I'm not watching this because I don't think you can do it, or because I do think you can do it, I'm watching for the fun of the challenge. Nobody knows exactly how you may or may not get there, but there will be a lot to discover, and fun had. That's really what I think the heart of this challenge is.
If I have the numbers right and I think I do, the new program that Doc writes will do most of the leg work. I'm not throwing shade I just know how much can be done with a good tune. But of course you need a person in the seat that knows how to drive it. It'll be an interesting project
I'm honestly surprised they didn't just do the ecm whatever, delete some of the extras, swap a deeper gear LSD rear in it and spray a 100 shit at it and call it budget. That's been the recipe for the magazines since ... Well... 1996.
Little bit of a cool suggestion. Once this car reaches it s final form. Since it is a RockAuto source build. Can you do a cool little magnet like they have?
@@jseal21the tune will do most if not all of the leg work power gain wise for sure but that wheel spin and less than ideal suspension is... A really big deal. Add 50 HP without addressing the traction and weight transfer I bet the et would be worse lol... a limited slip, slight leaf spring mods, a couple well placed bad shocks and 200lbs off the weight has potential to drop at least a full sec in the eighth... Any gained power will only really help if its put to the ground so id wager that the chassis setup is far more important
If the AC works on something I pick up, I keep it on and working. I've only had a handful of vehicles where it worked, usually its trashed, but when its not, it stays.
yep, "4/50 air conditioning" isn't really that amazing. After 2 hrs on the highway at 75mph, it just beats you up. or maybe it's my age :) but Tony once pointed out that when 4/50 was common, few were cruising at 80 mph on the interstates.
Reminds me so much of my youth in the late sixties. Fridays at a 1/5th outlaw track was more of a social gathering than true racing. I had to save up for weeks to buy a hurst shifter for my 67 mustang, because the ford stock shifter sucked big time. For me it meant I could finally shift hard. Just a little thing like that made me happy and made for a good time. More friends getting together, having a good time, and staying out of trouble.
"Anyone playing along at home..." I like that :) This is the complete opposite of those cable TV shows where you come back from commercial and they've bolted on $4,500 worth of cylinder heads, installed a new $9,500 supercharger and put in their new custom rear end they had built for them. I hate that. Totally unrelatable. I'm more impressed by what a poor mechanic can do than a rich one.
You don't like the "garage shows" with the 250million pro-shop, Mopar backed heavy sponsorship, product endorsements, throwing 50k at a clapped out car in 20 minutes and a behind the scenes crew of 20+ mechanics that does the actual work, as the hosts drink beer and call out small UA-cam channels??? Well, Sir. I guess. 🤣😂🤣😂
That exactly why this thing needs an explorer 8.8 it’s a less than $200 upgrade, way stronger axle, adds disc brakes and posi and can be found in the junkyards with 3:55 3:73 and 4:10 gears. Same wheel bolt pattern
TIRES: Used snow tires will give you 3 bangs for your buck...all the traction that 4.0 needs (they have a softer compound rubber), will save 5-10 # per tire AND will be cheap. WEIGHT can be reduced in the rear leaf springs by cutting the back halves off all but the main spring, and that will also help with weight transfer. Great project Tony we're all having fun with this one!
THIS is the channel I signed up for. I build fast modern euro cars, and have for 30 years. Believe it or not, I learn MORE from these ‘getting the most from stock stuff’ videos.. It makes you think and get creative
Good comfort call on the A/C, Tony. Save the delete kit for another car, but liberate the spare tire, roof rubber, wheel fairings, bumper ends and side door rubbers to compensate. A rubber plug will replace the rear deck lid wiper and sans tunes, ostensibly a radio and speaker delete, too. Rock on.
@@tribble1 Living up here in the snow belt, i can tell you AC really helps quicken the defrost, which can come into play when you do a spring coffee & car show or a "halloween special" cruise night. My 1969 GTO had 1968 side doors since the prior owner was a smoker, and my 68 442 has 'em stock, so i know about those vent windows...they really don't do much if the windows are up and the day is warmer than say, 70 degrees. well, your left hand feels nice, but rest of you on the vinyl seat's getting a little moist if ya know what i mean :) but you're right, it's an aerodymanic issue. the engineers figured it costs less gas to run modern AC and keep the windows up than run 4/70mph.
@@1marcelfilmsright, but you still have the weight in the car. tho today's AC is smaller than the units from the 1970's, if you've ever seen those Hi-C / V8 juice cans :)
Empty that windshield washer fluid resevoir for the track. nearly 8lbs to a gallon. Pull the back seat, I seem to recall it being less than 4 bolts and 5min. It could be back in the Jeep in less time than loading a week of groceries. May be useful..my 92 4.0L loved cheapo Autolite plugs that I side gapped. Had noticeably better throttle response. Port and port match the intake manifold. I made a scoop from aluminum window flashing to go inside the first bay of the grille on the driver side that funnelled up into the factory airbox. It seemed to really like that too.
@@georgewetzel4380Washer fluid is not all water and is less dense than pure water, It is in the 7.5-7.8 pounds per gallon range depending on brand if i remember correctly.
