Ask Joe: Project XJ Continues

Retoolin' a Jeep Cherokee XJ from the ground up

By Joe Bovee

In lieu of answering your questions about the noise/smell coming from behind your dash, or whether or not you should get a 3-foot-high rear spoiler (please god, don’t), Joe’s taking on a burly rebuild project and will chronicle his progress here as a series called Project XJ. Joe will also feature updates and photos of Project XJ online at the Voice blog, where you can check out additional info on and pics of Joe’s automotive trials, tribulations and ultimate triumph over one diamond-in-the-rough Jeep. Enjoy!

Terms: XJ - Jeep Cherokee, ZJ - Grand Cherokee, YJ - Wrangler

I’m finding with Project XJ that—at least in terms of machinery—there’s a very fine line between a “daily driver” and an off-road machine. But I figure if I can walk that line, I should be able to make a killer daily driver that is very capable of off-roading in all kinds of situations. The goal is clear: to make this Jeep a Jeep Jeep. (A perfect example of a Jeep Jeep might be (to reference my son’s favorite movie) Sarge from Disney Pixar’s Cars: strong, capable, and ornery. The ornery part, especially…)
 
But I digress. First things first: get it running! After a compression test and a general once-over, I determined it was safe to bring back to life. I stocked up on a bunch of goodies from a local parts store and set off to work. I installed a new water pump with a new thermostat and hoses (to accommodate the new cooling system), as well as new heater hoses, a heater control valve, and a radiator (all from a newer Jeep XJ with an open-loop cooling system). I was able to retain the heater core and use stock radiator hoses with the conversion. Then I put in a heavy duty three-row radiator from 1-800-RADIATOR here in Vancouver, off of Fourth Plain. The staff there was awesome and knew their stuff. The radiator installed perfectly and the hoses were a perfect fit.
 
Firin’ It Up. With the front of the engine buttoned back up with its new cooling system, it was time to get it started. This was a bit of a problem due to the fact that the starter and battery were, you know, gone. The hardware was missing, too. But with a re-manufactured starter with a lifetime warranty and a bolt bin at my disposal, about five minutes later the starter was in. I decided on the Exide Orbital battery, with an AGM (absorbed glass mat) design with a great plate set up. It has more than enough power to start the 4.0L and a great reserve capacity for all the accessories planned.
 
So with the starter and battery in place and everything plugged in, it was time to fire. And fire it did! A little smoky, but IT LIVES. The smoke stopped after running the engine a while and kept cool. But to get it to fire, the steering column needed to be replaced first. I found a donor from a ‘93 XJ. I lose cruise control (the new column doesn’t have the switch), but I can start and steer from the driver’s seat (which is always a bonus).
 
Body. We received a set of Bushwacker Cut-Outs from Bushwacker, a local company based across the river in Portland. Their products are all designed, built and tested right here in the Great Pacific Northwest, so it seemed only right to use their stuff! The cut-outs also yield another 4” of tire coverage to keep the oversized tires under wraps. My buddy Trevor from Half Diamond K Fabrications and the guys from SORE4x4.com helped me make the cut-outs installation a piece of cake, though even without help they’d have been easy. Bushwacker offers step-by-step instructions complete with pictures for your specific application! They also come with everything you need to install—all the hardware and everything—and it’s all very nice and high quality.
 
Suspension/Tires. Because neither the suspension nor steering is quite up to par to handle the tires, upgrades were very much in order.   The steering components would be okay if the Jeep was going to be just a pavement pounder, but remember we’re building it to be off-road capable too! So to upgrade the steering, I used tie-rod components from a Jeep ZJ (OEM components that make them widely available), a considerable upgrade form the stock XJ pieces. They’re also a bit more cost effective then aftermarket components. To help keep the axle centered under the XJ, I got a Rusty’s adjustable drag link with an HD drag link mount. Now the steering should be up to muster and able to handle the extra strain of the bigger tires in off-road situations.
 
Brakes. It’s going to be put in off-camber and steep hill climb situations, where braking is going to be in high demand. On the roads (and my children inside), the bigger tires require additional attention safety. So to help keep all my precious cargo safe I used slotted and cross-drilled BAER Delca Rotors, and high-quality Wagner Thermo Quiets for the pads (they meet high OEM standards without the OEM price). With the lift going in soon and a larger range of travel on the suspension, the brake lines were not going to cut it. Again, I chose to use OEM brake lines from a Jeep YJ over using an aftermarket replacement—the YJ lines are much longer than the XJ lines, and can handle the increased travel. With a helping hand from my brother Chris we were able to get the brakes in with ease. Being all OEM pieces, no fabrication was required for the install.   OEM parts are easier to come by if something were to fail on a trip. (Such as the Rubicon). OEM parts are also much cheaper (in most cases), as well.
 
In the next issue, we will be installing the lift, the on-board air from VIAIR, and off-road lights from PIAA!

Online Resources:
www.naxja.com
www.sore4x4.com
www.jeepforum.com

SPECIAL THANKS TO: