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I do. And am.
An '00.
And she is just a DD.
I am older now and my days of thrashing around out there are long over.
Does not mean I still won't own a Jeep.
Picked her up about 6 years ago kind of running and not really driveable.
Was just going to be a little refresh.
I made the mistake of coming around here looking for some insight on basic repairs.
Then I saw all the things that guys are doing to their Jeeps.
Headlight harness, alternator/battery cable upgrades, etc.
All the options mine did not come with.
Cruise control, overhead console, heated seats, factory fogs lights, etc.
Somehow I got it in my head to build a Limited/Up Country/European Orvis Clone.
Damn forum. LOL.
Stockish. 95 country. Upcountry clone suspension. Factory tcase skid installed. 2 inch recievers front and rear. Powertrax Noslip in D30, homemade rocksliders, ham radio in overhead mount antenna on fender, WJ seats in front.
Starting to get somewhere in the middle. I never wanted to go full on offroad only or crawler build. The intent I had with my XJ are mods to make her more capable off road but still quite drive-able on the street.
So mild lift, tires a few sizes up but not drastic...and mainly beefing her up in all the areas that XJs were known to be weak coming out of the factory.
I got a a bit lucky with mine... a rather unusual factory build sheet. which I was surprised considering how many XJs have been build over the decades that it was produced.
I think she may have been built for possibly forest service as she came from the factory with a rear LSD....among a few other things...
i still dd mine. i’ve averaged 23k miles/year since i bought it. it is lifted 2+ inches and hasn’t had sway bars since 2014. it is solely a pavement pounder, i have never taken it off-road beyond someone’s front or back yard. i love it for what it is. the only way i’d get rid of it is for a 2 door gladiator...and i haven’t seen any of those on dealer lots yet.
My GF's is very close to stock. I call it an UpCountry 2.0. Other than some aftermarket suspension (the stock leafs got destroyed by upstate New York) and some bolt-on engine parts, it's a pretty stock Jeep. She's a doc and drives it every single day to the hospital and her office while running the AC all the time. She definitely needs a dependable car, and this just seems to work like clockwork (knock on wood). Gets kind of crappy fuel economy with the stock 3.07s and 29" tires with steel wheels, but I have some 4-hole injectors waiting to be installed to try and help it out. The 4.0 seems to like RPM though and being a stick, it's pretty fun.
I've wheeled it a couple of times and it's actually pretty stout. The suspension setup is awesome! I'd love to raise it up just a bit more, throw some 31s, 4.10s and sliders on it and make it a cross-country overlander. One day...
Thanks.
Yes, both of these have 15x9 universal mud flaps (sourced from eBay).
I was looking at Rally Armor flaps, the black on black. Not that I necessarily need them here in AL, but my paint is really nice, and I dont wheel, but shooting range is gravel, and alot of the management area is chirt rock too
Loving mine! Bone stock '97 with 125k miles or so. Obviously I haven't had it long (you can see my trip permit) but I daily drive it and couldn't be happier. It's a cliche at this point but you really just feel like it handle anything and go anywhere, which feels like freedom even when you're just driving to work. It's just a perfectly stable, simple, functional thing that does a job without any hesitation.
Mine will remain pretty stock for the foreseeable future mostly just because I'm a student and cashflow is pretty limited. I'm looking forward to a 4" lift, 31s, axle swaps, lockers, then 35s, long arms, sliders, skids, bumpers, and it all but for my current situation I couldn't be more satisfied with my XJ as it was when Jeep put it together in 1997.
I've already changed the oil, flushed the coolant, and replaced the water pump and t-stat with the help of my dad (firsts for both of us). Tons more maintenance projects to do still but I'm grateful to be learning to do it all myself.
08-28-2019, 11:40 PM
Who all drives a stock XJ, daily?
