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Mira's Jeep Cherokee Sport

91K views 349 replies 96 participants last post by  1x1_Speed_Craig 
#1 · (Edited)
This is my jeep cherokee - thanks to our friend Don Briney-aka-BOBCAT. Were still trying to figure out what its going to look like when its done... :bdr2: I'm going to work on it a lot with my dad,.....but you never know...dads a talker-he might do more explaining than doing... :blah:

-Mira :rock:




EDIT (from dad):

Mira will only be posting in this build thread and her "Intro" thread, with me by her side when she does. I'm very proud that she wants to build up a Jeep with me; it'll be her car when she gets her driver's permit/license. Please keep any posts in this thread "Rated-PG" (I have already turned off Avatars/signatures for her).

EDIT: See two (2) posts down for project sponsors...
 

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#47 ·
I hadn't researched this a whole lot, but did some searches after the original post about vehicle heights. There's varying internet opinions/folklore about XJ springs being longer than TJ springs, TJ springs lowering XJs, etc. I already compared the Rubi springs against some stock XJ springs, and they're the same physical length. I can't speak to the spring rates, but know that the Rubi springs (at least this part #) have the higher spring rate, and will compare once it's time to install them.

Thanks for the heads-up.

Craig
 
#49 ·
Thanks Kels. :thumb:

Well, here's ~60% of what's left of the '94 XJ parts rig. :teehee: My Sawzall made pretty short work of hacking it up, although it did get its revenge. The A-pillar kicked back as I was finishing cutting the front section off the other night, and tagged my head. I didn't end up going to the hospital, but flip a coin as to whether I should have gotten a stitch or two. Since I have a bald noggin and can't hide it easily, I'll have to make up a story about a bar room brawl, and taking a bottle over the head in the process. :sonicjay: Needless to say, my girlfriend may have already added a hard hat to my Christmas list. :teehee:

We're saving the roof sheet metal and a couple other sections of the vehicle to use for potential floor pan fixes. We recycle/reclaim anything we can.

Off to Padnos for recycling next week. We're hoping to recoup $50-75 for the scrap steel.


Craig

 

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#51 ·
just a little bit on the springs. i put a set of cherokee springs into my 99tj and got around an inch of lift.


and this looks like a fun project. my first jeep was an xj as well.
 
#52 ·
We got some good progress done on my jeep today...we cut apart 1 of our parts jeeps with the sawzall, it was AWESOME!!! We also cut out some scrap parts that we can use to repair the floors in my Jeep.




We threw the junk metal in dad's army trailer. He climbed on top of it and claimed he was the king of scrap metal. :rock:






P.S.- Today I also pretended to be a hobo. I used a bandana, a hair tie, and a stick that I found on the ground. :teehee:





-Mira :nana:
 

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#56 ·
I got to work this morning with my new Blair spot weld cutter & Rotobroach kits. These things work well, and make pretty short business of separating the spot-welded sheet metal. I got the driver front foot area cut out, and will work tomorrow on cutting/grinding some sheet metal from an old hood to fit. I radiused most of the corners, with the thought that there will be less chance of stress cracking down the road after welding in the new sheet metal (this may or may not be over-planning, but...). Before the new sheet metal is laid in place, the tops of the frame rails will get a treatment of Naval Jelly to neutralize any residual rust, and then some 3-M Weld-Thru Primer.

I was pleasantly surprised by how clean the inside of the unibody frame rails looked. Even the tinge of red in the photos isn't rust, but rather the same red clay coating that's under most of the vehicle (it was last registered in Maryland...must be common there).




I also spent about an hour with a grinder/flapwheel, and a orbital sander cleaning up the corners on Mira's new JCR rear bumper. I got it test-fit on the Jeep, and am very happy with the way it looks. I just need to get it in a coat of primer until we're ready to topcoat it.

The way they recess the hitch into the bumper is really slick, and gives a streamlined look to the bumper...nice work, JCR. :thumb: I did slide a ball mount into the hitch, and it's a little looser/sloppier than I expected. We can always use a silent hitch pin to tighten things up for towing, if needed.