Love this series on the XJ Tony. It takes me back to the late 80's with my fox body mustang when like you I had very little money to spend on speed equipment. So I spent time working on the suspension. I removed the sway bars, removed the front lower control arms, ground the serrations on the inner bushing sleeve add a thin shim washer each side of the control arm and added a small amount of grease. You could rise the control all the to the top of it's travel with one finger and when you let go of it, it fell like a stone to the bottom of it's travel. I did the same with the rear suspension link bars and straight away there was an improvement in the 60 foot times. I can't wait to see the final results.
Best thing about this whole project, is that all 3 of you are just having fun doing it! People get to wrapped up in the numbers & forget that this stuff is supposed to be fun.
The 96 up 8.25 sure grips are 29 spline trac-lok no cones. TONS of them in pull a part. Find a V6 dakota or Liberty with one. It will be tight as a drum.
Basically, build it as if it's your only vehicle. If you have to daily drive your racecar, it needs to be comfortable, reliable and road legal. As someone who only has their daily driver to play with. I know that you have to be careful about how and what you modify. Especially when you're working with a shoestring budget. Most times it's hard just to keep it on the road. Let alone try to make it faster
I know I've said this a lot, but geez, welcome back, Tony! This is the distilled essence I love and the reason I remembered your name from the 80s car magazines.
@UncleTonysGarage That XJ has been asspacked. Put the hitch back on it, hook the hitch to big tree and bump the back end back into place. That should "fix" the hatch latch. It'll also pull the rear quarters straight.
Groceries up over 48% gas up over 95% in the last three years, insurance has gone up. On a fixed retirement income. Yes pennies matter. I've fixed up some vehicles to sell, profit is minimal, by the time I get tires & brakes, belts & hoses I'm in around $2,000 add in any paint & cleaners. Its expensive just to keep them stock
Hey Tony, open that diff , most 2wd Cherokee had a posi , may need to shim it tighter if it's not worn out ,And a better set of tires. The injector thing is gonna be issue and here's why , the single hole has its limits, in my experience, the Ford tan top injector is a direct swap and noticable change in torque, the 12 hole is double the torque improvement of the 4 hole .
In my opinion the cost to buy parts to replace failed parts, e.g. the alternator, shouldn't be factored into your total. Yes, it's a cost, but you have no way of knowing that ahead of time, has nothing to do with making it faster, and for someone to repeat this exercise it's inconsistent, I. E. Maybe their alternator is perfectly fine and their water pump goes, or they blow a belt, or nothing breaks at all.
I love these type of builds! I have a 9 second 2014 Mustang but im currently having a blast with my 97 Ranger that has a 96 Explorer 302 swap. Truck retains EFI, 4r70w trans, A/C, and power everything. Engine is all oem ford parts and so far has been a best of 13.38@103 on the street on my Dragy in good air!
What sense does it make to remove petty sway bars, while keeping the air heavy conditioner? Wouldn't it make more sense to remove the horse from a living room than being busy chasing out the flies that the horse attracted, through its droppings, in the first place? If you can't take the heat, why not wait until autumn and then do your stuff?
I absolutely love this series! I'm with many others on a couple points. Snow tires or wore out mud tires for traction, keep the a/c and LONG LIVE HATCH SLAMMER
My daughter is taking her Jetta to our local 1/4 next weekend. It will be her first time down the track. We are both watching these videos for entertainment and to learn a few things. Can't wait to see how it does.
On the drag car I'm building right now I cleaned a 5 gallon bucket of mouse litter and dirt out of the inside of the frame rails, maybe 4 or 5 pounds bur as you say ,"it adds up". What I'm doing is pretty drastic weight reduction but I took 1500 lbs of 59 Ford to the scrap yard following the advice from you over the years.
Jeep must of had the ac figured out back then. My 05 wrangler had never been recharged or had any ac work done to it for 300k miles and still blew ice cold for 18 years
Have you pulled the spare tire out of it? That will save you 35 mounds or so. Will still keep it stock as well. You can remove yhe jack and tire when you get to the track just like you might take your toolbox or whatever else you brought with you out so that you can make the pass.
One thing about the cost. What would Dr Art's services cost for people that don't have a computer guru down the road? I think that should also be calculated into the cost.
In Walton County in GA., emissions inspection is something we chuckle about as we pull all the emissions crap off the car. Move to another county, you'll hope you saved the parts but here, we're hot rod heaven. 😀
TONY!!! Explorer axles, pick your ratio, lightens rotational weight with disc brakes. WMS to WMS is close enough. My daily is a 4 door 2wd 5 speed with the exploder axle in it. thing scoots way better than with the stock 3.08s
My vote for tires is some sort of used, ice focused, non-studded winter tire. Just need them worn down enough that they don't have too much tread block flex.
Why is everyone so salty about not spending money on this mission improbable? You already have race cars to spend money on. Do your thing, I think this is awesome!
Find some used M/T tires. They are inexpensive. The compound is much softer than an A/t. And the ground contact at the correct pressure is equivalent to an a/t. The softer compound will help with the traction. Best option you seem to have with a budget in mind.
If you can't find a sure grip, if you know someone with a metal lathe get bronze thrust plates machined up to fit between the spider/ planetary gears and the crown gear housing, it will behave as like a LS diff under full power.
