DOIN' TIME WITH MY CHEROKEE XJ

[goodcat8]

Hello all, I'm new to this forum. I've been active over on ADV Rider for years, as I've been an avid motorcyclist for almost 20 years. Motorcycles are actually what brought 'overland' or 'dirt travel' vehicles onto my radar in the first place.
A friend is building a surf / adventure van and is chronicling it here on EXPO. I came to check that out, and have been buried in awesome reads about all kinds of rigs. The site is really a wonderful resource.



INTRO /BACKGROUND:


35 years old. Married. Original East Coaster, currently transplanted to the west coast for the last 10 years. Like to take lot's of pictures. And have a definite moto-holic issue. I've owned 23 motorcycles and 21 "cages" since 1996. I average a new to me bike and car/truck about once a year. For a long time I was on 'The HUNT' for the perfect ride. Eventually I realized, for me at least, there is no such thing. Yamaha, Chevy, KTM, Subaru. No brand obedience or true loyalty. I think, if you enjoy motorized motion, life's to short to spend all your miles in one piece of metal. There's so many good ones out there! Each with it's own soul, character, personality, advantages and disadvantages.

Let's get motorcycles out the the way first.

As mentioned, motorcycles brought me out to the dirt.

Started on a little mini trail in the backyard, until eventually the street.





Eventually starting a life long love affair with Triumph's.









Triumphs, though not known for comfort gave me the distance bug. Putting down some miles. Ending the day, spent. Psychically and mentally.



Every dirt road I'd pass I'd find myself peeking at. Sometimes turning around and timidly rolling down very slowly to see what I could see.

This led to different types of motorcycle's for me to explore.











Realizing this whole 'dirt' thing was pretty cool!

 

[goodcat8]

Onto 4 wheels.

After moving to LA in 2005 I was motorcycle only until 2007. I was sleeping on a friends patio in santa monica and parking cars in hollywood at night. A guy who speaks english as a first language AND can drive stick?!?! YOUR'E HIRED!! Eventually, got a "real" job, oddly enough working in television, which I've been doing for the last 8 years. Which meant I could afford more toys. A few favorites...

98 (I think....) GMC Sierra - Great truck. Dead simple. Burly as hell. Cheap to buy $2500 and even better to sell $3500.





My 2004 Forest XT 5MT was foolishly traded in for a 2012 STI. I still miss that forester. Such a great do all car. The go fast of the STI, was, fun, I suppose. But I missed being able to bomb over speed bumps and not be terrified if I saw a scratch.
Forester XT $11K. Broke even on the Forester. Took a $6K loss on the STI $32K












1979 Chevy C10. More fun to look at than live with.... Bought $2500, sold for $5000. After putting $5500 into it......



And a handfull more, then the jeep bug bit again.

JEEPS! I had a 89 Wrangler 4 banger almost 15 years ago. Short lived due to finances at the time.

Then a few year's ago, I found myself in a 2008 JK which I had a lot of fun with.









But I never fell in love with the engine of the JK. It was to slow, to use so much gas. I don't mind poor mpg's, but for whatever reason I just always felt duped by that engine. Like Jeep simply didnt care that I was going to get 12 mpg's for a pretty slow vehicle. Because I could "go anywhere!" and "it's a jeep thing." I hate that excuse. Also paying $28K at the time for a vehicle with power NOTHING, ticked me off. It may sound like I hated it, but it was a love hate more often leaning towards love. The new 3.6 engines are supposed to be worlds better. I look forward to getting to know one of them personally


Sidenote: I list prices for things. I often see people saying "well it was shy of this...." or "more than that......" when asked how much something cost. As if it's rude to state the price. I don't get that. I like to know how much everything costs. Helps me know the market for that particular vehicle in that particular area. Or if that particular part is even worth adding to a wish list or simply outside of my means.

ONTO THE XJ!!!

