96 Cherokee Front-End Damage--Buy or Not?

A friend got her 96' Cherokee Sport [4L engine] in a wreck a couple of weeks ago. The front end got damaged--the passenger headlight is out, grill is gone, and the radiator got taken out. The ins. company offered her less for salvage than what she has in the brand new tires she just bought. She said she offered it to a friend of hers for $600. My question is, should I jump on it if he doesn't?

It has A/c, tow package [I think], and is an automatic [If it was a standard, I think I would've gone ahead and jumped on it anyway], and has about 96K on it. I am waiting for pics of it, but she said it looked like someone took their hands and pushed in the front grill a bit. The hood is very slightly bent, and the unibody isn't cracked or bent at all. She said if the missing headlight were replaced,it would be hard to tell it was ever damaged. In fact, from a short distance, it is hard to tell it was hit.

Now, if the radiator got damaged, I know I will have to replace it. Also, would the A/C be damaged, and if so, what parts of the A/c would more than likely be needing fixed? Would the tranny have a cooler up there also? How much should I reasonably expect to pay to get it fixed? I really wanted a standard, but if this is a really good deal, it might be worth it--especially since I plan on modifying it which would require some cutting/welding into the hood and body anyway.

Good deal, or too much to go wrong?

On a side note--is it possible and how expensive would it be to change from automatic to standard?

Thanks.

Sounds like a weekend fix to me, but then we also did this one
from this

to this in about 3 working days not counting the body lift, suspension lift a bunch of other mods we did while it was apart



It's all relative. Plus not counting the time it took to get the parts together and get the new metalwork painted up..

Go for it.
I just picked up a 93 country for $300.00 with the bumper, grill, headlight bezels, turn signals and radiator taken out it's 2wd for now.
The plans are to change the trans and add the t-case, frontend and all the misc. to make it 4wd.
Your ac condenser is in front of the radiator just check it for leaks on mine it didn't hurt the condenser you trans cooler is in the radiator.

If you do the work yourself the parts are cheap at www.4wd.com less than $300.00 check them out.
I am not sure about the trans swap I do know you will have to cut a hole in the firewall for the clutch you may have to reinforce the firewall for the master cylinder.
I don't know how the clutch pedal mounts.
You will have to swap out the flexplate for a flywheel.
If I were you I would head for the junk yard and see how everything fits together and if it would be worth all the work to swap the transmissions for me I would just keep the auto.

From what you say I think a 96 XJ for less than $1000.00 is a good thing.

73's KG4BET

Tell her to tell the ins company it's not enough! The wheels will have a receipt and they have to take that into account for! (along with all other receipts) The ins company's bottom line is to save them money and not you!

If the a/c was damaged, ie the condencer coil or any of the plumbing lines cracked you've lost the refrigerant. great time to concider changing the a/c compressor to an on board air compressor. far cheeper that buying a full kit and finding room to install. As far as the purchassing goes. If you know that the front end is still solid but slightly out of allignment you can replace all the damaged componants. There are several adj. bolts along the front end that alow for some tweeking. it isn't going to be perfect, but it's good enough for the girls I date. I T-boned a Honda Accord at about 35mph.
She ran a light and I caved in the passenger side. I had @ 198,000 mi on her at that time and have slowly been bringing back to life. front clip from various years, a couple new door, old ones were rusting bad, replaced the bumpers, 3" lift and a Dana44. Oh yea, I pulled out the parts that were rubbing and hanging off after the accident and drover it home 20+ miles. The honda went to the bone yard. All though they were fine, just a little shocked, the Honda occupants spent a few hours in the emergency room filling out paper work.

First, I'd have your friend tell the insurance company to F off. Ridiculous.

Second, grab it. I just fixed a 92 Sport I picked up for $400 with front end damage. It looked "severe" but after looking through it I could tell it wasn't. If the frame is straight then you are golden. The Cherokees have front "crash panels" that are just spotwelded in and very easy to remove and replace. They basically comprise each corner of the front and are connected by a stamped steel core support that goes over the radiator / condensor. Basically the front corner can look horribly mangled but not have affected the main structurally pieces. The crash panels run back to the area which supports the top of the spring and the shock absorber for each end of the front axle.

Thanks for all the input, guys!

Now, how are the automatc trannys in these? Are they pretty stout? Do they suck too much power from the I6? I just read in the 4Wheel Parts mag about the advantages of automatic for four-wheeling vs the standards, but I think the standards are still a lot more stout. AMy I missing anything?

for one thing, quit reading the four wheel parts mag, it's not a mag, it's a very large advert. fwiw

I am guessing you don't own a cherokee since it sounds like you are second guessing the I6. Don't be fooled. this motor is fantastic in this rig, and can easily and affordably be upgraded for even more power. If what you said in your original post is accurate, buy the truck. that is all the reassurance i can offer at this point.

also, parts are plentiful for cherokees, readily available, and usually cheap. Also easy to work on. They are a great truck to own.

as far as the auto vs, stick thing, I have one of each. I like the auto better for city driving, other than that, you'll get used to either.

MAN UP, and enjoy.

the_chief;

Thanks for the input. I know 4WP is an ad mag, but sometimes I can pick up some good tips in there--and it is free.
I am mainly curious as to how good the auto tranny is--especially if I do decide to take it off-road somewhere.


BTW--that is some great work you did there, RichP. How about you come over here and help me out? :cheers:

if you're looking for occasional or often off road use/ abuse, you'll have no trouble with that trans.

AW4 is fine. They even use a version of it in the Lexus SUV with diesel (overseas) or V8.

carnuck said:

AW4 is fine. They even use a version of it in the Lexus SUV with diesel (overseas) or V8.

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OK--idiot here--what does the AW4 mean anyway?

forthehalibut said:

OK--idiot here--what does the AW4 mean anyway?

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It is just the designation for the specific Automatic transmission used in the XJ Cherokee.

As far as strength of the auto-It has been called bulletproof by many many people....Including myself.

I have to have an automatic transmission and I am very happy with the AW4.

Def. jump on that, a 96 for 600 bucks?!? I hit a huge sign last winter in my 94 and it took me an hour to replace the front header panel and lights etc, you need to do the radiator too so add maybe another hour, and maybe $200-$300 banjos for parts. I traded my 94 manual for a 96 auto and the manual is fun, put the auto really doesn't suck any power, XJ's are light and the 4.0 has got balls

Well, when I see her again, I will see if the other guy didn't already pick it up. If that is the case, I will go ahead and go to Wyoming to pick it up [it's at her parents house there--don't know why]. Thanks for reassuring me about the Jeep--especially about the tranny being rock-solid.

One more thing--is the tranny cooler inside the main radiator housing, or can I get those seperately? That way, if one has issues, it won't affect the other--and should be cheaper to fix, too.

AW-4 has to be one of the best tranny's ever built. The damaged replacement parts are fairly cheap. wwwrockauto.com should have everything you need, or go to your local pick-and-pull. Motor/tranny/TC (transfer case) are worth an easy $600 if they are in working order. Go for it.

There was a dent on the driver side of my 88 just below the gas fill. It was about 12" in diameter. It came with the xj. The ALL SNAKE ins. claims adjuster told me that the cost of repairing that dent would be 70% of thte total worth of the vehical, hence, he offered me $700.00 for the vehical. I bought it back for $70.00. He was more informed than I was about the cost of repairing it. See he used to work in a body shop. He said that It would be in for well over 8hrs. of frame work. I pulled the front clip off and took it to Burnsville Off road and it was fixed in less than 2

forthehalibut said:

One more thing--is the tranny cooler inside the main radiator housing, or can I get those seperately? That way, if one has issues, it won't affect the other--and should be cheaper to fix, too.

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Any replacement radiator you buy will already have the AT cooling in it. I have never seen a replacement one without...

forthehalibut said:

One more thing--is the tranny cooler inside the main radiator housing, or can I get those seperately? That way, if one has issues, it won't affect the other--and should be cheaper to fix, too.

Click to expand...

Also any aftermarket trans cooler will work as a little extra cooling.