UT, You remember the magazine article challenge 12.99 for $1299? That was a good one! It was so long ago, the cheap car they started with was a 383/4 spd Road Runner! I think, living in TN, keeping the AC is required. I think that you set your budget a bit low to include the basic vehicle. 3k added to the vehicle is a more real number for vehicle specific parts. I know you came up when ordering headers got you a box with two flanges, 2 collectors and a bench of primary tube diameter, bent pieces of steel tubing. You bolted the flange to the motor and then cut and tacked pieces of tube until you got to the collector. Repeat 7 more times and you were ready to take them out to weld them up! I know that a lot of young people may not be willing to do that to have a set of headers. I do believe that if we did do that, that substituting plexiglass cut to replace the big side and rear windows, should be fair game. I didn't look for 1600 ounces to lose. I went with 100 places to lose a pound at a time! I won't tell how that mag article turned out right now. How about cutting parts off the Cadillac until it would outrun the VW Bug? That was pretty cool, too! I'll be watching, I always love these builds! Ya'll Take Care, John
Understand the concept - but removal of the EVAP system will throw a code on ‘96 and later (EBD II). Removal of the sway bars will of course result in sloppier handling. If the goal is to make a cheap faster car that can be still driven on the street, yes, accomplished. But no, I don’t like the CEL on and I want to be able to go around corners at speed with excessive lean.
The spirit of the vehicle you would save a few extra bucks for tires. Toyo proxes, mastercraft avenger, bfg T/A, cooper cobra, M/T Sportsman... All reasonably priced tires and generally were available in 96.
Tony, I would swap all rear and side glass for tinted lexan, remove the rear seat, remove carpeting. Also, put spacers in the hood hinges. Cherokees have terrible underhood aerodynamics. You could also swap to manual steering of course and also run on battery only at the track (no alternator drag). I would also gut the rear hatch as they are heavy. Removing the exterior waistline trim would shed a few pounds. Too bad you are limiting engine mods, the '99 and newer intake and exhaust breathes a lot better. Have fun!!
Whatever you do, don’t break that rear window in the hatch. The glass companies cannot get a replacement. At least that was the situation a couple years ago and I doubt anybody has made any more since.
Lose the front sway bar like you was saying mabey some air shocks in the back and clamp the rear leafs. Mabey a little lower tire pressure in the rear. Stuff im sure youve thought of. Love your channel!
DONT REMOVE THE AC! For the obvious reasons, its a driver. Cooper makes some great tires made in USA! Put them on our magnum good grip and ride. Concentrate on traction, drag shocks on front 90/10 85/20 good spend of $100, improvement air intake filter see David visatd he just went through this with mustang. bigger exhaust. This works as the start for driver car, 2 sec off 1/4 mile time and gains in top speed, did these on our 95 neon, made it fun to drive. Better milage. Be watching you.😅
Hatch latch is super easy .. bungee cord to a seat bracket from inside. Easy peasy. I got a question about xj's...do they run a pinion snubber? If so you already know where im going with this even if it's officially just a bump stop...block it out with longer bolts and some 2x2 box tubing and bam...axle wrap eliminated. Check and fix pinon angle while at it. Preload the rh side spring somehow, maybe even old school air shocks. Correct pinion angle, limit axle wrap up and preload rh side spring at those 180ish hp at the wheels will launch straight and true and you know it will stick! Love this stuff Tony you know the deal
I'm not sure how readily snow/ice tires are in your area but here in Canada it's what is needed for winter. But back in the day when I used to run my daily driver and I was cheap then, I'd run winter tires for traction.. softer compound and that. Only problem is driving around with winter tires in hot summer days, they'll wear out really fast.
those axles are everywhere but watch the ratio you want to have cuz the carrier is different! i ended up with a trac-lok from a dakota the exact right gear that i already bought
Don't forget to add the ac delete pulley into the cost, even though you are not using it.......looking forward to seeing how quick you can get this thing down the track. Let's see how uncle Tony's brain is gonna work on this.
Some cheap Walmart Douglas tires seem to have a softer compound that you may benefit from. Is alternating the air box, and a basic port and polish on the head and intake within the rules? I’d say leave the spare tire and jack to help with weight on the rear end. Worn out front shocks, but run a single air shock on the rear? I’m trying to think original equipment, and keep wandering back to aftermarket. Ya! This is going to be challenging! Can’t wait to see what come out of your bag of tricks! Where’s Uncle Crystal been? Just dawned on me, we haven’t seen her in a while.
I had some cheap fullway tires off Amazon that were pretty soft and had quite a bit of grip for my Regal. Not much price difference from Douglas. I broke some Douglas tires before
You should try letting the tires down. It's not a forgone conclusion that the tyres will behave the way you believe. Tires designed for a 4x4 all terrain will give enough side wall give to give you a longer tread pattern without losing contact in the centre because that's what works in off road terrain.
Jeep Cherokee will not function properly if you remove the AC. If I understand, the Jeep must function normally as part of the rules. Defrosting system utilizes the AC to blow dry air across the inside of the front windshield. :) Jeep Cherokee IS the Inline 6. Something to think about. A lot of respect should be paid to the reliability of the Jeep Inline 6.
