Unibody Concerns

I have the opportunity to get a FREE '87 Cherokee Loredo 4.0L to build as a trail vehicle. The vehicle is stock, has 200, 000+ miles, and runs great. My dad was the original owner and my sister is the current owner. I have done a lot of research and I know the problems with the axles and transmission (puegot), and these are not a problem, as I am planning a major build up. My concerns lay in the durability of the unibody construction. I know there are products like the chassis stiffener from T&J and a cage would help. Any information regarding how well the unibody construction holds up to lots of trail use would be a huge help in making my deciscion.

Thank You

CA car? If there isn't any rust, I wouldn't worry too much about it...especially if your going to cage it.

You shouldn't have too much trouble - especially if it's been out here all along (I grew up in the Rust Belt meself - northern IN...)

If you'd like, we can link up somewhere and I'll show you my 88 - which has it's share of body cracks that I need to weld. That will give you an idea what to lok for, and where - but key areas are usually around the upper corners of the liftgate, and near the door latches. It's also a good idea to keep an eye on the hinge roots - the hinges are welded, and will separate over time...

5-90

Your opinion is a valid one. Most people do not ever consider this in their build up, there are several people on this forum who have had to deal with the consequences of the limitations of a unibody vehicle.

Here is my opinion:

It depends on how you build it and how you use it. If you are going to wheel it moderately with moderate tires (about 33") and leave the basic structure alone (no structural triming, running without doors, etc) then you probably will not have any significant issues with the structure of the unibody.

If you plan on wheeling really hard or on larger than 33" tires I think that you had better plan on providing more structure to you unibody with use of (chassi stiffeners, cage, braces, etc) in order to make the unibody last.

On the other hand, the unibody itself is really disposable. if you total a xj you can take off all of your parts and put it on another xj (really not that expensive if you think about it).

Just my opinion,
I am curious to see what others think.

Michael

One thing it's the insurance company's that give uni-body construction a bad name, there expensive to repair after a wreck.

The xj actually is a (Unite Body), there is a frame, it’s just welded to the body.

That's OK - insurance companies have given themselved a bad name as well. Here's an example...

My grandfather carried a policy with the same company (Farmer's, I think) for over 40 years. Payments were finally agreeably low - due to a safe driving record, "mature" driver discounts, being married & non-smoker, and a cheap pickup that was paid for.

While at work (ALCOA Lafayette, IN) one night, someone bumped into his truck. Those of you who have seen the plant know how big it is - and he was somewhere inside the plant in his company truck - his personal ride was out in the parking lot (which is also BIG.)

Since he carried an agreeably low deductible, he didn't see any reason to fix himself - so he put in a claim.

After they fixed his truck, they tripled his premiums! As a result, he told the first company (I'm pretty sure it was Farmer's) to get bent, and went and got his old rate back with AAA. They couldn't figure it out, either.

I'm 33, and I'm now paying about the same as I did when I was 16 - with much less coverage. The difference? I've moved to California, and fully 95% of the people on the road (cops included, I'm sad to say) suffer from delusions of adequacy on the road. So, those of us who drive well are paying for the mistakes of idiots.

But I'm rambling. Chippie, if you'd like a suitably jaundiced eye looking over your 87, let me know where and when. I'll be at loose ends for a while...

5-90

It's FREE, and it's going to be a trail rig!!!!!!!! Should I say more? I mean if you want to spend the $ and go buy something else and turn it into a trail rig, be my guest!

I'm sure that dead horse gif's been dissabled in posts.

FREE! No you don’t want that. You better let me take it off your hands.

Seriously, I’ve had an 87 built with 33’s for about two years. I have wheeled it hard several times and it shows a bit of distress in the way the doors line up and there are a few cracks here and there. I’d think about caging it but as has been said, it wouldn’t be hard to pick up another one and just move over to it. The cracking has no affect at this point and I drive it every day.