Jeep XJ Cherokee - Long Term Update

Long Term Update 365 Days Later Jeep Cherokee Xj

It’s been a year and many miles since I got my all-purpose XJ running and back on the road again.

In the middle of the original buildup of my $400 Jeep, it had a couple breaks that probably would have made me start with a different Cherokee had we not already added so many parts to it. The transfer case was the first to go. After building it up with some heavy-duty parts, it somehow managed to smoke all the fluid out of it—so much so that when we pulled the case apart, there was only an oil film within it. This was very strange, as there were no drips on the ’case or stains on the driveway where this Cherokee parks (and yes, three of us verified that oil had been added when we built it).

Once the transfer case was fixed, my Cherokee was put back on the road and seemed to be doing great until the engine spun a bearing and busted a connecting rod while climbing a steep highway pass. This was also a fairly strange break since Jeep 4.0L engines often run for upwards of 300,000 miles, and mine only had about 100,000 on it. But after Jeeps R Us got the engine back together, this all-purpose XJ has been running like a champ, and I’ve been having a blast. This Cherokee was built well enough to do some light off-road racing while still being functional and comfortable enough to be a daily driver.

Our editor-in-chief thought it’d be a good idea to give you some long-term updates with how this Cherokee is rolling, and show you a few more parts that I’ve added over the past year. I’ve definitely raised the price tag on this build, but I felt all parts were money well spent and nothing that deviated too far from bolt-on, ready-built parts status. Every single piece we’ve added to this Cherokee is something that you can buy—readily available and off the shelf—and use to make your own race-ready, daily-driven XJ Cherokee at home.

01. One of the most sought-after parts I added to this Jeep was the Hesco aluminum head on top of this otherwise stock 4.0L engine. To buy a new one, you’ll be dropping about $2,000, but we can’t think of a better and more economical way to add more power, better fuel economy, while dropping weight and keeping your Cherokee emissions legal. The Hesco head is an aluminum gem.
01. One of the most sought-after parts I added to this Jeep was the Hesco aluminum head
02. The Edge Trail Jammer kit gave the biggest power improvement I’ve ever seen (from a tuner/chip/ECU mod) on a gas engine. I figured out that the Edge tuner box fit behind the factory ECU on the firewall, held in place with a little sticky tape. The train of thought was that if the factory had chosen that location to be most ideal for putting the engine’s brain, then it had to be the best place for the piggyback tuner box to be away from heat and moisture as well.
02. The Edge Trail Jammer kit gave the biggest power improvement I’ve ever seen (from a
03. The Corbeau A4 seats changed the way this Cherokee drove. The added comfort and support was great, and they bolted right into the XJ with no modifications other than adding Corbeau’s bolt-in seat brackets. Corbeau kept the bolstering on the bottom of the A4 seat low for an easier entering and exiting of the vehicle. This has also kept the seats in better condition than some other aftermarket seats we’ve tried, where the bolstering was broken down from constant use.
03. The Corbeau A4 seats changed the way this Cherokee drove. The added comfort and supp

04. For safety and better structural integrity, I added a rollcage to my Jeep. But at over 6 feet tall, I had to be careful of what ’cage I added, and what options I wanted built into my rollcage. After some extensive searching, I came to the conclusion that Rockhard 4x4’s bolt-in rollcage was the best bet for me. Besides the high quality, I loved the fact that it incorporates flat plates that runs between the dash and the doors so there is not some big piece of tubing in front of the dash, blocking my foot path and hitting my knees as I get in and out of the Cherokee.
04. For safety and better structural integrity, I added a rollcage to my Jeep. But at ove
05. I was about a third of the way through the rollcage install when I realized that now was the best (and only) time I had to replace the headliner since I did not want to ever remove this ‘cage once it was installed. I bought a do-it-yourself headliner kit and was able to renew the inside of my Jeep’s interior before finishing the rollcage.
05. I was about a third of the way through the rollcage install when I realized that now
06. I really like the six-bolt tube clamps that Rockard 4x4 uses to bind their rollcage kit together. Not only does it allow a garage install of a rollcage without a welder, but it also gives you the option of removing part (or all) of it for interior maintenance, if necessary. On top of that, it adds a lot of structural integrity to the unit body Cherokee and makes this Jeep much safer. I still need to add some rollbar padding around the top bars since this Jeep is street legal and occupants will often not have helmets on to protect their noggins from the rollcage tubing.
06. I really like the six-bolt tube clamps that Rockard 4x4 uses to bind their rollcage

07. The NP231 transfer case in this Jeep is a bit of a mystery. As previously mentioned, I found no fluid in it, nor drips, yet I know that we put fluid into it when it was built up at Xtreme Unlimited with a bunch of JB Conversions parts. Upon tearing it down, the only parts we found ruined were the front output sprague and the wide chain kit. The six-pinion planetary actually survived the ordeal, as did most of the bearings and other parts. We added the original chain and front output back to our NP231, and it has been fine ever since…though I am missing that wide chain kit and now wonder if the stock one will skip if I get this Jeep bound up badly in rocks.
07. The NP231 transfer case in this Jeep is a bit of a mystery. As previously mentioned,
08. I got some good advice on Cherokee suspensions and unit bodies before I ever started, and carefully weighed my options before adding a Rock Krawler long-arm suspension to the Jeep. Before I did so, I had T and J Performance weld on some chassis stiffeners and skids onto the lower rails of the unit body. This gave a pseudo frame below the Cherokee and also gave me a solid mounting point for some long-arm brackets. To fit the Rock Krawlers long-arm mounts on, we cut off one side of each bracket and welded them directly onto the chassis stiffeners. I opted for the four-link (instead of three-link) Rock Krawler front end kit and it made this Cherokee ride unbelievably well when combined with Bilstein 5150 shocks. The joints were still very tight when I checked them last month, too. Note that I was also able to retain the factory driveshaft.
08. I got some good advice on Cherokee suspensions and unit bodies before I ever started
09. The rear Ford 8.8 rear axle with the Superior Super 88 kit is something I couldn’t be more pleased with, and probably my favorite axle swap into any vehicle I’ve ever built due to the fact that I got a $400 big axle with disc brakes, the correct bolt pattern, and was able to get rid of the C-clips and add chromoly axles with the $600 Super 88 kit. I drastically changed the rear suspension with a Rock Krawler four-link conversion kit, and I have nothing but nice things to say about it. Since we were adding some extra weight, I swapped in Old Man Emu rear TJ Wrangler coils to float the rear. I also ended up swapping the Bilstein 5150 shocks for new 5160 shocks with a totally separate remote reservoir. The 5160 is an even more impressive shock than the 5150 and is still specifically valved for my Cherokee.
09. The rear Ford 8.8 rear axle with the Superior Super 88 kit is something I couldn’t b