 

[goodcat8]

I picked up this 2000 Jeep Cherokee Sport XJ (2WD) Blasphemy, I know. But I'm ok with it. Locally for $7900. She had 104K on the ODO. Automatic, which was tough because I love manual's, but my wife isn't a student of the manual, and I wanted to be able to tap out and share drive duties on long hauls. The Jeeps completely stock. Interior is a 9.5 out of 10. paint is a 9 at 5 feet away. Up close, has some sun damage. It took about a month to find a lower mileage non beat to **** and cut to pieces unit. Man there's so many tore up XJ's out there.....

The day I picked her up.

(dont worry the pictures get better)



I ended up with the Cherokee for many reasons. I was all over the board regarding which new vehicle adventure to undertake. I'd just gotten away from the classic'ish Chevy, and was over the old school maintenance. (At least for a few years until I forget what a pain in the *** it is and start looking at old stuff again.) I was really into Toyo FJ60's and 62's. Love those. But internet research kept echoing 8-10 mpg and how it could barely get out of it's own way. So I decided to pass. (though I have zero doubt I'll pick one up at some point, they're just to cool not to do some time with one.)

I have a lust passion for LR D1 and 2. But I wanted simple and at least marginally reliable. So I'll remain content on just drooling over pictures of them for the time being.

I considered newer models too, priced new/newer tacoma's, fj cruisers, wrangler unlimited's. But after cutting lose of a $500+ a month car payment on the STI, I was looking forward to a little payment breather.

The XJ has the classic look I was looking for, yet just modern enough that parts won't be to hard to find, and it can be a decent DD. I really believe it'll be a modern classic at some point. With a following like the Fj's have where they're at least somewhat preserved or kept alive and not just trail mules.

Interior. I'd be comfortable with mother Teresa eating off it.








I dropped in a full 4 piece Rugged Ridge Floor mat kit. Front, back, and tail. I think that was around $240. They look the part and feel pretty indestructible.





The XJ came with an amp and a crossover. But the stereo sounded like garbage, and wasn't Blutooth compatible for my phone. I'm not a big music guy. But I figured, well hey, and amp and cross over sound like half the battle right? Let's do a little upgrade! After a quick trip to a local audio shop, and $800 later, I went waaaaay overboard. New speakers throughout. New head unit. And a subwoofer. It does sound amazing. Like, whoaaaaa, amazing. But the stupid sub woofer thing eats up way more space than I'd like. And though I can fold the rear seats down, I'm nervous of unplugging......something.



I'll have to rearrange things at some point to maximize, the XJ's limited cargo room. I'm still surprised at how small the jeep is. It's tiny! But in a good way tiny. Like just right tiny. But you'll definitely need to be smart and maximize your space.

You can still fit 'stuff' though.





Obligatory stickers.







Next up WHEELS and RACKS!

 

[goodcat8]

I love the look of police vehicles. The no-nonsence, no frills appearance. Like the steel wheels. I also wanted a somewhat wider stance. But not a "WIIIIDE" tire. I went with Cragar Soft 8's, on the Wrangler tires I had mounted at the dealer. The 8's were 1" wider than stock at 15x7. I had purchased Spidertrax wheel spacers thinking it'd still be to narrow to my liking. Fortunately the new wheels filled out to the edge of the flare perfect. S 8's were only something around $50-70 bucks or so.

Before:











Unused, $280 spidertrax sitting on a shelf in the garage now.........

I was shopping for a top rack before I even bought the Jeep. Especially seeing how limited the interior is I think the rack will be really handy. I shopped and researched all over. Wasn't ready to pull the trigger on a Gobi or ARB anything just yet. Found this horribly named rack threw various forums called RAGE!! ......... horrible name...... With 20" some inch extension, and wind screen the whole setup came to under $300. And believe it or not, it's pretty bad ***! Great welds, odd up-bolt mounting, great powder coating, super secure, and I believe is rated up to 200lbs on the stock XJ roof rails. Couldn't be more pleased for it's current intended purpose.













Up next SPARE!!!

