Tweaked Unibody???

mmmkay325 · Jun 13, 2004

I'm looking at buying this guys 92 4 door xj that's a built trail rig. I noticed some issuses w/ the body that I were wondering if they have potentially serious issues. Some portions of the rocker panels have been knocked in from rock/trees. A section of the roof just above teh right rear door had been crushed in from a tree. Not major enough to notice from the inside, just about a basketball size indentation on the edge of the roofline just about the passenger door. Most of these I didn't feel like huge issues or something that couldn't be fixed easily, but one of my main concerns where both rear left/right door at the top where they close have a gap between the doors and the roof. Enough for you to see the light outside something through, and on teh left door you can see teh road beneath you. With the tops of the doors not pressin' up against the roofline, if you take the top of the door and press it in, it line up and fit, but only when you are pushing in on it....once you let go it comes back. Also there is a pretty good larger gap between the front/rear doors on both left and right side. So my question is this is a trail rig....but I'm wanting it to do double duty both dd/toy for a while. I'd rather not have it leaking in the rain/snow...but I would much rahter not get a rig that the unibody has been tweaked and is toasted :gee: . So just let me know what you guys thing about the issues and if they can be fixed relatively cheaply or if they are more serious issues that need to be addressed cause of the unibody design.

red87cherokee · Jun 13, 2004

How "built" is it and other details? As in: suspension type/lift, tires type/wear, mileage, asking price, etc.

Based on your description (so far) and your stated desire for a DD/toy, I'd probably shy away from it. It sounds like it has been used hard (there's nothing wrong with that, that's why most of us fix up our rigs) and the current owner has either lost interest in 4-wheeling (not likely), has bought another rig, and/or is worried that this Cherokee is on it's last legs, so wants to get rid of it.

Early XJ's can be found for little money (that's one reason they are so popular) - I think I prefer the idea of buying a good used stock rig, and modifying it myself (that's what I did). That way you have a good idea of the XJ's capabilities stock, can choose the components you want, and can be relatively sure that the vehicle hasn't been abused and worn out.

Capt. Nemo · Jun 13, 2004

Sounds tweaked to me... What's he asking for it and how has it been built? It's always possible to get another XJ carcass that hasn't been wheeled and transfer over the "built" parts from this rig - assuming that you get a great deal. It sounds to me like it would be more work trying to get this one up to par than it would be to buy two, and transfer over the good stuff to the one not tweaked.

jgl4wdccherokee · Jun 13, 2004

I do not have half of what you described wrong with mine but I do have a small gap in between the "B" pillar and the trailing edge of the front doors, it has taken me 4 years of no mercy wheelin to aquire just this little bit of distorsion in the unibody. So I guess what I am getting at here is this thing is beat I would definetly rethink buying.

scottsxj · Jun 13, 2004

well if your worried about the gaps in the doors take a two by four and put it in the middle of the door between the door and the pillar and shove on the door really hard. This works suprising well. I just did it to mine cause the doors were messed up from an accident and now the seal just fiine. As for the other stuff i dont know.

mmmkay325 · Jun 13, 2004

Aight, here's what he's got on it:
-92 4door xj 200,000+ miles
-8-10" of lift
-RE 5.5 components
-8" big offroad leafs 2" shackle
-zj coils w/ spacers
-new 37 MTR's rockcrawler rims
-D44 lincoln locked
-truck farm winch bumper
-truck farm rear bumper w/ swing away
-custom 4x4 rock rails
-Rusty's Off-Road power steering brace
-Brake Booster Master Cylinder upgrade from 97 Cherokee \
-SYE w/ Tom Wood's CV driveshaft

Other than the body damage the engine/tranny seemed to be strong on the drive, but had smoke comin' out back of tailpipe so engine issues could be something. Also there was an unknown knockin' sound coming from the right rear that neither him nor I could figure out what it was. You could here it over the locker when turning. Also it's out of inspection and at least needs exhaust work to pass. I already have a 96 XJ that is only a dd for now....but because of wantin' to wheel hard I'd rather get a toy on the side. But because of being away at school I want my rig to also be reliable enough to get me around. For the right price it's looking like I would swap out all of his parts onto another non-wheeled xj out of a yard or something. He said he's hard up for cash and would pretty much entertain any offers....he said he would like to get 3 grand for it. It looks like he's bout spent $4500 on parts, so seeing how the rig is probably not the gonna make it much longer for a dd...what would be a fare price w/ all the problems listed above and his mods to offer the guy??? I've got my idea, but didn't want to affend the guy...so I was just curious if you guys found this deal w/ these parts....and pretty much gettin' the impression that the body is done what would you offer the guy??? Thanks for all your guys inputs

