1990 Jeep Cherokee Build is Underway!

NoColoradoGT · December 15th, 2010, 01:59 AM

Well, work has begun on the XJ!

I've had exactly two work days so far, one of which I don't have pictures for yet, but the new photo's speak for themselves.

My total budget for the Jeep build has been raised from $600-$700. Bringing my total cost for the Jeep and restoration to about $1,000

Here was the Jeep when I first got her:
1990 Jeep Cherokee Laredo - 149,xxx miles, 4.0 I-6, $300

As I said, I've had two work days on her so far.

Two weeks ago I..
Put on four brand spanking new Goodyear Wranglers
Replaced all the U-Joints
Completed an alignment
Flushed and changed all the fluids
And I also tightened/replaced worn hardware in my loose-ass steering column (it felt like the tilt was broken and the wheel had about three inches of play)

Today I got off of work at Noon and I started doing a bunch of stuff. It get's dark here at 5 right now and I don't have access to a garage till Friday (the dealership I work at charged us to work on our personal vehicles while we're on off-time. Granted...it's only $8 an hour, but I'm a cheapskate. So when the sun goes down, so does my work station.

Here's what I did today:

Replaced the dash trim bezel - $10 on Craigslist

Last quarter wing window was shattered.

Picked up a new one off of Craigslist for $15 out of a rolled '92

Pulled off the worn, ugly plastic paneling on the bottom trim

Sanded all of the door jams to ready them for primer - this took the longest, nearly two and a half hours

The door jams took so long, I only got like 1/5 of the hood done today. Hopefully in 5-7 hours of work tomorrow I can knock out the whole body to get it ready for primer by Thursday night.

Still To Do:

Primer
Wet Sand Primer
Full Paint (Going with 4 coats of Rustoleum Gloss Black)
Clear Coat
Install new exhaust
Pull out all the interior and shampoo and deep-clean the carpets and seats
And possibly install a new stereo system

My budget was $700

I spent $296 on tires, u-joints, fluids, and hardware for the steering column
Paint Prep Supplies so far have run me $24
The window and dash bezel were $25 for the two
Friend letting me takeover their garage for two weeks - $20

So far I have only spent: $365

I should end up being under budget if all goes well

06RedfireGT · December 17th, 2010, 03:04 PM

Let me know where I can get one of those for $300 lol

NoColoradoGT · December 17th, 2010, 03:30 PM

Originally Posted by 06RedfireGT

Let me know where I can get one of those for $300 lol

A friend of mine was asking $500 because he's moving to New York City in April, and said, I've got $300 in my wallet right now, and he said, "fine, just take it dude, i really don't want it anymore." It was probably the best buy I've ever made to be honest. It kind of felt like winning the loterry in a weird way. hahaha!

It needs a lot of TLC, but for $1,000 it will be way respectable when i finish.

Here's a couple from yesterday, squeezed in 30 minutes of work.

12 hour work days on the Jeep start tomorrow!

HMERacing · December 18th, 2010, 07:07 PM

Wouldn't a DA help out a little?

NoColoradoGT · December 19th, 2010, 01:23 AM

Originally Posted by HMERacing

Wouldn't a DA help out a little?

wow, don't mean to sound ignorant, but DA? sorry

NoColoradoGT · December 19th, 2010, 01:45 AM

Originally Posted by HMERacing

Wouldn't a DA help out a little?

wow, don't mean to sound ignorant, but DA? sorry...

Sally845 · December 19th, 2010, 01:58 AM

DA sander... (dual action) orbital, and random orbital

NoColoradoGT · December 19th, 2010, 03:42 AM

Thanks, i've always heard it referred to as just an orbital. The reason I started sanding by hand was because I've always done it that way to get the best finish possible. My uncle owns a resto shop in Northern California, and I learned a lot watching him and he's always insisted on doing it by hand. He, of course, is restoring cars back to show quality, I am just looking for a decent paint job to last me 5 or so years. So, I caved in this afternoon and used my orbital. Don't tell my uncle. hahaha. I worked on it for about 8 hours today, and I'm hoping to get in about 13 hours of work in tomorrow, so I should be able to get a lot done and I can post some good updates for you guys.

NoColoradoGT · December 20th, 2010, 12:46 PM

Just a quick little photo update, I'm at work till 5 today and won't get back to the Jeep until tonight. I'm about 35 hours into the project now. Hoping to be sanded and primered by Wednesday.

