That HAD to be cheap. Looking at it from a BUYERS standpoint: 2wd, 2 door, manual, beat to crap broken lights, dents, no keys, doesn't run. This is NOT what the average XJ buyer is looking for!!! For Tony? It's PERFECT!
Do you know what I like about your channel Tony? It’s honest. No glitz and glamour,just plain,honest hot rodding. That is what makes it special. Thank you for this.
I applaud you wanting to stick to the 1996 model year for replacement parts. However, I personally don’t have any issues if you change your mind and decide to use parts from perhaps the 1987 to 1998 model years, when the Jeep Cherokee XJ was a Chrysler Corporation product. Using improved factory parts from other model years is a time-honored tradition in hot rodding. Great concept, Tony! 😎
Just yesterday i picked my 93 xj, 3d 5 speed, from body shop, where it remained since november 2022. It was rusted to the core. 1.5 years of grinding, cutting, welding, sanding, painting.... It consumed bodies of 2 less Lucky xj's in the process. But i got it done and now back on the road. Many, many times people asked me: why are you doing this? Well, you can't describe unless you drive one. Best wishes with your project, Uncle Tony, deep respect
YESSS! Years ago a customer had one of those; 4.0 2wd 2dr 5-speed, and it was really fun to drive! I told him I would buy it whenever he was done with it, but unfortunately he got T-boned in it and totaled it, and I have never seen another one in that combination, but that truck was surprisingly quick for what it was, and I always thought it would make a cool hotrod, so I’m really looking forward to this!
You mentioned the Hurst Olds. I have an emotional attachment to that car. It's the car that put hot ridding in my blood. The first time I met my soon to be step dad was 1973. I was a little 4 year old boy playing in the dirt in our front yard when he pulled up in the most beautiful car I'd ever seen then or since.. I was only 4 but I'll never forget that exhaust tone when he rolled up. An absolutely gorgeous, Metallic silver/gray with a cool black stripe down the sides, wrapping around the rear tapered window. Hood vents, black stripes on the hood, solid black trunk lid. 1968 Hurst Oldsmobile.. Wooden steering wheel, 8track player.. Man that was a bad a** car. 455 big block. He and my mom were married and that was our daily driver until I was 10 years old.. I came home from school and there was a brand new Grand Prix and a Buick Riviera in the driveway. I asked who's cars they were and James (stepdad) told me that he traded the Olds for both cars. I cried the rest of the day and my heart has stayed broken since. 😁 But at least I have some really cool pictures and some irreplaceable memories. There were only 538 of those cars built in 1967-68 so my chances of ever owning one are about the same as me winning the lotto.
@@LongIslandMopars indeed. 😊 👀 I've actually considered writing a book centered around it. As a kid and even as a young adult, I told myself that I would one day find one to buy one. But what I didn't know then was that there was only a limited few of them ever produced. A very little few at just over 500. There's some still in existence but they're worth more than my house lol. 😳 But there's still hope. I may be able to score an old 68-69 Cutlass that needs (more than) a little TLC and make myself a clone. Better yet, a 442 is really close and a bad a** muscle car itself.
@@lilmike2710 if you have pictures consider doing a picture documentary on your channel. I'm starting to do that with cars from my youth and will eventually culminate in a series about my dad's 66 Coronet that he bought new and for which I own today. Plenty of vids on my channel but none yet that will tell it's story.
I think part of what makes the Cherokee a classic, is that it's a unicorn among cars. A well-rounded vehicle that's damn good at some things, but genuinely still great at everything else a fun and useful vehicle should be expected to be. That versatility is baked in from the design ethos and culture cultivated by AMC at that time. AMC was a company that had to maximize its capabilities with its limited funds. So it needed a chassis it could use to underpin a number of different vehicles. To pull this off, they did what they did best. They innovated--entirely CAD designed, which was uncommon amongst American manufactures. Computer simulations and modeling, completely unheard of at the time. They bet everything on it, and in doing so, fundamentally changed the automotive world. Every single car sold today, has a direct lineage back to the humble XJ. It made companies stop in their tracks, change their design language, how they design, how they market and what they sold. The modern automotive world can quite literally be defined apart from other automotive periods, as 'Before XJ' and 'After XJ'.
@@curtisjknight6367 Well they were using tried-and-true low-tech engine platforms up until the fuel injection era. Fun fact: on these early fuel-injected vehicles, notice how long it cranks before it starts - there is something messed up in the ECM firmware, I suspect it takes it a long time to figure out where the crank/cam is before it applies either spark or fuel. They always take a lot of cranking before they fire off. My 1941 Chevrolet with the 216 inline 6 cylinder started much faster than a fuel-injected 4.0l!
Ok you brought back a memory from the mid 90's. I was away working for 10 years and moved back home to find my auto mechanic buddy had left the Eldorado, Grandville, Tornado cars he loved as a young mechanic and was driving a 4 liter, 4 door 2 wheel drive manual shift Jeep Cherokee. We jumped in to go visit some friends and wow, what a rocket. The story is the engine was destroyed by something put into the tank. The jeep was 3 years old. My buddy built the engine up to a very potent runner. Those engines have torque and built up they have speed as well. I have no doubt that you'll hit 13.99 in the quarter. Cheers 🇨🇦
My high school had one of these in that configuration when they were new in the mid 90s. I worked for the school and got to run errands in it. I was completely surprised how quick it was. I was very impressed. That’s when I learned about the “H.O.” 4.0, and that that they came in 2wd.
Check the frame over the rear axle. Quarter panels tweaked like that is usually a sign of being rear ended or the trailer attached was rear ended that caused it to buckle .
As far as modern design, as new a vehicle I need is a mk4 vw (99-05). Newer radios from newer models can be swapped in, because Bluetooth is kinda nice. It's got ac and cruise, you have your choice of 3 gasoline engines and 1 diesel. It's the last really good platform they built, before the bean counters took over. I usually still see 3-5 a day rolling around the roads here in the northeast. Not bad where the newest one is pushing 19yrs old. It takes some digging ,but most manufacturers usually have something that's a useful platform for longevity.
Tony I had same truck. Was kinda quick. But would not run close to my stock 69 383 charger. You definitely have ur work cut out for you. Ill be watching! Best of luck!
I had a '65 Valiant, 225 slant 3 onthe tree, real Granny car. But, some raised white letter BF Goodrichs, larger in the rear, and it became a muscle car in my heart!
That's exactly what I had as a first car ( Australian version) , I couldn't afford wide tires though, I had to make do with skinny bias ply's, still a good car though.
I like the mindset and plan. Most of us don't have access to an endless bank account or a quality engine building machinist. I just watched a interview with Waddell Wilson. He mentioned the attention to detail down to bearing seals and type of bearing grease he used building multiple race winning cars. Rolling resistance is often over looked by throwing $ into the motor. Old fashioned ingenuity adds up, no detail overlooked that will pay a dividend.
