New Guy, New (to me) Cherokee [Archive] - NAXJA Forums -::- North American XJ Association

BrandonC

March 1st, 2010, 13:18

Hello All, I thought I should drop in and introduce myself since the southeast is my home turf.

I have owned in the past a 76 CJ-5 that was a dedicated off road machine and a 98 TJ that was my "nice" daily driver.

I bought a 99 Cherokee last week in fairly good condition. I had been looking at them and thinking about it for awhile before I finally decided to take the plunge. In the last week I have spent so much time on here and learned so much that I went ahead and got a membership.

My aim for this Cherokee is to be a blend of my first two Jeep vehicles. I don't want it to be an off road monster, nor do I want it to be a bone stock daily driver either. I want something that can be a daily driver with a little attitude, but still be fairly competent if I decide to hit the trails on the weekend.

The mods I have done so far aren't much, not even mods really. I have switched all the fluids over to full synthetics, replaced the worn out gas shocks on the rear hatch, replaced the broken latch in the console between the seats, and removed the bows on the luggage rack up top. I think the roof bows gave it that "grocery-getter" look.

I have ordered so far a Rough Country 3" Stage II kit with full leaf packs, a set of Cragar Soft 8's, a JCR Offroad Stage 2 rear bumper and Rear Lower 1/4 Panel Armor, (I needed a hitch and said what the hell) and an Aussie Locker for the rear. Still haven't decided on tires yet. Will probably be some kind of all terrain though.

Enough of my rambling for now, but I will go ahead and throw down a gratuitous pic of my stock junk just because I feel like I should.:roll:

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/buddy2224/IMG_0113.jpg

Mr.Shrek

March 1st, 2010, 13:38

:party:Welcome to the party. What part of mid. tn are you in?

jeepgeek2002

March 1st, 2010, 13:50

no picture shows up!

BrandonC

March 1st, 2010, 13:52

I am in the sprawling metropolis that is Portland. Can no one see my pic? I can see it just fine.

jeepgeek2002

March 1st, 2010, 13:53

wait.. i think its comcast screwing with me

Mark

jeepgeek2002

March 1st, 2010, 13:57

its so pretty! 3" lift and 31's it ll look nice..

Mark

High2by

March 1st, 2010, 14:29

Welcome to the addiction although from the previous vehicles you've had, the addiction is not new. So..... welcome to the club of those who "fell off the wagon".:D

It's nice to see a new member go red like you've done. There's plenty of info on here and some GREAT guys to lend a hand or an opinion.

That's a nice looking ride too. For some reason, we're a bunch of visualists on here. Keep the pics coming as you progress with it.

PacificEd

March 1st, 2010, 14:39

Welcome aboard Brandon. Good to see you are off to a great start building your rig.

midtennjeeperz

March 1st, 2010, 15:15

Welcome....We have a trail ride coming up on the 13th at woolys you should join us.

KGP416

March 1st, 2010, 15:34

wow, cool, didn't waste anytime, very nice, welcome to the party !

BrandonC

March 1st, 2010, 15:52

Welcome....We have a trail ride coming up on the 13th at woolys you should join us.

Wouldn't mind tagging along with y'all, but that's probably gonna be the first time I'll have a chance to try and install this lift. Without the lift and especially without some new tires I would just have to chain off to someone at the gate and get drug around all day. The ones that are on there now are in pretty bad shape.

I have been to Wooly's a couple of times riding dirt bikes. There's some pretty rough stuff there.

midtennjeeperz

March 1st, 2010, 16:21

wow, cool, didn't waste anytime, very nice, welcome to the party !

I'm just trying to be polite. kinda like if someone called me I would call them back.

KGP416

March 1st, 2010, 17:09

Without the lift and especially without some new tires I would just have to chain off to someone at the gate and get drug around all day. :twak: hey, a funny guy, your gonna fit in just fine around here :D

I'm just trying to be polite. kinda like if someone called me I would call them back. um, you took me the wrong way, i was congratulating the OP for joining an buying cool stuff right from the start, anyway, lol

ChuckstrPT

March 1st, 2010, 17:57

Welcome aboard! Sometimes I wish I would have started with a stock heep on my second one. The first one started that way, and it all came out the way I wanted! Lots of things to do with an XJ....

midtennjeeperz

March 1st, 2010, 19:12

um, you took me the wrong way, i was congratulating the OP for joining an buying cool stuff right from the start, anyway, lol[/QUOTE]

HAHAHA.....I was just making a joke.

