WI-Jeeper's 2001 build thread

[WI-Jeeper]

Hello , long-time lurker of these forums and decided I should finally sign up and contribute. Recently purchased a 2001 Sport 4x4 with 156k for $2k that I intend to build into something less boring than stock trim, but not too crazy because it will live mostly on the roads (more "overland", less "Moab").

This is one of many projects and money is somewhat limited so I expect progress to be slow. In the end my goal is to give back to the community where possible and show what a little reading on this forum can teach someone about our beloved XJs. I'm also pretty handy with computers and photos, and maybe I can add some writeups as time goes along.

Here are photos the day I brought her home (05/13/2017):

Driver rear fender flare fell off, ugly gray door bump strips, sad steel wheels:

Headliner falling down badly:

156k miles and spent the first 10 years in North Carolina. Not much rust, but also hasn't been taken care of 100% by the PO. Needs basic maintenance on everything.

Roof rust is about the worst of it, looks like it lived under trees. Otherwise for a Jeep in Wisconsin it has the cleanest floors & undercarriage I have seen.

Came with the OG window sticker so thats pretty cool!

 

[WI-Jeeper]

[06-24-2017] Because this isn't my daily driver, I took a few weeks just to joyride on weekends and shake down what needs fixing. The answer? Lots, but no cause for emergency. I knew what I was getting into, and this will be a long-term build.

First thing is the low-hanging fruit. And by low-hanging, I mean the headliner. I'm only 5'6" but this was driving me bananas. Pulled out the assembly, went to my local Jo-Ann Fabrics for material, and applied new fabric using Permatex 27828 Heavy Duty Headliner and Carpet Adhesive. CAUTION: If you have never done this before, go slow and DO NOT try to pick up & fold over large lengths of material - you will get wrinkles and possibly have to do this twice like I did!

Old saggy mess:

Getting cleaned up. Used a plastic scraper to remove bulk of material, then scrubbed with a nylon parts brush. Wiped down when complete with some acetone on clean Scott towels but that may be overkill.

All cleaned up for dinner:

Folded material halfway back on itself and sprayed adhesive. 3-4 minutes between coats. You will use a full 2 cans on this. I found it helped to put a plastic dropcloth between the folded fabric to help it slide when massaging into place.

Results before installation. Only one noticeable wrinkle near the rear speaker opening, but unless you look it's invisible.

After installation. Originally had grey material that matched perfect but botched it up. Went with black the 2nd try because thats all they had. I don't mind the two-tone look as much as I thought. Hey its a Jeep anyways, right?

 

[WI-Jeeper]

[07-01-2017] Removed most of the door trim for a cleaner look, cleaning off the adhesive backing is a nightmare! A few weeks ago I was able to pick up a set of super clean Ravines and nearly new 235/75/15s off Craigslist (thanks Mandy). Finally got them mounted up, huge improvement for the appearance and gain a net 1" of lift! My rear leafs are flattened out all the way and now thinking about lift kits. Needs a full front suspension/steering rebuild too.

 

[WI-Jeeper]

[07-16-2017] Audio system is in sad shape - bad speakers in the rear, broken wires for the fronts, and aftermarket radio was connected using the twist/tape/pray method. Soldered up the radio harness, swapped in Sony XS-R1645 6.5" speakers (Walmart special but they do the job), and spliced in new wires for the front doors.

Front speakers and wiring fix:

Waiting on a large RockAuto shipment to arrive for the next phase of maintenance & upgrades.

 

[Cottontail]

That's a great start. Pretty cool that you have the Moroney sticker also. Mine had the sticker with it when I bought mine. My sticker price was exactly $1000 more than yours. Mine has the 60th Anniversary package.

 

[WI-Jeeper]

That's a great start. Pretty cool that you have the Moroney sticker also. Mine had the sticker with it when I bought mine. My sticker price was exactly $1000 more than yours. Mine has the 60th Anniversary package.

Thank you! Yeah it was a nice surprise to find the Monroney sticker folded up in the glovebox. Congrats to you on pulling a 60th anniversary model, thats neat!

 

[WI-Jeeper]

[Originally from 07-08-17 but I'm slow] Went to the junkyard and pulled parts for cruise control and installed in my XJ in about 1 hour. Pretty simple and probably the best $25 I ever spent! (Credit to this thread for helpful info)

 

[WI-Jeeper]

Still tackling basic repairs. Existing muffler was rusted out and loud. Cut the OEM tailpipe from the muffler using a reciprocating saw. Cut one of the muffler studs with the saw, the other one had to get creative with a cut-off wheel on an angle grinder (NOTE: If you try this, be careful not to shoot sparks by the fuel tank!).

Replaced with new Walker SoundFX muffler and tailpipe ordered from RockAuto. Initially had some confusion thanks to beer/heat/stupidity but was cleared up in this thread

Parts list:
Walker 18959 muffler
Walker 55188 tail pipe (you will need to cut off the rear exhaust hanger if using the OE rubber mount)
Walker 35336 2.25" clamps (x2)
Walker 35750 rubber isolator

Needed 2 nuts for the muffler's pressed-in studs but I had spares laying around. You may need a trip to the auto parts/hardware store or a local exhaust shop. Sorry I don't have part numbers or thread info on this - if anyone does, let me know and I can add for people in the future. Or just buy an additional 2.25" clamp kit and use those nuts, they should be the same size.

 

[WI-Jeeper]

Well it's been an interesting couple of years. I still have my XJ but due to EVAP system issues not allowing me to pass emissions, then a parasitic battery drain issue, and then buying/trading a bunch of other vehicles that took over my time the Jeep got put on the back burner. For now it sits dead in my garage waiting until I have time or money to throw at it, or until I move on to other projects.

On that note I have realized I don't have the time or will to continue this build thread. Also has a wealth of information that I am thankful for but the fact I can't go back and edit my build thread posts is a deal breaker for me. Not a criticism, just not what I'm looking for in a forum in 2022 when every other site allows for this simple function. Adios .