Straight talk about XJ's

[lenny]

Okay, I have thought about buying a XJ on and off again for the last couple years. Seems like every time I bring up the topic on any of the forums that I visit, all I hear about is how the XJ doesn't have a frame and how that factors into the platform being inferior to framed vehicles.

But I just can't see this being as big a factor as other web-wheelers lead me to believe it is. I have wheeled with a couple of XJ's and I have never seen the uni-body construction as a disadvantage.

So here is my question to all those that have owned or own XJ's, does the uni-body construction really flex as much as I have been told it does? Do cracks in the shell develop when used for daily driver/weekend wheeler use? Considering that I spend probably 90% of my time with my Discovery on the street, I think that an XJ would make a great rig for what I do. The aftermarket has a huge supply of upgrades and parts for these vehicles, something that is lacking with my Discovery.

So tell my what your experiences have been? Curious minds must know...

 

[Maverick]

How nasty do you plan on going?

I wheeled the snot out of my '88 limited. Had the 4.0, auto, a 2" lift, 30" wrangler AT's, rear lockrite. Loved it, but wanted a CJ with 38's so I sold it. Did many of the harder trails in Moab and other places around the state though.

If you want 35's, don't waste your time.

If 31's, 32's or 33's will work for you, you'll have a hard time finding a better rig. I loved mine...especially since I could drive it all week, tow a tent trailer to Moab, and wheel it all weekend.



Brett

 

[JeeperG]

Read the Naxja forums.

They are a dime a dozen now and fairly cheap to build.

 

[lenny]

How nasty do you plan on going?

I wheeled the snot out of my '88 limited. Had the 4.0, auto, a 2" lift, 30" wrangler AT's, rear lockrite. Loved it, but wanted a CJ with 38's so I sold it. Did many of the harder trails in Moab and other places around the state though.

If you want 35's, don't waste your time.

If 31's, 32's or 33's will work for you, you'll have a hard time finding a better rig. I loved mine...especially since I could drive it all week, tow a tent trailer to Moab, and wheel it all weekend.



Brett

I would not be planning on running anything larger than a 33", mostly because I drive 200-300 miles a week.

 

[Jeremy]

there are ways to make it work. you can reinforce the uni-frame to stiffen it up a bit, but then you will be tearing the body away from the reinforced frame. you can tie a cage into the reinforced frame to help stiffen things up, but eventually it will fall apart if you use it hard. on the plus side you can start over with another one for as little as a few hundred bucks.

i lifted the hood on mime the other day and could barely push it up, when it Finlay did go up, the windshield broke into quarters. straight down the middle and straight across the middle. all due to how "unsound" the body is. i will now take the $100.00 xj in the back yard and start over, trying to build it better.


just my $0.02

 

[Kiel]

I think they are a good platform for the light duty wheeler, but their stamina is questionable. I recall seeing someones quote under their screen name saying that something had broken on theirs worth about 50 bucks and someone sadi it was a cherokee it was totalled Oh and you know they don't have a frame right

 

[Brett]

I like mine and I've liked all the other ones that I've had in the past. Like you said, lots of aftermarket support and lots of good parts. Mines a DD, 90% road and 10% offroad. I've had a few problems with it after some hard wheeling, mostly just things get out of whack. As for the unibody, mine's starting to get a bit too flexy and I'll probably be adding some TNT stiffeners soon.....but otherwise, I love XJ's. They work, they have power, they've got room inside for gear and people......great all around weekend warrior.

If it matters, mines a 89 4.0 with an auto, 4.5" RE lift and 33's.....and of course a 44 in the rear.

 

[Tacoma]

the sheetmetal suspension mounts made me nervous.

 

[Brett]

the sheetmetal suspension mounts made me nervous.

You make me nervous

 

[Drew_XJ]

i love my xj even though i have only had it for six months. i think its a great platform to build off of. while they may take a little more to maintain then some other rigs i think they make up for it when it comes to price and availability of parts. im sure ill have unibody issues but show me a rig that doesnt have any problems.

mines a 98 classic 4.0 aw4 np231, 6" teraflex long arm and 33's on stock axles

 

[Tacoma]

I should, if you know what I mean.


heheheh

 

[Maverick]

EZ and I have some friends that come up from New Mexico to do Moab and Swell stuff. They run 32x11.50 tires, moderate lifts, killer bumpers and sliders and typically ARB lockers. LOTS of exploring. Not so much Helldo. It severely tempts me everytime we go out with them. The only reason I don't is cuz I still like to run bouldery washes...and I'm already set up with a tow rig and trailer.

