Author: Jenn

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How to Save Money buying Skid Plates and other Modifications for Your Jeep

If you have ever heard the saying Jeep: Just Empty Every Pocket you know most likely it is coming from a Jeep owner. As a Jeep owner on a tight budget I have had to make a list of things I would like to do to my Jeep Cherokee with out breaking the bank. Once the list has been made of the modifications I would like to do, I spend a lot of time doing research to find the best prices.

If you have a Facebook account, there are plenty of 4×4 & off road shops that advertise their specials and a lot of them have specials just for their Facebook fans. Also, check out Ebay as there are sometimes people who have dismantled their rig either because they are desperate for money or it has been damaged beyond fixing.

On Facebook, I have every so often come across a friend who had an XJ they decided to dismantle. One for example, his XJ was stolen and wrecked. At the time he was in a tight situation so he posted what parts he had for sale. I lucked out purchasing JKS sway bar disconnects for over half the price they would be brand new. A business called Blue Torch Fab Works often posts what specials they have going on their website. I managed to pick up two DIY diff covers for half price. Luckily for me I had someone who could weld them together.

On Ebay I found a T-Case skid plate for $76 shipping and all, brand new. A guy on there decided to start making some after he made his own and this one is just as good as one I could have bought from name brand companies. I also purchased a custom made drive shaft for my XJ late last year through Addams Off Road and Driveshaft from Nevada. They are on Ebay and have auctions that you can make an offer on. Since they make drive shafts day in and day out there is no need to send measurements to them. All you have to do is tell them what make, model, year and modifications you have on your rig. They did have a special running with free shipping, a T-Shirt and sticker. Shipping was very quick and they are great with communication. As much as I would like to have had a Tom Wood’s Drive Shaft, my budget wouldn’t allow it. I am very pleased with the driveshafts performance thus far. I also hope in the future to purchase one for the front as well.

Another save from Ebay is that when I decided to go from 3:55 gears to 4:10 I was able to purchase the front and back gears, master install kit and the carrier off Ebay saving me at least $150. But I also had someone willing to install them for me. Again some people are dismantling their rigs and you may luck out. If you have time to research keep searching Ebay at least every few days because you just never know what you will come across. I do want to note a very important tip: Make sure you know if your rig has the reverse or standard gear!

My biggest wish was to have a gas tank skid plate on my XJ. If you have looked online and in catalogs you know most of them run around $300. I lucked out because my best friend and my dad both have scrap steel laying around. So for Christmas my best friend fabricated me a gas tank skid plate just as good as one bought out of the catalog and very little $$ was spent building it. The next skid plate he fabricated was one not a lot of people consider doing although they are for sale out there in catalogs.  He fabricated a rear yoke skid plate, particularly since I have sheared the straps off of mine twice :/ This skid plate will hopefully give more protection when out on the trails

If you have scrap steel laying around and know of someone who does welding on the side consider fabricating your own skid plates.

Also, to strengthen my tie rod my best friend had scrap metal piping laying around that we were able to slide over the tie rod. Tiny holes were drilled and the pipe was welded in place. A very simple procedure that has helped save a lot of time and money.

When I first purchased my 3″ lift I didn’t have an SYE. Instead of purchasing the t-case drop blocks, my best friend fabricated blocks from square tubing he had laying around. We purchased the bolts at our local Fastenal. Once I purchased the SYE and purchased Shims from Summit Racing the blocks were then eliminated. So, if anyone needs blocks I have them sitting around!

While you may not be the person who has handy junk laying around consider friends and family that do. They may be willing to give some to you for free or a minimal price. It is even handier to have someone who knows how to weld. The biggest advantage for me though is having someone (ahem) who has a hydraulic lift, my best friend 🙂

Want to save money for modifications? Do your research! Be open to finding parts in places other than catalogs because you never know how amazing it can be the treasures you will find along the way.

 

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The Reliability of the Jeep Cherokee

With every automobile there are going to be variable opinions about reliability. For instance, my grandfather owns a Cadillac Catera and has had it since it was brand new. Try going to the dealership to find parts and they are either no longer available or it is going to take nearly a month to get what you need. Countless times the salesman have attempted to convince him to trade the car in and have literally told him it is just a piece of junk. That is not how grandpa sees it though. Having driven the car I can say when it does run it rides well. I can remember after I bought my Jeep Cherokee that my grandfather asked me a ton of questions and actually questioned why I wanted an “old” vehicle and why I wanted to go offroading. He insinuated I was spending a lot of money, which if you wrote everything down I had done whether it be upgrades or maintenance/repairs, wouldn’t come close to what he has spent fixing his Catera. Plain and simple,  it is just not reliable like my Jeep Cherokee.

My Jeep may be over 20 years old and some will see it as ready to go to the scrap yard (which infuriates me). A few dents here and there doesn’t make it a bad vehicle. What does is under the hood and the drivetrain if you have had to constantly make repairs. I so want to ask people how many times their automobile has left them stranded, been repaired by them and how many miles they actually have on theirs? Now I will give credit to my Toyota friends that their automobiles do just as good as my Cherokee. I am amazed at some of the mileage stories I have heard from long time Toyota owners.

If you are a Jalopnik.com reader you may have recently come across an article about the top ten best used cars to buy with your tax refund. In case you haven’t though, their #4 pick is the Jeep Cherokee: http://jalopnik.com/5902578/the-ten-best-used-cars-to-buy-with-your-tax-refund/gallery/8 .

