New Guy From Draper Here

[wakeless]

I am from Draper, and I am trying to learn everything about Jeepin. My inlaws are crazy about it, so I want to get into it for next Spring. I am thinking about getting a 96 or so Cherokee just through classifieds for dirt cheap and then do all the mods myself.

Before I get into it, does anyone have any suggestions? I currently don't know a lot about this, so a lot of explanation would be great, sorry, im a quick learner..


Thanks Everyone,

WakeLess

 

[Greg]

Welcome to RME!

There's plenty of current and former XJ owners on here, feel free to start a thread about how you want to use your Cherokee and I'm sure you will get some good feedback.

 

[Kiel]

What doyour inlaws do? What do they have ?

 

[grandmaster]

Welcome to RME, I know lots of people that own cherokees and if you need help working on it they would love to help out.

 

[Bart]

Welcome aboard. Glad to see new blood here. XJs are a good platform for a new 4xer. Personally, I'd start out with a 3" lift and 31s and drive it till you can see what you want to change. Don't let people talk you into stuff beyond your ability, but if you're up to it, push the envelope, in a controlled way, when you can.

 

[XJEEPER]

Welcome.
Being new to the off-road scene, it's good to start with a platform that allows for daily driving and weekend wheeling. The XJ (Cherokee) is a great platform for this. Relatively cheap to build and performs well offroad.

Having owned a 94, an 89 and now a 2000 XJ, I'll suggest looking for a 97-up model. Benefits are updated interior and body, added unibody reinforcements, steel rear hatch (84-96 fiberglass units are prone to cracking), better brakes than pre-96 units. Chrysler 8.25 rear with 29 spline axle shafts are much beefier than the standard D35 housing. Low pinion Dana 30 front end is the only real downside, but you should be able to avoid this by purchasing a 97-99 XJ,which should still net you a rig with the more desirable high-pinion Dana 30 front end. (297 ujoints and better driveshaft angles, plus stronger ring/pinion setup)

There is a ton of more info on the XJ platform, but bottom line is, you can wheel most trails locally and in Moab with open diffs, 31's and a 3" lift. Some skid plates and armor will keep the body in good shape. Get out and drive the rig, learn how it performs and then build from there as your wheeling skills improve and your interest in harder trails increase.

Here's another Cherokee specific resource...... www.naxja.org

 

[SICK99TJ]

Welcome, i would start by not listening to any one on this board they are all stupid...., if you already have a DD and you want to start and hang with the inlaws and it sounds like that is a maybe then try and build something that will keep up some what with theirs. if you dont have a DD then what Bart said is a good starting point, but i would aleast try 4 33's.

 

[Spidey]

Here's advice that is worth something. By an old corolla or civic. make that your daily driver. Save money.
By an old yj that you wont have to rely on for daily driving. Do cheap easy mods to it that help when wheeling. Keep it ugly. UGLY!!
You prolly dont want a unibody POS such as an XJ if you want to do serious wheeling. It will bend and fold. You need something with a good solid box frame. As you build, take old chevy parts that you find in the junk yard and build it as strong and cheap as possible. Do not think you can be safe without a roll cage. Leave the front leaf sprung forever. Some day 4 link the rear. Learn, learn, learn, before you buy or build. Ask the guys who have ridiculously built rigs how to do it on the cheap the right way the first time they will tell you what they would have done if they could do it all over again without the use of credit cards. I made the mistake of building my jeep 4 times. Dont listen to everyone. Except me. JK. No really though. I've paid the price of stupidity and learned my lessons well.
Rule #1 jeeping is expensive.
rule #2 Just Empty Every Pocket.
rule #3 learn before you buy. this is the worst "investment" you'll ever make so minimize the damage.
rule #4 dont wheel a DD if you want to stay married.
rule #5 dont make it pretty.
rule #6 cage it. even if it's not worth much. There are 2 types of jeepers, those who've rolled and those who will roll. hospital bills are expensive.
rule #7 you will roll. and rolls aren't as cool as idiots think they are.
rule #8 it will always cost more than you think.
rule #9 "honey, it will only take another hour to finish this", really means 3 hours. It will always take longer than you expect.
rule #10 dana 44's suck and are overpriced. (also custom 60's are overpriced)
rule #11 catalog products(i.e. quadratec) usually are a waste of money.
rule #12 you only need really expensive parts if you are sponsored.
rule #13 keep it simple.
rule #14 LCG (Low center of gravity) big lifts are for white trash knuckleheads.
rule #15 wheel base length matters. So stretch it if you cant find a scrambler(CJ-8).
rule #16 mods for a wrangler are expensive. XJ's are more expensive.
rule #17 4 bangers are gutless on road, but they're light.
rule #18 sprung weight needs to be light. unsprung weight(axles) needs to be heavy.
rule #19 smart driving is the best component you can add on a rock crawler.
rule #20 most people dont know how to drive well so get out of the rig and figure out your own line.

 

[Greg]

You guys are going to scare the n00b...

 

[jdub]

I've never rolled.

 

[DOSS]

I would suggest deciding what kind of wheel'n you are into first.. then decide on a platform to build on.. if you don't know what you want to do then I would say that an Xj is a good start.. leave it stock.. go on some adventures a stock jeep even an XJ will get you farther than your skills will allow you in the beginning go on some ride alongs with people and see if you want to be doing 5 rated trails or 3's.. do you want to do more exploration or day trails.. seriously just go out and see what you like before listening to what everyone else tells you to do..

I love my XJ and have been a ton of places with it and it hasn't crumpled yet (broke parts yes but it hasn't fallen apart YET)

 

[Maverick]

Welcome to the 4x4 scene!

What rigs do your inlaws drive?

If they are the ones you will be wheelin' with, get a rig somewhat similar to theirs. If they are running 38's, you may not want to get a rig that will never handle 38's.

I was SOOO happy to finally get a cherokee when I got mine. I did a 2-3" lift and 30's and rear locker and was really happy with what it could do. However, nearly everyone in my club had migrated to 35's or bigger (this was back in '95) and I was beating the he!! out of my XJ to keep up with them...so I sold it and bought a platform that would easily handle bigger axles and tires, and something (else) I always wanted anyway (a scrambler).

So, like I said, if they all drive mild rigs with 33-35" tires, an XJ will be perfect and I'd take Bart's and XJEEPER's advice and also throw in a rear lockright and the most aggressive 31" tires you can live with. The advice about having it NOT be your daily driver is good. Having it available to daily drive is better.

If the inlaws all drive rigs with 37"+ tires, start with a platform that you can build up. I'm not saying you can't put 35's on a XJ...it happens all the time...before the owner moves on cuz the unibody gives out. OTOH, Chevy 1-ton axles on a sprungover YJ is a pretty cheap recipe for bulletproof go anywhere big tire fun, and you can start out with 31's and a swaybar disconnect while you learn to drive it.

 

[TJDukit]

Welcome aboard. Theres alot of sound advice on here. My first rig was a '99 TJ stock with 31" BFG M/T's and that thing got me hooked with how well it performed, and it was my DD. I wheeled the crap out of it every couple of months and drove it home every time. That little four banger didn't do so well on the highway but on the trail it helped me not break anything. If I had it to do all over I again i wouldn't let my wife talk me into selling it. Now I have a piece of crap Bronco II that I'll never be happy with, it's a F@#d. Jeeps and chevy parts are the way to go.