Welcome!

After about 6 years of non-existance, I bought the JeepXJ.net domain again.  The Jeep project has had no progress made on it since 1999 when I removed the stock engine, transmission and transfer case… unless you count the 3 moves (Parent’s house to our house, our house to Maine, and Maine to Ohio).  It is now sitting in my enclosed trailer waiting for me to roll it out and pick up where I left off over 11 years ago!  As progress resumes on the project, I’ll be making updates to this website.  I’m looking forward to getting my hands dirty again, and getting that Jeep out on the trail!

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Scrape off the rust …

This fall, it will have been 18 years since I drove my Jeep last. Since then, I have met my sweetheart, graduated from college, married my sweetheart, bought a house (and moved the Jeep), had two children (now aged 10 and 8), moved to Maine (and moved the Jeep, again), and moved to Ohio (and moved the Jeep, again).

The 8-year-old is my son. He has been infatuated with Jeeps for as long as I can remember. He can spot a Jeep a mile down the road, recognize the model and any modifications that it has.

This summer, I have every intention of re-commencing work on the Jeep project. I think it will be a good time to bond and make memories with my little man. After sitting for almost two decades, the project has not become any less daunting. I am fairly sure the “new” engine is going to require a rebuild by now, and there is plenty of custom fabrication that will be required as we put the pieces together. Money is not exactly growing on trees around our house, so we will be limited by funds, but time can no longer be an excuse – I need the time with my son to be a priority.

I think that over the course of the next few years, we should be able to get the ol’ XJ into running condition. He’s already told me that it can be his when he is old enough to drive. I’ve already told him he would have to get his own Jeep (and to go ahead and get one that is in running order to begin with!).

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Wishlist

Below is my “wishlist” for the XJ.  It is in no particular order, and is by no means comprehensive, and it is subject to change and moe specific details as I do research and start out making modifications.

  • 4″ – 6″ Suspension lift
  • New axles (both front and rear, something to stand up to the torque of the V8)
  • New driveshafts (both front and rear, built to withstand V8 torque)
  • Increased capacity fuel tank
  • Custom exhaust (Chevy V8 through Jeep chassis)
  • Radiator for V8 that will fit in XJ engine compartment
  • 5 new wheels and tires (somewhere around 33″ should be proportionate to the lift)
  • 9000lb winch
  • Steel bumpers (integrated tow hooks) and brush guards
  • Flatbed trailer to get the Jeep to the trail
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Moving the Jeep (x3)

After the old drivetrain was removed and the new V8 was mounted, no further progress on the project was made.  The Jeep sat in the basement of my dad’s workshop in New Hampshire, collecting dust, as I finished up my college in Ohio.  The delay was primarily due to the fact that, half way through my Junior year, I met the girl that was to become my wife.  No regrets as far as marriage is concerned, but obligations and priorities definitely change when “real life” sets in!

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Out With the Old …

November 1999
 
I had my good friend Matthew D. over for the day, and with the use of his engine crane, air wrench and monster screwdriver/prybar, we were able to remove the existing 2.5L 4-cylinder engine from the Cherokee, as well as the factory transmission and transfer case. 
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