Greeting and some XJ questions

[Purzell]

Hi all,

Well I'm going through the same throes of indecision that I'm guessing lots of you went through...planning a buy for sooner or later depending on what I can find and how soon I can sell some things.

SO...I was first going to go for the Astro van AWD, makes sense with my son and dog and all, but I like trucks and couldn't quite get excited about it (even though those of you who have seen TLow's build can see why I would be interested.) Anyhow, I have always loved Land Cruisers (80's) and convinced myself that "that was it" and I would somehow make it happen.

The thing is...those are spendy. Really spendy. And to find one with lower miles in my price range (like $6K) is tough. So I woke up and got realistic, and started thinking about how much I like XJ's.

I have had three Jeeps in my lifetime: a '92 Wrangler, an '86 CJ-7 and a '78 Wagoneer. Naturally I got rid of all of them for good reasons (Wrangler was a lemon, CJ was too beastly and no one would ride in it with me, Wagoneer had a constant fuel leak through all the rust holes in the body.)

I found a nice XJ locally with just over 100K miles, that's a previous gov't vehicle. They're asking too much I think, but I'm wondering if it would suit my family of three's needs:
-drive to Tahoe in the snow
-take some Forest Service roads exploring
-no hardcore wheeling but maybe the occasional trail run?

And I don't want to blow a bunch of cash on mods. Realistically, how cheaply can you build an XJ to still be a daily driver, without cutting it up, but not get stuck on a "high clearance vehicle required" trail to the hot springs?

Thanks all! And I apologize if this exact thread is posted already. I did a search first but didn't quite find what I am looking for.

 

[alosix]

I like XJs.

They are cheap, plentiful, have a reliable engine, and one of the few decent auto trannies that Jeep every put in a vehicle (figures it came from toyota).

The best budget build that I've done on one was a 2" Rubicon Express lift and Bushwacker cut out flares.

This fit 32x11.5s really easy. It was cheap and still drove good on the road.

 

[BIGdaddy]

Here's my build so far.

XJ w/ 165k ....$2000.00
Baseline
maintenence...$200.00(cap rotor oil filter, plugs, plug wires, serp belt)
radiator..........$120.00
hoses/stat......$30.00
winch bumper...$300.00(winch mount/recovery point/battering ram/light/CB/2m mount)
hitch...............$50.00(towing and rear recovery point)
OnBoardAir(OBA)...free so far
_________________________________
total 2700.00

Planned
-Snorkel...$350.00(cheaper than new motor, IMO, been there done that)
-sliders.....$200.00
-tcase skid...$100.00
-homebrew lift kit(free so far)
-roof rack ($300)
-harbor frieght winch($250ish)
-CB radio ($40.00)
-2m radio ($100ish plus antenna)
-spare tire carrier ($380)

I figure I'll have about 4500.00 into my setup once I'm done. Hopefully less cuz
I always to find gently used parts, or with my logans metal bumper, I try to balance cost versus return.

 

[Maximus Ram]

Truthfully..no such thing as a "budget" build.:Wow1:
That's how I started..was offered an XJ for 950 bucks..I offered them 750 and they said ok. Cool...budget build family 4wheeler...boy was I wrong...once you start, you can't stop.
I think my first mistake was going with a 4.5 in lift. If I was to do it again, I would stick with 3 inches or less. after that, I was hooked...I'm "budget" building mine from e-bay and craigslist. Winch bumper(e-bay),rock sliders(e-bay), rear bumper w/tire carrier(e-bay), con-fer rack(craigslist), Jeep canyon 15x8 rims(craigslist), cb(craigslist), Bilstein/Edelbrock shocks(Internet/e-bay),
and the list goes on and on and on and on....
I hate to think what I have into my "budget" built XJ, but it is fun and I would by another one, just go with less lift for less problems.

XJ's are cheap and plentiful. Lots of options and a good after market. You can find stuff for them at the wreckers easily , too.

Good Luck and have fun..:safari-rig:

 

[BIGdaddy]

Here's a few ways to "check and balance" your decisions

-Does the modification add or at the least, not compromise, reliability? If yes, continue.
-Does the modification maintain field repairability? If yes, continue.
-Has the modification been considered systemically? If yes, continue.
-Has the modification been considered with the "goal" for the vehicle in mind? If yes, continue

 

[ExpoMike]

Honestly a stock XJ will go about 80% of most places a typical person will want. Sure it's not going to do the Rubicon or rock crawl but I wheeled my bone stock Cherokee for a year without problems. Driver skill will always trump modifications. It may have taken me a little longer but picking the right lines, it is amazing where it would go. Everything from sand dunes to canyon trails with some rocks.

Biggest thing I did while still stock was to remove the rear sway bar and unbolt the front sway bar links from the axle (while in the dirt). This gave the XJ a ton more flex, even stock. Only got stuck once and that was on a dune ridge that I took a bad line and ended up high centered on the ridge.

Even today I am very mild in my build. 3" lift on basically 31x9.5 tire (245/75-16). It has gotten us any place we have wanted to go and most of the time with our trailer in tow. It funny, every ExPo meetup, with other rigs around, we are always the smallest but go any place they had and typically do so with much better MPG.

XJ's are great rigs but also keep in mind as with any high mileage (i.e. 75,000+) parts will wear out and maintenence will need to be done. At least XJ's parts cheap and plentiful.