It's videos like this that make this channel so good. Even as a retired veteran mechanic, these projects make me think out of the box. Very cool. And much appreciated.
A 2wd Jeep XJ with the Manual Transmission & in a 2 door? Wow! Living here in Idaho we see thousands of Jeeps, but I can honestly say I've never seen one of these. A lot of 4wd ones, but no 2wd's. Pretty cool UTG.
Holy cow, i totally feel you on the comment about all the little things taking time when working on a project. All the painting and finding all the hardware and assembling things, just takes up a ton of time and when you're doing it part time on the weekends, what seems like a reasonable project can drag on for months or years simply because of this. This weekend I took several motor brackets and the support cages for the pop-up headlights on my car project, and spent several hours on Saturday removing any rust or old paint that was flaking off, then cleaning everything up in prep for paint, and then I spent several hours on Sunday painting all of this stuff outside in the unseasonably warm Chicago weather (72 degrees!) fighting with the gusty wind the entire time... But the point is, there went the entire weekend just getting those few things done. Next weekend I'll probably bolt most of this stuff back on the chassis or motor, and then I'll proceed to the next batch of small items that needs to be done before I can get this car functional again... It's all these little things that seem to take the longest and are probably what often stall or kill projects because the entire time you're working on this stuff, you feel like you're accomplishing very little. Still it all needs to get done.
Tony whatever you do, do not give up on this project even if the viewership isnt there at first. Most people lack vision and arent seeing how satisfying it is to take a regular vehicle down the drag strip for a baseline and then make it faster. This is hot rodding in its original and purist form and only Uncle Tony can teach everyone the proper and safe way to go about it. Also another benifit of this project is for people who dont have much money, and the only time they spend on this hobby is through watching your youtube videos. With dirt cheap builds like these, it will get people to be able to work on a project and make it perform, but the best benifit is that there will be MORE people with MORE race cars going to tracks bringing in more revenue giving these tracks a better chance of survival. Tracks have been closing down all over the country mostly because of real estate. However if you look at most automotive programing and youtube its all designed to sell you parts and create your "build" off these parts and now your "project" sits in the garage for decades because it is expensive and difficult to out together with lack of time. Now these people can't go racing and the tracks have less people using them and brining in revenue.
Neat project. Playing with online calculators, you only need to take about 100 lbs out and get the motor to ~235 hp to break into the 13s. Get rid of the back seat and spare tire and do your careful optimization of the chassis/drivetrain and, while it may look improbable, it seems very doable!
Exactly ..with my 1989 and 1998 2 door XJ's , the rear seat (bottoms) and spare tires came out the first thing , probably putting both below 3000 lbs ever since . Nobody ever missed the rear seat cushion , and a donut spare wasn't needed even once .
Only way I see him getting another 45hp out of the all stock parts engine is if he can get a bunch of compression by milling the head or block or both.
THAT truck didnt get the love it deserved, either.....but they SUCKED GAS.....like the V6 Ranger 4x4 I had....bloody brilliant truck but there was NO WAY to get it to pass the gas pump. by playing with all the little things I could....I got it to 19-20mpg and that was IT...
They also put the 5.9 in regular looking dakotas. Was basically part of a tow package. Found ones years ago I really wanted. Had a camper top and was a plain looking Dakota. But, had the 5.9, tow package, and I think limited slip. Would have been a way faster truck than it looked.
Do you think that those Dakotas would be around in Uncle Tony’s area ? I live in Australia and don’t know 🤷 Would be a great project because it’s a magnum engine and would be more inline with the Mustang he had. The jeep will be good but I don’t believe it’s a much of a challenge as him and 9,000 other people have been trying to get power out of the 4.0 for years. But’s that’s me
First off, I always felt the Road Runner was the prime example of a muscle car, now, I'm a Ford guy, but Mopar absolutely nailed it. Base model intermediate, no bells and whistles this side of the option list, standard big block (nothing wrong with a B engine) lightweight, and a 4spd trans. Perfect recipe for the definition of a basic muscle car - which they were supposed to be basic. Other chock marks For the Road Runner - you could step all the way up to the Hemi, 4spd or auto to match, and a Dana 60 out back, the perfect options for a muscle car. On to the XJ, somehow, I was positive that's what "improbable" would be! I've had two - and understanding how UT looks at vehicles, I get why he chose one. Good sturdy unibody, lightweight, the 4.0 can be left stock, or built to do anything you like, there's the 5spd,or the automatic they come with is one of the best there is to offer, they're simple to work on, and easy to swap in almost anything you care to. As an aside, the off-road package carries a different camshaft that makes a big difference from idle all the way up - found out about the alternate cam when my Ex's off-road package 4.0 XJ had a rebuild some time after we parted, and they used the standard grind. I get it UT!
Albeit most Road Runners were not plane cars,think of them like new pick up trucks you have base to 1000 options in between..You rarely see base Road Runners most have carpet,deluxe interior and exterior trim..
This will be a cool idea to see where it goes. I totally agree with what you've learned from having these. That's why I've had at least one for years now. They're just great to have around.
Cool! I had a 1988 Jeep Comanche Eliminator..A short bed 2wd with a five speed and a 3.55 rear. It was only 177hp and I ran 15.7 at 89mph. I miss that truck!
Uncle Tony, I absolutely love this! This is why I really enjoy watching your channel. You do projects that almost anyone can do with a working man’s budget. Can’t wait to see this project get going!👍
I'm really excited to see this. I had a 92 Cherokee Laredo 4.0L 4x4 automatic that I was doing this same sort of thing on in college back around 2005-2007. It needed exhaust and some engine work and I was hanging around hot rod people, but I was new to messing with cars, so why not. I used only chain auto store parts, Home Depot materials and a couple of stockish replacement upgrade parts from Summit, (header, cat, muffler. All that stuff was half price of OEM replacements) Rest was done with a dremel and attention to detail. My goals were, get more merging power, stay NJ( registered state) emissions legal, and only remove parts before going to track that could be replaced after getting back home. I was in FL at the time and took it to Orlando Speed World. Started the quest at 18.4, I think, and gave up at exactly 16.0. It was my daily and didn't want to get any more drastic or have major down time. It was a load of fun testing little things out. but was always curious what an XJ could do all out. Wished I had a 2wd 2dr to do this. I miss that car.