 

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#58 ·
Yeah, you put the pin in from behind (plenty of room underneath/behind). There are also safety chain hook-ups behind, but they'd be pretty tight. I'll probably hook a universal link on them to make it easier to hook up chains.

Craig
 
#59 ·
...and here's the makeshift replacment floorpan piece that was made from part of the old hood. It'll be plug welded to the frame rails (to replace the OEM spot welds), and butt-welded around the perimeter. I didn't want to lap-weld a piece over top of the existing floorpan, as it's just another place for rust to start.


Craig


 

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#60 · (Edited)
For the passenger side (which is in rougher shape than the driver side), I picked up a full floorpan (57" long, I believe) from Sherman Auto Parts today. It looks like the one in the photo below (passenger side only). Bonus...the company is based out of Washington, Michigan, so we're supporting another Michigan business with Mira's Cherokee build. :rock:

Craig




EDIT:
I also found this "paint inspiration" photo while surfing over my lunch hour. It's very similar to the look we'll probably be going for.
 

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#61 ·
What are you going to coat the new floor with?

When I do mine in a couple weeks I think I'm going to paint the inside and out with high gloss Chassis Saver so dirt falls/washes off real easy, and I'll have a nice rust barrier. Also that way any of the existing floor that only has surface rust will be taken care of as well. I'm also probably going to line the the inside of the floor with some sort of sound dampener after the Chassis Saver, before I put the carpet back in, but I haven't made up my mind what type yet.
 
#62 ·
What are you going to coat the new floor with?
I plan on using Eastwood paint inside & underneath (I'm just saving to make the order). The underside will then be top-coated with 3-M Rubberized Undercoat, which I already have, and have used in the past (great stuff). I'm not sure if the interior will get a rubber mat, or some sort of bedliner when we're done. I prefer not to use carpet.

I have used POR-15 products quite a bit in the past, and it's durable stuff. However, it's very finicky to apply, and I don't take short cuts in the prep work. It's annoying enough that, after several projects/applications, I don't care to use it much anymore.

Craig
 
#66 ·
Great Progress:thumb:
I like the inspiration for your paint too.
Cool....Rock on Craig, Your daughter is gonna be styling......love your'e update's and I'm sorry I'm a newbe...I'll work on that.....:sonicjay:
Thanks, gentlemen. :thumb:

The Chiefblahblah problem has been somewhat solved - he's been added to both Mira's and my "Ignore" list. At least she won't see his garbage. It's truly sad that I'm trying to rationalize with an adult about being appropriate in a proud 5th-grader's build thread. :whiz:

Back to what matters...the build.

We won't have time to work on it this weekend, as we'll be downstate celebrating Christmas with my family. The floorpans will be the primary focus over the next month, but we may take a break to get her welding her little Ballistic Fabrication skull on her D44 differential cover. She's itchy to get welding.


Craig
 
#72 ·
She's 10 now, so she obviously has a while. I'm guessing it'll be done in 2-3 years...drivable before then, most likely.

We have 10 acres here - 5 acres lawn & 5 overgrowth/field out back. I'd like to develop some sort of mini course/play area out back down the road. She already drives my XJ around the back of the property (propped up on a couple hardcover books with the seat all the way up). She does great with it. :thumb:

Craig
 
#75 ·
hey craig, and mira
i finally looked at your build thread and can't tell you enough how awesome i think it is, its these kind of things that kids will remember doing for the rest of their life.

keep up the good work guys and keep the pictures coming :D

btw... did you end up selling my old D44 or are you still planning on using it on the Mira project, i know you ordered the ballistic fab cover (which would almost be a dead give-away, but i wasn't sure if you found another D44 or not)?????
 
#79 ·
BTW, do you see the pink bandana she's holding in the first picture? After the rest of the Christmas morning hoopla was done (before we went out to the garage), Mira dug the bandana out of her room, and said she had to be blindfolded before going outside. She wanted the "full effect" when her bumper was unveiled. :teehee:

The battery box was a bonus gift...got a great Black Friday sale deal.

Mira was excited about both items, and also about how her floor pan repair is coming along.

It was a GREAT Christmas morning, especially the homemade gifts I got from my girls. There's no way you can top those types of gifts! :thumb:

Craig
 
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