Well i guess its about time i start a build thread
Here is how the story begins:

August 2009... Ever since i was little there was no question in my mind that i wanted nothing more then to own a jeep. I finally got my license, and i needed wheels, as school was about to start, So i worked hard for a month during the summer and earned $1600 cash. All i knew is i wanted a 5 speed jeep with 4wd, and most importantly it couldn't cost more then $1600. So i found myself a Jeep Cherokee, 4wd, with a 5 speed, and it was exactly $1600. I drove up the next day and bought her. Well, it turns out jeeps don't like long trips during the summer with a cracked radiator, and bad water pump. We only had the car, so i parked my new jeep on the side of the freeway, and we made a 3 hour trip to borrow a truck and trailer, loaded her up, and headed back home. Needless to say after 16 long hours she was finally sitting in front of my house.

Oh.. Side Story: So when we were out test driving the jeep before i bought it we were looking around and i was of course asking all these questions and was extremely excited and everything, but as soon as my dad saw the inside of my jeep he got really quiet. I didn't think much about it until after i paid for it and we were driving off he told me to immediately go to the gas station and pull up to a vacuum. I was confused, but i obeyed. We then get there and he points to the carpet and shows me the marijuana seeds scattered all over the floor!! So yes... Not only was the Previous Owner a crazy wanna be rock star with absolutely no idea how to take care of a vehicle... he was also a drug addict. Awesome :/

A few pics of how it looked when i got it





I then began the process of replacing the water pump and radiator.



Figured i might as well replace the radiator, hoses, t-stat, belt, and rad cap



In the process of replacing everything, i discovered that the vibration dampener slid in to the timing cover causing a huge oil leak. I also discovered that the power steering cap was replaced with a gas cap (yeah the P.O. was inventive haha), and there was no air filter... great. Anyway since i had to replace the timing cover, i also decided to replace the timing chain. As a result it left me looking like this



The jeep was great for a couple months, then i got a oil pressure gauge... Thats when the whole story really started. I discovered i was having oil pressure issues.... major oil pressure issues. 3psi hot at idle, and maybe 13 above 1500 rpm. Hmm? Trashed motor? Great... My Dad nor did any of my family have any mechanical knowledge. I had worked on a farm for 5 years, and a heavy equipment shop for a couple months, and i always have been a motor head, so i decided to tackle the rebuild solo.

Grease bomb?.... oh yeah

]

Febuary 2010: With a little help i got the motor out, and then began the rebuild process



It turns out the previous owner didn't understand that oil changes are kinda big deal. lucky me...



Anyway while the motor was off to the machine shop, i had a lot of time on my hands. 16 year old+no vehicle to go places=no life haha. So i decided that i would make the engine compartment look better then new. Little did i know how long the task at hand would take. I started by stripping the engine compartment, and cleaning it with a steam pressure washer



Then i painted it with some gloss black paint



Got bored one day, so i painted a few more things:





yeah.. i was bored a lot haha





April 2010: Finally got my engine back from the machine shop... yeah i know... it took forever. It turns out that the machine shop had to bore 40 thousands over because the cylinder walls were so trashed thanks to the genius previous owner who obviously didn't believe in oil changes and air filters. I'm over it... mostly haha.... Anyway, I then proceeded to put the engine together and then i painted it to match the silver and black theme i had going on















May 2010: Finally Finished... it took long enough haha



And finally ready to throw back in









Filled all the fluids, broke in the cam, set the rings, and shabam... i finally had my jeep back! It was reassuring seeing my oil pressure at 60psi cold, and 45ish hot. Far better then 3psi cold and 14ish hot haha.

There you have it, the first chapter of my Jeeps life under my ownership.

 

I never did explain how it got its name "Milo".... Its really quite a short and boring story haha. When i bought it the previous owner had 3 stickers on the back. One said Mullet, the other was some outdoors sticker, and the last one had "Milo" spelt out in big orange letters. I guess people liked Milo, and decided that was its name... so it more or less stuck. uh hum.... anyways to more interesting matters haha.