I used to think that a car with over 100K miles was getting worn out. Not with a Jeep Cherokee and according to my Jeep friends, that is barely breaking it in. My boyfriends Cherokee has 350K miles on it with original parts; mine has around 220K miles on it though I have changed out the engine and transmission.

The original owner of my Cherokee didn’t take care of her very well so when I brought her home I discovered a cracked head. That’s no biggie since I went to Pull-A-Part junk yard in Atlanta to get another one. Six months later I purchased a Grand Cherokee from my uncle just for the engine he had spent lots of money on overhauling. The only reason why I changed out my transmission was because of my rough off roading skills. I apparently had crimped the lines together. Looking at the prices for new lines I realized I could just buy another used transmission. I ended up getting one for free from an XJ friend though which was even better.
So I have had to replace a radiator a time or two (due to manufacturer defects), a battery that cracked, a water pump and a throttle position sensor. Those are all normal maintenance repairs that happen in the life of an automobile. The times that I have been stranded on the side of the road are because of operator error, mostly running out of gas thinking I could go just a little further down the road to a cheaper gas station. Once was a new radiator that split at the tank which was plastic (sigh).

In the five years that I have owned my Cherokee I have driven it a lot. One year I decided to make a spur of the moment trip to Texas for Thanksgiving with two of my kids in tow. While my mom was in a panic because my Jeep was “old” in her eyes, I was confident I would get there and back, 1,800 miles later. I have driven it to Harlan, Kentucky which is a four hour drive one way at least once a year and sometimes twice. I lived in Cookeville, Tennessee about 100 miles one way from my hometown at least twice a month for a year. I just about drive my Cherokee everyday taking my kids to school and running errands.

Before I owned the Jeep, I had a 2000 Mazda MPV mini van. It was fancy with the leather seats, sun roof and video player, but I wasn’t happy with it. I liked it because it had room for my kids and their stuff I had to tag along when they were babies and toddlers, but it wasn’t me. I made the decision I wanted a vehicle I could easily find parts for, do a lot of the repairs on my own and was known to be reliable. After talking with my best friend I learned the Jeep Cherokee fit all three categories. I remembered my step dad owned a Cherokee and loved it. He drove it until it fell apart and it had close to 300K miles on it when he sold it.

Out of the nine automobiles I have ever owned which includes two Hondas and Mazdas, Chevrolet and Fords, the Jeep Cherokee has been the best and most reliable of them all. It is the one and only vehicle I have ever been happy with. Ask my three kids what their favorite vehicle has been and they will tell you the Jeep.

 

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Jeep Drivers

Most of the time when I am out driving my lifted XJ I see other XJ’s, TJ’s, YJ’s and the like being driven by guys. Every once in awhile I will come across a female driver. Lately whenever I have passed other lifted XJ’s I get the “Jeep Wave” by guys which does make me feel like I am a part of the “group.” I have to admit that this past week I did drive as if I were in a tunnel and no other vehicles expect Jeeps existed. Several times I would pass XJ’s particularly lifted ones. I nearly ran over a car in front of me because all I could see were two lifted XJ’s that were giving me the Jeep wave. I wouldn’t mind getting together with some of these drivers to have some fun.

An issue I have come across is whenever I meet up with a group of people that talk about upcoming trips to go wheeling it usually consists of guys driving and their girlfriends or wives riding shotgun. As a female, if I attempt to join in the local group gatherings it is usually responded with hesitation or a cold shoulder.

I am a part of a group  of XJ’ers that communicates through Yahoo’s XJlist that meets twice a year mainly in Harlan, KY at Blackmountain Off Road Park, Putney Trailhead. Most of the guys are from Kentucky in the Louisville area along with some who are from Ohio, Tennessee, North Carolina, etc. Typically there are about 20 people that join in the Spring Flings and Fall Crawls held every year.

According to one of the guys that manages Black Mountain Off Road Park, I am one of the only females he knows has driven her own rig on the trails. Most of the time the girlfriends or wives will drive the rigs down to the restrooms and showers. The rest of the time they are riding shotgun.

Almost five years ago with a completely stock XJ I proved myself to the group that I can do just about anything they could do and wasn’t scared to do it. Below is a picture of me on Trail 39 at Windrock OHV park in Oliver Springs, TN in October 2007.

 

 

In 2010, I really proved myself when my XJ nearly slid off the ledge of a trail known as Rail Bed in Black Mountain. This trail was mostly consisting of debris from mining in the area so the ground would give away, which is exactly what happened in my case. Approximately eight feet below was a massive pointy boulder. Every time we visit that trail the guys look down in awe and tell me they could have never handled that situation as well as I did. Luckily for me I had an awesome group of guys that immediately knew what to do and get it done quickly.

 

 

 

The next time I was at Black Mountain I proved I was not intimidated by Rail Bed and actually lead the group into the trail which the group has nicknamed “Jenny’s Trail.”  Rail Bed has actually become one of my favorite trails when I visit Black Mountain. Trail 15 and the Lower Rock Garden would be my next favorite places. One day I would love to have a rig built enough to get through Mason Jar.

Every time I do visit Black Mountain there are people in other rigs and ATV’s that do double takes when they see me driving a rig. It brings a smile to my face especially when I can over hear them say there is a girl driving that Jeep!