So I got this 96 Jeep Cherokee Sport for $2000 w/112,000 miles. It is in immaculate condition. Paint is (was) perfect, and interior is almost spotless. It has a 8.25, D30, AX-15, NP231, 4.0 I6. Has a slight miss at idle but runs strong. This XJ is my first car and will be my daily driver and weekend wheeler, so its gotta look cool for them chicks at school and still be capable offroad haha.


Wheeled it stock for a little bit: This pic is on slick rock in northern california.


Bought a Rough Country 4.5" full leaf kit, and riced it up with some red walmart paint.





Stock leafs next to RC pack w/shackle... Notice how much shorter it is... Had one hell of a time getting that in.


Because they weren't in a box when shipped, the leafs got pretty beat up... It pushed the bushing out half way... Almost installed it that way because I thought it was designed that way.


Rear done. Drove it around town like this and got some weird looks. Had major vibes.


Started on the front.


Springs were a PITA to get in. You will NEED a spring/strut compressor (instructions simply said "install front springs" didn't mention a spring compressor).


Stock springs next to new 4.5" springs.


Completed:


Got the T-case drop in--- NO VIBES!

Just got it aligned today too. No more death wobble haha.

Also removed the rear swaybar.

Plans:
Rustys diff guards---DONE (RCX)
Homemade rock sliders---DONE
31's or 32's at first---DONE
Black steel rims---DONE
Aussie up front
Ford 8.8 w/disks/4.10s/LSD
4.10s up front
Homemade bumpers
CB---DONE
SYE
Appalachian armor T-case skid---DONE (WARN)
Eventually some home made long arms
Interior cage
Thrush Welded cat-back

I am open to ANY comments/concerns - good/bad. I would really appreciate the input.

-Jeep450r

 

wow nice build i want to redpaint my rancho lift kit to cause is all rusted.
good luckman

 

nice lookin xj. dude i have the same couch

 

Nice Jeep you've got there. I'm in the middle of rebuilding a 1996 Sport with 114,900 miles that looks like yours. Right now, they're even the same color. Mine was used to rear-end an Accord though. Congrats on a nice build so far.

 

Thanks, the paint seems to be holding up pretty well too.

Thanks. haha I got that couch for free
I hope you get your XJ back up and running again soon!



Thanks for the comments so far

 

Nice job bro. I really like what youre doing to your XJ. We have a lot of the same mods in mind. I also looked at the Rustys diff skid and App. t-case skid.

I ended up ordering through CSE off road. I got the diff skid for $45, and warn t-case skid for $99 w/free s&h. Thought it was the better deal. My diff skid took quite a beating on the last trip, but still doing ok. We'll see how it holds up, but I can't imagine the Rustys being much better. Ck out my build thread for pics and info.

Good luck!

Btw, I'm also planning on doing the 8.8/4:10/LSD and front 4:10 swap this winter

 

Looking good man. Bet the chicks at school are gonna love seeing you roll up in that thing...LOL..slight sarcasm...hah

Definately go with the App Armor TC skid. I know the guy personally and his products are top notch. I might be helping them out here in the near future. I have one and its saved my TC several times.

Id go with 32s man. Theyll hold you over long than the 31s will...trust me LOL. I went from 32s on 4.5" to 33s and all in a matter of like 8 months. I couldnt wait so go a little bigger first and itll keep the cost down for now. That way you can upgrade other things first.

8.8 is a good choice too.

 

Well I found out today that I actually have a Chrysler 8.25. The retard at the Jeep dealership told me I had a Dana 35... Unless it was swapped in later. How can I find out if it is a 27 or 29 spline? Could it say on the axle? or will I need to pull the shafts?


Two days ago I installed an electronic semi horn. Very straight forward installation. Slid it under the air box, and connected it into one of the horn wires (there are two horns fyi, one on the left, one on the right). Not bad for 50 cents haha.



Also cleaned up the axles, ready for paint.


Yesterday I took her for a drive up to a junkyard.... turns out I still have death wobble Any ideas on what I could do to get rid of the death wobble?

 

You're going to need an SYE (Slip Yoke Eliminator) and/or a transfer case drop kit to solve your problem. Sometimes just a transfer case drop kit can be enough to solve the wobble or at least minimize it to where it is tolerable. But if I were you I would invest in the SYE even if it's a budget build. They are just that valuable and necessary.

 

I already have a T-case drop installed. This isn't driveline vibes i'm talking about.. its the full blown death wobble where you death grip the steering wheel as hard as you can, and while praying, hope your wheels dont fall off haha.

 

Hm, well I'm not completely sure. I don't have vibes at all so I couldn't give you a first-hand experience story and what I did to fix it, but here's a quote from a guy at JeepForum:

 

Sweet, thanks for the help. I have a feeling either the camber or caster werent adjusted correctly, or my track bar is causing the problem.

UPDATE:


Look at what I picked up yesterday. Now I just need some rims. Im looking at the RCX (Rough Country) black steel rims. I like their products so far and will continue to support them.

 

Its about time I update my thread. Its been busy around here with school and sports. We made some rock sliders, installed a Warn T-case skid, RC Front diff skid, changed all the fluids, and threw on some 31's on Black steelies.

Finished her up and took her wheelin:







(^dad driving)



(yes... were noobs haha)





In the near future I am hoping for home made long arms, home made unibody stiffeners, tinted windows, tie rod flip, longer rear main leaf for a better shackle angle, and a front bumper.

All comments/input will be greatly appreciated.

 

Looking good!

 

Looks like it might be time to get your fender trim on, too!