Team Willys

March 1st, 2010, 20:00

Welcome! Nice jeep man! You wanna see a pic of how it will look in a few years?

Here you go:

http://www.rocksolidfab.com/Recent-Projects.html

I would suggest going with at least 32's with that lift. Loose the flares and trim the fenders. You will be very happy with it!

ChattTacoma05

March 2nd, 2010, 06:03

welcome from Chattanooga TN.... i actually know where portland is, i dated a girl from there (not originally, haha thank god)

Ghost

March 2nd, 2010, 15:40

Welcome aboard. Build it like you want it. WE all have different tastes and likes and desires for our rigs.

WTF

March 2nd, 2010, 20:59

...
I would suggest going with at least 32's with that lift. Loose the flares and trim the fenders. You will be very happy with it!

While 32's will fit fine with mild trimming ( no need to lose the flares even) I would say 31's are the biggest tire I would care to run on a daily-driver type rig to still retain the usefulness of OD without re-gearing.

jeepgeek2002

March 2nd, 2010, 22:30

i agree with wtf..
31s can go a lot of places.. to begin with..til he gets hooked and trims the crap out of his fenders like the rest of us..hehe

BrandonC

March 5th, 2010, 16:09

Well, I got some new rubber today. I finally decided on and purchased four new 31x10.50x15 Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs. These things are very aggressive for an AT tire. I saw pics of them before I bought them, but the pics I saw didn't do them justice. I hope they aren't too loud.:rattle:

I just love new tires.:clap:

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/buddy2224/IMG_0114.jpg

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/buddy2224/IMG_0115.jpg

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/buddy2224/IMG_0116.jpg

LiL Timmy

March 5th, 2010, 19:31

Nice! I like the color of the heep, although i may be a little biased i own the gold heep team willys posted up for you to see. Im liking the goodyears.

BrandonC

March 6th, 2010, 20:49

Nice! I like the color of the heep, although i may be a little biased i own the gold heep team willys posted up for you to see. Im liking the goodyears.

At first I didn't really like the color, but after seeing yours and after seeing the front of mine lifted and with the black wheels I am kinda liking it now.

BrandonC

March 6th, 2010, 20:52

Half lifted. Owning a bunch of air tools and not being able to use them because you can't run your air compressor because the baby is sleeping really sucks. But about the only free time I have is at night, so hand tools it is.

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/buddy2224/IMG_0118.jpg

PacificEd

March 6th, 2010, 20:56

Looking really good Brandon. I like your tire choice.

jeepgeek2002

March 6th, 2010, 21:01

ChuckstrPT

March 6th, 2010, 21:05

Half lifted. Owning a bunch of air tools and not being able to use them because you can't run your air compressor because the baby is sleeping really sucks. But about the only free time I have is at night, so hand tools it is.

Welcome to my world....my compressor is right under my 4 yr old's bed...not air tools after 7:30....sucks.:rattle:

PacificEd

March 6th, 2010, 21:07

walmart sells them right?
i saw them ... also saw some called Aggressors? something like that.. but the duratracs are nice..
we ll have to see how they do offroad...
OOOoooh.. the RC boxes in the trunk..someone had xmas early!

Duratracs are a Goodyear mainline tire. Goodyear also builds a tire that is similar for Wal-Mart but the tread is somewhat different. Void space is about the same and it's classified as an AT. KGP416 has a set of the Wal-Mart version on his Chevy.

BrandonC

March 7th, 2010, 18:44

It's back up on all fours. A little vibration under acceleration and a little growling when decelerating but all in all, not too bad. If it doesn't get any worse than it is now, I ain't too worried about it.