Soon as I saw that was your choice, I started having "ideas" 😁 In goes the Li-ion battery so now it's below 3K. In goes MTL in the tranny so you can actually get gears. In goes the Pull-A-Part 3:55 gears and a locker. If the engine is OK (?), off comes the head and gets milled 0.030". Recurve the dizzy and add some additional mechanical swing so you can get 34* with 10* initial. Magic marker around the inside of gaskets on exhaust and intake on the head and manifolds and grind to match so smooth flow. While the head is off, do the ports on the short side and tear drop the intake guides at least, maybe go further just like any budget weekend guy. If the engine is toast (?) off-set grind the crank 0.020 under to get the new Silvolite (Rock Auto) flat tops closer to the top of the bore. If they're going to grind the crank anyway, might as well get 40 thou more swing 😁
AWESOME.....love that year, my daughters first car was a 98. Great little truck with a 5 speed too as a 2 wheel drive.That thing was quick. ....MOPAR 4 EVER.
Looks like it was rearended. Hence why both quarters are buckled. Kinda like the quarter panel on your 67 charger was buckled. But on both sides this time. Rear bumper mostly missing and whats lefts is twisted. It was rearended or it was towing something to heavy and it bent the frame and body down.
I bet if one was to look at the frame real close there is a buckle or a bow. . Either it was rearended or it had to much hitch weight pulling trailer. I lean towards rear impact.
Way back in 86 I had a Jeep Eliminator with a 4.0 with every go faster bits that I bought from Easton Racing which was a factory supported off road race team that was prepared for stock racing and it would bitchslap almost anything it linedup against. My best day was beating a Honda CB900.
Damn. That's hard to believe. Not saying your not telling the truth. Just one of those things that makes a person say " ya, I have to see that". Very cool man.
@@whatyoumakeofit6635 Can't speak for him, but I grew up getting hauled around in an 89 Comanche Eliminator and damn if my dad didn't race anything that was willing. That truck would walk cars you would never expect possible.
That engine and transmission combo makes serious torque! Me and my wife rented the four wheel drive version several times in Colorado to explore the jeep trails in the Silverton, Ouray, Telluride and Lake city area back in 1992 and it was very powerful even at high elevations..........13,100 at Imogene pass.
Tony - My '69 Javelin came with the original 232 six. I built a 258 with a fairly hot cam and the 4 liter head conversion, headers, etc. Got it running last summer and it sounded awesome, but wouldn't hold oil pressure. Determined to get the car on the road, I bought another junk yard six, hung all my speed parts on it, and it also sounded great - until it didn't. The motor quickly soured and went south. A tear-down revealed some foreign piece of metal that looked like a piece a dowel was rattling around and screwed up a couple of pistons and bent some valves. At this point, I was running low on patience, money, and time (I'm 72). So I did the most unthinkable but most affordable thing I could do and put a running Vortec 350 in it. Yeah, I know. All this to say, " HELL YES on Mission Improbable - I'm in!"
As a dude doing primarily bolt on upgrades to an old 78 LTD, this made my smile. There's something really fun about working with what you've got, on a budget; seeing it improve little by little.
Several years ago there was a build on one of these. They turbo'd it, and set it up for-of all things- SCCA road races. So these vehicles have potential. Just gotta think outside the box. Good Luck!
I love to see you as happy as you are now. This is a good example of what this channel is for. I only think you will need a bigger cam, even if it is not "stock" 😂
I had that exact jeep same colors and options 25 years ago I was a teenager and had a lot of fun with it I did blue the rear end a couple times and was frequently changing the rear tires lots fun
Should be a good series. The only way to have topped this would have been the early 90s Comanche. My dad tested one with the top 6 cyl 4.0 and it scooted when I drove it.
I’m all about this idea! I have traditional muscle cars but I also have two XJ’s, one of which I was looking to take to the track. So I’ll be watching this project very closely.
Look at the rear frame rail real good. Both quarters bulged with no visible external damage. Rear bumper gone. Odds are it was bumped from the rear or possibly a trailer towing incident. Not trying to be negative but a caution before you sink money in it. Love your videos . Rock on brother.
T, I'm with you, I drive a 99Tahoe, 2dr, last year, 383, 4L70 , 4.10, very spirited truck runs as it should...... drove one of them Cherokee's with the HO 4.0 and it was a blast to drive...... stick with the latest 90's vehicles certain ones are unbeatable. Great choice.
I didn't see this coming, but I knew it would be something that fits into "the fleet". These XJs are interesting, they are very truck-like and yet lightweight and simple.
Looks like a cool build. I can’t wait to see these projects come to life. The Jeep. The Propane motor. The plan Z. Bottle Rocket. Slag Hammer. All of it. Just the type of stuff I would do if I had the time.
Have a look for kinks in the frame rails above the diff , Looks to me like its had some sort of drama with a trailed that,s pulled down the rear and kinked the quarter panels .John K.
I got a chuckle when you said that you had to get rid of the airbag steering wheel because "I just can't live with that". 😀 I knew a guy who had a 4.0 Jeep Cherokee and it would rip.
I picked up a four door 93 with a blown rear cheap. Last design before I sold it it had a disc brake rear. Nice wheels and tires and all jeep stock massaged parts. Ported airbox, ported plastics to and from air box, k&n filter, ported throttle body, custom open plenum spacer under throttle body made from 1" aluminum stock, ported intake manifold. Great running 4.0l! I did a ported head but never got to install it. Similar to this project, I did it around 2001. Thanks
There you go, with a bell housing from a 3.9l V6 Dakota w/stick, (AX15 Tranny) and some available motormounts a 318 will bolt into that Jeep and we're back to the original project.
I've got an '89 2dr 4x4 4l AX15 (converted to "external" throw out bearing) 5spd "Sport", manual everything, rear "windwings" unlike your one piece side glass, that is surprisingly quick... a bit quicker after headers, 2.5" and flowmaster. No idea how fast it is, but not bad at all. Looking forward to following this project !
Up north you are rarely seeing them in the junk yards,many just rotted away from age,these jeep rot away like no ones business in the winter, 1 or 2 will pop up once in a while in the junk yard,they get them further south,usually they have little to no rust.
I've had a few of those older Cherokees and love learning about optimizing what the oem had rather than chopping and swapping. Looking forward to this series! Could you please make a playlist so we don't miss any videos on this one? 🙂👍
Brother your on to something. The pumped out almost 2.9 million units, a brand new remanned engine from Fraser is 2100-2700 on the upper end it includes all of your add on parts plugs, wires, belts ,hoses you get the idea. You've got me very interested. Another cool project 😎😎😎👍👍
I had to stop at the 361. Good engines! You will find that you need 2 propane carbs and 2 regulators to feed her. The low side from the regulators will need H-pipes to keep the tuning proper. I ran a 402 chevy like that and she went HAPPY. From an old propane racer, Mikel
Yes, I already know it's undercarbed but this is really just a trial set-up so that I can get my feet wet with something simple. If I end up really liking it, I have plans to try and copy the old Propane X engine. Ultimately that's what the Hemi on the engine stand is destined for.
