plinkerneil
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Texas
"...we have the technology."
This is sort of a re-build thread.
So, in 1994 I walked into the local Dodge dealership looking to buy the most car I could get for $15000. Turned out the way to do that was to order a 2-door, 5-speed Cherokee SE from the factory with only the options that were important to me. I wound up adding the 4.0L, ABS brakes, roof rack, A/C, rear wiper, and 4WD. I talked the dealer into attempting to order full-time 4WD (the NP242 t/c) along with the AX-15 transmission, but the computer system barfed it back up. My XJ came off the line during the last week of '94 model year production and cost me $16K all told.
This Cherokee has been my daily driver for 17 years and 150K miles. It's been at different times: my commuter through snow and ice, my work truck, my baby-mobile, my camper, and my tow rig. I've kept it maintained to a fault, had it fixed up after a couple of fender-benders. I had to have the transmission partially rebuilt under warranty when the local quickie-lube screwed up the fluids and the synchros disintegrated (from which I learned my lesson about quickie-lubes).
The weirdest thing that ever happened to it was when I took it to the dealership in 1999 at 69,990 miles and told them to look it over with a fine-toothed comb before the warranty expired at 70K. They found cracks in the engine block, weeping oil. So, Chrysler bought me a new crate engine block including the crankshaft, pistons, and everything, and the dealership put it in and had the 1994 head milled flat to mate perfectly with the block.
That's right, it's got the 1994 free-flowing head sitting on top of the 98+ block and lightweight pistons. I can tell you for a fact that is a fantastic combo. It revs a lot quicker than the old block, and when I put a CAI on it, it really took to the change. It has much more power and better mileage at highway speeds with the new filter. I get 18+ around town and 23+ on the highway.
I've clung to my XJ with a death grip because it's hands-down the best small SUV design ever for my needs. You can get more powerful vehicles, or bigger ones, or higher-MPG ones. But I love towing a 3500-lbs. trailer with wife and kids riding along (or hauling a bunch of camping gear down a dirt road to the campsite), then dropping the trailer and heading into the city and parking in an economy-car parking space. Anything else I can buy that would do that wouldn't have as much power and would get worse fuel economy. This is partly due to the body design--the XJ has much less frontal area than most vehicles with its ground clearance--and it's partly because of all the safety, emissions, and CAFE rules they've imposed on newer vehicles. The new vehicles are bigger and heavier and the new engines are gasping for breath.
This is sort of a re-build thread.
So, in 1994 I walked into the local Dodge dealership looking to buy the most car I could get for $15000. Turned out the way to do that was to order a 2-door, 5-speed Cherokee SE from the factory with only the options that were important to me. I wound up adding the 4.0L, ABS brakes, roof rack, A/C, rear wiper, and 4WD. I talked the dealer into attempting to order full-time 4WD (the NP242 t/c) along with the AX-15 transmission, but the computer system barfed it back up. My XJ came off the line during the last week of '94 model year production and cost me $16K all told.
This Cherokee has been my daily driver for 17 years and 150K miles. It's been at different times: my commuter through snow and ice, my work truck, my baby-mobile, my camper, and my tow rig. I've kept it maintained to a fault, had it fixed up after a couple of fender-benders. I had to have the transmission partially rebuilt under warranty when the local quickie-lube screwed up the fluids and the synchros disintegrated (from which I learned my lesson about quickie-lubes).
The weirdest thing that ever happened to it was when I took it to the dealership in 1999 at 69,990 miles and told them to look it over with a fine-toothed comb before the warranty expired at 70K. They found cracks in the engine block, weeping oil. So, Chrysler bought me a new crate engine block including the crankshaft, pistons, and everything, and the dealership put it in and had the 1994 head milled flat to mate perfectly with the block.
That's right, it's got the 1994 free-flowing head sitting on top of the 98+ block and lightweight pistons. I can tell you for a fact that is a fantastic combo. It revs a lot quicker than the old block, and when I put a CAI on it, it really took to the change. It has much more power and better mileage at highway speeds with the new filter. I get 18+ around town and 23+ on the highway.
I've clung to my XJ with a death grip because it's hands-down the best small SUV design ever for my needs. You can get more powerful vehicles, or bigger ones, or higher-MPG ones. But I love towing a 3500-lbs. trailer with wife and kids riding along (or hauling a bunch of camping gear down a dirt road to the campsite), then dropping the trailer and heading into the city and parking in an economy-car parking space. Anything else I can buy that would do that wouldn't have as much power and would get worse fuel economy. This is partly due to the body design--the XJ has much less frontal area than most vehicles with its ground clearance--and it's partly because of all the safety, emissions, and CAFE rules they've imposed on newer vehicles. The new vehicles are bigger and heavier and the new engines are gasping for breath.
That looks like a 1000 or so in parts and paint to have it in tip top shape again. A 2" lift and 31's will be great and still keep it low and stable. I'm at 3" with 32's and it handles better than stock.
