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New Project 89 XJ Unicorn

zachxj01

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Rockville CT
Hello i was on here years ago as in high school i had an 01 xj eventually 5.5" Long arm fancy custom drive shafts etc but it was my daily and i got a gf who lived an hour away and 35" tires on the highway 50 miles back and forth was no bueno on gas or the jeep so off it went. I grew up i guess have my own place drive a subaru and ride a harley when i can always looking on craigslist for a project and then it happend. A friend was selling this 89 2 door 5spd and i couldnt resist ( I will add the pics tonight)

here she is as i got her


Current issues:
no power to the doors or overhead electric but LOTS of faulty wiring
*A lot of wires are old and brittle if not broken it has a hitch and all those wires are shot i am just going to pull them as i wont be towing anything.
*There is a normal extension cord sticking out of the roof (Not well sealed) that runs to the battery im not sure the purpose of this your guess is as good as mine but its getting pulled as well
*Minimal rust for being 27yrs old and only 133k on the engine/tranny

Quick Plans
*Fix wiring
*Pull carpets and evaluate floors hopefully as good as the frame
*degrease engine and replace anything else that looks to be on the way out
* Rattlecan flat black paint job
*Take a sawzaw to the fenders as it currently sits on 31s that rub on full turns.


Future Plans
*budget lift for now as this is a project and i am a single guy w/ 3 vehicles
*Some used 33s since 2 tires on it now already have bubbles
*Fab up some basic steel bumpers for the front and rear
*if i'm feeling ballsy remove the doors since it wont be a daily ride



Overall it feels good to be back and i have big plans and a low budget but a lot of the work my friends and i can easily bang out on weekends now that its warming up. Hope to meet some of you i been out of the game for awhile is there a guy on here Spanky from CT he is the only one i really remember? i belive he was from milford CT
 
i dont know how to edit my original post but heres some pics


All my rides
dateposted-public


Interior
H5V3tw


Exterior
GiKnY5



**Apparently forgot how to post pics on a forum too ill try to fix this tomorrow Flickr sucks any other sites to host pics on?
 
Last edited:
I've been using photobucket for years, and it works. They've gotten annoying with the video ads, but I have Flash turned off unless I approve and that helps.
 
Let me try agin

My Rides



The Inside



Minor setback i am in the hospital so i cant exactly work on it but i hope to be home monday and get back to work. Am i missing a way to edit the original post and add the pics there?
 
Awesome! Welcome back to the fold! If I can put my 2 cents in, my first xj was an 89 4 door, which was an electrical nightmare. I ran a car audio garage before, and know my way around a lot of that. Replacing all of the underhood relays went a long way towards resolving many of the problems mine had. That said, nice looking rig, have fun with the build!
Rich
 
Awesome! Welcome back to the fold! If I can put my 2 cents in, my first xj was an 89 4 door, which was an electrical nightmare. I ran a car audio garage before, and know my way around a lot of that. Replacing all of the underhood relays went a long way towards resolving many of the problems mine had. That said, nice looking rig, have fun with the build!
Rich

Thanks the more i look at it i agree rather than fix one thing and realize another issue i am probably better off getting rid of 27 almost 28yr old wiring that is relatively simple to replace. hope to get quite a bit done this weekend i will update then
 
This is my current situation



to the left of the battery is the speaker cable and a everyday extension cord which is routed through the firewall up the pillar and pops out the roof (poorly sealed might i add)

the thinner red cable is broken off and has power but im not sure what it is for. can anyone help me out wiring isnt my specialty and the car runs like a champ but none of my interior electronics work IE windows radio dome lights w/e

Here is where it goes only about 6 inches away
 
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