Seth's 97XJ

[96XJ11C]

Hello, i have been a long time viewer on the forum and have been bitten by the expo bug! I have a good base of knowledge on cherokees and would like to help out the forum where i can. I was recently deployed to Afghanistan and during my deployment i purchased a stock 97 Cherokee SE. I had previously had 2 cherokees on 5"+ of lift and 33s. I could not stand the handling and loss of drive-ability/practicality of these XJs. I decided i wanted to go smaller to retain the XJs feel and practicality. I have a strong passion for the outdoors and really want to get to some remote places! After months of research i decided on how i wanted to go about attaining my goals with this XJ. (Jake's XJ build, and MILO the 2 door build have been an inspiration for this build) I have made good progress in my 2 weeks home and will start this build thread from part way through my deployment till now and will continue to update it as i progress.

Here is a pic of the day my father and wife went to go purchase the XJ!

 

[96XJ11C]

To hold your interest i have installed a DPG Offroad 3.5" Old Man Emu system and have the jeep rolling on 31" Duratracks. I have a few kinks to work out and many more parts to install before it will be hitting the trails on a regular basis.A few details on the XJ are AX-15, I6, and power nothing haha (except for power mirrors) it has very little rust and 104XXX miles. Here are a few more pictures of it the day my wife brought it home! I look forward to your opinons and suggetions! PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF THE PICS ARE NOT WORKING!! Thanks

 

[jeepdreamer]

Militaryjeepers.com would probably appreciate a build thread as well... Nice start.

 

[M1A1TankerTom]

Lets see a pic of it now that it has a lift and tires!

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[MCObray]

That looks like a solid base-platform. Good lookin' Jeep, and most importantly, thanks for your service!

 

[96XJ11C]

Ford 8.8

Shortly before the xj made it home i found a 8.8 that had been setup for a xj. It was geared wrong for my build but i had a buyer for the gears, and the axle had perches, alloy shafts, flange adapter, and a spartan locker for a decent price so I had my buddy pick it up. Oh and a SOLID cover W/lubelocker.

On my way home I contacted Dirk over at DPG Offroad and after lots of discussion on the purpose of use for this cherokee we decided on the 3.5" HD OME System. Parts began arriving the day i got home!

I also placed an order with JCR Offroad after i got off the phone with Dirk. They have a great sale going so i picked up a front bumper with hoop and tie in brackets, ultimate deluxe sliders, and 1 ton steering.

 

[96XJ11C]

Tires

Tire size was a easy choice as i knew what i wanted this time. 31x10.5 on the factory steel 15s. I found many people very happy with Duratracks and i really liked the tread and siping. I had been a big fan of the Km2s i had on my previous jeep but they were terrible in the snow. I expect the Duratracks will perform much better. Mounted these up in thee garage the old blood sweat and tears way with a 7/8 wrench and some soap haha.
.

 

[96XJ11C]

DPG OME System

I did not take many photos during the install but i will post up a few that are related.
Here is the 8.25 out.

Here is the OME leafs and new oem shackles installed with the 8.8 somewhat installed. You can sort of make out the DPG adjustable bumpstop top plates.

Front suspension install. OME 931 coils and 1.5 inch spacer.

Front axle back on the ground with JKS trackbar. I bolted up the axle side after the pic was taken.

During mounting the rear wheels i noticed the stock wheels would not clear the 8.8 calipers so i drove down the street to 4 wheel parts and piced up some spacers.

 

[96XJ11C]

Finally rolling

As requested here she is on her feet again! Oh and a little peek at the 4H conversion with upgraded wiring, hella 80/100w bulbs and e code housings!

As of now with no settling of the springs it sits 4 inches higher in the front and 5 in the rear.
I have lots of parts to install and many little bugs to work out. Will keep updating the thread often.
Thanks for reading!

 

[BIGdaddy]

Lemme know how you like those sliders. I think they're a great idea, but don't know of too many people who have them yet.

Love to hear your install experience, and you overall impressions.

 

[96XJ11C]

It many be a week before I get to the install of the sliders. I will take some more detailed pictures of them tomorrow and post them for ya. I got the sway bar and JKS disconnects installed today! Will post a pic shortly!

 

[96XJ11C]

JKS Disconnects

Install of the disconnects was a breeze as i had previously removed the stock swaybar links and bolts. The disconnects are very easy to remove and have lots of articulation to them. I am very impressed with how tight the joints are. I have not run a front swaybar on my previous two cherokees and WOW what a difference! The front swaybar is a must!

 

[mekcanix]

nice lookin rig

 

[NH Moto Expo]

So what gears are you running in the axles? Did you stick with the stock 3.55?

 

[96XJ11C]

nice lookin rig

THANKS!

So what gears are you running in the axles? Did you stick with the stock 3.55?

No i bought the 8.8 with a d30 at the same time both axles had 4.88s, my buddy was lookin for 4.88s so i could sell him the gears. I will be running 4.10s.