Jake's XJ build.
- Thread starter Jakeleverett
- Start date
Jakeleverett
Adventurer
Thank you for your interest and comments!
Now that the wedding is over, that should leave me with a tiny bit of free time.
And now that my business is starting to pick up, I will be quitting my "day job" so that will free up even more time!
First thing to do is get the damn thing registered!
I haven't driven it in quite some time as I now have a little dirt bike and a Vespa that I have been cruising around town on.
Then:
-Cleaning it up
-Engine/tranny/differential oil change
-Hunting down some electrical bugs
-Building rear storage system
-Install stereo/speakers that have been awaiting install for OVER A YEAR!!!
-Trimming fenders/bumper plastics
-Building new bumpers and skid plates (I am still gathering parts for these, aluminum isn't cheap and I don't want to make it a slug!)
This was a pic from Big Bear, early this last spring. It was one of the last times that I drove it!
@hidefxj, Thank you. I received it from my mechanic friend who has another friend that sells them and this one laying around.
It was brand new and just about the right size luckily! It was slightly larger but I got it to fit with minor hassle.
Now that the wedding is over, that should leave me with a tiny bit of free time.
And now that my business is starting to pick up, I will be quitting my "day job" so that will free up even more time!
First thing to do is get the damn thing registered!
I haven't driven it in quite some time as I now have a little dirt bike and a Vespa that I have been cruising around town on.
Then:
-Cleaning it up
-Engine/tranny/differential oil change
-Hunting down some electrical bugs
-Building rear storage system
-Install stereo/speakers that have been awaiting install for OVER A YEAR!!!
-Trimming fenders/bumper plastics
-Building new bumpers and skid plates (I am still gathering parts for these, aluminum isn't cheap and I don't want to make it a slug!)
This was a pic from Big Bear, early this last spring. It was one of the last times that I drove it!
@hidefxj, Thank you. I received it from my mechanic friend who has another friend that sells them and this one laying around.
It was brand new and just about the right size luckily! It was slightly larger but I got it to fit with minor hassle.
Jakeleverett
Adventurer
Heading out to Anza Borego to do some much needed off-roading, hiking, relaxing, laughing, sight seeing, and enjoying of nature!!!
Jakeleverett
Adventurer
...stay tuned for some pictures come next week!
Jakeleverett
Adventurer
Well my wife and I have been on two trips since my last post.
One was the Borrego Springs trip
Here we are all packed up and ready to go!
Unfortunately it was pretty hot and dusty in the desert (Go figure...) so we put the doors back on for the majority of the trip and blasted the AC.
Though it was tons of fun driving from Pacific Beach to Borrego Springs.
Here are a few more pictures of the trip:
We decided to visit and do some climbing in the slot canyons:
As many times as I have been to Borrego, I had yet to see these canyons! They were pretty cool and we saw 2 rattle snakes on the hike through them.
^ Yes, there's a selfie in there, get over it! ^
It was a great trip with my wife and our new neighbors. We moved 2 houses down and now live a whole 2 blocks from the beach instead of the previous 1.5. =(
We started off in Pacific Beach where we live, headed Northeast to pick up the RTT from my mother/father-in-laws home in Scripps Ranch. (Now that my wife and her brother have both moved out, they now have four-ish bedrooms to themselves and let us store camping gear, Christmas decorations, winter clothes, etc. in her old bedroom. So when we are packing, you may see their driveway a lot.)
We then drove through Poway, Ramona, and Julian on out to Borrego Springs. We took our time as the weather couldn't have been better and the doors were off.
We entrusted our new neighbors with shopping/cooking duties... NEVER AGAIN. When we go camping, our diets don't change much. We just prep as much as possible before we leave. This was the opposite with our neighbors who eat very minimally and eat whatever is easy to clean. That also explains why their cooler is a fraction of the size of ours!
However; it was nice getting back into camping and seeing some new sights.
Stay tuned for pics from our other trip... The Grand Canyon!
One was the Borrego Springs trip
Here we are all packed up and ready to go!
Unfortunately it was pretty hot and dusty in the desert (Go figure...) so we put the doors back on for the majority of the trip and blasted the AC.
