Most extreme XJ hack jobs?

[Number21]

Unfortunately there has been an incident...my nearly cherry '98 gave it's life to protect mine. Just shy of it's 200,000th mile. :tears: I'll probably stop limping after a while, but the XJ is ruined.


Bad news: front end is totally smashed. Driver side of the unibody got tweaked so much that the doors on that side won't open. I do not think it would be worth the investment to try and repair this.


Good news: It still runs and drives, minus the radiator. I can't get the hood open without a saw, and none of the belt driven accessories are working, I'm guessing the fan chewed some things up on the front. Doesn't seem like a big deal.


Now I have to figure out what to do with this thing. Only had minimum insurance coverage, so I get nothing for it. I could just park it permanently in my yard and scrounge parts for my other XJ. Or I could try to sell it as-is for a few bucks. OR...total hack job to get it driveable, and go out and tear it up without worry of body damage.

I'm just curious, how much have other people removed from an XJ to build a "buggy" sort of thing? I'd like to get rid of the doors and roof entirely, replacing with a roll cage. I'm worried how this might affect the structure of the unibody. Obviously big tires would be an easy fit without fenders.

So...what are the most extreme chop jobs people have done to XJs? Anybody got any good pics? I'm just trying to get some ideas here. I know I've seen them with the back half cut off, but anybody ever make a full on convertible? :shocked:

 

[RCP Phx]

Sounds like the most value would be to part it out (depending on "your" market and rust damage).

 

[Number21]

Sounds like the most value would be to part it out (depending on "your" market and rust damage).

I'm in a very rural area, so it would be rather difficult to sell larger parts on craigslist. Just not many people around. I don't really want to deal with piecing it out entirely.

If I did hack it up though, I would certainly try to sell any good parts removed I can on ebay, like most of the interior pieces.

 

[Evan03]

Build a buggy.

 

[jmg222]

I rolled mine a few years ago.. completely squashed the roof. Thought about buggy .. but.. XJ just isn't designed for it, you're fighting an uphill battle. just my opinion, others will disagree.

So, decided to throw good money after bad, cut the roof off donor, painted it, and almost as good as new (now, of course, with a roll cage). And while I was at it, replaced the tired circa 1988 350 with a brand spanking new 420hp zz6 350

Before pics-- the roll:

During the rebuild:

and... after:

..and of course, the new zz6 motor:

 

[Tim_MN]

Build a truggy. All you really need to keep is the firewall and the dash.

 

[ILLXJ]

There are a couple in here.

Thread: Winterfest Pictures
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85xjwoody

Forum User
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Little Suamico Wi.
Posts: 3,027


Re: Winterfest Pictures

 

[Number21]

I really like that level of sawzall. :yelclap: If I did something like this I would still have a lot of parts I could sell or use on my '01 XJ. I need to find out if I can make that street legal, that would be fun to drive around in my very small town during the warmer months. I bet it would be super easy to mount things like a bigger alternator, bigger battery, air compressor...or even a bigger radiator! That thing must be SUPER light weight!

Don't get me wrong, somebody could "restore" this XJ if they had the time and skills, but body work is really not my thing. It would be more economical to buy another jeep with a good body and bad engine or something, and then transfer all my parts over...but my XJ was almost 100% stock, certainly nothing like having an engine swap or a bunch of other mods.

 

[smokeyyank]

Google Xj Juggys.

Freerider15's build is probably one of the cleanest XJ buggys ever. Thing is next level. can't find his build thread on here but here it is from pirate.

https://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/jeep-cherokee/856928-just-another-xj-buggy-build-35.html

 

[Number21]

Google Xj Juggys.

Freerider15's build is probably one of the cleanest XJ buggys ever. Thing is next level. can't find his build thread on here but here it is from pirate.

https://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/jeep-cherokee/856928-just-another-xj-buggy-build-35.html

Ah, I knew I had to find the right word to search.

That one you linked is FANTASTIC, though probably beyond what I can do. It looks like all I need to be street legal is the basics like lights/seatbelt/horn/etc. Once the weather warms up a bit I think I'll start going at it with a sawzall and see what I come up with...

 

[smokeyyank]

Ah, I knew I had to find the right word to search.

That one you linked is FANTASTIC, though probably beyond what I can do. It looks like all I need to be street legal is the basics like lights/seatbelt/horn/etc. Once the weather warms up a bit I think I'll start going at it with a sawzall and see what I come up with...

His work is amazing. Even his other XJ is a piece of art for what he did. That's more a DD, but still put together really well.

Just be sure if you are chopping it up you can figure out what's need to happen to maintain the structural integrity. You'll definitely need a welder and a tube bender.

 

[devildog0]

I wouldn't get much use out of a buggy as there's not many places to use it around here and I'd need to invest in a tow rig as well.

If it was mine and I had another XJ to keep running around I'd strip it, inventory and store the parts to use for spares on my other Jeep then scrap the skeleton after wards.