BTW, you can boost reference to the atmospheric vents and run a blow through setup, if you so desire. Done it and works like Donkey Kong. If you so inclined to add boost. HD5 propane runs 105 octane. No cylinder wash and no fuel puddles. The only thing is port velocity, which is not much of a problem unless taken to an extreme. Otherwise, happy engine. Usually another 1.5 extra compression ratio over a wet intake works well. Mikel
So glad for this project. I feel like the real pride and joy of hot rodding is always murdered by big business. Its crazy to me that doing more with less seems to baffle people so much now. Xj is a great platform to showcase it. It could definitely be a long running series between weight savings and massaging the factory components. Once it gets where you like it you can run it against the stroker kit equipped model.
One of my dad's friends had one of those in the day, seems like it had a steering wheel similar to the Lifestyle era Tuff Wheel. 13 year old me was impressed.
Loved my red '96 XJ. I often thought about performance potential as a lemons car. That one is about the same weight as my 911! And 96s are nice with OBD2 but without some of the problems that came later.
MISSION CHE-ROCKY! The Rookie Drag JEEP! Cant wait to see the 60 foot ET! Nice jeep. Maybe a little better shape and deal than the burnt Challenger. Hahaha
I had a factory 2wd, 98 classic .. I smoked a sn95 from the red light. Let out after 100... She was a hoss... I could go anywhere my cousin could with his in 4 hi. Never missed a beat. Oh, lol. Also no cat... Straight back
Hey Tony , the steering gear box is interchangeable with the S10 , and the early s10's had a manual steering option, I put one in my 81 Malibu , and it was fine.
Thanks for not doing the sped-up videos! And thanks for maintaining your vision and backing out of the 318 MI series. And the hemi would make a great test victim for a JB Weld part 2 video.
That sounds like a great project, I would say it is going to be very difficult to get high 13's with that engine. I'm looking forward to future vids with this one!
An AX-15 found in the wild! Those things are rare now. Stroke the 4.0 out to a 4.6. It can be done with all jeep parts.... other than the pistons that is.
Back in the late 80's early 90's there was a guy that used to go the street races with one of these Jeeps, it was a 4x4 with a nitrous kit. I can't recall if he was running a 125 or a 150 shot, but at the strip it would run 13.10's on street tires and a completely stock engine. He killed a ton of Mustangs, Camaros, Vettes, and Grand Nationals with that Jeep. That thing left like a rocket with the Nitrous on 4x4.
Nice acquisition! I had forgotten that the Cherokee had a two door option. My experience with Cherokee’s was limited to early 90s police package models with automatics and 4x4. My first impression driving one reminded me of my mom’s 80 Fairmont wagon (not necessarily a bad thing). Light weight and 4x4 made these work great off road even with Goodyear “pursuit” tires. They’d go over beach sand just leaving them in AWD mode while the bigger four-bys had to use four-low. I look forward to you playing with the six. I’d say that there’s more probability in you getting it into the 13s as not.
Not pertinent to this video but today a kid I work with pointed at an old Dodge diplomat and asked what would you do with something like that? I told him I'd take it home and refer to Uncle Tony videos.
I love it! I knew you were gonna do this! Ever since you mentioned the road manners of your other 2wd I’ve had this in my head. Can’t wait to see what you do! I wanna find another XJ 2wd hooptie at run it at LeMons.
I don't consider any of these new/newer mostly plastic soon to fail electronics way way overpriced vehicles "muscle" anything! No way no how. This project sounds super cool.
Absolutely following this. I just bought a 91 2-door 2WD XJ and plan to build a V8 swapped lowered sleeper. Ladder bar front and rear. Not sure on motor. Want a small block LA but the LS GM stuff is so available and easy to swap it’s a hard decision.
Perhaps you’ve already seen the Jeep XJ-R race Cherokee? It’s very much in the spirit of what you’re doing except on a road course. And the do-all Jeep XJ is winning in that racing category.
That HAD to be cheap. Looking at it from a BUYERS standpoint: 2wd, 2 door, manual, beat to crap broken lights, dents, no keys, doesn't run. This is NOT what the average XJ buyer is looking for!!!
For Tony? It's PERFECT!
Do you know what I like about your channel Tony? It’s honest. No glitz and glamour,just plain,honest hot rodding. That is what makes it special. Thank you for this.
I applaud you wanting to stick to the 1996 model year for replacement parts.
However, I personally don’t have any issues if you change your mind and decide to use parts from perhaps the 1987 to 1998 model years, when the Jeep Cherokee XJ was a Chrysler Corporation product.
Using improved factory parts from other model years is a time-honored tradition in hot rodding.
Great concept, Tony!
😎
I don’t see any reason to limit anything.
Do whatever, if it’s an improvement, do it.
Just yesterday i picked my 93 xj, 3d 5 speed, from body shop, where it remained since november 2022. It was rusted to the core. 1.5 years of grinding, cutting, welding, sanding, painting.... It consumed bodies of 2 less Lucky xj's in the process. But i got it done and now back on the road.
Many, many times people asked me: why are you doing this? Well, you can't describe unless you drive one.
Best wishes with your project, Uncle Tony, deep respect
YESSS! Years ago a customer had one of those; 4.0 2wd 2dr 5-speed, and it was really fun to drive! I told him I would buy it whenever he was done with it, but unfortunately he got T-boned in it and totaled it, and I have never seen another one in that combination, but that truck was surprisingly quick for what it was, and I always thought it would make a cool hotrod, so I’m really looking forward to this!
I had an eliminator at one point , it was surprisingly fun
You mentioned the Hurst Olds.
I have an emotional attachment to that car. It's the car that put hot ridding in my blood. The first time I met my soon to be step dad was 1973. I was a little 4 year old boy playing in the dirt in our front yard when he pulled up in the most beautiful car I'd ever seen then or since.. I was only 4 but I'll never forget that exhaust tone when he rolled up.
An absolutely gorgeous, Metallic silver/gray with a cool black stripe down the sides, wrapping around the rear tapered window. Hood vents, black stripes on the hood, solid black trunk lid.
1968 Hurst Oldsmobile..
Wooden steering wheel, 8track player.. Man that was a bad a** car. 455 big block.
He and my mom were married and that was our daily driver until I was 10 years old.. I came home from school and there was a brand new Grand Prix and a Buick Riviera in the driveway.
I asked who's cars they were and James (stepdad) told me that he traded the Olds for both cars.
I cried the rest of the day and my heart has stayed broken since.
😁 But at least I have some really cool pictures and some irreplaceable memories.
There were only 538 of those cars built in 1967-68 so my chances of ever owning one are about the same as me winning the lotto.