Had to take it out for some very light wheeling when I finished, just to check things out. Had some light tire rubbing on the plastic bumper trim in front of the tires. I think it'll clearance itself.

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/buddy2224/IMG_0119.jpg

Shorty

March 8th, 2010, 19:46

Owning a bunch of air tools and not being able to use them because you can't run your air compressor because the baby is sleeping really sucks. But about the only free time I have is at night, so hand tools it is.

c'mon-- the kid's got it's whole life to sleep-- keep it up late and it'll sleep in tomorrow!

ride looks good, BTW

BrandonC

March 9th, 2010, 16:42

Alright, I decided I didn't like the vibration and growling that was going on, so I just ordered up an SYE and driveshaft kit from Advance Adapters. Is there anyone somewhat local who has installed one before that would be willing to help me put this thing in when it gets here? Tearing into my transfer case makes me a bit nervous.

PacificEd

March 9th, 2010, 16:47

I've done two of the AA kits but I may be a little far for you. We did one on the lift and one on the ground. It's not too difficult, you just need to be sure everything goes back in the way it should and keep everything clean.

Cnickgo

March 9th, 2010, 17:22

I expect a full report on those tires on my desk yesterday! :) The Jeep looks good. You can do the SYE swap, there are plenty of resources available, I suggest reading as many as you can to get a few different tricks and tips from each. I also suggest pulling the TC to do the swap. Things are a whole lot easier when you are not on your back, and can pick the case up and turn it to look at parts from different angles. A 9/16 gear wrench and 9/16 universal socket makes pulling the TC a breeze.

I hope you do some good testing with those tires. I'm highly considering them as I can get a good deal through a buddy at a tire shop.

BrandonC

March 10th, 2010, 14:29

Yeah, after thinking about it and going out and having another look up under the Jeep, I am thinking this should be no problem. I already have all the tools to do it and it doesn't look like it would be much of a problem to do in the vehicle. I have worked in tighter spaces than that before. I'll have a go at it when my stuff arrives.

Thanks for the votes of confidence fella's.:thumbup:

PacificEd

March 10th, 2010, 14:44

The scariest part is cutting the shift rail. Take your time and measure twice and you will be fine. The other thing to watch is the oil pump pickup tube. Just be sure it is connected when you put everything back together.

You can do it. If you have problems, don't hesitate to ask.

BrandonC

March 13th, 2010, 20:26

Made me some seat track extension brackets today. Another two and three quarters of an inch of legroom sure is nice!!! :thumbup:

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/buddy2224/IMG_0121.jpg

BrandonC

March 21st, 2010, 12:24

Got my JCR Stage 2 bumper and lower quarter armor painted this week and installed this weekend. I received an AA SYE kit this week as well but still waiting on the drive shaft from Tom Woods to show up.

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/buddy2224/IMG_0124.jpg

BrandonC

March 22nd, 2010, 16:07

I got me some oh-so-beefy Ruffstuff diff covers in the mail today. These things gotta weigh in at 5 pounds apiece!!! I'll post pics when I get them painted and put on. Waiting on Lubelocker gaskets so I can install them and the Aussie in the rear.

ChuckstrPT

March 22nd, 2010, 20:22

BrandonC

March 25th, 2010, 14:15

Well, since work is kinda slow I decided to take today off. I wanted to take off tomorrow but I gotta go to Lexington on a job that can't wait.:doh:

So today I went to the hardware store and got a couple of bolts to finish tying the new rear bumper into the frame, put some new longer bumpstops on in the rear, drained my front differential and installed this beast......

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/buddy2224/IMG_0127.jpg

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/buddy2224/IMG_0128.jpg

Then I took the front apart and installed a B&M Supercooler and some Hella E-Code H4's and PIAA Xtreme White bulbs. I had ordered a harness upgrade to go with the lights but Quadratec left it out of the box. I called them today, spoke with a nice guy named Keith that sent me one out in today's mail. I guess I'll have to take the front apart again to install it. Oh well.

