Superkirby
08-12-2012, 09:34 AM
Ok, I'll try to keep this short but no promises... I bought my 93 Cherokee about a month ago now. It's got about 83k miles on it. I like it. Unfortunately I have found out that at some point it started to rust and someone sprayed a rubberized type undercoating all over the bottom. This covered up a lot of stuff, but as I work on it I've found out that it seems like I'm constantly battling the rust. I've since discovered since working on it and knocking off some the coating, there was a piece glued over a rusted through floor board, the bracket on the axle holding the steering stabilizer is rusted about halfway through, the upper mounts on the rear shocks are about gone, and a few other things I can't think of at the moment.
Originally I had planned to just deal with it, there's an old Lincoln ac-180s arc welder in the garage that needs the cables shortened a few inches then I could teach myself to weld and fix stuff. But I don't know how practical that is. Thought about selling it and finding either a different Cherokee or go back to an Explorer. OR, I could find something cheap with less rust that doesn't run and put my engine/transmission into it.
I have found a guy with 2 XJ's, a 93 and a 95. The 93 runs alright but the transmission is shot. The 95 barely runs and has a few other issues but was bought solely for the transmission. The 93 is in ok shape. It's certainly not pretty but is ok. I would say from the door panel trim up mine is in better shape, but from the trim down his is in better shape. The biggest concern on his is the driver's side floor board between the frame and the door is rusted about half way through the metal. But all suspension components are in good shape and not rusty. The two have to be bought together, but I think I can get them for about $800, then I would have a driving jeep and 2 donors. Do you all think it's worth it?
Originally I had planned to just deal with it, there's an old Lincoln ac-180s arc welder in the garage that needs the cables shortened a few inches then I could teach myself to weld and fix stuff. But I don't know how practical that is. Thought about selling it and finding either a different Cherokee or go back to an Explorer. OR, I could find something cheap with less rust that doesn't run and put my engine/transmission into it.
I have found a guy with 2 XJ's, a 93 and a 95. The 93 runs alright but the transmission is shot. The 95 barely runs and has a few other issues but was bought solely for the transmission. The 93 is in ok shape. It's certainly not pretty but is ok. I would say from the door panel trim up mine is in better shape, but from the trim down his is in better shape. The biggest concern on his is the driver's side floor board between the frame and the door is rusted about half way through the metal. But all suspension components are in good shape and not rusty. The two have to be bought together, but I think I can get them for about $800, then I would have a driving jeep and 2 donors. Do you all think it's worth it?