97 Jeep Cherokee XJ - Rebuild - $400 All-Purpose XJ

1997 Jeep Cherokee Xj Rebuild Fel Pro Gaskets

1997 Jeep Cherokee Xj Rebuild Left Side View

XJ Cherokees, made from 1985 to 2001, have got to be one of the most versatile all-purpose vehicles ever invented. In fact, our editor-in-chief would tell you they're the best ever built. And after years of him pounding the worth of a monetarily worthless 4x4 into our heads, I figured I'd drop a thousand bucks and take a crack at making an XJ that can be driven to work every day and hammered in the deserts and on trails during the weekend.

I wanted to be realistic about this build as well; I know it will never climb rocks like a rock buggy nor conquer desert terrain like a Trophy Truck, but seeing as how I'm not racing and I don't like dents, this XJ should be the perfect fit for me and my cohorts to head out for some fun after work and on the weekends.

Since I only live a few miles from work and going fast is more of a concern with this build, I'm going to keep it sort of low with 33-inch tires, and then do some 4.56 gears for a little faster rpm windup than it had stock. A little motor work, some fancier (but not too expensive) suspension, maybe a rollcage, and of course some new seats will all go into the All-Purpose XJ project before it's done.

After searching through the classified ads for a couple weeks, I came across a real bargain. The owner was asking a $1,000 for this non-running '97 XJ, but I ended up towing it away for $400 after I noticed a trailer brake under the dash and he made the mistake of telling me it was used to tow a slipstream trailer in a past life. I had found my Bargain Betty, and it was time to crack into that engine and figure out why this Jeep isn't running before I start anything else.

1. The owner claimed the non-running issue was a head gasket, and the orange coolant residue all over certainly seemed characteristic of that, but there was a strong possibility the head was junk-and that could be a good reason the owner jumped on the offer of $400 for a '97 XJ in generally good condition with 98,000 miles on the odometer.
1. The owner claimed the non-running issue was a head gasket, and the orange coolant resid
2. Upon our editor's recommendation, I took the Cherokee down to Jeeps R Us in Laguna Beach, California, and we started in on the engine to see what was wrong. Part of the reason we didn't care about the condition of the head was because I had found a used Hesco aluminum head to replace it with.
2. Upon our editor's recommendation, I took the Cherokee down to Jeeps R Us in Laguna Beac
3. As we had suspected, it was more than a head gasket-there was a big crack between the intake and exhaust valve on the number five cylinder. What's more is that it is pretty apparent that the previous owner knew it since the head bolts had clearly been loosened and retightened, meaning someone had already discovered the crack. No biggie since we knew what we were buying. And since we had a replacement head, I was glad to find out that's all that it was.
3. As we had suspected, it was more than a head gasket-there was a big crack between the i

4. We got some new Fel-Pro gaskets to stick the 4.0L engine back together.
5. With almost 100,000 miles on the odometer, I decided to replace a few other things that should probably be addressed after that many miles-especially after having head issues and mixing oil with coolant. And since we had already pulled much of the engine apart, it was easy to add replacement parts like a new radiator from 1-800-Radiator.
5. With almost 100,000 miles on the odometer, I decided to replace a few other things that