new toy...

just picked up a 2000 jeep cherokee. have been wanting one for a while now. sold my dual sport bike and bought the Cherokee a few days after.


plans are to build it as a nice little trail jeep and still be able to drive it 6 hours to lake placid if i want.. it would be anything outrageous just something fun to take the family out through the jersey pines..:)

i ordered a rubicon express 3.5" lift for it. that should be here tomorrow and i'll hopefully install that in the next few weeks.. then i'll have to save for the tires. just going to put a 31x10.5 on it. should be perfect for how i want to use it..


always liked the two doors but there aren't many around this area. was surprised to stumble onto this one listed on craigslist. its a tight truck. no rattles and has tight steering and the 4.0 runs very nice even with 200k on it..





this is the way i want it to sit when done.

Nice. Been thinking about one myself (need a 4 dr. though) or another '03-back Durango. Sold the wifes '00 4runner and regret it now.



Tim

i can see how much more convenient a 4 door is. we will make the 2 door work..:)

here is my boys 97.

You did good with the 2-door. The 4 door has small back doors that are awkward to get into once the jeep is lifted a little bit. Its actually no harder to climb into the back of a 2 door once you get it lifted. Plus it makes it much easier to get into for the front seat people. I am 6'3 and have to fold up to hop in my lifted 4 door Cherokee.

Edit: I have had my 97 for about 11 years now. Its been a daily driver off and on and been an overall good vehicle(stroked 4.0, lockers, 35s, blah blah). I haven't really done much of anything to it in the last 2-3 years. Its really just been driven enough to keep it from rotting. I did some work on it this weekend, replaced the ball joints on one side, upgraded a bushing in the axle housing and did a few little things. The XJs are awesome, I couldn't imagine getting rid of mine. 238,000 on the clock and the doors close great and everything works great still, despite the fact I have flooded it with water and it has taken some decent trail damage over the years LOL.

Your sons ride looks good.
We need a 4 dr. because of our 20 mon. old grandson. It will stay stock (at least for a while) whether we go w/ a Cherokee or a Durango.



Tim

oh i understand for sure. can't wait to see my 6 year old try getting in it once its lifted...lol its almost too big for her now..:)

like to hear more about the stroker combo..

Like like like!

First thing I would do is get into those rear wheel wells and quarters and clean then coat them with bed liner,por15 or similar product.
nice find though.

my lift arrived today..:) just have to find time to do the install..:)

It's old, there is better combos out now. It's a 97 block with a yj 4.2l crank and rods with .020 speed pro pistons. The 4.2 crank and rods install like stock. The only clearanceing I had to do was to shim the factory crank "girdle" up enough to clear the longer stroke from the 4.2 crank. Look for a budget stroker recipe online and you will find lots of stuff. It only cost me about $150 more than building a stock 4.0. If I did it now I would use an aftermarket stroker piston and use the longer 4.0 rod as opposed to stock 4.0 pistons.

I put a crane cam in it and some ford 24lb injectors. Stock rockers, springs, etc. it's got about 50,000 miles on it and 11 years. It runs great, my rig is fat and heavy at 4400ish lbs trail ready. It has no problem going down the road at 75mph with the AC blasting and the cruise control on. It functions as stock, no issues with the bigger cam or CID. It does get a pretty nasty lope if it's really cold outside but it goes away quick once the ecu gets a hold of things.

so a couple of updates on my cherokee..


here is the thread on the lift installation.. sits just as i wanted it to.. https://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/ubbt...tml#Post1836248


just before winter i did the cooling system.. new water pump, thermostat and housing, belt, hoses and radiator and fan clutch. man its nice being able to buy parts and not go broke..lol it never ran hot or anything but the reputation of these things made me want to freshen up the system before winter. it does run a little cooler which is nice. knowing when everything was replaced is nice piece of mind for me..















i knew it had a bad axle u-joint and figured i'd may as well replace the joints on both axles and while taking it apart that far i may as well do the hub bearings too.. spicer joints and timkin bearings...





yea that still had plenty of miles left..lol

after a few nice weeks of OT at work i picked up a winch bumper for it..

now i have to save for a winch..:)

i went with the JCR vanguard bumper without the tubes around the grill and all. i think its cleaner looking without all that tubing.. think i'm gonna paint it body color.. can't wait to see it on there..




]


frame tie in brackets and steering box plate..

picked a roof rack that came with a high lift jack too.. i want to make new mounts for the jack before i put that on. rack is huge.. should hold anything i need...

in the future (after bumper and winch is installed)i want to do the diffs... they say a 4:10 will put the gearing back to about stock with my tire size but i'm thinking of going 4:56. just have to make sure that isn't too much gear for it.. then i have to figure out what selectable lockers i want for it..

had it out with family a couple of times.. got a beach permit too so that should be fun this summer..

[img]http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i109/abodyjoe/cherokee/offroad/th_2.mp4[/img]

[img]http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i109/abodyjoe/cherokee/offroad/th_IMG_9709.mp4[/img]

Great pics Joe thanks

Those Jeeps are are fun and no clean and detail afterwards they look great dirty

Lookin' good.

I picked up a really clean '00 Durango 4x4 with a blown-up 5.9 for cheap. Even after buying a low-mile rebuilt 5.9 and just recently fixed a trans problem I only have about $1700 in it.
I'd like to find a bumper like yours for it.



Tim

[img]http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i109/abodyjoe/cherokee/offroad/DSC_0224_1.jpg[/img]

finally got the bumper and winch on..:)


the bumper really ties into the body nicely.. the entire set up fit perfect.. no doubt a quality product..


new steering box spacer. much better then the stock one..



front tie ins.



driver side tie in.. also wraps under and uses th esway bar mounts ad a brace too..


passenger side tie in.

wheel well liners all trimmed up and the winch installed..