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99 Cherokee 2 door, Canadian Pepper


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Didn't take me long to start tearing into it. It had been wrecked before, and the PO did a very poor job "fixing" it, including putting the wrong year header panel and using mainly self tapping screws to hold on the body panels, and eliminating electric fan so it wouldn't hit the power steering pump. Slowly but surely gathering up parts to put the body back straight, but it isn't easy color matched panels. Luckily somebody locally had parted out a chili pepper XJ and had a hood, and I found the hatch and driver fender at pick-a-part. Also replaced the red duct tape fixed tail light.

 

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Had a buddy of mine, who is also a fellow XJ owner, who works in a welding shop, come by and weld some "drain" holes made by the PO, shut. Figured I would find more rust, being that its from Canada, but I guess it wasn't there long, being as rust free as it is. Probably one of the most rust-free XJs from Canada today.

 

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I do like the 2 door XJ, would love to cut one down into a ute. Seen a orange on done posted on CC I think looked very cool. We did not get the 2 door in Oz. Dose anyone now if the 2 door was produced R/H drive for the Postal Service ?? best of luck with ya build I'll be watching :thumbsup:  Wouldn't the transfer be a 242 ???  

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No worries for the hi-jack, I'm pretty sure it is a 231, 242, would have a full-time 4wd option, if I'm not mistaken; and mine does not have a full-time option. I actually have seen a 2 door RHD here in town for sale, but like shelbyluvv mentioned, they are hard to come by.

 

I wouldn't mind having an XJ panel truck though, those look pretty cool, be even cooler if it were diesel and standard, obviously 4x4 as well,

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Thanks for not minding mate, the XJ van doesn't really float my boat a bit like a XJ wagon with no back windows and the seat folded down. All update XJ's 97+ in Oz had the 242 transfer.

As for the diesel that was fitted to these, not  for me. When I was looking for my XJ back in 2000 I thought I wanted a diesel till I drove one.... it was a short drive.

thanks for the pics Don. I'll try a find the orange 2 door that was cut down into a ute, that was very sweet  

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  • 2 weeks later...

Picked up a overhead console and clean headliner at the junkyard, both cost me about the same as redoing the old headliner on my own.

Also cleaned up some of the dash panels, and replaced a couple that were in worst shape, and put a factory radio in

And removed the the bald, worn out, 15 year old, over-sized tires, and put some temporary rollers for now,

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  • 2 months later...

Love the color.  I fixed up a white '99 two door a couple years ago.  I think the two doors look pretty cool, but after daily driving it for a year, the novelty wore off.  For practical purposes, I think a four door just makes more sense.  However, I did just buy a two door JK so I guess my opinion really isn't valid lol.  Good luck with the rest of it.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Love the color.  I fixed up a white '99 two door a couple years ago.  I think the two doors look pretty cool, but after daily driving it for a year, the novelty wore off.  For practical purposes, I think a four door just makes more sense.  However, I did just buy a two door JK so I guess my opinion really isn't valid lol.  Good luck with the rest of it.

 

Thanks man, I didnt really mind either or, but after seeing more 4 door XJs than 2 door, I think I prefer the 2 door, just because you don't see them as often. Although you are right, a 4 door is more pratical, but none of my cars are practical, so it doesnt matter lol, this XJ is actually my most practical vehicle, I can fit 5 people legally and safely and have room for other things, can't do that in a TJ or MJ, or a Mustang. The next one I'm going to look for will be a 4 door and 5spd.

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Time for an update........

So last I left, I had installed an overhead console and cleaned up the plastics in the interior. Since then I have.......

Removed the inner fender

Welded in a new one,

And sealed and painted it using Duplicolor rattle can paint match, 

And put everything back together

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Then I pressure washed the seats and scrubbed them using Dawn dish washer soap, and let them sit out to dry in the sun for a few days. Also order new carpet which I trimmed and installed.

Seats installed

Started putting the body back together and aligning all the panels,

Put the front bumper, tow hooks, fog lights, and inner plastic fender wells.

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I had already been keeping an eye out on a set of barely used 31 BFG A/Ts a customer had returned to my job, well I went ahead and bought them for this project,

Went ahead and refinished the wheels,

Then after looking for the last couple months for a color matched header panel, I finally found one, after I already bought a patriot blue one and installed it, ended up buying it anyway and selling the blue one,

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I had a really bad short, in the harness where my gauges didnt work, my interior lights didnt work, and would kill my battery in no time. But between me and my dad we were bale to track down a few wires that had opened up from moving the wiring harness out of the way to weld in the inner fender. Things left to do now is...

-probably add an adj front track bar,

-get an alignment,

-replace the front brake pads(already have them)

-replace door panels, and power window switch

-replace front speakers

-add a muffler and tail pipe

-Paint it

-add rocker guards

-thats pretty much it for now

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  • 2 months later...

Havent done much to the XJ lately. I did replace the brake pads in the front, but now it seems like I have a stuck caliper, so I'm going to go ahead and replace both the front calipers and bleed the entire brake system. Also replaced the battery terminals, figured that was the biggest electrical issue I had. I did also have my buddy weld a factory exhaust that I had from an XJ I parted out a few years ago. Still need to replace the motor mounts, which I have, just havent gotten to it. The biggest think Ive done to it lately was I sanded down and reprimered the passenger fender, and used the same duplicolor rattle can I used on the inner fender for the fender. Its not perfect, but for a cheap rattle can paint job it turned out pretty good. Like I mentioned earlier Ill probably eventually have the whole Jeep repainted that ways its all one shade of Chili Pepper Red, and not 4 different shades.

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And I also took it out for its maiden voyage to the gas station. Didnt drive too bad, but still have some work to do.

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  • 1 month later...

They shoulda came with a 3" lift from the factory. Looks great!

 

I'm glad they didn't. XJs were fairly top heavy even w/o a lift. The soccer Moms who drove a lot of them would be rolling them all over the place.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks guys, I'm actually thinking about lifting it another inch with coil spacers and shackles for now, and take my 265/75/16 BFGs off my TJ and a set of Rubi wheels i have and put them on it, I just have to figure something out with the shocks. I'm very tempted to start scavenging suspension parts off the MJ, but really don't want to start tearing that one apart, on the contrary I'm trying to finish this up so I can get back to the MJ build.

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