Supply Table.

Crap from the Jeep that needs to be cleaned.

Where the plastic panels and 20 year old adhevsive used to be.

Starting to get smooth. Not done yet.

Primered, awaiting wetsanding and first coat.

Same as above, just primered.

First light coat of paint, still needs another coat and a good wetsanding.

I taped off the chrome so i could re-finish the black edges on the emblems.

I still have a TON of work to do, but it's progress I guess. haha

ChrisJ · December 20th, 2010, 01:06 PM

Looking good...

sickfox · December 20th, 2010, 01:22 PM

Nice! I cant wait for some warm weather so I can start building mine up! AHAHA They are so fun!

NoColoradoGT · December 20th, 2010, 02:25 PM

Originally Posted by ChrisJ

Looking good...

was that sarcastic? haha!

Originally Posted by sickfox

Nice! I cant wait for some warm weather so I can start building mine up! AHAHA They are so fun!

Definitely dude! And yeah, the cold weather sucks. I'm running 3 ceramic heaters in the garage to get it to 60 degrees in there. I'm worried that I won't be able to paint for like 12 hours between coats because it's so cold. It was averaging about 56-58 in the garage last night and it was about 20 outside.

ChrisJ · December 20th, 2010, 02:26 PM

No I love Jeeps...Seriously...

NoColoradoGT · December 20th, 2010, 02:44 PM

hahaha, okay, i wasn't sure with the dots afterwards. lol thanks though bud.

sickfox · December 20th, 2010, 02:48 PM

My list is extensive.

Replace rear leafs, then trim fenders and get 33's, replace bumpers add a winch, roof rack and lights, Then break it and swap out to better rear end! LOL

NoColoradoGT · December 20th, 2010, 03:04 PM

holy jesus dude. What, the Dana isn't strong enough for you? hahaha. They're great rear ends but if you're going to push that sucker hard, go for it man. I have been shocked at how much these XJ's can handle in stock form. This thing takes everything I've thrown at it, and there is some serious terrain here in Colorado. Theres a place we go in Estes Park up here thats a way back into the woods that we usually hike the trail up to, and the XJ in stock form handled it and i was skeptical about it the whole way up there. Not bad for a $1,000 winter beater project.

NoColoradoGT · December 24th, 2010, 01:44 AM

UPDATE:

I won't be working on the Jeep for the next 6 days, I have family in town for Christmas that came out to see me and stay at my home, so my goal finish date has been moved from the 30th of December to the 8th of January. I do have the Jeep sanded down to the bare metal and guide coated all the way to the front doors now. Now it's just getting down the rear doors, hatch, and finishing the roof. Then primer and paint and she's good to go!

wicked96gt · December 24th, 2010, 01:12 PM

Originally Posted by NoColoradoGT

holy jesus dude. What, the Dana isn't strong enough for you? hahaha. They're great rear ends but if you're going to push that sucker hard, go for it man. I have been shocked at how much these XJ's can handle in stock form. This thing takes everything I've thrown at it, and there is some serious terrain here in Colorado. Theres a place we go in Estes Park up here thats a way back into the woods that we usually hike the trail up to, and the XJ in stock form handled it and i was skeptical about it the whole way up there. Not bad for a $1,000 winter beater project.

The dana 35 in the back is not a very strong rear at all. I replaced mine in my XJ with a 8.25(from what i dont remember) and it was well worth it.
Nice looking jeep!

sickfox · December 24th, 2010, 01:18 PM

The dana is ok, if it was a 44 then great. HAHA But its not. The 30 and 35 are great for average use. Once you go to much bigger tire then 33 and you wheel hard you will break stuff. chrysler 8.25 is on par with dana 44, the c8.25 has a 27 spline and a 29 spline out there.

Ill be finding a 29 spline c8.25 and just swapping the hole rear end out.

wicked96gt · December 26th, 2010, 12:35 AM

Originally Posted by sickfox

The dana is ok, if it was a 44 then great. HAHA But its not. The 30 and 35 are great for average use. Once you go to much bigger tire then 33 and you wheel hard you will break stuff. chrysler 8.25 is on par with dana 44, the c8.25 has a 27 spline and a 29 spline out there. Ill be finding a 29 spline c8.25 and just swapping the hole rear end out.

