Password12345678

Thank you all for the wonderful advice. This website is truly a godsend for a newbie like me. I tried a few Facebook groups for help, but everyone just seems to mock me and nobody seems to know what they're talking about.

Kbeam, there is no play in the system. I've tried to shake everything I can and it's pretty tight, except for the box. I did order new sway bar bushings from RockAuto, along with a new steering damper just the other day.

I went outside and poked every surface I could find for a good 15 minutes. There is surface rust that flaked away, but I could not find any mushy spots anywhere. I checked where the shocks connect on all 4 corners, where the coils connect to the body, where the leafs connect to the body, everywhere around the leafs, etc.

Here is the link for the album again. The newest pictures have white text instead of black text. https://photos.app.goo.gl/FVyLoGUypMdrszL78

jpz

Considering how much surface rust you do have you may want to look into painting some areas with POR 15. It is expensive, but considering how the underside looks it could be worth the money once you have put the time into the suspension.

And you are right, this forum is great. For such an old vehicle, there is regular activity from people who really cherish these SUVs and know how to fix practically everything on them. There are some differences in opinions here and there but nothing terrible.

Dave51

Kinda makes you wonder about the integrity of your shop. Really hating guys who use scare tactics like

but whatever.

New image shows rear spring beyond flat, the spring is like unsprung. What were the height measurements and how much you want to jack it up?

Might need other new parts like sway bar links but everything is readily accessible from Amazon, Quadratec, etc. The Torx bolt on the sway bar link does not turn (you'll need to know that for later).

You'll probably need new bolts here and there. Member Tubur has them in kits at a good price. Just tell him to wrap them securely so they don't all fall out of the box.

You may need to cut windows to get at the front rear leaf welded nuts to spray, heat, or grab if the welds break). That's one of the problem-prone areas of the job, but like everything else, there's somebody around here that has a trick to fix any pesky problem.

PatHenry

I wouldn't cut windows unless absolutely necessary.

I'd recommend a cheap electric impact - you can get a truly cheap one from HF for about $100 bucks. An impact is a huge help for stuff that likes to spin without breaking free - steering components, the top nut on the front shocks, etc.

Honestly though, you don't need more than heat, an angle grinder (4.5" I think is the typical one) with cutoff wheels, a chisel and 3-5lb sledgehammer and hand tools for the springs and shocks.

If you're missing most or all, you can get the HF special (basically the cheapest ones) and upgrade later. I know I built my tool collection one piece at a time, generally purchased when I needed it.

Get the MAP torch, it's more than propane, but worth the cost.

If you do use POR15, be careful - follow the directions and make sure you have completely salt and moisture free surfaces. If you trap salt or moisture under the POR, it will rot worse than had you done nothing at all.
It almost looks like your Jeep sat in 9" of water for an extended time.
I prefer to use fluid film (industrial lanolin) - it's non permanent so you have to repeat treatment a couple times a year, but it displaces moisture.. even regular motor oil on the metal will help slow rusting. Basically, keep water and salt away and you can minimize rust.

Dave51

And I must admit that I STARTED the job by making windows, as I was impressed by a post by ehall from 2015:



https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/fro...-broke-210280/

But yeah, sometimes you get lucky and they zip right out!

Dave51

And for the record, mine did zip right out.

But I had a window to watch them zip right out!

Dave51

Zip out the nut anyway.

Then there's the bushing...

PatHenry

Hahahah - I was going to say... after a few hours of cutting away the ruber bushing and chiseling off the sleeve - pretty much textbook per the posts I'd read - and could heat that massive bolt across the length, it did zip right out.

PatHenry

I will note - and maybe this is what the shop was getting at - when I cut the spring at the front, the back part of the spring literally fell apart at the shackle due to rust.

Password12345678

Rust. Man, rust just ruins my day.

Dave, I assure you the shocks are terrible. I can take my hand and break off pieces of the shock. It's bad. I'm not sure about the height measurements currently, but I want to put only a modest amount of lift (maybe 2 or 3 inches) from somewhere like Rubicon Express, though I know they're on the expensive side. I don't really know much lift kits because I haven't done much research on them.

My dad jokes that it was sitting at the bottom of the ocean for a few years. I'm pretty sure it was.

Sometimes I wonder if I should just scrap the Jeep. I haven't had it for a year yet and the rust is unbearable sometimes.

PatHenry

Considering the amount of salt they use on the roads, it might as well be sitting in the ocean!

Rusted shocks are not that big a deal - replace them and you're good.

The decision to move on from a vehicle is a personal decision and it's different for everybody. There's no shame in whatever factors push you to that point.
I can only tell you my own experiences - I bought a TJ brand new in 00 when the dealer couldn't get me an XJ with the 4.0 and a stick shift. I drove it for 15 years, and while I got 300k out of it, it was never as reliable as my Dad's 94XJ (400k retired due to rust with a perfect engine tranny and xfer case). My TJ was great, but got hard to maintain at the end.
At the time gas was $4/gal and I bought a late model Corolla. The Corolla is a great car and I currently have a 2010 corolla which I use for family travel. I never loved either corolla - certainly not like I loved my TJ.
I bought a beat up 95 XJ and have put a lot of time and a fair amount of money (probably 3k total cost at this point). Every day I can choose to drive the Corolla or the Jeep to work. Despite the poor mpg, poor appearance and imperfections, I drive the Jeep unless I can't (dropping kids off, working on the Jeep, etc) - why? I love the Jeep. I love driving it.

When I didn't have the Jeep, I constantly wished I had one. I regretted buying a vehicle that I didn't love since it was the responsible thing to do.

That's just me. But if you're considering a change - make sure it's what you want - don't do it rashly.

awg

1) Hard to justify a 4wd unless you go off-road, (or have to deal with snowy/bad roads

2) An XJ is a cr@p daily driver, mainly due to fuel usage

3) rust in a unibody is the killer...make a realistic assessment of how long the body will last, or whether it is repairable

The correct tool to inspect for rust is a panel beaters pick hammer...if you can knock out chunks of rust, that leaves remaining structural integrity

use junkyard or ebay parts to keep cost way down

Dave51

I had a set like that once, but if it's only the top dust tube the shocks themselves are fully functional.
There are drivers, fixers, and people who enjoy both. 18+ year old vehicles need a LOT of TLC, and if you have this amount of doubt now, yeah, IIWY I'd get rid of it.

Password12345678

The XJ is my all-arounder, and I don't really want another vehicle. I use the 4WD a lot in the winter months and I'm planning to go offroad with it. It makes me happy, and I want to drive it until the wheels fall off, but I'm not sure sinking 3K into a vehicle I already paid 2K for (5K in total isn't much, but I don't have money) is a good idea, especially when it won't be roadworthy in 5-10 years due to rust. There are no Jeeps around here I can buy, which sucks. I drove 4 hours to go buy this one.

The biggest reason why I bought it because the body is solid. Most of them have rusted out floorboards and the bottom half of the doors are gone because of rust. I hate how all the older vehicles are falling apart and someday I'll have to buy some new junk with a tablet in the dash.

I'm pretty frustrated at the moment because I'm having a lot of trouble removing the dashboard. It makes me wonder if investing hours into this project is worth it, but I think I'm doing it for the experience + knowledge if anything.

Password12345678

I ain't no wuss, I'm not quitting on this Jeep. I'm driving it until there's nothing left of it. This Jeep is my piece of freedom and I'm going to my best to preserve it.