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/buddy2224/IMG_0125.jpg

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/buddy2224/IMG_0126.jpg

High2by

March 25th, 2010, 17:41

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/buddy2224/IMG_0128.jpg

Those are pure beef covers but after you drag over or plow through a few rocks that nice drain plug will ground off smooth. Plus the bottom bolts will blend into the cover from the rash. You won't bend it or dent it, but it may be tough to get off later on.

BrandonC

March 26th, 2010, 02:30

I kinda figured that may be the case when I found that there were like 6 drain plug bolts in the hardware bag that came with the covers. That's ok though, I have had lots of practice with E-Z Outs.

XJfreakHO

March 26th, 2010, 02:56

Like what you've done so far, though I am planning something bigger I intend to do alot of the same style mods...

Trans cooler is the first mod on my list for sure, currently looking at a 97 model which is the low pinion 30, so I would be looking for a HP 30 or possibly a 44 to swap in if I can get a deal. Used to be red but that was apparently ages ago, regardless man like what you have going, especially the seat brackets.

ChuckstrPT

March 26th, 2010, 07:01

BrandonC

March 26th, 2010, 13:19

Like what you've done so far, though I am planning something bigger I intend to do alot of the same style mods...

regardless man like what you have going, especially the seat brackets.

Thanks for the kudo's. I am really liking this Cherokee myself. I never really wanted one until the baby came along and I needed more passenger space, but now that I own one I am loving it.

The seat brackets were simple to make and only took about two hours start to finish. Half of that time was pulling the seat out and putting it back in. That mod has made a huge difference in my comfort level while driving.

I am kinda wishing now I had went with a bigger lift and tires, but I don't have the money for gears in my budget right now anyway so that's something I may look at in the future. Either that or I may chop up the fenders, re-gear, and slap on a set of 33's and do the whole "low center of gravity" thing. I think the stuff those guys are doing in the Low COG Thread is pretty cool.

Tom Woods finally showed me some love. I got a pretty new drive shaft delivered to my front porch today along with the Lubelocker gasket for the rear diff. Now if I can ever find time to put this crap on I'll be in good shape. The wife has already started fussing about how much time I have been spending with the XJ. She made me promise, no jeep stuff this weekend. :(

ChuckstrPT

March 27th, 2010, 05:24

The wife has already started fussing about how much time I have been spending with the XJ. She made me promise, no jeep stuff this weekend. :(

Dude...say it isn't so!:rattle:

BrandonC

March 27th, 2010, 09:36

Dude...say it isn't so!:rattle:

Sadly enough, it's true. Working on the honey-do list today.:rolleyes:

PacificEd

March 27th, 2010, 12:25

Are you planning on coming to the M&G in Murfreesboro on April 3rd? Bring her and once she finds out how cool and nice we are, she'll be telling you to get to work on it. Seriously....it might work?

ChuckstrPT

March 27th, 2010, 15:39

Are you planning on coming to the M&G in Murfreesboro on April 3rd? Bring her and once she finds out how cool and nice we are, she'll be telling you to get to work on it. Seriously....it might work?

That sounds like a good plan. Sounds like there will be plenty of wives and kids there:D

BrandonC

March 27th, 2010, 19:21

Are you planning on coming to the M&G in Murfreesboro on April 3rd? Bring her and once she finds out how cool and nice we are, she'll be telling you to get to work on it. Seriously....it might work?

I am gonna try to swing by there. We have friends in Smyrna so I might use a visit to them as an excuse to get down that way.

PacificEd

March 27th, 2010, 19:31

See. Now that is good thinking. You guys would have a good time.

BrandonC

April 2nd, 2010, 19:55

Well, I haven't updated in a few days but I did receive and install my headlight harness this week. I can now see where I am going at night.:yelclap:

I also installed my AA SYE this evening. Everything went fairly well. It really wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. Took me about 4 hours start to finish and that was taking my time. Only one problem. When I put the transfer case half back on I inadvertently pinched the wires going to my after cat O2 sensor. Pretty much cut one wire in two, so it look like tomorrow I'll be attempting to repair that.:dunce:

It's in a really good place too, directly over the top of the case.