At least you have those memories to share. That counts!
@@LongIslandMopars indeed. 😊
👀 I've actually considered writing a book centered around it. As a kid and even as a young adult, I told myself that I would one day find one to buy one. But what I didn't know then was that there was only a limited few of them ever produced.
A very little few at just over 500.
There's some still in existence but they're worth more than my house lol. 😳 But there's still hope.
I may be able to score an old 68-69 Cutlass that needs (more than) a little TLC and make myself a clone.
Better yet, a 442 is really close and a bad a** muscle car itself.
@@lilmike2710 if you have pictures consider doing a picture documentary on your channel. I'm starting to do that with cars from my youth and will eventually culminate in a series about my dad's 66 Coronet that he bought new and for which I own today. Plenty of vids on my channel but none yet that will tell it's story.
@@LongIslandMopars Good idea
I think part of what makes the Cherokee a classic, is that it's a unicorn among cars. A well-rounded vehicle that's damn good at some things, but genuinely still great at everything else a fun and useful vehicle should be expected to be. That versatility is baked in from the design ethos and culture cultivated by AMC at that time. AMC was a company that had to maximize its capabilities with its limited funds. So it needed a chassis it could use to underpin a number of different vehicles. To pull this off, they did what they did best. They innovated--entirely CAD designed, which was uncommon amongst American manufactures. Computer simulations and modeling, completely unheard of at the time. They bet everything on it, and in doing so, fundamentally changed the automotive world. Every single car sold today, has a direct lineage back to the humble XJ. It made companies stop in their tracks, change their design language, how they design, how they market and what they sold. The modern automotive world can quite literally be defined apart from other automotive periods, as 'Before XJ' and 'After XJ'.
Dick Teague , at AMC , did the design work , very successfully .
I never heard about that but thats a cool glimpse of what the XJ become over the years
And American Motors , despite its small size and financial problems , never , to my knowledge , made a bad engine ...unlike General Motors !
@@curtisjknight6367 Well they were using tried-and-true low-tech engine platforms up until the fuel injection era. Fun fact: on these early fuel-injected vehicles, notice how long it cranks before it starts - there is something messed up in the ECM firmware, I suspect it takes it a long time to figure out where the crank/cam is before it applies either spark or fuel. They always take a lot of cranking before they fire off. My 1941 Chevrolet with the 216 inline 6 cylinder started much faster than a fuel-injected 4.0l!
Ok you brought back a memory from the mid 90's. I was away working for 10 years and moved back home to find my auto mechanic buddy had left the Eldorado, Grandville, Tornado cars he loved as a young mechanic and was driving a 4 liter, 4 door 2 wheel drive manual shift Jeep Cherokee. We jumped in to go visit some friends and wow, what a rocket.
The story is the engine was destroyed by something put into the tank. The jeep was 3 years old. My buddy built the engine up to a very potent runner. Those engines have torque and
built up they have speed as well.
I have no doubt that you'll hit 13.99 in the quarter. Cheers 🇨🇦
My high school had one of these in that configuration when they were new in the mid 90s.
I worked for the school and got to run errands in it.
I was completely surprised how quick it was.
I was very impressed.
That’s when I learned about the “H.O.” 4.0, and that that they came in 2wd.
Check the frame over the rear axle. Quarter panels tweaked like that is usually a sign of being rear ended or the trailer attached was rear ended that caused it to buckle .
Was really looking forward to original mission impossible 318😢
Yeah, me too.
Get over it
MISSING IMPOSSIBLE
He's not going to do a 318 he can't get 318 horse out of it on stock parts
@@chanel7name792 even Tony says the 318 will never produce 318hp, it was about how close he could get using just knowledge and skill.
I recently realized why I like my XJs so much, it’s because they are so archaic. Very basic, yet entirely adequate.
the perfect cheap ass vehicle...BAM, and done
Àmen from a old fart 63!👍💯
My '96 Sport is gone now- thank you, tweakers!- but I still have my '88 Comanche SporTruck 4.0/5-sp/231/3.55s, and I love it for that reason.
As far as modern design, as new a vehicle I need is a mk4 vw (99-05).
Newer radios from newer models can be swapped in, because Bluetooth is kinda nice.
It's got ac and cruise, you have your choice of 3 gasoline engines and 1 diesel.
It's the last really good platform they built, before the bean counters took over.
I usually still see 3-5 a day rolling around the roads here in the northeast.
Not bad where the newest one is pushing 19yrs old.
It takes some digging ,but most manufacturers usually have something that's a useful platform for longevity.
😅 I always felt kinda cramped in mine.. it's like a cockpit from a very small plane..
Tony I had same truck. Was kinda quick. But would not run close to my stock 69 383 charger. You definitely have ur work cut out for you. Ill be watching! Best of luck!
I had a '65 Valiant, 225 slant 3 onthe tree, real Granny car.
But, some raised white letter BF Goodrichs, larger in the rear, and it became a muscle car in my heart!
That's exactly what I had as a first car ( Australian version) , I couldn't afford wide tires though, I had to make do with skinny bias ply's, still a good car though.
I like the mindset and plan. Most of us don't have access to an endless bank account or a quality engine building machinist. I just watched a interview with Waddell Wilson. He mentioned the attention to detail down to bearing seals and type of bearing grease he used building multiple race winning cars. Rolling resistance is often over looked by throwing $ into the motor. Old fashioned ingenuity adds up, no detail overlooked that will pay a dividend.
Let the man do his thing how he sees fit and enjoy the show. Take what you need, leave what you don't
It's videos like this that make this channel so good. Even as a retired veteran mechanic, these projects make me think out of the box. Very cool. And much appreciated.
Old School “Trackhawk”
NOT EVEN
not without 4x4/AWD
Track Hawks aren't 4 liters
Maybe if it was a ZJ 5.9 Limited
🦈
A 2wd Jeep XJ with the Manual Transmission & in a 2 door? Wow!
Living here in Idaho we see thousands of Jeeps, but I can honestly say I've never seen one of these. A lot of 4wd ones, but no 2wd's.
Pretty cool UTG.
Holy cow, i totally feel you on the comment about all the little things taking time when working on a project. All the painting and finding all the hardware and assembling things, just takes up a ton of time and when you're doing it part time on the weekends, what seems like a reasonable project can drag on for months or years simply because of this. This weekend I took several motor brackets and the support cages for the pop-up headlights on my car project, and spent several hours on Saturday removing any rust or old paint that was flaking off, then cleaning everything up in prep for paint, and then I spent several hours on Sunday painting all of this stuff outside in the unseasonably warm Chicago weather (72 degrees!) fighting with the gusty wind the entire time... But the point is, there went the entire weekend just getting those few things done. Next weekend I'll probably bolt most of this stuff back on the chassis or motor, and then I'll proceed to the next batch of small items that needs to be done before I can get this car functional again... It's all these little things that seem to take the longest and are probably what often stall or kill projects because the entire time you're working on this stuff, you feel like you're accomplishing very little. Still it all needs to get done.