 

[goodcat8]

My XJ didn't come with the OEM mount for the spare tire. So it was just laying in the back. Which as I've mentioned a few times, space is limited and it was taking up acres of land in the back. Plus with my new wheel / tire combo, the spare was smaller than the current set up. So I grabbed another soft 8 and matching Goodyear Wrangler P235/75R15. And a super beefy ratchet strap and just used the stock mounts bracket. It clears everything just right. Rear hatch closes with room to spare from the rear and side glass. And it cost about $17 bucks. I'm not a small dude, at 6'1 230. I yanked and pulled on it as hard as I could and it didn't budge, the entire jeep on the other hand, due to her worn suspension was heaving like a ship in rough waters.....













Up next LET THERE BE LIGHT!!! And lots of them.... also, next week we'll be installing a complete DPG Offroad XJ hybrid OME lift 2.5" kit. and RunCool hood louvers. Really excited about those pieces!

 

[ZMagic97]

I love this. I had an F4i myself (great bike) and a 2WD XJ. I got the XJ with ~120,000 miles for $2200 and drove it until it had 200,000 on it. For a 2WD, I went a lot of places that people couldn't believe. It was stupid reliable, fun to drive, and made my a better 4WD driver IMO.

Your XJ is looking awesome!

 

[mtbxj87]

I had a '71 c10 before my XJ. 3/5 lowered, notched, and 90% restored by me. Miss it but I enjoy the dirt and not worring about damage.

 

[Metal Man]

Looking good, do you plan a 4x4 conversion for it? Also a little heads up on the rack, as long as you're not going to have any real weight in it the stock rails should be fine, BUT if you have over 40#s on it and start twisting the body off road you will be picking the rack up off the ground. Seen them pop right off. I would recommend going with drip rail mounts if you plan on having weight in it off road.

 

[goodcat8]

I love this. I had an F4i myself (great bike) and a 2WD XJ. I got the XJ with ~120,000 miles for $2200 and drove it until it had 200,000 on it. For a 2WD, I went a lot of places that people couldn't believe. It was stupid reliable, fun to drive, and made my a better 4WD driver IMO.

Your XJ is looking awesome!

It's fun looking back down the years and seeing how one thing had a hand in the next. And where you are now because of your experiences with the past. Mini bikes got me into motorcycles. Motorcycles got me to california (well them and being stationed here) california got me to San Fransisco on a weekend trip which led to a Saab rental, which led to a love of turbos, which led to Subaru's, which led to those Forester adventures, which led me back to trucks and wandering via 4 wheels to new places, which has me currently enjoying my XJ. Crazy. And pretty cool.

I had a '71 c10 before my XJ. 3/5 lowered, notched, and 90% restored by me. Miss it but I enjoy the dirt and not worring about damage.

I miss sitting in my garage looking at my Chevy. I miss slow back roads cruising. But she had some gremlins that eventually wore me down. Before her, I had a 69 C10 with a 4b 350. Super cool truck. Blew the tranny.... I had a mid 70's dodge power wagon for about 3 months. BEAST. And completely impractical for my urban living at the time. I do miss my 04 ford ranger though.

Looking good, do you plan a 4x4 conversion for it? Also a little heads up on the rack, as long as you're not going to have any real weight in it the stock rails should be fine, BUT if you have over 40#s on it and start twisting the body off road you will be picking the rack up off the ground. Seen them pop right off. I would recommend going with drip rail mounts if you plan on having weight in it off road.

There are no plans for a 4x4 conversion. I've surprised myself over the years with the places I've gotten into, and more importantly Out of with 2 RWD rides. I think as I get more comfortable 'out there' further and further away from civilization I'll start to look into a 4x4. I'm not into rock crawling things. So I don't plan on going any bigger with my wheels / tires. The upcoming lift is because I was getting rub, front and rear while in open flats and hitting any kind of bump at anything over 10 mph. I'll definetly go with a gutter mount rack system if I start to really load down the top.

 

[goodcat8]

LIGHTS!