So would a used air shock on the right rear be out of the question ? Battery to the right rear ? Or Li-ion battery up front ? On the electrical side, new ground side wiring. Tie the Bat (-) to the chassis w #4 welding cable crimped and soldered in a Y to the ECU mount and the alternator mount. Both need to see absolute ground w/o years of crevice corrosion. Then start playing with the ECU and the tune 😁 So back in the day, we used Atlas Plycron tires to hook on the street. OK, they don't sell them any more, but I'm thinking there may be a chart of durometer readings for modern tires that will lead to the best hook on street tires ... 😇
Tony the internet says 1996 Laredo had the Sure grip so it was an option in that year. Too bad you cant SWAP rear ends with your Jeep which has the sure grip in it to save money and both Jeeps would still be usable (I know that is not possible with your "Exercise" guidelines... Love your approach and hopefully you will be able to shed the excess weight without ditching the AC (it would be an easy way to lose 60# so your treading the hard road less traveled). Keep up the good fun, we all need a laugh and something to root for... GO UTG! Its good to see you collaborate with others too to dispel the notion your a lone wolf.
Get yourself an inexpensive durometer (tool) for use while trying to find suitable tires. Useful for other jobs too. HUGE differences in rubber compounds.
9/10’ times we have a lot more fun with the cheap, “slow” projects then we do with the all out stuff. It’s more juvenile but a lot more entertaining and less stressful I find.
Was a full sized spare tire an option back then? A donut spare would be a savings. Ditch the fender flares any trim/logos. Pull any light bulbs not needed. Remove any insulation under carpet, etc. Remove hitch if it has 1. Install a relay to turn off alterntor when making a pass. Remove air filter. Run premium gas,advance ignition. Remove back seat. Pull the plastics inside and holesaw the shit out of everything, replace plastic. Remove wiring for courtesy lighting. Gut glovebox and optional compartments. Remove dash vent tubing, not defrost. Gut the radio. Remove speakers. Remove rear wiper insert. Remove rear wiper wash tank and wiring Remove center caps on wheels.
Tony look into an Explorer rear…it’s a 8.8 31 spline and come in ratios from low 3`s to 411`s and I was told they are bolt in…I bought one for my sons car 373 posi 31 spline rear disc brakes we did the left tube shorten for $200. the older ones have drum
17:25 UTG, consider the cool rule that the Grassroots Motorsport $2000 challenge of recouping $$$ by selling parts off the car and allow that to go back into your budget Example: buy a set of stock *lightweight* wheels for $100, sell the aftermarkets for $250, then you get $150 back to use for tires!
Lived in middle TN pretty much all my life... Call me a wus, but AC is an absolute necessity, so I understand your decision there. Cars without AC will just sit for most of the summer, except for those rare 80* low humidity days.
Torsion style mechanical limited slip is the best of both worlds. Drives just like an open diff rain or shine but will stayed locked up on launches. Not a true locker but better than the clutch and frictions style limited slips by far.
Should call that jeep "The Hatch Slammer". It will kinda match up with Slag Hammer lol
Especially considering when he launches it, the hatch pops open swings back and slams back down. Lol
It's a perfect name for the project! Uncle Tony! C'mon, man! Hatch slammer is it! Do it. Do it. Do it.
Hag slammer
I'm not watching this because I don't think you can do it, or because I do think you can do it, I'm watching for the fun of the challenge. Nobody knows exactly how you may or may not get there, but there will be a lot to discover, and fun had. That's really what I think the heart of this challenge is.
You nailed it!
If I have the numbers right and I think I do, the new program that Doc writes will do most of the leg work. I'm not throwing shade I just know how much can be done with a good tune. But of course you need a person in the seat that knows how to drive it. It'll be an interesting project
I'm honestly surprised they didn't just do the ecm whatever, delete some of the extras, swap a deeper gear LSD rear in it and spray a 100 shit at it and call it budget. That's been the recipe for the magazines since ... Well... 1996.
Little bit of a cool suggestion. Once this car reaches it s final form. Since it is a RockAuto source build. Can you do a cool little magnet like they have?
@@jseal21the tune will do most if not all of the leg work power gain wise for sure but that wheel spin and less than ideal suspension is... A really big deal. Add 50 HP without addressing the traction and weight transfer I bet the et would be worse lol... a limited slip, slight leaf spring mods, a couple well placed bad shocks and 200lbs off the weight has potential to drop at least a full sec in the eighth... Any gained power will only really help if its put to the ground so id wager that the chassis setup is far more important
Keep the AC! 60lbs is worth the comfort.
If the AC works on something I pick up, I keep it on and working. I've only had a handful of vehicles where it worked, usually its trashed, but when its not, it stays.
yep, "4/50 air conditioning" isn't really that amazing. After 2 hrs on the highway at 75mph, it just beats you up. or maybe it's my age :) but Tony once pointed out that when 4/50 was common, few were cruising at 80 mph on the interstates.
Reminds me so much of my youth in the late sixties. Fridays at a 1/5th outlaw track was more of a social gathering than true racing. I had to save up for weeks to buy a hurst shifter for my 67 mustang, because the ford stock shifter sucked big time. For me it meant I could finally shift hard. Just a little thing like that made me happy and made for a good time. More friends getting together, having a good time, and staying out of trouble.
new rule- you're only allowed to explain the rules ONCE per video from now on 😂
Ditto
Sometimes Uncle Tony's needle gets stuck, over & over & over & over..... LMAO!