The Dana 30 is a good rear, I have seen them beat on like crazy and survive if built right ha. I wish they came with a 44 in the back!

December 15th, 2010, 01:59 AM	#1
NoColoradoGT #TFM 2002 Mustang GT Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Greeley, CO Posts: 3,201 iTrader: 0 reviews	1990 Jeep Cherokee Build is Underway! Well, work has begun on the XJ! I've had exactly two work days so far, one of which I don't have pictures for yet, but the new photo's speak for themselves. My total budget for the Jeep build has been raised from $600-$700. Bringing my total cost for the Jeep and restoration to about $1,000 Here was the Jeep when I first got her: 1990 Jeep Cherokee Laredo - 149,xxx miles, 4.0 I-6, $300 As I said, I've had two work days on her so far. Two weeks ago I.. Put on four brand spanking new Goodyear Wranglers Replaced all the U-Joints Completed an alignment Flushed and changed all the fluids And I also tightened/replaced worn hardware in my loose-ass steering column (it felt like the tilt was broken and the wheel had about three inches of play) Today I got off of work at Noon and I started doing a bunch of stuff. It get's dark here at 5 right now and I don't have access to a garage till Friday (the dealership I work at charged us to work on our personal vehicles while we're on off-time. Granted...it's only $8 an hour, but I'm a cheapskate. So when the sun goes down, so does my work station. Here's what I did today: Replaced the dash trim bezel - $10 on Craigslist Last quarter wing window was shattered. Picked up a new one off of Craigslist for $15 out of a rolled '92 Pulled off the worn, ugly plastic paneling on the bottom trim Sanded all of the door jams to ready them for primer - this took the longest, nearly two and a half hours The door jams took so long, I only got like 1/5 of the hood done today. Hopefully in 5-7 hours of work tomorrow I can knock out the whole body to get it ready for primer by Thursday night. Still To Do: Primer Wet Sand Primer Full Paint (Going with 4 coats of Rustoleum Gloss Black) Clear Coat Install new exhaust Pull out all the interior and shampoo and deep-clean the carpets and seats And possibly install a new stereo system My budget was $700 I spent $296 on tires, u-joints, fluids, and hardware for the steering column Paint Prep Supplies so far have run me $24 The window and dash bezel were $25 for the two Friend letting me takeover their garage for two weeks - $20 So far I have only spent: $365 I should end up being under budget if all goes well __________________ 2002 Mineral Gray Mustang GT Slow. Sexy. MM's Car Salesman Club MM's Resident Actor ΠΚΦ For life.

December 17th, 2010, 03:04 PM	#2
06RedfireGT One Man Wolf Pack 2006 Mustang GT 13ish....maybe Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Regulatin On Some OGs Posts: 22,492 iTrader: 2 reviews	Let me know where I can get one of those for $300 lol __________________ ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

December 19th, 2010, 03:42 AM	#8
NoColoradoGT #TFM 2002 Mustang GT Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Greeley, CO Posts: 3,201 iTrader: 0 reviews	Thanks, i've always heard it referred to as just an orbital. The reason I started sanding by hand was because I've always done it that way to get the best finish possible. My uncle owns a resto shop in Northern California, and I learned a lot watching him and he's always insisted on doing it by hand. He, of course, is restoring cars back to show quality, I am just looking for a decent paint job to last me 5 or so years. So, I caved in this afternoon and used my orbital. Don't tell my uncle. hahaha. I worked on it for about 8 hours today, and I'm hoping to get in about 13 hours of work in tomorrow, so I should be able to get a lot done and I can post some good updates for you guys. __________________ 2002 Mineral Gray Mustang GT Slow. Sexy. MM's Car Salesman Club MM's Resident Actor ΠΚΦ For life.

December 20th, 2010, 12:46 PM	#9
NoColoradoGT #TFM 2002 Mustang GT Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Greeley, CO Posts: 3,201 iTrader: 0 reviews	Just a quick little photo update, I'm at work till 5 today and won't get back to the Jeep until tonight. I'm about 35 hours into the project now. Hoping to be sanded and primered by Wednesday. Supply Table. Crap from the Jeep that needs to be cleaned. Where the plastic panels and 20 year old adhevsive used to be. Starting to get smooth. Not done yet. Primered, awaiting wetsanding and first coat. Same as above, just primered. First light coat of paint, still needs another coat and a good wetsanding. I taped off the chrome so i could re-finish the black edges on the emblems. I still have a TON of work to do, but it's progress I guess. haha __________________ 2002 Mineral Gray Mustang GT Slow. Sexy. MM's Car Salesman Club MM's Resident Actor ΠΚΦ For life.

December 20th, 2010, 01:06 PM	#10
ChrisJ RLY SRS Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Ft. Meade, MD Posts: 38,220 Blog Entries: 4 iTrader: 10 reviews	Looking good... __________________ 2008 Acura TL Type-S - 2008 EB Ford Expedition - 2002 Boosted GT - Sold Facebook Google+

December 19th, 2010, 01:58 AM	#7
Sally845 Regular 2001 Saleen Mustang 12.4@108 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Florida Posts: 372 iTrader: 0 reviews	DA sander... (dual action) orbital, and random orbital

December 20th, 2010, 02:26 PM	#13
ChrisJ RLY SRS Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Ft. Meade, MD Posts: 38,220 Blog Entries: 4 iTrader: 10 reviews	No I love Jeeps...Seriously... __________________ 2008 Acura TL Type-S - 2008 EB Ford Expedition - 2002 Boosted GT - Sold Facebook Google+

December 20th, 2010, 02:44 PM	#14
NoColoradoGT #TFM 2002 Mustang GT Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Greeley, CO Posts: 3,201 iTrader: 0 reviews	hahaha, okay, i wasn't sure with the dots afterwards. lol thanks though bud. __________________ 2002 Mineral Gray Mustang GT Slow. Sexy. MM's Car Salesman Club MM's Resident Actor ΠΚΦ For life.

December 20th, 2010, 03:04 PM	#16
NoColoradoGT #TFM 2002 Mustang GT Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Greeley, CO Posts: 3,201 iTrader: 0 reviews	holy jesus dude. What, the Dana isn't strong enough for you? hahaha. They're great rear ends but if you're going to push that sucker hard, go for it man. I have been shocked at how much these XJ's can handle in stock form. This thing takes everything I've thrown at it, and there is some serious terrain here in Colorado. Theres a place we go in Estes Park up here thats a way back into the woods that we usually hike the trail up to, and the XJ in stock form handled it and i was skeptical about it the whole way up there. Not bad for a $1,000 winter beater project. __________________ 2002 Mineral Gray Mustang GT Slow. Sexy. MM's Car Salesman Club MM's Resident Actor ΠΚΦ For life.

December 24th, 2010, 01:44 AM	#17
NoColoradoGT #TFM 2002 Mustang GT Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Greeley, CO Posts: 3,201 iTrader: 0 reviews	UPDATE: I won't be working on the Jeep for the next 6 days, I have family in town for Christmas that came out to see me and stay at my home, so my goal finish date has been moved from the 30th of December to the 8th of January. I do have the Jeep sanded down to the bare metal and guide coated all the way to the front doors now. Now it's just getting down the rear doors, hatch, and finishing the roof. Then primer and paint and she's good to go! __________________ 2002 Mineral Gray Mustang GT Slow. Sexy. MM's Car Salesman Club MM's Resident Actor ΠΚΦ For life.

Remove Advertisements Sponsored Links
Ford Mustang Forum Advertisement

Threads Similar to: 1990 Jeep Cherokee Build is Underway!
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
1990 Jeep Cherokee Build - Coming Soon	NoColoradoGT	All Other Vehicles	12	November 19th, 2010 08:01 PM
lifting a jeep cherokee	moosenuk17	The Clubhouse	9	October 19th, 2009 01:58 PM
95 jeep cherokee ISSUES	k2boarder3187	All Other Vehicles	2	February 26th, 2008 06:18 PM
jeep cherokee	brianstang	All Other Vehicles	5	August 3rd, 2007 11:36 AM

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 09:40 PM.
Contact Us - Modded Mustangs : Ford Mustang Forums - Privacy Statement - Top
Modded Mustangs is ©2005-2008, All Rights Reserved, And is Not Affiliated with Ford Motor Company. Forum is powered by vBulletin ©2000 - 2012, Jelsoft Ent. Ltd. & SEO by vBSEO 3.3.2 ©2009, Crawlability, Inc.