1987 XJ build thread.

so i found this XJ on craigslist. 500 dollars out the door.

1987 cherokee pioneer, 4 door, power steering, brakes, the whole nine.. like 15 years ago.


it's got alot of rust damage, like everywhere but the frame, it's down from minnesota, and i dont think it ever missed a winter drive.
the license plates that came with the truck say "minnesota, land of 10,000 lakes" i think this jeep was parked in half of them. rusty rusty.

the 4.0 is in good stock condition, with 300,000 miles on her, stock tranny from what i understand.

model 30 rear end, dana front end, not sure which x-fer case i have.

pretty much bone stock when i bought it.

this is the new mud-truck. so here's the plan.

done so far.

cut fenders,
stripped interior except front seats,
stripped AC units except compressor,
started filling in the missing sheet metal where the rust took over,
new hoses for all the radiator lines
new fuel pump, moved fuel tank to the rear deck,
powerbrushed, then painted the underbody where rust was.
removed the ignition so it starts without a key after i lost the key,
the front end was totally smushed after hitting a deer(previous owner), so i removed all the stock parts and started building a new front end to house the fans, and larger radiator.

did the 2 speed ford taurus fan upgrade, she idles around 170 degrees now. but i gained a leak around the water pump, and i'll be doing that today, along with the power steering pump.

also, snorkled it, and ran all the appropriate hoses to the interior near the top of the rear door. (diff's, x-fer case, tranny, distributor, gas tank.. let me know if i missed anything)

still rollin stock snow tires.. in florida, and stock height.

i'll have pics up a little later after i find my digi cam cable.

this thread will be useless without them.

this thread will probably be more for my organization than anything else, if you have any tips, or see something i missed, let me know. :idea:

You dont have a D30 rearend. You have a D30 front axle, and either a D35, or maybe a D44 in the back.

right you are, d35 in the rear, sorry about that. just bought new seal and gasket for her.


took my water pump off, and the impeller inside must have had a loose bearing between it and that front plate, because it chewed up the inside of that housing really badly. buying a new one tomorrow after work, i'll get that back on there, the power steering pump, and she should be good to run again.

the place i live brought me a 7 day notice to correct today, so i really need to get her running otherwise they're going to cry some more, or whatever it is they do.

truck is back on the road! turns out i need a new digi cam, mine has bit the dust.

she sounds nice and quiet now when she's running. going out to corbet today with my friend (another xj owner) to tear through the wilderness and see whats she's made of.

sunday, adding 6.5 inchX1/4 pipe to the front and rear for bumpers, and my winch on the front.

yea that is vintage for a vehicle up here you dont usually see them over 10yrs old

well, bumpers are on, 4.5 inch rough country lift is in the shop.
got it on craigslist bnib for 150 bucks! shocks and everything, adjustable trac bar, and new front control arms, and rear addaleafs, will do it all saturday and take pics with my moms camera.

then this thread might be worth reading.

pics.

on board air, 4.5 rough country, 33 trxxus m/t's, 6.5 inch tube bumpers, in cab fuel tank, taurus fans, control arm drop brackets, waiting on the sye front RE for 2 more inches of lift, and OTK steering.

Im doing the exact same thing as you. I got a 87 xj and tore it apart. Paint, motor swap, 97+ dash/ swap, rc 4.5 inch lift on the way with some 33 bfgoodrich mt's, alot of rust work, custom bumpers, and probably some other stuff. lets see some cleaned up pics so we can see what she looks like all nice and shiny!

Same here bought a '87 XJ 2dr off craigs list for $500 260k miles.. pulling the motor soon. I hear a bump in the lower end when I first crank the engine.. so I know the bottom end is on its way out.. going to put in new bearings and rings.. maybe do a valve job. as far as rust.. 1/4 size hole under the drivers side floor pan.. 2'' by 6'' long strip rusted out on the passenger side.. other than that is good.. it's from Austin Texas..so no salt..

Good god man what are those bumpers made out of?

-Alex

Those bumpers belong on a fullsize truck in the 70s.

bumpers are water main pipe, it's welded inside, seams are on the truck side, i like to run over lots of tree's and stumps. got the big skid under the front, angle iron in the oil pan, and x-fer case skid in the middle... pretty rock proof for florida : )