"Anyone playing along at home..." I like that :) This is the complete opposite of those cable TV shows where you come back from commercial and they've bolted on $4,500 worth of cylinder heads, installed a new $9,500 supercharger and put in their new custom rear end they had built for them. I hate that. Totally unrelatable. I'm more impressed by what a poor mechanic can do than a rich one.
Exactly. Or any show, renovation$, etc.
Well said!!👍
Always informative and entertaining as usual. Good on ya man.
You don't like the "garage shows" with the 250million pro-shop, Mopar backed heavy sponsorship, product endorsements, throwing 50k at a clapped out car in 20 minutes and a behind the scenes crew of 20+ mechanics that does the actual work, as the hosts drink beer and call out small UA-cam channels??? Well, Sir. I guess. 🤣😂🤣😂
That exactly why this thing needs an explorer 8.8 it’s a less than $200 upgrade, way stronger axle, adds disc brakes and posi and can be found in the junkyards with 3:55 3:73 and 4:10 gears. Same wheel bolt pattern
TIRES: Used snow tires will give you 3 bangs for your buck...all the traction that 4.0 needs (they have a softer compound rubber), will save 5-10 # per tire AND will be cheap. WEIGHT can be reduced in the rear leaf springs by cutting the back halves off all but the main spring, and that will also help with weight transfer. Great project Tony we're all having fun with this one!
THIS is the channel I signed up for. I build fast modern euro cars, and have for 30 years. Believe it or not, I learn MORE from these ‘getting the most from stock stuff’ videos.. It makes you think and get creative
Okay so...
If you need 400lbft and you have oem turbo capacity of moving air worth of 300lbft or torque.
You still need to buy bigger Turbo.
@@yehornaumov5893 and?
Good comfort call on the A/C, Tony. Save the delete kit for another car, but liberate the spare tire, roof rubber, wheel fairings, bumper ends and side door rubbers to compensate. A rubber plug will replace the rear deck lid wiper and sans tunes, ostensibly a radio and speaker delete, too. Rock on.
If you take functioning air conditioning out of that jeep I'll never forgive you.
ain't it funny how as kids, we couldn't imagine losing 20 hp to AC...and now we're glad to not sweat, since its only 15hp price to pay? :)
@@alertgasper when cars lost the A pillar smoker's window AC became mandatory no matter how much HP it costs.
@@tribble1 Living up here in the snow belt, i can tell you AC really helps quicken the defrost, which can come into play when you do a spring coffee & car show or a "halloween special" cruise night. My 1969 GTO had 1968 side doors since the prior owner was a smoker, and my 68 442 has 'em stock, so i know about those vent windows...they really don't do much if the windows are up and the day is warmer than say, 70 degrees. well, your left hand feels nice, but rest of you on the vinyl seat's getting a little moist if ya know what i mean :)
but you're right, it's an aerodymanic issue. the engineers figured it costs less gas to run modern AC and keep the windows up than run 4/70mph.
@@alertgasper just turn it off if you are racing.
@@1marcelfilmsright, but you still have the weight in the car. tho today's AC is smaller than the units from the 1970's, if you've ever seen those Hi-C / V8 juice cans :)
Empty that windshield washer fluid resevoir for the track. nearly 8lbs to a gallon. Pull the back seat, I seem to recall it being less than 4 bolts and 5min. It could be back in the Jeep in less time than loading a week of groceries.
May be useful..my 92 4.0L loved cheapo Autolite plugs that I side gapped. Had noticeably better throttle response. Port and port match the intake manifold.
I made a scoop from aluminum window flashing to go inside the first bay of the grille on the driver side that funnelled up into the factory airbox. It seemed to really like that too.
Lots of little things can add up to a big gain
Excellent suggestions! Thank you
Water at standard temperature and pressure is 8.34 lb/gal.
I wouldnt consider consumables to be incuded in the budget (tires, belts, fluids…etc)
@@georgewetzel4380Washer fluid is not all water and is less dense than pure water, It is in the 7.5-7.8 pounds per gallon range depending on brand if i remember correctly.
Love this series on the XJ Tony. It takes me back to the late 80's with my fox body mustang when like you I had very little money to spend on speed equipment. So I spent time working on the suspension. I removed the sway bars, removed the front lower control arms, ground the serrations on the inner bushing sleeve add a thin shim washer each side of the control arm and added a small amount of grease. You could rise the control all the to the top of it's travel with one finger and when you let go of it, it fell like a stone to the bottom of it's travel.
I did the same with the rear suspension link bars and straight away there was an improvement in the 60 foot times.
I can't wait to see the final results.
@Uncle Tony's Garage
-Take out the carpet sound padding, put carpet back.
We don't always see eye to eye, Tony but I am glad you got this project back. Hot rodding like it used to be...
Best thing about this whole project, is that all 3 of you are just having fun doing it!
People get to wrapped up in the numbers & forget that this stuff is supposed to be fun.
The 96 up 8.25 sure grips are 29 spline trac-lok no cones. TONS of them in pull a part. Find a V6 dakota or Liberty with one. It will be tight as a drum.
Ya, I thought those were 29 spline... if it were that easy to sure-grip my '71 8 1/4" for cheap, I'd be at PickNPull now 😅
I guess if the AC wasn’t working you wouldn’t have a problem removing it. I like how Uncle Tony does these experiments to accomplish specific goals!
