Thinking about selling/chopping the XJ

[bbaker80]

I've been doing some planning for later this year when I have a better job and a little more time to work on things. For the last year or so I've wanted to replace pretty much everything underneath my Jeep. I got the rear end finished in July, and haven't had much time since to do anything else. I've had a chance to wheel 3 times since the first of the year, and the more time I spend in the Heep the less I enjoy it. The wheeling is great, but the creaking and squeaking and mysterious clunking take their toll. And this isn't even taking into account the rust under the back seat.

The way I see it, I have a few options
1. Sell my XJ and quit wheeling. I doubt this option would be very fun.
2. Sell my XJ and buy a TJ, build it to run 35-37's and wheel it. This seems too expensive to beat on the trail, although it would be easy to do.
3. Strip my XJ, sell the parts, and start over. I'm not sure I want to build another XJ to end up the same place I'm at now.
4. Strip my XJ and use the engine, tranny, transfer case, axles, and the front clip as the basis of a tube frame buggy. This seems like a HUGE project, but I think it may be the best idea. Build a chassis, bolt on a narrowed, chopped XJ front end, and wheel it 'till I build something better.

Any suggestions or comments would be great. I'm kinda partial to option #4, but if someone can come up with something better, I'm open to suggestions.

 

[Majo]

keep the 02 impreza why trade it for a 04 wrx??..it's roughly 2 years old....big deal, and buy the TJ. If you are that adament about cost u can get 2.5L 97's for real cheap Prob(8,000 for a decent or great shape one), swap in a ford 5.0 and NP435, dana 300, and get some nice running gear 14 bolt and 60 front... seems like it'd be less work than ur tube frame buggy.

 

[bbaker80]

As far as the Impreza, my brother hit it with a Tahoe, and it just dosen't look the way I want a newer car to look. The door seam isn't the same as the other seams, the paint isn't perfect, the rubber strip around the wheelwell keeps peeling off, the bumper cover dosen't fit the way I want, it just isn't the same car I bought. It's also an automatic, so getting the most out of it would take some work. Right now I can sell it for more than I paid for it, and I wheel with the owner of the Suby dealership. We figure my payment might go up $25.00 a month, which is well within what I can afford. It makes sense for resale too.

Buying a TJ to strip and rebuild leaves me with a new pile of parts that I paid for and don't use, and I'm not a big fan of short wheelbase rigs. A built TJ would be quick and simple, but I'm not sure it would be what I'm hoping for in a new rig. Right now I'm more willing to put in the time than shell out cash to have a rig I'm satisfied with. Most of the well built rigs I've seen end up being almost tube chassis anyway, so why not just start there and put the parts on, instead of chopping up a second vehicle.

 

[Majo]

ok

Option 1: Not a choice
Option 2: You just shot it down.
Option 3: Sounds like you wanna leave XJ's
it looks like u got your mind set on Option 4 :yelclap:

Keep eveyone posted on ur progress if u go this route, good luck with anything u decide on doing though