Diesel XJ Expedition Rig Project

[ONX]

Hey guys, been a while since I have been around and I have been up to alot. I joined up with a Mountain Search and Rescue unit and I am now training a air scent search dog. Driving to trainings with a big crate and all my gear every week in my honda was getting old. I have been hunting for something that will stow all my gear and pooch and still get good mileage and I finally found it.





I snagged this 86 2 door cherokee with the 2.1 Diesel and a 5 speed. Now I know it isn't a power house but I have been getting 28-30mpg on 31's in town so far so who needs speed :thumb: . So plans for it are to keep it as cheap, simple and light weight as possible. List of mods planned are as follows

BRAKES (they are pretty shot at the moment)

Fix drivers headlight which only works on high beams atm

Glow plugs also need replacing (If anyone has a idea where I can get some that would be great)

As light weight a tube winch bumper as possivle (was thinking OR Fab or maybe someone can recomend a local fab guy who could build something simpler for cheaper?)

8000lb Winch w/ synthetic line

Matching sized spare (rig is running 21's and has the factory spare atm)

Light weight aluminum wheels if I can find some for cheap (once again shedding weight where I can)

3 inch lift (back springs are pretty shot at the moment and it needs new shocks all around)

Removing the rear seat and building in a floor box for a second battery and storage

Swapping in a 97+ XJ center console

Replace passenger door

97+ XJ Front grill swap

Paint

Front and rear lockers


I am currently hunting for parts and a whole cherokee interior I can swap in so pm me if you have anything that would go on the list.

 

[ONX]

Also can anyone tell me where I can order some new glow plugs or what part number I need? (Is there a difference between the European 2.1 glow plugs and the north American?)

 

[blondejoncherokee]

try rock auto?
Im not going to lie, I am insanely jealous, ive always tried to find the coveted 2.1 XJ diesel, what did you pay for that thing? WOW. that is very cool. 30 MPG is amazing .

Coolest thing ive seen in a long time.

 

[blondejoncherokee]

rockauto has em for 6$ each:

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/raframecatalog.php?ck[mkt_CA]=true&ck[mkt_EU]=true&ck[mkt_MX]=true&ck[mkt_US]=true&ck[year_1993]=true&ck[ID]=b4c1758022182745f31880776723e590&ck[idlist]=b4c1758022182745f31880776723e590&ck[viewcurrency]=USD&ck[PHP_SESSION_ID]=oqnqrcoapp02ihf6qsq4h572p7

 

[GrimmJeeper]

little word of advice, take it or leave it: that engine is next to impossible to find parts for. personally i'd start looking for a newer more common diesel to swap in (cummins 4bt is a popular swap). just in the interest of longevity, you'd be better off with a different engine in there. the good part though is you've already got a diesel in there so as long as your emissions laws aren't as bad as they are here in CA you can pretty much put whatever you want in there.

 

[Red91Laredo]

Cool XJ! Looks like the same color as my old '87 & even has the same pinstripe, I haven't seen too many other XJ's in that color around.

Rockauto actually sells parts for Euro market vehicles, but I don't know how much stuff they stock for that engine. Might be worth looking around their site, hopefully they'd at least have basic maintenance items.

 

[ONX]

glowplugs ordered and I am meeting someone tomorrow to get a set of 3 inch rear springs and 3.5 fronts along qith a SYE and a Truetrack for the front.

 

[yossarian19]

Rad.
I'm jealous.
Excited to see what comes next for the rig. BTW - I've never quite needed SAR, but I'm real *real* glad you guys are around. Thanks for the service.

 

[DansGreyMj]

Does that thing roll coal? haha, cool project!

 

[ONX]

3 of the 4 new glow plugs installed, Last one was damaged in shipping (dammit) pulling out the rear seat and seatbelts today to start planning out a rear box. Bought the Truelock and a 3.5 inch lift yesterday as well as a hack and tap sye. Need to figure out why the drivers headlight is only working on high beam.

 

[ONX]

Anyone know what gears the Diesels came with?

 

[yossarian19]

Check for power on low beam but I think you need a headlight bulb.

 

[ONX]

Headlight replaced, also started building the box for the rear, pics coming tomorrow.

 

[ONX]

I have not been around lately, just got back from a body recovery, here are a few pics of the Jeep after a mission with my current setup.



Swapped in a 97 cherokee Console (yay for cupholders) Still need to install the new e brake lever. Also need a shifter boot and Bezel for a 97+ console, having a hard time tracking one down. If anyone has a spare pm me.




I pulled the rear seat and build a box to go uo 8 inches off the back area giving me a nice smooth area to store (or just randomly chuck) gear into with a box underneath. I have speaker carpeting and glue coming in the next few days to reduce the chance of splinters and quiet everything down.




Rear View, the lower compartments are sized to perfectly fit my snow shoes.


Next up is to put some new brakes on, get the new suspension under it, install the true track up front, install a second battery, get some more agressive Mud terrain tires and swap a 8.8 into the rear.

 

[Demonoid369]

Did you find out what gearing those axles have?

 

[ONX]

4.10

 

[Swamprat]

i can dig this, a lot actually.

 

[1989TwoDoor]

Your XJ seems like a good fit for your career. Good luck.

 

[ONX]

Thanks, unfortunately SAR is just a volunteer gig, I repair computers for a living, it just seemed way easier though to essentially turn a cherokee into my pack for missions and then just load my backpack with whatever I might need in the field.

Heres some pics of the area we were in for our last mission.











Thanks again for the comments guys and if you have any suggestions on other ways I can improve the jeep on the cheap please feel free to post them.

 

[Vince]

The 2.1L Renault Douvrin engine (aka "The Suitcase Engine") was popular in Europe and had a reasonable reputation for reliability here. There are still a few Renault Master Ambulances driving around with very high mileage engines but overall the number of vehicles in use with this engine is dropping as I don't think it has been used in a new vehicle since the mid 1990's.

They are probably still in a lot of ageing motorhomes or campervans so I would think that it's still possible to find replacement parts somewhere. Let me know if you need help sourcing Renault parts from the UK.