I like the cool fox body trick with the hatch popping open 😂
I'm really glad you decided to keep the ac.
I was really sweating that one.
I am glad you are keeping the air - it ain't broke...
It's a happy little jeep
2:06 just pull the back seat. And maybe the spare tire?
Try getting a power washer in the the holes in the unibody. How much dirt is packed in there?
That's a good one. Move to the head of the class.
Basically, build it as if it's your only vehicle. If you have to daily drive your racecar, it needs to be comfortable, reliable and road legal. As someone who only has their daily driver to play with. I know that you have to be careful about how and what you modify. Especially when you're working with a shoestring budget. Most times it's hard just to keep it on the road. Let alone try to make it faster
Exactly
Please do a remote at the pick n pull when you got to get that 8-1/4" Sure-Grip!
I know I've said this a lot, but geez, welcome back, Tony! This is the distilled essence I love and the reason I remembered your name from the 80s car magazines.
@UncleTonysGarage That XJ has been asspacked. Put the hitch back on it, hook the hitch to big tree and bump the back end back into place. That should "fix" the hatch latch. It'll also pull the rear quarters straight.
Enough talk. You've said it all ten times. Let's go!!!
Groceries up over 48% gas up over 95% in the last three years, insurance has gone up. On a fixed retirement income. Yes pennies matter. I've fixed up some vehicles to sell, profit is minimal, by the time I get tires & brakes, belts & hoses I'm in around $2,000 add in any paint & cleaners. Its expensive just to keep them stock
Hey Tony, open that diff , most 2wd Cherokee had a posi , may need to shim it tighter if it's not worn out ,And a better set of tires.
The injector thing is gonna be issue and here's why , the single hole has its limits, in my experience, the Ford tan top injector is a direct swap and noticable change in torque, the 12 hole is double the torque improvement of the 4 hole .
Friction modifier?
I second the name Hatch Slammer😀
nice!
If the AC works keep it...if it fails ditch it...
If you do ditch the a/c for the idler pulley swiss cheese the mounting bracket
No inspections her in Alabama either, thank goodness
In my opinion the cost to buy parts to replace failed parts, e.g. the alternator, shouldn't be factored into your total. Yes, it's a cost, but you have no way of knowing that ahead of time, has nothing to do with making it faster, and for someone to repeat this exercise it's inconsistent, I. E. Maybe their alternator is perfectly fine and their water pump goes, or they blow a belt, or nothing breaks at all.
I was really hoping you'd keep the A/C. The spirit of the vehicle includes A/C. Thumbs up
Keep the A/C
16:15 exactly how tue magical 318 build was supposed to be,
I love these type of builds! I have a 9 second 2014 Mustang but im currently having a blast with my 97 Ranger that has a 96 Explorer 302 swap. Truck retains EFI, 4r70w trans, A/C, and power everything. Engine is all oem ford parts and so far has been a best of 13.38@103 on the street on my Dragy in good air!
You want cheap traction...use unstudded snow tires!
Keep the a/c it's Tennessee its a tight budget tires and rear end will eat up a few bucks
What sense does it make to remove petty sway bars, while keeping the air heavy conditioner? Wouldn't it make more sense to remove the horse from a living room than being busy chasing out the flies that the horse attracted, through its droppings, in the first place?
If you can't take the heat, why not wait until autumn and then do your stuff?
I absolutely love this series! I'm with many others on a couple points. Snow tires or wore out mud tires for traction, keep the a/c and LONG LIVE HATCH SLAMMER
My daughter is taking her Jetta to our local 1/4 next weekend. It will be her first time down the track. We are both watching these videos for entertainment and to learn a few things. Can't wait to see how it does.
Tonys not gonna sleep tonight thinking about this jeep lol
On the drag car I'm building right now I cleaned a 5 gallon bucket of mouse litter and dirt out of the inside of the frame rails, maybe 4 or 5 pounds bur as you say ,"it adds up". What I'm doing is pretty drastic weight reduction but I took 1500 lbs of 59 Ford to the scrap yard following the advice from you over the years.
I'm loving this series, I have the grandfather of the xj, an AMC eagle, and seeing what can be done with stock replacement parts it really cool
I like what your doing with the jeep
I am going to keep a eye on on this
Jeep must of had the ac figured out back then. My 05 wrangler had never been recharged or had any ac work done to it for 300k miles and still blew ice cold for 18 years
I'm still loving Kiwis launch technique!
Have you pulled the spare tire out of it? That will save you 35 mounds or so. Will still keep it stock as well. You can remove yhe jack and tire when you get to the track just like you might take your toolbox or whatever else you brought with you out so that you can make the pass.
Rear seat on my XJ pulls out in two pieces for cargo. Just set it up for the tail gate and put it back in when you drive home.
Thanks
COOP
...
One thing about the cost. What would Dr Art's services cost for people that don't have a computer guru down the road? I think that should also be calculated into the cost.
Leave the A/C alone!
Try an air bag inside the right rear spring. Add air pressure until you achieve a twin-peel burnout.