Brett

 

[phatfoto]

You might even consider a ZJ Grand Cherokee... Coils at all four corners, and a little bigger inside. Also a unibody. And, they are getting inexpensive to buy. I've been on some easy trails, but I took it on RattleSnake a week ago and made it, even though I took a couple bypasses. I do the daily drive with it too, 100 miles a day. When I replace it, I will likely do so with the WJ. And there are quite a few ZJs that have been built up and run 35s.

 

[mbryson]

Stay to 33" tires and have fun. I'd get a '91-94 (with the OBD I, but has the R12 refrigerant) or the newer '97-01 (you get a lot of 'good' stuff with the redesign, '00-01 have a low pinion axle, the 8.25 is a decent rear axle).

You will develop cracks and issues, but it'll take a few years.

 

[Milner]

I like xj's. But if I was to build another on, I would start with a clean one that had not been wheeled and add the TNT supports and some other reinforcement before it was lift or wheeled. Because, yes they do get that bad, and yes, they do crack. Done right from day one and I think you would be ok.

 

[JoeT]

You gotta know the limitations of one.Big tires and lifts (6"+) will doom the unibody real fast. Sure you can brace it, but for how long? 33" tires and smaller is best. They are a cheap, fun rigs to have. If you flop, so what. Grab the good stuff off it and put it on another $500 - $1000 XJ. 2-Doors are a holy grail find, with the stiffer body. Finding one with a factory D44 is even better.

 

[Milner]

You gotta know the limitations of one.Big tires and lifts (6"+) will doom the unibody real fast. Sure you can brace it, but for how long? 33" tires and smaller is best. They are a cheap, fun rigs to have. If you flop, so what. Grab the good stuff off it and put it on another $500 - $1000 XJ. 2-Doors are a holy grail find, with the stiffer body. Finding one with a factory D44 is even better.

Angie's was a 2 door, never ran over 33's and it was FAR from stiff when I sold it....

 

[Herzog]

I'm on my 2nd XJ (first one is on it's 2nd life as tube chassis) A lot of this may have been covered, but here goes:

An XJ is a horrible platform to get really extreme with, in terms of simplicity to evolve the suspension and chassis into a hardcore rock rig. I went this route with my previous XJ. By the time I got most of the sheet metal removed, welded tons of uniframe bracing (including an internal cage) and 38" tires under it, it made more sense to make a new tube chassis and move the motor & transmission over.

It's an excellent platform to turn into a Moab crawler / expedition rig. This is the route I'm going with my current XJ. I picked up Von's 2001 XJ last year and I've been slowly adding to it. I'll admit it, I'm a snowflake driver for life I guess.

To me, cherokees feel cheaply made and put together. But if your willing to go through and fix the flaws and address many of the potential problems you will end up with a great rig.

So far, I have an XJ on a low lift w/ 35's that comfortably does 65 - 80 mph on the highway down to Price almost every other weekend. (Kid loves Grandparents, you know. ) And for the weekends I feel like getting twisty, I pull out the buggy.

 

[JoeT]

Angie's was a 2 door, never ran over 33's and it was FAR from stiff when I sold it....

Interesting. I thought and what I've heard is that the JeepSpeed Racers like the 2 door because it was a stiffer body. Guess not. But heck unibody can never last long. I wonder how much the torque from motor is the blame to the XJ's unibody to be so flexy. I guess it's just a matter of time.

 

[Milner]

Interesting. I thought and what I've heard is that the JeepSpeed Racers like the 2 door because it was a stiffer body. Guess not. But heck unibody can never last long. I wonder how much the torque from motor is the blame to the XJ's unibody to be so flexy. I guess it's just a matter of time.

10 years of wheeling will kill ANY XJ It probably is stiff to begin with, but....

Just as a comparo....I have been under the Libby and other newer uni-frame jeeps. They have stiffened and thickened them up a lot. I am impressed with the amount of double and triple thickness areas in the newer models....
But, the Libby will get liberal supports before it gets used hard....30K miles and counting down:greg: