JMT’s 91' XJ Build

You didn't want a tow hitch on it incase you wanted to tow something? Small trailer, recovery point, etc.
In a way, yes, but that one had to come off no matter what. I can clean it up, prime and paint, new hardware and ready to go. But for now just leave it off. I’ve got two other vehicles I can tow with.
 
If your only looking for 31's, you might be able to get away with a TJ flare swap and factory suspension. Cherokees have very small wheel wells, which is why people put such big lifts on for relatively small tires sizes.

Buddy of mine did it, and he's got JK Rubicon wheels and tires on his Cherokee with a small budget boost. Looks good.

Just something else to consider
Yeah, but the leafs looks so bad I don't even want to risk my daughter driving it around town, much less getting off-road a bit. Good thought though. I think this rig will be worth $3K when I get done with it, and I'll only have $1K in it (I hope) 🤣.
 
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Did I say the cargo hitch was stupid? Ok, so, moving on. Lots of things happening. This thing had 3 of the original floor mats. Ditched those and went with these Weather Tech that you can cut to fit. I just threw them in for now. Big improvement.

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The head unit on this thing is like, 1991, no surprise I guess. @toximus had a Kenwood BT that had some features he didn’t like, so he sold it to me for $40. I had to order a different harness and mounting adapter, but those arrived today, so I am good to go when I can get around to it. Now I’ll be looking for some 5 1/4” for the doors and try to upgrade the rear 5 1/4” to some 6.5’s.
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This thing had no headliner, just a bunch of ugly stuff hanging down. I acquired a headliner. 3M adhesive for headliner should be arriving on Tuesday. This will be a big improvement for the interior.
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The mirrors with the little toggles inside are suck. The driver one just shakes like crazy until it’s pointing down at the road. This is a must fix for safety. Bleepin Jeep dude mentioned a manual set that replaces well. Another $84 well spent. I’ll scuff them up and paint with SEM to match all the other trim.
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Here’s the old cargo hitch for those of you who want to see what it looked like. As many of you know, a lot of XJ guys use these to protect their rear bumper due to the not so good departure angle. I just couldn’t stand the looks of this thing.
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SEM Trim and the Headliner Adhesion sorta came in. Now it just needs to warm up outside.

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This thing had no headliner, just a bunch of ugly stuff hanging down. I acquired a headliner. 3M adhesive for headliner should be arriving on Tuesday. This will be a big improvement for the interior. View attachment 149047
It will take twice as much adhesive as you think it will take. I just did that on my Dakota excab. PITA with all the contours.
 
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I ran front TJ flares, front and rear, in mine. It had about 5" of lift, RE back when they were good, and 33's. Of course I geared it and had frt and rear No Slips.
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That’s a very capable rig. Looks fantastic too. Love the front bumper. Did you cut the body to make the TJ flares work? If so I might do that. I could get a Crown set for $100 new and cheaper if used. They look good on yours and give a bit more coverage. It looks like the fronts are on the rear and the rear are backwards on the front, if my eyes doth not deceive me. Or they are cut?
 
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That’s a very capable rig. Looks fantastic too. Love the front bumper. Did you cut the body to make the TJ flares work? If so I might do that. I could get a Crown set for $100 new and cheaper if used. They look good on yours and give a bit more coverage. It looks like the fronts are on the rear and the rear are backwards on the front, if my eyes doth not deceive me. Or they are cut?
For the fronts I followed the inside of the flare and cut accordingly. You remove a lot of material and need to make new supports (easy) as well as drill holes, etc. The rears, just cut and fold in the seems or you'll get into the interior, ask me how I know:rolleyes:
That bumper was designed by myself and welded by a Pirate forum guy way back.
 
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It will take twice as much adhesive as you think it will take. I just did that on my Dakota excab. PITA with all the contours.
That is good to know. I’m not looking forward to this job. Should I leave what remains from the first headliner? Or pull it all out?
 
That is good to know. I’m not looking forward to this job. Should I leave what remains from the first headliner? Or pull it all out?
I pulled the headliner substrate from the vehicle, removed all remaining headliner, sanded the old adhesive off (gently so you don't damage the substrate), then attached the new headliner. Lay the headliner down then fold it back on itself halfway and apply adhesive to both surfaces. Follow the instructions for the adhesive you are using for drying time before bonding the two surfaces. The reason I say it will take twice as much adhesive is if your headliner has a foam backing it will absorb the first coat and you will need to apply a second coat of adhesive. If you have any questions just give me a shout.
 
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I pulled the headliner substrate from the vehicle, removed all remaining headliner, sanded the old adhesive off (gently so you don't damage the substrate), then attached the new headliner. Lay the headliner down then fold it back on itself halfway and apply adhesive to both surfaces. Follow the instructions for the adhesive you are using for drying time before bonding the two surfaces. The reason I say it will take twice as much adhesive is if your headliner has a foam backing it will absorb the first coat and you will need to apply a second coat of adhesive. If you have any questions just give me a shout.
Geez, PITA. Thanks for the help. I wish I could turn the XJ upside down for this! 🤣