In Walton County in GA., emissions inspection is something we chuckle about as we pull all the emissions crap off the car. Move to another county, you'll hope you saved the parts but here, we're hot rod heaven. 😀
TONY!!! Explorer axles, pick your ratio, lightens rotational weight with disc brakes. WMS to WMS is close enough. My daily is a 4 door 2wd 5 speed with the exploder axle in it. thing scoots way better than with the stock 3.08s
My vote for tires is some sort of used, ice focused, non-studded winter tire. Just need them worn down enough that they don't have too much tread block flex.
Why is everyone so salty about not spending money on this mission improbable? You already have race cars to spend money on. Do your thing, I think this is awesome!
Find some used M/T tires. They are inexpensive. The compound is much softer than an A/t. And the ground contact at the correct pressure is equivalent to an a/t. The softer compound will help with the traction. Best option you seem to have with a budget in mind.
If you can't find a sure grip, if you know someone with a metal lathe get bronze thrust plates machined up to fit between the spider/ planetary gears and the crown gear housing, it will behave as like a LS diff under full power.
UT, You remember the magazine article challenge 12.99 for $1299?
That was a good one! It was so long ago, the cheap car they started with was a 383/4 spd Road Runner!
I think, living in TN, keeping the AC is required. I think that you set your budget a bit low to include the basic vehicle. 3k added to the vehicle is a more real number for vehicle specific parts. I know you came up when ordering headers got you a box with two flanges, 2 collectors and a bench of primary tube diameter, bent pieces of steel tubing. You bolted the flange to the motor and then cut and tacked pieces of tube until you got to the collector. Repeat 7 more times and you were ready to take them out to weld them up!
I know that a lot of young people may not be willing to do that to have a set of headers. I do believe that if we did do that, that substituting plexiglass cut to replace the big side and rear windows, should be fair game. I didn't look for 1600 ounces to lose. I went with 100 places to lose a pound at a time!
I won't tell how that mag article turned out right now. How about cutting parts off the Cadillac until it would outrun the VW Bug? That was pretty cool, too!
I'll be watching, I always love these builds! Ya'll Take Care, John
I drove my older sister's WJ, it handled like a boat with a sway bar! I test drove a 1996 Discovery, flat as sports car.
Understand the concept - but removal of the EVAP system will throw a code on ‘96 and later (EBD II).
Removal of the sway bars will of course result in sloppier handling.
If the goal is to make a cheap faster car that can be still driven on the street, yes, accomplished. But no, I don’t like the CEL on and I want to be able to go around corners at speed with excessive lean.
The spirit of the vehicle you would save a few extra bucks for tires. Toyo proxes, mastercraft avenger, bfg T/A, cooper cobra, M/T Sportsman... All reasonably priced tires and generally were available in 96.
Keep the A/C. Good plan
I watch your videos to learn things. I don’t “pretend “ to be an expert. I don’t criticize. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Tony, I would swap all rear and side glass for tinted lexan, remove the rear seat, remove carpeting. Also, put spacers in the hood hinges. Cherokees have terrible underhood aerodynamics. You could also swap to manual steering of course and also run on battery only at the track (no alternator drag). I would also gut the rear hatch as they are heavy. Removing the exterior waistline trim would shed a few pounds. Too bad you are limiting engine mods, the '99 and newer intake and exhaust breathes a lot better. Have fun!!
That rear hatch is part of the rigidity of the vehicle
You should do some drag and drive events like sick week
Whatever you do, don’t break that rear window in the hatch. The glass companies cannot get a replacement. At least that was the situation a couple years ago and I doubt anybody has made any more since.
I am really digging this project. I just might have to challenge myself to something like this
Lose the front sway bar like you was saying mabey some air shocks in the back and clamp the rear leafs. Mabey a little lower tire pressure in the rear. Stuff im sure youve thought of. Love your channel!
DONT REMOVE THE AC! For the obvious reasons, its a driver. Cooper makes some great tires made in USA! Put them on our magnum good grip and ride. Concentrate on traction, drag shocks on front 90/10 85/20 good spend of $100, improvement air intake filter see David visatd he just went through this with mustang. bigger exhaust. This works as the start for driver car, 2 sec off 1/4 mile time and gains in top speed, did these on our 95 neon, made it fun to drive. Better milage. Be watching you.😅
Hatch latch is super easy .. bungee cord to a seat bracket from inside. Easy peasy.
I got a question about xj's...do they run a pinion snubber? If so you already know where im going with this even if it's officially just a bump stop...block it out with longer bolts and some 2x2 box tubing and bam...axle wrap eliminated. Check and fix pinon angle while at it. Preload the rh side spring somehow, maybe even old school air shocks. Correct pinion angle, limit axle wrap up and preload rh side spring at those 180ish hp at the wheels will launch straight and true and you know it will stick!
Love this stuff Tony you know the deal
A 10 second jeep? Thats awesome. Tryingnto find old cars up here in NH is futile. They're all rusted out. And if not they fetch alllll the money
Sell ya my MONZA ZERO RUST
I'm not sure how readily snow/ice tires are in your area but here in Canada it's what is needed for winter.
But back in the day when I used to run my daily driver and I was cheap then, I'd run winter tires for traction.. softer compound and that.
Only problem is driving around with winter tires in hot summer days, they'll wear out really fast.
