Need another XJ :-(

xjtrailrider

xjtrailrider

NAXJA Forum User
NAXJA Member
Location
Roanoke VA
Well a sad day today, our beloved red 96 is going to XJ heaven. It is my son's Jeep now and he got T-boned by a Chevy Avalanche doing 40+. The frame is bent, even the tranny tunnel and dash are compressed. He walked away and the Jeep still runs and drives but its not fixable. I drove it onto the roll back, I wasn't letting it go out being drug by a winch. I will be buying it back and striping it down but the engine/tranny/lift/wheels/tires will stay with me. The rest of it will get parted

All I can say is this was one damn fun XJ and was the best running one out of the 5 I own. Thanks for the memories Big Red!

If anyone in the SWVA/east TN/west NC area knows of a nice 96, 98, or 91-95 XJ for a good price PM me.

RIP Big Red, 1996-2011

jeepafterlift.jpg

dirtyjeep.jpg

myjeep.jpg

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Holy hell I'm extremely glad he is ok. Very sad to see the XJ go, it was one of my inspirations when mine was still a stockish build.

I will keep an eye out on craigslist and the shop for ya.
 
I saw the second pic of red when I first started proweling around NAXJA. I thought it was the best blend of DD and weekend wheeler.

Thank goodness your son is okay.
 
Yes he is fine but we are both devastated, so many memories in that Jeep!

The impact was so severe that his cell phone and stereo face plate were 15' from the Jeep. The dash is buckled up in the middle and the pass side seat is almost on top of the center console. The roof is buckled and the B pillar is about midway into the rear seat. If I could fix it I would but there is no chance. The best bet is to swap the drive train to another 96.

That was my first one that I built and it went through all kinds of changes but it was always a very dependable rig no matter what the situation. I'll always have a soft spot for red 96's.
 
lowrange2 said:
Are the cargo bars on the roof still straight?
Click to expand...

No, the right one has some bend in it. The impact even bent the JeepSpeed frame stiffeners on the right side and shifted the axle over. The Jeep is about 10" narrower in the middle than it was. Its a testament to how well these things are built that he walked away with no injuries.
 
Man, i loved that rig too! Its a good thing your son wasn't injured. I was devastated when my first rig got detroyed by a drunk driver. Life will go on and another rig will be created!
 
Nooooo!!! He just had his first wheelin experience with it this past weekend too!!!

So sorry to hear about the XJ, but glad your son walked away. One of my good friends lost his XJ a few years ago in the exact same way, only he was hit by a Camry at roughly 50mph...did much of the same damage that you described. He too walked away. These things are damn tough!
 
Got pictures of the body narrowing? I shortened a Jeep once.

I've posted this probably 100 times and you old farts are probably tired of seeing it... but does it look anything like this?

S5300012.jpg


S5300018-1.jpg
 
Glad your son is ok!!!

I have a suspicion that the "new" XJ will be every bit as nice if not more so. That was a beautiful XJ.
 
I'll post pics this weekend of the damage. We are looking at rigs and I think its time for a MJ :D

More info to come if it works out.

Thanks all for the support through a difficult time. Big Red is a little better than yours Lowrange but after further inspection today the frame is buckled above the rear axle and behind the front lca frame mount. The frame rails are closer together by 8-10". The cross member is in a "V" shape! And that was with the 2x4x3/16" sliders and TNT JeepSpeed stiffeners in place. The sliders held up but folded down as the welds and pinch seem mounts pulled free. The stiffeners may be junk on that side. I'll cut them out and try to re-use them on my 90 XJ.

The amazing thing is it starts right up, this XJ has heart! That 4.0 will be in my trail rig before long.
 
glad your boy is ok! i understand though i get attached to my vehicles as well.... sometimes i need to remind myself that its just sheetmetal and bolts ;) (ie my poor little toyota that kept my noggin safe in the storm)
 
hadfield4wd said:
Jon I saw the skid marks. Glad he's fine.
Click to expand...

I can't drive by there without tearing up. I'm surprised he was not hurt badly. I should have gotten pics of the Avalanche, it was a new one and was crumbled up good in the front. The guy that hit him(or he hit) is a nice guy and has called several times to check on my son. He is fine as well, not even stiff.

Very lucky!
 
xjtrailrider said:
I can't drive by there without tearing up. I'm surprised he was not hurt badly. I should have gotten pics of the Avalanche, it was a new one and was crumbled up good in the front. The guy that hit him(or he hit) is a nice guy and has called several times to check on my son. He is fine as well, not even stiff.

Very lucky!
Click to expand...

Well, thats nice of the guy to do that!
 
FlexdXJ said:
Well, thats nice of the guy to do that!
Click to expand...

Yes especially since my son is at fault. The man told me that when my son got out of his XJ the first thing out of his mouth was to him was "Sir are you okay?" He replied, "I'm fine, your the one with blood running down your face!"

The rear view mirror hit him on the forehead on its way out the drivers side window. My son is a nose guard on his high school football team and he said the impact was less than some hits he has had on the football field.
 
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