XJfreakHO

April 2nd, 2010, 21:36

LP D30's didn't start in XJ's until '00:viking:

I didn't think so but thats what the guy insisted on so I went with it, have the jeep now, hp30 and 8.25, geared 4.56, locked in the rear, kid was retarded but jeep definatly came with problems. :/ Never again will I buy a vehicle from a guy who openly considers himself a honda guy, the condition of the jeep made me wanna :puke:, ive already buried probably 1100 bucks into getting it right for uwharrie, past the point of being worthwhile to sell it I would say.

BrandonC

April 4th, 2010, 11:19

So it occurred to me yesterday at the meet and greet that while I have spent a lot of time wrenching on this thing in the month and a half I have owned it, I haven't actually wheeled it yet. That had to change.

So I went up to the farm in Kentucky where we have an old road bed that runs through about 90 or so acres of woods and ends at a creek. I thought it would be a little wetter than it was but I did have the chance to get into a few mud holes, climb a few hills, and visit a couple of off camber spots along the way.

What I relearned today:

When your tires stick out past your flares, it's wise to put your windows up before barreling off into the biggest mud hole you can find.

Other things I learned today:

The Duratracs do pretty well in the mud.

My tires are gonna hit the flares up top before they stuff. Not by much, but they will. This saddens me, I was hoping to keep my flares.

I must have installed my SYE correctly because the four wheel drive is still working properly.

I have some weird popping and spring noise on the drivers side front when off road. Maybe the control arms need to be loosened and retorqued? Maybe the spring isn't in the pocket correctly? I'll have to check it out when I have time.

I have a RC 3" lift now. Should I do a spacer and shackle to take it up another inch? The shocks are supposed to be good for a 2-4" lift and I have some BPE's that I haven't installed yet that would free up a little more shock length. May have to put on longer brake lines in the front with another inch though, I don't know. What say you?

Oh, forgot to take a camera along but I got some after shots in the driveway, although it's kinda hard to tell much since my ride is the same color as dried mud anyways but here ya go.

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/buddy2224/IMG_0130.jpg

Whiplash_Syndicate

April 4th, 2010, 12:41

Good to here you got it out.Im not to sure about the poppin front mine does it a bit when pulling a hill in the woods.

BrandonC

April 4th, 2010, 13:28

Good to here you got it out.Im not to sure about the poppin front mine does it a bit when pulling a hill in the woods.

Hey Jordan, if you want those leaf packs let me know in the next day or two or they are headed to the scrap pile.

BrandonC

April 11th, 2010, 11:43

Rear Iron Rock Off Road BPE's installed, Aussie Locker installed, Ruff Stuff rear diff cover and Lubelocker gasket installed with Mobil1 synthetic oil, and JKS 1" Boomerangs Shackles installed.

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/buddy2224/IMG_0131.jpg

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/buddy2224/IMG_0132.jpg

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/buddy2224/IMG_0133.jpg

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/buddy2224/IMG_0140.jpg

Ghost

April 11th, 2010, 12:29

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/buddy2224/IMG_0132.jpg

Those are not good BPE's for the rear. They rotate the shock 90 and over stress the tube where it mounts to the eye. They can limit flex too. You can also get this BPE from removing your factory rear sway bar and use the axle mount just like this. :wave1:

BrandonC

April 11th, 2010, 13:32

Those are not good BPE's for the rear. They rotate the shock 90 and over stress the tube where it mounts to the eye. They can limit flex too. You can also get this BPE from removing your factory rear sway bar and use the axle mount just like this. :wave1:

Well sonofa...., I never really thought about it until you said something but that does make sense. That end of the shock would be in a bind as it isn't allowed to move in the direction it would naturally need/want to pivot in.

:sure:

Ghost

April 11th, 2010, 18:36

Well sonofa...., I never really thought about it until you said something but that does make sense. That end of the shock would be in a bind as it isn't allowed to move in the direction it would naturally need/want to pivot in.

:sure:

Yeap. My BPE's are a piece of 1.5" angle with 2 holes drilled in them and rounded to clear the shocks and anywhere else that was needed to be trimmed or adjusted. I made them in a few hours with some scrap angle and and angle grinder with a cut off wheel and a grinding wheel.