one in Houston. No one had even a yoke for a Cherokee is there another model I can use as a drop in part? Wanting to do it right but not spend $500 on a custom shaft for a daily driver.

 

[brianjwilson]

Check out 4xshaft.com (tom woods), maybe give them a call and check out some other options as well if you're getting a $350 estimate as is.

 

[jjdieselman]

damn bro you need some factory parts. is it a dana 35 rear axle or a chrysler 8.25. if need i can hunt down alot of parts cause up in washington we are crawling with jeep parts and i also have a surplus of parts.

 

[jjdieselman]

pluse i might have a spear rear drive line

 

[IronRoberts73]

I greatly appreciate the offers! I just checked tom woods site a replacement shaft built and shipped within 24 hours is only $199. I think ill be giving them a call on my lunch hour today as well as ordering a dropped pitman arm and steering stabilizer and picking up a fresh battery.

Cheers!

 

[jscusmcvet]

Congrats on your purchase! You won't be disappointed with TW driveshaft. I would take a Saturday and do a thorough flushing and inspection of the cooling system, known to be a weakness in the XJ. What are your plans beyond getting it back to reliable transportation? Nice jeep.

 

[IronRoberts73]

Ultimate plans are a two adult 3 kids weekend camp / expo rig. I have a few years experience in fab shops so external upgrades will be rear bumper tire carrier, sliders with steps, minimal armor, front light protection loop and a roof rack. Internally a drawer system with a load deck/ sleeping area for the little ones. I already have a inverter, water tank and air tank from my last project. So that will be getting thrown in the mix eventually. As soon as i get home ill try and load up some pictures as she sits before i really dig in.

Cheers!

 

[IronRoberts73]

Well with all the work out back almost finished i decided to replace the tiny beatup steering stabilizer. Picked up a middle of the road priced monroe and installed it today at lunch took it out for a test drive and right aground 48 MPH death wobble from hell. I got back to the shop and immediately started going over the front with a fine tooth comb. Swaybar bushings on the frame and the links look a bit worn and the ball joints might have a bit of play. Fastforward through the Really long drive home along the surface roads and a stop by the parts house for ball joints and sway bar parts.First thing tomorrow i have my aspiring mechanic coming by to start installing the parts good kid with a frigging gift for anything automotive. Plus i can swap weldi.g services for his labor while im at work. Pics in a few.

Cheers!

 

[IronRoberts73]

As it set Thursday morning I have since tore apart the front axle and installed ball joints sway bar mounts and bushings a steering stabilizer and finally killed the death wobble. Tomorrow I'll start cleaning up the fluid leaks and fix a mystery plug by the t case that looks to have gotten ripped loose on something. And while im waiting on my TW drive shaft ill start recovering the headliner and give the interior a good cleaning. Also im going to rework the flares the PO couldn't get them mounted correctly and just screwed them wherever they fell.

Cheers!

 

[Plannerman]

Great find! I'm enjoying following this as I still miss my '99 XJ after many years.


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