Goatman · Jun 13, 2004

mmmkay325 said:
Aight, here's what he's got on it:
-92 4door xj 200,000+ miles
-8-10" of lift
-RE 5.5 components
-8" big offroad leafs 2" shackle
-zj coils w/ spacers
-new 37 MTR's rockcrawler rims
-D44 lincoln locked
-truck farm winch bumper
-truck farm rear bumper w/ swing away
-custom 4x4 rock rails
-Rusty's Off-Road power steering brace
-Brake Booster Master Cylinder upgrade from 97 Cherokee \
-SYE w/ Tom Wood's CV driveshaft

Other than the body damage the engine/tranny seemed to be strong on the drive, but had smoke comin' out back of tailpipe so engine issues could be something. Also there was an unknown knockin' sound coming from the right rear that neither him nor I could figure out what it was. You could here it over the locker when turning. Also it's out of inspection and at least needs exhaust work to pass. I already have a 96 XJ that is only a dd for now....but because of wantin' to wheel hard I'd rather get a toy on the side. But because of being away at school I want my rig to also be reliable enough to get me around. For the right price it's looking like I would swap out all of his parts onto another non-wheeled xj out of a yard or something. He said he's hard up for cash and would pretty much entertain any offers....he said he would like to get 3 grand for it. It looks like he's bout spent $4500 on parts, so seeing how the rig is probably not the gonna make it much longer for a dd...what would be a fare price w/ all the problems listed above and his mods to offer the guy??? I've got my idea, but didn't want to affend the guy...so I was just curious if you guys found this deal w/ these parts....and pretty much gettin' the impression that the body is done what would you offer the guy??? Thanks for all your guys inputs

Here we go again..........you want a reliable trail rig/DD and this has 37's with a d30/stock axles/stock u-joints and a welded D44. AND, it has an unexplainable noise coming from the rear end, the engine smokes, and the body has large gaps in it. I'm assuming this rig has stock gears also, since it's not in your list of mods. You also mentioned that you're going to school, so I'll assume money is not real plentiful.

I'D RUN FROM THIS RIG AS FAST AS I COULD!

Eagle · Jun 13, 2004

To each his own. Unibodies can be straightened, but it isn't easy, and the tweaked location will usually be a bit weaker than it was before.

Personally, I'd rather buy a vehicle that hasn't been used off-road and modify it myself rather than buy someone else's modified vehicle. I broke that rule once, and my $500 Comanche cost me $3500 in parts and repairs before I could get it registered.

ladywolf · Jun 13, 2004

yup i'd agree.

RUN FAR FAR AWAY!!! RUN FORREST RUN!!

my advice, from one noob to the next....find a stocker in good condition, and build your way up....weenie wheeling can be a lot of fun, and a good way to learn!

Kris

mmmkay325 · Jun 14, 2004

aight, thanks for everybody comments....here's where I was coming from

I have a 96 xj bb on 30 that i've been wheelin' for bout 6months up at school. It got low miles great condition and runs great and I was going to build it up. Money started addin' up REAL QUICK. Being a college student I was tryin' to find the cheapest way to do it. And I also started gettin' weird bout not beatin' the hell out of it on the trail...cause if it's messed up I'm out a jeep. So I came along this jeep. Yes it's huge w/ the lift and 37s so it's not gonna be something I wanna take 75mph down the highway 300miles a week. And that wasn't the intentions, but occationally it would be on the highway coming home and I needed it to be reliable for me up at school and cruisin' around cause at school is where I do most of my wheelin. I wanted another XJ because of trail abuse and the ablity to have a reliable second jeep if need be. I can't have 2 jeeps at school, so I need a reliable trail rig, but if it get's rolled on the trail then i'm still aight w/ a ride. So this was my thinkin'...I know the issues w/ teh jeep are probably bad, but for the amount of work on the suspension and protection it sounds like I might could get it for 1/4 of the price and build it on another rig. Soooo I was out to just get peoples opinions on the situation and see what they would do it it was there money.

Also it does have stock d30 and gears in them....but I planned on goin' full width ford 9/hp44 w/ 4.88-5.13 anyhow so that wasn't much of a factor.

Eagle · Jun 14, 2004

I'm all in favor of not beatin' on a nice rig. That's why I have a couple of $100 and $300 XJs and MJs in the yard. But I still prefer to find one that's basically stock and has a solid chassis (a few door dings don't matter on a trail rig) and build it up. An XJ with a 3" lift on 31s or a 4" lift and 32s will go most places short of the rock crawling championships, so don't let the equipment list on that hulk blind you to reality. You can find LOTS of solid older XJs with a lot fewer miles on the engine and have a solid, straight platform to wheel while you build it the weay you want, as you can afford it.

Also, don't fall into the trap of thinking you have to jump right into HUGE. When you have a huge rig, ordinary trails aren't fun any more. No challenge. Start moderate and grow into your Jeep.

mmmkay325 · Jun 14, 2004

aight, well it's looking like this guys rig is falling through for a number of reasons. I'm sure there's another platform out there for me to start a build....but thanks for all your guys help. See ya on the trail

Tweaked Unibody???

mmmkay325

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red87cherokee

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Capt. Nemo

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mmmkay325

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Eagle

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