Tony whatever you do, do not give up on this project even if the viewership isnt there at first. Most people lack vision and arent seeing how satisfying it is to take a regular vehicle down the drag strip for a baseline and then make it faster. This is hot rodding in its original and purist form and only Uncle Tony can teach everyone the proper and safe way to go about it.
Also another benifit of this project is for people who dont have much money, and the only time they spend on this hobby is through watching your youtube videos. With dirt cheap builds like these, it will get people to be able to work on a project and make it perform, but the best benifit is that there will be MORE people with MORE race cars going to tracks bringing in more revenue giving these tracks a better chance of survival. Tracks have been closing down all over the country mostly because of real estate. However if you look at most automotive programing and youtube its all designed to sell you parts and create your "build" off these parts and now your "project" sits in the garage for decades because it is expensive and difficult to out together with lack of time. Now these people can't go racing and the tracks have less people using them and brining in revenue.
Neat project. Playing with online calculators, you only need to take about 100 lbs out and get the motor to ~235 hp to break into the 13s. Get rid of the back seat and spare tire and do your careful optimization of the chassis/drivetrain and, while it may look improbable, it seems very doable!
Exactly ..with my 1989 and 1998 2 door XJ's , the rear seat (bottoms) and spare tires came out the first thing , probably putting both below 3000 lbs ever since . Nobody ever missed the rear seat cushion , and a donut spare wasn't needed even once .
Only way I see him getting another 45hp out of the all stock parts engine is if he can get a bunch of compression by milling the head or block or both.
I bet the quarter panel damage came from a rear end collision.
I have seen these Jeeps on Marketplace in the PA area for $700-$1500 . I may jump on one . I always liked the body style ..and they are good trucks.
the whole concept is very easy to understand and its awesome the car is perfect for this project go for it tony
I remember the 2wd short wheel base Dakota being a bottom 15 second truck back in the day with its 5.2L V8.
THAT truck didnt get the love it deserved, either.....but they SUCKED GAS.....like the V6 Ranger 4x4 I had....bloody brilliant truck but there was NO WAY to get it to pass the gas pump. by playing with all the little things I could....I got it to 19-20mpg and that was IT...
Now that would be a great build .
Wish we got those little Utes here in Australia 🇦🇺
Yes. I drove my buddies, manual transmission and it was quick.
They also put the 5.9 in regular looking dakotas. Was basically part of a tow package. Found ones years ago I really wanted. Had a camper top and was a plain looking Dakota. But, had the 5.9, tow package, and I think limited slip. Would have been a way faster truck than it looked.
Do you think that those Dakotas would be around in Uncle Tony’s area ?
I live in Australia and don’t know 🤷
Would be a great project because it’s a magnum engine and would be more inline with the Mustang he had.
The jeep will be good but I don’t believe it’s a much of a challenge as him and 9,000 other people have been trying to get power out of the 4.0 for years.
But’s that’s me
Looks like it took a rear hit and curled both rear quarters.
First off, I always felt the Road Runner was the prime example of a muscle car, now, I'm a Ford guy, but Mopar absolutely nailed it. Base model intermediate, no bells and whistles this side of the option list, standard big block (nothing wrong with a B engine) lightweight, and a 4spd trans.
Perfect recipe for the definition of a basic muscle car - which they were supposed to be basic. Other chock marks For the Road Runner - you could step all the way up to the Hemi, 4spd or auto to match, and a Dana 60 out back, the perfect options for a muscle car.
On to the XJ, somehow, I was positive that's what "improbable" would be!
I've had two - and understanding how UT looks at vehicles, I get why he chose one. Good sturdy unibody, lightweight, the 4.0 can be left stock, or built to do anything you like, there's the 5spd,or the automatic they come with is one of the best there is to offer, they're simple to work on, and easy to swap in almost anything you care to.
As an aside, the off-road package carries a different camshaft that makes a big difference from idle all the way up - found out about the alternate cam when my Ex's off-road package 4.0 XJ had a rebuild some time after we parted, and they used the standard grind.
I get it UT!
Albeit most Road Runners were not plane cars,think of them like new pick up trucks you have base to 1000 options in between..You rarely see base Road Runners most have carpet,deluxe interior and exterior trim..
Had a 89 còmmanche 4.0 manual ,i installed a header ,exhaust, chip,intake,etc. It was a really strong runner,,lots of fun. Tony go for it all the way!
This will be a cool idea to see where it goes. I totally agree with what you've learned from having these. That's why I've had at least one for years now. They're just great to have around.
Cool! I had a 1988 Jeep Comanche Eliminator..A short bed 2wd with a five speed and a 3.55 rear. It was only 177hp and I ran 15.7 at 89mph. I miss that truck!
Uncle Tony, I absolutely love this! This is why I really enjoy watching your channel. You do projects that almost anyone can do with a working man’s budget. Can’t wait to see this project get going!👍
I'm really excited to see this. I had a 92 Cherokee Laredo 4.0L 4x4 automatic that I was doing this same sort of thing on in college back around 2005-2007. It needed exhaust and some engine work and I was hanging around hot rod people, but I was new to messing with cars, so why not. I used only chain auto store parts, Home Depot materials and a couple of stockish replacement upgrade parts from Summit, (header, cat, muffler. All that stuff was half price of OEM replacements) Rest was done with a dremel and attention to detail. My goals were, get more merging power, stay NJ( registered state) emissions legal, and only remove parts before going to track that could be replaced after getting back home. I was in FL at the time and took it to Orlando Speed World. Started the quest at 18.4, I think, and gave up at exactly 16.0. It was my daily and didn't want to get any more drastic or have major down time. It was a load of fun testing little things out. but was always curious what an XJ could do all out. Wished I had a 2wd 2dr to do this. I miss that car.
I remember those Cherokees being tire roasters, even in the 4 door and automatics.
This is pure hot rodding Tony. Big motor low weight buggar all the rest of it. Yes!
oddball xj muscle car project is an excellent philosophical exercise, and deliberately challenging briefing to fullfill.
