Cherokee

[curtis]

Do you guys think there is any difference between a 2dr and 4dr? Like more strenght in unibody 4dr frame. Less weight in 2dr body.

[Ol Man]

I don't think there is a significant difference. I know when my son built his, he wished he had bought the two door, because it is cleaner to put wheel well flares on the two door. If that is a big deal to you, take a look at the amount of body difference between the two.

[aw12345]

Curtis, I looked it up on Wikepedia, wheelbase is the same

Both two- and four-door versions of the XJ Cherokee were offered throughout its lifetime, each having exactly the same track and wheelbase measurements. Two-door models, however, received longer doors and front seats that could fold forward to assist in rear passenger entry and exit. This was in addition to extended-length rear windows that did not open, although an optional rear vent window was available on some models. Its appearance has led some to mistakenly believe that the two-door models are a short-wheelbase version of the four-door.

[curtis]

I do like the 2dr better because of the rear wheel well. But the 91 and up with automatic are hard to find. Just got to keep looking.

[aw12345]

Going to build a bad @ss XJ Curtis?

[Ol Man]

It seems to me that I remember that the '97 and up chassis' were stiffer than the previous models. The other thing is that Dana 44s were again standard in the late 90s. I know that my son's '01 had a 35, because we pulled it and put in a 44. Of course it is always nice to have a high pinion 30 for the front, if you are thinking about staying relatively stock.

A group of friends that I run with have all pretty much buggied out their XJs.......very little left of what Jeep built. The most famous would be Richard Gauthier, who competed in the first two KOHs in his buggy (finishing both and one in top 10) and this last one they built an XJ for the every man's race. They seriously bent a rear axle housing and were out.

Have fun with the project.

[curtis]

Well I have been thinking of stretching and a AW4 swap in my TJ for awhile. But for the cost of the parts I can buy a XJ with 101" wb and auto. So then I have the best of both worlds.

I can also drive one while I work on the other.

[aw12345]

To me that is about the best of both worlds.

[Ol Man]

I don't know what you plan to do with your Cherokee project, but I think they make a nice medium duty rig; drive to the trail on 33s, run some fun stuff and then head home. They are nice for an expedition type of rig to pack a bunch of stuff and camp out of. You could easily sleep in it if you wanted. Nice to run the A/C when the trail gets dusty.

The other rig to consider for harder stuff is an LJ. You get over 100 inch wheel-base and most all of the stuff for a TJ works. I sure wish they offered that design when they introduced the JKs. I really did not want a four door, but would have bought that size in a JK. I guess they offered the right thing, because I believe four doors outsells two door by a wide margin.

[aw12345]

Seems to me Curtis wants something relatively cheap to turn into a JV rig that has enough wheelbase to begin with instead of stretching his TJ

[Ruggedjeep]

Love mine. On 36's. Definitely a JV rig. Unibody strength is the same for all models. I would suggest plate the entire unibody from front to back. Buy or build these. http://www.liquidironindustries.com/...cat=350&page=1 then these http://www.tntcustoms.com/jeepcherok...ffeners-2.aspx

Dana 44s were not standard in the late 90s. Some came with them, most didnt. 8.25 was more popular. Pre 96 has a 27spline, 97+ has a 29spline, tough axles but C-clipped.
my 97

[curtis]

Very nice XJ. I like the tail lights and cage work. The one thing I'm not liking is the departure angle on the XJ. That's the one reason I don't like the LJ. Might need to move the axle back. Who made the rear corners?

[Ruggedjeep]

thanks. to move the axle back youll need to open up the wheel wells and cut the lower quarter panels, you could gain as much as 5" but its alot of work. The rear guards are made by Performance Metal Works, no longer around unfortunately.

[curtis]

How about this

http://shop.jeeptubes.com/category.sc?categoryId=15

http://shop.jeeptubes.com/product.sc...&categoryId=15

[aw12345]

Just bob it and link it and call er good. Actually the cage in the pictured XJ should do a lot for stiffening the body up