Though it was tons of fun driving from Pacific Beach to Borrego Springs.
Here are a few more pictures of the trip:
We decided to visit and do some climbing in the slot canyons:
As many times as I have been to Borrego, I had yet to see these canyons! They were pretty cool and we saw 2 rattle snakes on the hike through them.
^ Yes, there's a selfie in there, get over it! ^
It was a great trip with my wife and our new neighbors. We moved 2 houses down and now live a whole 2 blocks from the beach instead of the previous 1.5. =(
We started off in Pacific Beach where we live, headed Northeast to pick up the RTT from my mother/father-in-laws home in Scripps Ranch. (Now that my wife and her brother have both moved out, they now have four-ish bedrooms to themselves and let us store camping gear, Christmas decorations, winter clothes, etc. in her old bedroom. So when we are packing, you may see their driveway a lot.)
We then drove through Poway, Ramona, and Julian on out to Borrego Springs. We took our time as the weather couldn't have been better and the doors were off.
We entrusted our new neighbors with shopping/cooking duties... NEVER AGAIN. When we go camping, our diets don't change much. We just prep as much as possible before we leave. This was the opposite with our neighbors who eat very minimally and eat whatever is easy to clean. That also explains why their cooler is a fraction of the size of ours!
However; it was nice getting back into camping and seeing some new sights.
Stay tuned for pics from our other trip... The Grand Canyon!
Jakeleverett
Adventurer
A couple responses:
@Morticon, Thank you. It is a 3" Rough Country lift kit, AAL and 31" BFG A/Ts.
@Sardog, Thank you as well. It is great to have a girl with all the check boxes marked, that's why I HAD to marry her!
I was initially "hellbent on modifications", but now that I'm driving it around, I don't know how much more the little engine can handle! Loaded down with the RTT, gear, water, food, etc. I can definitely feel the drag on the engine. I can't imagine how it would be with big heavy bumpers, sliders, etc.
I have been talking to my dad about doing bumpers and rack in Aluminum, but I would need to buy materials. Fortunately he does have plenty of experience with Al, he just doesn't have a huge stockpile of new and scrap Al.
@stolz, Thank you! I will try!
@EVERYONE, I feel bad for driving my jeep so infrequently... So, if anyone is looking to buy one, I am willing to part with it.
I'm not actively trying to sell it, but I would prefer it go to a home where it will be driven more than once every couple weeks just to keep it running.
Make me an offer!
1996 Jeep Cherokee XJ SE
4 doors
4.0 High Output engine
95k miles as of right now
Has AC, heat, center console, radio (though i cut the door wires to remove the doors as I was planning to install speakers in the headliner.)
4x4 of course
Make me an offer in a PM or ask me any other questions you may have here in the thread in case others have the same questions.
@Morticon, Thank you. It is a 3" Rough Country lift kit, AAL and 31" BFG A/Ts.
@Sardog, Thank you as well. It is great to have a girl with all the check boxes marked, that's why I HAD to marry her!
I was initially "hellbent on modifications", but now that I'm driving it around, I don't know how much more the little engine can handle! Loaded down with the RTT, gear, water, food, etc. I can definitely feel the drag on the engine. I can't imagine how it would be with big heavy bumpers, sliders, etc.
I have been talking to my dad about doing bumpers and rack in Aluminum, but I would need to buy materials. Fortunately he does have plenty of experience with Al, he just doesn't have a huge stockpile of new and scrap Al.
@stolz, Thank you! I will try!
@EVERYONE, I feel bad for driving my jeep so infrequently... So, if anyone is looking to buy one, I am willing to part with it.
I'm not actively trying to sell it, but I would prefer it go to a home where it will be driven more than once every couple weeks just to keep it running.
Make me an offer!
1996 Jeep Cherokee XJ SE
4 doors
4.0 High Output engine
95k miles as of right now
Has AC, heat, center console, radio (though i cut the door wires to remove the doors as I was planning to install speakers in the headliner.)
4x4 of course
Make me an offer in a PM or ask me any other questions you may have here in the thread in case others have the same questions.