Soon as I saw that was your choice, I started having "ideas" 😁 In goes the Li-ion battery so now it's below 3K. In goes MTL in the tranny so you can actually get gears. In goes the Pull-A-Part 3:55 gears and a locker. If the engine is OK (?), off comes the head and gets milled 0.030". Recurve the dizzy and add some additional mechanical swing so you can get 34* with 10* initial. Magic marker around the inside of gaskets on exhaust and intake on the head and manifolds and grind to match so smooth flow. While the head is off, do the ports on the short side and tear drop the intake guides at least, maybe go further just like any budget weekend guy. If the engine is toast (?) off-set grind the crank 0.020 under to get the new Silvolite (Rock Auto) flat tops closer to the top of the bore. If they're going to grind the crank anyway, might as well get 40 thou more swing 😁
AWESOME.....love that year, my daughters first car was a 98. Great little truck with a 5 speed too as a 2 wheel drive.That thing was quick. ....MOPAR 4 EVER.
Looks like it was rearended.
Hence why both quarters are buckled. Kinda like the quarter panel on your 67 charger was buckled. But on both sides this time. Rear bumper mostly missing and whats lefts is twisted. It was rearended or it was towing something to heavy and it bent the frame and body down.
I bet if one was to look at the frame real close there is a buckle or a bow. . Either it was rearended or it had to much hitch weight pulling trailer. I lean towards rear impact.
Way back in 86 I had a Jeep Eliminator with a 4.0 with every go faster bits that I bought from Easton Racing which was a factory supported off road race team that was prepared for stock racing and it would bitchslap almost anything it linedup against. My best day was beating a Honda CB900.
Damn. That's hard to believe. Not saying your not telling the truth. Just one of those things that makes a person say " ya, I have to see that". Very cool man.
@@whatyoumakeofit6635 Sold my *^Camaro Iroc Z to buy it...
@@whatyoumakeofit6635 Can't speak for him, but I grew up getting hauled around in an 89 Comanche Eliminator and damn if my dad didn't race anything that was willing. That truck would walk cars you would never expect possible.
I loved my 86... It would smoke all 4 Goodyear Wranglers@@WeShallBeFreeAtLast
DOubt it girlieman
I've got a two door with over 350,000 miles on it. Runs great
It got hit low in the rear, or backed into something, which cuased the quarter panel to buckle, indirect damage.
That engine and transmission combo makes serious torque! Me and my wife rented the four wheel drive version several times in Colorado to explore the jeep trails in the Silverton, Ouray, Telluride and Lake city area back in 1992 and it was very powerful even at high elevations..........13,100 at Imogene pass.
Tony - My '69 Javelin came with the original 232 six. I built a 258 with a fairly hot cam and the 4 liter head conversion, headers, etc. Got it running last summer and it sounded awesome, but wouldn't hold oil pressure. Determined to get the car on the road, I bought another junk yard six, hung all my speed parts on it, and it also sounded great - until it didn't. The motor quickly soured and went south. A tear-down revealed some foreign piece of metal that looked like a piece a dowel was rattling around and screwed up a couple of pistons and bent some valves. At this point, I was running low on patience, money, and time (I'm 72). So I did the most unthinkable but most affordable thing I could do and put a running Vortec 350 in it. Yeah, I know. All this to say, " HELL YES on Mission Improbable - I'm in!"
As a dude doing primarily bolt on upgrades to an old 78 LTD, this made my smile. There's something really fun about working with what you've got, on a budget; seeing it improve little by little.
Several years ago there was a build on one of these.
They turbo'd it, and set it up for-of all things- SCCA road races.
So these vehicles have potential. Just gotta think outside the box.
Good Luck!
I am with you Tony... I worked for a company back in the day.... jeep 1998 burned rubber.
There was someone in my old home town had one and it had sure grip and would ROAST the tires !
Wait it had GRIP BUT IT ROASTED THE TIRES A TRUE OXYMORON
@@HOTRODMONZAnot really. If it had an open diff it would roast a tire.
Had an 87 cherokee 4x4 4 door with that 4.0. that 5th gear- 70mph is about 1700 rpm. great engine
Love what you do UT, getting what you can out of basic stock 'junk' is totally my thing!
Had a rear quarter get hurt like that on pickup once. Tire came apart, parts of it grabbed a support and pulled in the sheet metal.
I love to see you as happy as you are now. This is a good example of what this channel is for. I only think you will need a bigger cam, even if it is not "stock" 😂
I had that exact jeep same colors and options 25 years ago I was a teenager and had a lot of fun with it I did blue the rear end a couple times and was frequently changing the rear tires lots fun
Is the frame crinkled in the rear?
Yes, definitely
Should be a good series. The only way to have topped this would have been the early 90s Comanche. My dad tested one with the top 6 cyl 4.0 and it scooted when I drove it.
I’m all about this idea! I have traditional muscle cars but I also have two XJ’s, one of which I was looking to take to the track. So I’ll be watching this project very closely.
Absolutely Inspired...
THE WAY OF THE GEARHEAD MONK...
Look at the rear frame rail real good. Both quarters bulged with no visible external damage. Rear bumper gone. Odds are it was bumped from the rear or possibly a trailer towing incident. Not trying to be negative but a caution before you sink money in it. Love your videos . Rock on brother.
T, I'm with you, I drive a 99Tahoe, 2dr, last year, 383, 4L70 , 4.10, very spirited truck runs as it should...... drove one of them Cherokee's with the HO 4.0 and it was a blast to drive...... stick with the latest 90's vehicles certain ones are unbeatable. Great choice.
I didn't see this coming, but I knew it would be something that fits into "the fleet". These XJs are interesting, they are very truck-like and yet lightweight and simple.
Looks like a cool build. I can’t wait to see these projects come to life. The Jeep. The Propane motor. The plan Z. Bottle Rocket. Slag Hammer. All of it. Just the type of stuff I would do if I had the time.
Have a look for kinks in the frame rails above the diff , Looks to me like its had some sort of drama with a trailed that,s pulled down the rear and kinked the quarter panels .John K.
I got a chuckle when you said that you had to get rid of the airbag steering wheel because "I just can't live with that". 😀 I knew a guy who had a 4.0 Jeep Cherokee and it would rip.
I picked up a four door 93 with a blown rear cheap. Last design before I sold it it had a disc brake rear. Nice wheels and tires and all jeep stock massaged parts. Ported airbox, ported plastics to and from air box, k&n filter, ported throttle body, custom open plenum spacer under throttle body made from 1" aluminum stock, ported intake manifold. Great running 4.0l! I did a ported head but never got to install it. Similar to this project, I did it around 2001. Thanks
There you go, with a bell housing from a 3.9l V6 Dakota w/stick, (AX15 Tranny) and some available motormounts a 318 will bolt into that Jeep and we're back to the original project.
I've got an '89 2dr 4x4 4l AX15 (converted to "external" throw out bearing) 5spd "Sport", manual everything, rear "windwings" unlike your one piece side glass, that is surprisingly quick... a bit quicker after headers, 2.5" and flowmaster.
No idea how fast it is, but not bad at all.
Looking forward to following this project !