Do a lot of research before buying "upgrades". Many of us have been around the block a few times to know good and bad parts/vendors so feel free to ask. If you want some more info, visit www.naxja.org as they are the place for XJ info. They saved me a bunch of money and frustration by not buying crappy parts or doing something wrong.

Good luck.

 

[BIGdaddy]

Honestly a stock XJ will go about 80% of most places a typical person will want. Sure it's not going to do the Rubicon or rock crawl but I wheeled my bone stock Cherokee for a year without problems. Driver skill will always trump modifications. It may have taken me a little longer but picking the right lines, it is amazing where it would go. Everything from sand dunes to canyon trails with some rocks.

Biggest thing I did while still stock was to remove the rear sway bar and unbolt the front sway bar links from the axle (while in the dirt). This gave the XJ a ton more flex, even stock. Only got stuck once and that was on a dune ridge that I took a bad line and ended up high centered on the ridge.

Even today I am very mild in my build. 3" lift on basically 31x9.5 tire (245/75-16). It has gotten us any place we have wanted to go and most of the time with our trailer in tow. It funny, every ExPo meetup, with other rigs around, we are always the smallest but go any place they had and typically do so with much better MPG.

XJ's are great rigs but also keep in mind as with any high mileage (i.e. 75,000+) parts will wear out and maintenence will need to be done. At least XJ's parts cheap and plentiful.

Do a lot of research before buying "upgrades". Many of us have been around the block a few times to know good and bad parts/vendors so feel free to ask. If you want some more info, visit www.naxja.org as they are the place for XJ info. They saved me a bunch of money and frustration by not buying crappy parts or doing something wrong.

Good luck.

quoted for truuf, brotha Mike.

 

[Purple People Eater]

Well, I love my XJ. It's reliable (for the most part), and yeah, it was pretty inexpensive. I put a 2.5 inch suspension and 31" tires on it (about $2,000) and it takes me everywhere I want to go.

The thing with Cherokees, is when you do a modification, you have to modify something else. And when you modify that, you have to change something else. And so on, until forever it seems. Lifting means fixing the drivetrain angle, getting bigger tires, which means re-gearing, relocating the spare, etc...

 

[BIGdaddy]

yeah, thats what I meant about thinking systemically when performing a modification. That way you're not surprised by something like brake lines being too short or brakes not being up to stopping 40" tires, etc.

 

[SWbySWesty]

XJ's are great for 3 people...and a dog. Then I'd say you're maxed out when carrying full camping gear for everyone.

100K miles? That's low.

-drive to Tahoe in the snow Can do stock
-take some Forest Service roads exploring Can do stock
-no hardcore wheeling but maybe the occasional trail run? Can do stock depending on trail and how OK you are with dragging some stuff...

And I don't want to blow a bunch of cash on mods. Realistically, how cheaply can you build an XJ to still be a daily driver, without cutting it up, but not get stuck on a "high clearance vehicle required" trail to the hot springs? Buy it and wheel it. I had one for 8 years before doing anything big...of course things are just easier when you do stuff to it...I think it leaves more room for driver error. But the Jeep can do a lot in its stock form!

 

[jh504]

XJs are awesome budget rigs. I had a VERY capable '96 with 170,000 miles and she always ran like a top down the interstate, through the mountains, and then back home again. My wife currently drives a 2000 with 150,000 and we drive it all over the East Coast. You will love the torque of the 4.0. The AW4 trans is a good trans if you keep it cool. Consider an additional trans cooler. But if it does go out, you can get a used AW4 for $100-$200 bucks. Gas mileage is pretty dang good considering what it is. With a 6.5" lift and 315s I got 17mpg.
Stock they are pretty capable, throw on a 3" lift and some 31s and you'll go anywhere you want to take a moderate rig. No coil spacers though, replace the coils, you will flex like crazy. The XJs strengths are SFA and a torquey motor, its alot of fun.
I will say that the interior components are not the best and after a while the Jeep will start making noises. Weird little sqeeking noises and stuff like that. They all do.
But I say go for it.

 

[Purzell]

Thanks

Thanks guys...great info.
I'm going to give the XJ a closer look and see if I can go drive this local one this week sometime.
It sounds like the XJ can do pretty much everything I'll want to do with the possible addition of the trans cooler and some under-armor (just in case.)
Can anyone tell me how tall of a tire these will fit in stock form? I like tall narrow tires. This one is a '97, for reference, but I'll probably be shopping for a while.
I think the Land Cruiser would be awesome, but it would be overkill for me, not to mention all the stuff I would "have to' buy seems like it would cost me alot more.
Thanks again!

 

[jh504]

30x9.50 stock with no trimming. I've seen guys squeeze 31s under them stock but I would give it some lift before doing that. You want to give yourself room to stretch out. The SFA is one of an XJs major benefits.

 

[cnskate]

97 is a great year, so good luck with that. Check for rear main seal leak and exhaust manifold crack. Both are quite common but not a huge deal to fix if you can swing a wrench.

 

[OverlandZJ]

one of the few decent auto trannies that Jeep every put in a vehicle (figures it came from toyota).

We were trying to keep that fact swept under the rug....

Cant really add much to whats been said already, good drivetranes that will gives years of service with routine maintenance. Floors seem to suffer where road salt is used.