Chapter 2. Lift

I more or less stumbled across my lift. I took my jeep in to a local shop named Dixie 4 Wheel Drive. One of the employees there happened to be selling his 5 inch lift off his old jeep, and offered it to me for 500 bucks. It had brand new shackles, and included the coil springs, leaf packs, JK control arms, and new extended upper control arms. I then bought SSV nitrogen shocks, and a Teraflex Adj. track bar. I then started the install. The front end came apart like butter, and i was able to finish the front lift alone in 3 hours. The rear was a different story. I ended up breaking the front leaf leaf spring nut, so i had to cut a hole in the unibody and weld the nut back on. But eventually i got it, and man was i thrilled

Before:








After











I had to test out the lift of course, and a recent storm provided mud that i couldn't pass up haha

 

Poser Moab Shots just for fun haha





Moving on haha... Side Story: When i was talking to the previous owner before i went up and bought the jeep he kept saying how it was in such good condition, and how the interior was in great shape. He also was saying how 1989 was the best year they built the cherokees. So lets review. Good condition: Lie (did you see the pictures of the engine compartment?!?! haha), Interior in good shape: Epic Lie, i don't even want to know what happened in that jeep, it was a mess, 1989 Best year of cherokee: Renix and Peugeot tranny, yeah i'm gonna say B.S. haha. It turns out the P.O. was more or less a drug addict, and obviously was just trying to get rid of the jeep. But in happier news i was able to find carpet, and all 3 seats for 200 bucks out of another 2 door. They were in perfect condition and looked brand new, so i got it.

 

very nice. you've got a good build started. love to see more!

 

what gears do you have? and how does the manual transmition do with he lift? like throttle response, death wobble.. etc

 

I have 3.07's but I'm still running 235's. Throttle response is amazing, it didn't change at all when I lifted it. I did however struggle with the death wobble but it wasn't because of my lift. New ball joints, and a alignment fixed it. As far as gas Milage goes I'm getting 20-21 in town and that's accelerating pretty hard most days. On the freeway is about the same. Overall I love the manual, it's pretty fun.

Sent from my iPhone

 

In December of 2010 my Peugeot tranny more or less detonated so i was left with some options. Either replace the POS tranny with another POS tranny, or upgrade to the AX-15.... It was a no brainer. So i found a AX-15, and did the swap. My write up on it is HERE. So this is what my jeep was like since i did the lift up until recently.

 

Great story!
And car

 

Very nice

 

Great picture ! Love the 2 door in white...

 

My friend owns a printing business, and we got bored one day so we made this:

 

Well this year on my 18th birthday my senior pictures were of my jeep and i of course. When you spend as much time as i have working on a jeep, you kinda bond with it haha.



I found a CB in a box in the garage, sweet. So i installed it



I originally mounted the CB antenna on the roof through an existing hole drilled for the factory roof rails. Turns out it wasn't the greatest idea. Running a 4ft antenna, and mounting it in that location wasn't sturdy enough.





So i went to JB's and got a mount that originally mounts to a semi truck mirror. While i was there i picked up a spring, figured it was a good idea haha.







This set up works great, and it is a heck of a lot more sturdy then my previous mount haha.

 

I have always loved the look of painted rocker panels on cherokees. However i have always been way too nervous to do it on mine. Finally 2 weeks ago i decided i would do it. So i spent 6 hours with a wire brush and purple power getting 22 years of baked on crud from the fender wells, and the frame part of the unibody. 12 hours, and 6 cans later i was done!

Before:







After











I personally love how it came out. I used Rustoleum Truck Bed Coating. It gives it a rough durable finish, and so far it has held up amazing.

 

With all this new paint i just had to go out and "test the durability" haha. So me and some buddies drove up to Zions National Park in Southern Utah and camped a couple nights.

 

So basically there is "Milo's" history up until Today. Its been an adventure, thats for sure. I have learned a lot of things, some from mistakes, others from successes, but ultimately i have had fun with it over the past 2 years. But now is just the start to a new chapter. Over the next few months i have some major upgrades planned including new tires, rims, bushwacker flat style flares, rock sliders, and a roof rack just to name a few. The real fun begins now, so stay tuned haha