kristuphir
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Lake Elizabeth, CA
Greetings all, I'm Chris and I live out in Lake Elizabeth in the high desert. Just picked up my first XJ - I've taken an interest in them lately and once all the gallons and gallons of information and trivia started soaking in, I had to have one. I come from late-80s BMW E30 3-series, so this is just continuing my appreciation of boxy things with bombproof straight-6 motors I suppose.
Since moving out to the desert recently, I've realized my house is completely surrounded with hundreds of miles' worth of trails, open desert, and OHV areas. So I wanted something cheap to start with, perhaps a little cosmetically challenged, that my girl and I could take offroad trips in and could maybe double as a DD for her while I steal her small, practical, fuel efficient and fun Honda Fit for my 110-mile-a-day commute, something not quite as impractical as the '74 F350 Supercab. I think I found it...
It's exactly what I wanted: 1987 Pioneer, Renix machine, oxidized but fancy two-tone paint, cool and reasonably clean maroon plaid interior, tow package, D44, skid plates front and rear, rear spare tire mount, AW4, NP231, looks to have been maintained decently. It runs and shifts fantastically, has enough body issues that I won't mind screwing up while learning to wheel, and is all complete.
It does have these options: Jeep® Missing Headliner™, Slightly Leaky Sunroof™, and most importantly, Occasional Mild Death Wobble (patent pending). Trying to track down that last one. The rear leafs are also about as springy as a sheet of heavyweight bond paper at 210K miles, so the first thing I'm gonna do is go through the suspension - figure out that shimmy and then order me up an RE 4.5 Superflex kit and some shocks. I figure that's a good kit from what I've heard - it's higher than I was going to go but it comes with so much stuff I want, and I figure maybe it'll keep me out of the inch-itis for a while. I think this thing will be a joy to drive and wheel with that and some decent 31s on there replacing all the old worn-out stuff.
Anyway, here's a quick night shot. I know, I know, stock XJ, woo-hoo.
This site is amazing! Totally overwhelming, the amount of stuff available for these things. And parts you can buy over a counter? Unheard of!
Since moving out to the desert recently, I've realized my house is completely surrounded with hundreds of miles' worth of trails, open desert, and OHV areas. So I wanted something cheap to start with, perhaps a little cosmetically challenged, that my girl and I could take offroad trips in and could maybe double as a DD for her while I steal her small, practical, fuel efficient and fun Honda Fit for my 110-mile-a-day commute, something not quite as impractical as the '74 F350 Supercab. I think I found it...
It's exactly what I wanted: 1987 Pioneer, Renix machine, oxidized but fancy two-tone paint, cool and reasonably clean maroon plaid interior, tow package, D44, skid plates front and rear, rear spare tire mount, AW4, NP231, looks to have been maintained decently. It runs and shifts fantastically, has enough body issues that I won't mind screwing up while learning to wheel, and is all complete.
It does have these options: Jeep® Missing Headliner™, Slightly Leaky Sunroof™, and most importantly, Occasional Mild Death Wobble (patent pending). Trying to track down that last one. The rear leafs are also about as springy as a sheet of heavyweight bond paper at 210K miles, so the first thing I'm gonna do is go through the suspension - figure out that shimmy and then order me up an RE 4.5 Superflex kit and some shocks. I figure that's a good kit from what I've heard - it's higher than I was going to go but it comes with so much stuff I want, and I figure maybe it'll keep me out of the inch-itis for a while. I think this thing will be a joy to drive and wheel with that and some decent 31s on there replacing all the old worn-out stuff.
Anyway, here's a quick night shot. I know, I know, stock XJ, woo-hoo.
This site is amazing! Totally overwhelming, the amount of stuff available for these things. And parts you can buy over a counter? Unheard of!
see ya in the dirt! dont miss the high desert meet n greet this saturday, come meet some new friends, im the only one who bites 