I was thinking the same thing, but bolt them on when he arrives at the strip. Nothing was said about having an extra pair of tires to bring.
@@theclubhouse1209 excatly..
those axles are everywhere but watch the ratio you want to have cuz the carrier is different! i ended up with a trac-lok from a dakota the exact right gear that i already bought
Don't forget to add the ac delete pulley into the cost, even though you are not using it.......looking forward to seeing how quick you can get this thing down the track. Let's see how uncle Tony's brain is gonna work on this.
Some cheap Walmart Douglas tires seem to have a softer compound that you may benefit from. Is alternating the air box, and a basic port and polish on the head and intake within the rules? I’d say leave the spare tire and jack to help with weight on the rear end. Worn out front shocks, but run a single air shock on the rear? I’m trying to think original equipment, and keep wandering back to aftermarket. Ya! This is going to be challenging! Can’t wait to see what come out of your bag of tricks! Where’s Uncle Crystal been? Just dawned on me, we haven’t seen her in a while.
I had some cheap fullway tires off Amazon that were pretty soft and had quite a bit of grip for my Regal. Not much price difference from Douglas. I broke some Douglas tires before
Tony did they ever make a hotter factory cam? It sucks you can't use the 2000 head. It supposedly flows alot better
ditch the spare tire and jack too
Talk your off road friends. Some times the XJ guys will study up an 81/4 before they can get a bigger axel
You should try letting the tires down. It's not a forgone conclusion that the tyres will behave the way you believe. Tires designed for a 4x4 all terrain will give enough side wall give to give you a longer tread pattern without losing contact in the centre because that's what works in off road terrain.
Awesome project Tony!!!❤
Jeep Cherokee will not function properly if you remove the AC. If I understand, the Jeep must function normally as part of the rules. Defrosting system utilizes the AC to blow dry air across the inside of the front windshield. :)
Jeep Cherokee IS the Inline 6. Something to think about. A lot of respect should be paid to the reliability of the Jeep Inline 6.
Also cheap as chips thrush welded mufflers sound great on there. A free flowing exhaust really helps
So would a used air shock on the right rear be out of the question ? Battery to the right rear ? Or Li-ion battery up front ?
On the electrical side, new ground side wiring. Tie the Bat (-) to the chassis w #4 welding cable crimped and soldered in a Y to the ECU mount and the alternator mount. Both need to see absolute ground w/o years of crevice corrosion. Then start playing with the ECU and the tune 😁
So back in the day, we used Atlas Plycron tires to hook on the street. OK, they don't sell them any more, but I'm thinking there may be a chart of durometer readings for modern tires that will lead to the best hook on street tires ... 😇
Tony the internet says 1996 Laredo had the Sure grip so it was an option in that year. Too bad you cant SWAP rear ends with your Jeep which has the sure grip in it to save money and both Jeeps would still be usable (I know that is not possible with your "Exercise" guidelines... Love your approach and hopefully you will be able to shed the excess weight without ditching the AC (it would be an easy way to lose 60# so your treading the hard road less traveled). Keep up the good fun, we all need a laugh and something to root for... GO UTG! Its good to see you collaborate with others too to dispel the notion your a lone wolf.
Get yourself an inexpensive durometer (tool) for use while trying to find suitable tires.
Useful for other jobs too.
HUGE differences in rubber compounds.
Sounds like it is all done, enjoy.
9/10’ times we have a lot more fun with the cheap, “slow” projects then we do with the all out stuff. It’s more juvenile but a lot more entertaining and less stressful I find.
Was a full sized spare tire an option back then?
A donut spare would be a savings.
Ditch the fender flares any trim/logos.
Pull any light bulbs not needed.
Remove any insulation under carpet, etc.
Remove hitch if it has 1.
Install a relay to turn off alterntor when making a pass.
Remove air filter.
Run premium gas,advance ignition.
Remove back seat.
Pull the plastics inside and holesaw the shit out of everything, replace plastic.
Remove wiring for courtesy lighting.
Gut glovebox and optional compartments.
Remove dash vent tubing, not defrost.
Gut the radio.
Remove speakers.
Remove rear wiper insert.
Remove rear wiper wash tank and wiring
Remove center caps on wheels.
Pure hot rod fun and shiny too!😎
Tony look into an Explorer rear…it’s a 8.8 31 spline and come in ratios from low 3`s to 411`s and I was told they are bolt in…I bought one for my sons car 373 posi 31 spline rear disc brakes we did the left tube shorten for $200. the older ones have drum
good call on the AC
17:25 UTG, consider the cool rule that the Grassroots Motorsport $2000 challenge of recouping $$$ by selling parts off the car and allow that to go back into your budget
Example: buy a set of stock *lightweight* wheels for $100, sell the aftermarkets for $250, then you get $150 back to use for tires!
Lived in middle TN pretty much all my life... Call me a wus, but AC is an absolute necessity, so I understand your decision there. Cars without AC will just sit for most of the summer, except for those rare 80* low humidity days.
AC won't kill your project. Good call.
Tony, I understand these 6 cylinder engines come out of the old rambler. Some of the best six cylinders ever made in my opinion.
Torsion style mechanical limited slip is the best of both worlds. Drives just like an open diff rain or shine but will stayed locked up on launches. Not a true locker but better than the clutch and frictions style limited slips by far.