- Location
- Roanoke VA
Well here it is almost finally done!
<o
> </o>
Many of you may know the story behind this XJ, but for those who don’t;
<o> </o>
My Dad bought this 1990 XJ new and loved it. He owned several Jeeps when I was a kid including his beloved 69’ C-101 Commando(I wish I could find that one). It was and is the only new vehicle he ever owned. It served him well and he took good care of it but it had issues, a persistent piston slap being the worst thing. Dad drove this Jeep until a month before he passed away. My stepmother offered the Jeep to me but it was too soon after Dads passing and I really did not have the time to repair it as I was renovating my house at the time. That was in February of 02’. I started missing this Jeep about a year and a half later and started searching for it. After a year or so of searching and running car fax reports, I found it with a blown engine, and a homeless guy living in it at the back of a used car lot.
<o> </o>
I ran down the owner and talked him into selling it to me. $400 later and I had Dads old XJ back!
<o> </o>
I pulled the engine which had a blown head gasket and 2 burnt pistons and had it rebuilt locally. It was bored 40 over, decked and milled. It got a new engine kit and came with a 2 year warranty and ready to run. I replaced all of the RENIX sensors, outputs, if you can think of it; it is new under the hood.
<o> </o>
I replaced or cleaned the interior with new carpet, headliner and a lot of steam cleaning. I found no rust in the floorboards! I installed a new stereo and speakers to replace the original but still working unit. I had to replace a couple of the lock actuaters and a window regulater.
<o> </o>
I put together a 2” lift with a bastard pack in the rear (Stock main leaf and a Quadratec HD pack) and a RE 2” spacer in the front. I bolted in a 29 spline 8.25 to replace the D-35. It will get a P.O.R.C. SYE soon.
<o> </o>
The transmission and transfer case were good to go, just a change of fluids. I added a Hayden tranny cooler and a B&M temp gage to keep tabs on the tranny. The AC still worked! It just needed a charge and 2 years later it is still cool.
<o> </o>
I then focused my attention to the body and with some new PPG paint it looks as good as it runs. I added a set of 15x8" TJ Canyons with some 30x9.5 BFG AT KO’s. The paint was the most costly part of the rebuild, twice as much as the engine overhaul!
<o> </o>
Future mods will include the install of the SYE, the install of my TruTraked 4.10 geared 29 splined 8.25 from my trail rig and a fresh set of 4.10’s in the disco front. I plan on putting in a Posi-Loc or something similar to allow me to use 2-low. I plan on a full set of factory skids as well. Some tint on the widows at some point will help keep it cool in the summer.
<o> </o>
This XJ will not get wheeled except for snow and will be used for towing my bass boat to the lake in the summer. I will use it for hauling the canoes and kayaks to the river as well.
<o> </o>
Well here it is 2 years later and I am proud of it and I think Dad would be as well.
I want to thank everyone on here who helped me over the last 2 years with advice and knowledge. I couldn't have done it without you, and I wish I could remember everyone and thank them personnaly.
<o
> </o>Many of you may know the story behind this XJ, but for those who don’t;
<o
> </o>My Dad bought this 1990 XJ new and loved it. He owned several Jeeps when I was a kid including his beloved 69’ C-101 Commando(I wish I could find that one). It was and is the only new vehicle he ever owned. It served him well and he took good care of it but it had issues, a persistent piston slap being the worst thing. Dad drove this Jeep until a month before he passed away. My stepmother offered the Jeep to me but it was too soon after Dads passing and I really did not have the time to repair it as I was renovating my house at the time. That was in February of 02’. I started missing this Jeep about a year and a half later and started searching for it. After a year or so of searching and running car fax reports, I found it with a blown engine, and a homeless guy living in it at the back of a used car lot.
<o
> </o>I ran down the owner and talked him into selling it to me. $400 later and I had Dads old XJ back!
<o
> </o>I pulled the engine which had a blown head gasket and 2 burnt pistons and had it rebuilt locally. It was bored 40 over, decked and milled. It got a new engine kit and came with a 2 year warranty and ready to run. I replaced all of the RENIX sensors, outputs, if you can think of it; it is new under the hood.
<o
> </o>I replaced or cleaned the interior with new carpet, headliner and a lot of steam cleaning. I found no rust in the floorboards! I installed a new stereo and speakers to replace the original but still working unit. I had to replace a couple of the lock actuaters and a window regulater.
<o
> </o>I put together a 2” lift with a bastard pack in the rear (Stock main leaf and a Quadratec HD pack) and a RE 2” spacer in the front. I bolted in a 29 spline 8.25 to replace the D-35. It will get a P.O.R.C. SYE soon.
<o
> </o>The transmission and transfer case were good to go, just a change of fluids. I added a Hayden tranny cooler and a B&M temp gage to keep tabs on the tranny. The AC still worked! It just needed a charge and 2 years later it is still cool.
<o
> </o>I then focused my attention to the body and with some new PPG paint it looks as good as it runs. I added a set of 15x8" TJ Canyons with some 30x9.5 BFG AT KO’s. The paint was the most costly part of the rebuild, twice as much as the engine overhaul!
<o
> </o>Future mods will include the install of the SYE, the install of my TruTraked 4.10 geared 29 splined 8.25 from my trail rig and a fresh set of 4.10’s in the disco front. I plan on putting in a Posi-Loc or something similar to allow me to use 2-low. I plan on a full set of factory skids as well. Some tint on the widows at some point will help keep it cool in the summer.
<o
> </o>This XJ will not get wheeled except for snow and will be used for towing my bass boat to the lake in the summer. I will use it for hauling the canoes and kayaks to the river as well.
<o
> </o>Well here it is 2 years later and I am proud of it and I think Dad would be as well.
I want to thank everyone on here who helped me over the last 2 years with advice and knowledge. I couldn't have done it without you, and I wish I could remember everyone and thank them personnaly.
Last edited:
