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Buying a questionable Xj?

dtowngoalie

NAXJA Forum User
Location
PA
So I was looking around for a lift for me jeep and I happen to be contacted by this guy who's buddy is selling a pretty modified XJ.

Here's his email to me.

"A friend of mine is trying to sell a 88 XJ. He won't part it dosen't have the place to do it. Hes asking $2200. It has a Rustys 6" lift ($1200 new), olympic winch front bumper ($500 new) , rear air tank bumper (homemade). 33" procomp xtrain tires half tread on 15x8 black steelies. Front axle is dana 30 4.10 gears I think with loc rite and a heavy duty ribbed diff cover (has like $800 into it). Rear is dana 35 with the super 35 kit and detroit locker 4.10 gears (has like $1800 into it). Rock sliders ($300) A good deal just need to swap out parts and sell off the unused stuff."

My motivation is to buy this jeep, swap over the suspension, bumpers and axles then junk it. The body and interior are not up to par and the motor seems to be pretty tired. Today I went down to check it out...

1. The guy told me he bought it as it is. He also told me that he knows the things locked, but he doesn't know how. First sign of suspision, how does the friend know what its locked with and the owner doesn't?

2. Its definetily a 4.5" lift with shackles and spacers.

3. This thing has death wobble like crazy at 35 mph, it litterally hops across the road.

The owner was extremely nice and patient while we looked over the car. What I'm really concerned about is if its locked or not... and I didn't really want to powerbrake the guys jeep to see if it lit both tires up or not. What's your guys input on this questionable jeep?
 
Ask him if you can take a bottle jack and jack the tires off the ground. Turn the tires and if both tires turn the same way its at least a LS. If they turn the opposite way its an open diff.

Other than that you could pull the diff cover and see for yourself if he minds...
 
Would you consider this a good deal though, a locked d30 and d35, front winch bumper with no winch, and a rear air bumper and rock sliders. half tread 35's on soft 8's and a 4.5" rusty's with shackles and spacers for 2200. I figure I can get 200 - 300 for the shell at a junk yard.
 
take that super 35 POS and sell it to some wrangler idiot to recoupe some of the dough... and take everything else...


dw is easy to fix, just start knocking stuff off the list.... its obvious the PO is DONE w/ it... so use it as a barganining price...
 
no way...

pay no more than 1000 dollars... if that.. there will be better deals

I have parted out my share of modified cherokees...
 
Yeah no way $2200 - shackles, spacers are cheap, homemade bumper is worth nothing unless it's nice fab work, procomp tires with half tread maybe $300, no idea what's really inside the axles without pulling the diff covers. The wrangler guys don't want the Super 35 - are you kidding - that's a lot of fab work for them - the shell is worth about what if costs to have it hauled off.. .
 
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