Those are pretty quick for what they are
Great project. I love all the I6 love that’s happening here. Return of first engine job - hurray!
Up north you are rarely seeing them in the junk yards,many just rotted away from age,these jeep rot away like no ones business in the winter,
1 or 2 will pop up once in a while in the junk yard,they get them further south,usually they have little to no rust.
"Finishing Not Probable"
No starting date.
No end date.
No organized schedule of work.
Thanks Mr. Downer
@@bigjaz8768 hahaha 👍! Yer right!
... Unfortunately.. so am I.
@outlawbillionairez9780 yeah I like Tony's stuff but he does take a while to get stuff done.
@@bigjaz8768 I'm just playing. I'll follow along, as usual. 😉
I've had a few of those older Cherokees and love learning about optimizing what the oem had rather than chopping and swapping. Looking forward to this series! Could you please make a playlist so we don't miss any videos on this one? 🙂👍
Brother your on to something. The pumped out almost 2.9 million units, a brand new remanned engine from Fraser is 2100-2700 on the upper end it includes all of your add on parts plugs, wires, belts ,hoses you get the idea. You've got me very interested. Another cool project 😎😎😎👍👍
I test drove a 2 door, 2 wheel drive Cherokee with the H.O. 4.0 and an automatic. That thing was FUN to drive! I look forward to this project!
I had to stop at the 361. Good engines! You will find that you need 2 propane carbs and 2 regulators to feed her. The low side from the regulators will need H-pipes to keep the tuning proper.
I ran a 402 chevy like that and she went HAPPY.
From an old propane racer,
Mikel
Yes, I already know it's undercarbed but this is really just a trial set-up so that I can get my feet wet with something simple. If I end up really liking it, I have plans to try and copy the old Propane X engine. Ultimately that's what the Hemi on the engine stand is destined for.
@@UncleTonysGarage can't wait to see!!!
Mikel
BTW, you can boost reference to the atmospheric vents and run a blow through setup, if you so desire. Done it and works like Donkey Kong. If you so inclined to add boost. HD5 propane runs 105 octane. No cylinder wash and no fuel puddles. The only thing is port velocity, which is not much of a problem unless taken to an extreme. Otherwise, happy engine. Usually another 1.5 extra compression ratio over a wet intake works well.
Mikel
So glad for this project. I feel like the real pride and joy of hot rodding is always murdered by big business. Its crazy to me that doing more with less seems to baffle people so much now. Xj is a great platform to showcase it. It could definitely be a long running series between weight savings and massaging the factory components. Once it gets where you like it you can run it against the stroker kit equipped model.
My Favorite Mopar Guy.He really knows his stuff.When a Person like the Ghost Car that he was trying to sell.This Guy doesn't have a Car to sell.
One of my dad's friends had one of those in the day, seems like it had a steering wheel similar to the Lifestyle era Tuff Wheel. 13 year old me was impressed.
Loved my red '96 XJ. I often thought about performance potential as a lemons car. That one is about the same weight as my 911! And 96s are nice with OBD2 but without some of the problems that came later.
MISSION CHE-ROCKY!
The Rookie Drag JEEP!
Cant wait to see the 60 foot ET!
Nice jeep. Maybe a little better shape and deal than the burnt Challenger. Hahaha
I've been waiting on the propane performance engine build. It seems like it will never happen, damn It sounded like such a cool idea.
Unsubbed months ago over seeing yet another XJ added to the channel. I check back in just out of curiosity. What do I see. Another XJ.
I had a factory 2wd, 98 classic .. I smoked a sn95 from the red light. Let out after 100... She was a hoss... I could go anywhere my cousin could with his in 4 hi. Never missed a beat. Oh, lol. Also no cat... Straight back
The xj madness continues
Hey Tony , the steering gear box is interchangeable with the S10 , and the early s10's had a manual steering option, I put one in my 81 Malibu , and it was fine.
Thanks for not doing the sped-up videos! And thanks for maintaining your vision and backing out of the 318 MI series. And the hemi would make a great test victim for a JB Weld part 2 video.
That sounds like a great project, I would say it is going to be very difficult to get high 13's with that engine. I'm looking forward to future vids with this one!
An AX-15 found in the wild! Those things are rare now. Stroke the 4.0 out to a 4.6. It can be done with all jeep parts.... other than the pistons that is.
Haha I knew it was gonna be an XJ hahahah
Extremely interesting platform. Great potential
Super choice Tony 👌👌👌
I had an 89 Comanche with 4.0 auto and 3.91 rear gear, it ran great. I didn't care for the straight front axle. But was a very fun truck
Back in the late 80's early 90's there was a guy that used to go the street races with one of these Jeeps, it was a 4x4 with a nitrous kit. I can't recall if he was running a 125 or a 150 shot, but at the strip it would run 13.10's on street tires and a completely stock engine. He killed a ton of Mustangs, Camaros, Vettes, and Grand Nationals with that Jeep. That thing left like a rocket with the Nitrous on 4x4.
These 2-door XJs are the coolest!
it was hit in the rear bumper or, the driver backed into something .
yes Tony we want to see you work
Nice acquisition! I had forgotten that the Cherokee had a two door option. My experience with Cherokee’s was limited to early 90s police package models with automatics and 4x4. My first impression driving one reminded me of my mom’s 80 Fairmont wagon (not necessarily a bad thing). Light weight and 4x4 made these work great off road even with Goodyear “pursuit” tires. They’d go over beach sand just leaving them in AWD mode while the bigger four-bys had to use four-low. I look forward to you playing with the six. I’d say that there’s more probability in you getting it into the 13s as not.
Not pertinent to this video but today a kid I work with pointed at an old Dodge diplomat and asked what would you do with something like that? I told him I'd take it home and refer to Uncle Tony videos.
if your close to ohio send it my way
quite literally one of my dream vehicles.
I love it! I knew you were gonna do this! Ever since you mentioned the road manners of your other 2wd I’ve had this in my head. Can’t wait to see what you do! I wanna find another XJ 2wd hooptie at run it at LeMons.
I don't consider any of these new/newer mostly plastic soon to fail electronics way way overpriced vehicles "muscle" anything! No way no how. This project sounds super cool.
Easy goal with that combo, I'll say you end up several 10th's quicker. Personally I would drop in a stroker small block and make it a ripper.
Absolutely following this. I just bought a 91 2-door 2WD XJ and plan to build a V8 swapped lowered sleeper. Ladder bar front and rear. Not sure on motor. Want a small block LA but the LS GM stuff is so available and easy to swap it’s a hard decision.
Perhaps you’ve already seen the Jeep XJ-R race Cherokee? It’s very much in the spirit of what you’re doing except on a road course. And the do-all Jeep XJ is winning in that racing category.