I wanted. More like, Needed, more lights up front. The stock headlight juice output is dismal at best. I have an HID conversion on back order that should ship....... eventually. Until then, I set about throwing more light down the road. I had a light bar I had planned on mounting somewhere on my C10. Never looked right when mocking up locations for it so it sat dutifully on a shelf. I had a set of KC lights that were going to go on the STI for that always loved by 16 year olds, rally look. Couldnt bring myself to ever do it. So when the XJ arrived, and I realized upon the first drive home in the dark after work that 'hey......... I can't see anything.....' I pulled into the garage. Looked right. And boom. Two boxes full of ample light just waiting on something to be anchored too. So I started with the light bar.



Install was straight forward and fairly easy. I went low with it because my top rack was surprisingly quiet, and I didnt want to disturb the wind gods to much and create a whistle or more top drag than was already present.

Light output is phenomenal. So phenomenal though that they can only be used on streets / roads where there's zero oncoming traffic.

Even aimed low they lit up the world in front of me.





So that solved empty night time road sketchiness.

Up next was the KC lights for something that could be used on a daily, or nightly basis without burning the retina's of oncoming drivers. Install was a little trickier, I dont have an aftermarket front bumper and like the lines of the stock bumper. But the mounting base on the KC lights, though solid, was a little deep/long and dosent sit completely flush with the bumper as the depth of the light would come in contact with the grill.









About 500 miles with both mounted and there's been no issue with either, so that's a plus. The KC's are quality pieces, but I wish they shot out more of a flood beam than the double circle spot light beam they currently emit. LED bar was around $260 and the KC's were approx. $180.

I didnt want to splice into the cables each light came with. Each had their own tidy wiring harness. So I could only run the switches to here.





They look clean, but it's a hassle. Also, neither give audible notification that they're on, so it's easy to get out and leave one or both on. Which I'm assuming would kill the battery in about, 0.3 seconds.

So, when I have a little free time I'm going to install this puppy from Prime 4x4. Cost, w/ wiring harness and rocker switches was around $70.



Which as you can probably see will replace the OEM ashtray.



This comes pretty ready to plug and play with minor splicing into my current setup.




I'll report back after install. I'm having a shop do my lift installation. Dropping her off tomorrow. So during that time I'll get into first impressions after purchase. Impressions after owning her for 3 months. And well, impressions.

Also cover my first mini road trip with her out to Solvang for the Datsun Roadster meet.

 

[Metal Man]

Well if you do go 4x4 just convert that one, it will keep your insurance cheaper and it's not that hard. This is my 99 I just started building, seems you can't fir a family of 5 in a YJ LOL

 

[goodcat8]

My Rampage Headlight conversion kit finally showed up.





Seem like quality pieces. There's less involved then I was expecting though. Which I suppose is a good thing. Just had to drop the bulbs in the new light cases and secure the rubber boot and they're ready for install.





Swapping old lights out for new was super easy.
Install took about 20 minutes.

Pop out old headlights.





Add some diode grease and install new ones.

 

[goodcat8]

Old light out put (Low Beam)



New light output (Low Beam)



Old light output (High Beam)



New light output (High Beam)

 

[goodcat8]

Overall, yes there's more light. It's cleaner and whiter. Was it worth the 2 month back order and around $200 bucks they cost, not really. So I'm glad I have them, as long as I do t think about how much they cost.

I had noticed awhile ago that both of my headlight shrouds had broken tabs at the bottom. So I ordered OEM replacements. In OEM black. But the blacks didn't %100 match. I installed them and I'm sure no one unaware would notice but I know.....





I did have the suspension completed, and I'm completely thrilled with it. I'll post details shortly.

After up top. Before below.

 

[ibanezer]

Subscribed. You definitely have a nice XJ to start with, I'll be watching to see where the builds goes and the trips you take. I agree with you on the size/reliability benefits of the XJ, those are part of why I ended of with mine a couple months ago. I also learned early on how hard it is to find one that isn't all beat up. Looking forward to more of your awesome pics