Welcome davehzrd!!!

[cantab27]

Hi davehzrd, :welcome: to the :xjtalk: forum!

We would love to know more about you and your Jeep. How you found us, etc...

Be sure and check out our XJ TALK SHOW! (http://podcasts.xjtalk.com) It\'s about Cherokees! It\'s like a radio talk show, but from the Internet.

Check out our sister sites, http://www.WranglerTalk.com/ and http://www.di-dah-dit.com/

[davehzrd]

hey all, dave here. i guess i'll give you a little background.

i just graduated college 2 weeks ago, and have owned my first XJ (and my second car over-all) for about 5 months now. i'm from new york, my jeep is a september/2000 (model year 2001) in forest green. i bought my XJ with 159k miles on it, and have recently passed 165k, and i'm willing to bet that my jeep's one of the ten least-rusty XJ's in downstate new york. i plan on keeping it that way, even if it means moving to a place with no salt.

as for mods, i've already done yellow pilot fogs in the front, and i have some family in europe who are looking for european XJ taillights for me (built-in rear fogs). i got the car with a brand new set of 29" toyo open country tires, and i want a cheap second set of wheels with good (probably 31") winter tires, just for the cold season. i'm gonna keep the mods relatively simple, because i bought this jeep more as a reliable DD than as a toy, but...

....within a month of owning the jeep, i'd pulled myself out of 2 ditches without any help, and an old friend who lives out in moab told me to come visit and hit some trails with her. i'm not gonna go crazy, but a little fun ain't bad for you. :)

[4.3LXJ]

Welcome Dave. Congrats on the degree. I think maybe the Jeep bug has bitten you, maybe just a little :D You can do some mods that still keep it a nice daily driver though and a pretty good trail rig too

[davehzrd]

my mechanic shot me down when i started talking mods. as he was doing my rear drums, i said "i want to put an 8.8 out of an explorer back here, so i'll have trac-loc and disc brakes." he ripped that idea apart, told me all i really need is snow tires, and that "american cars with rear discs always have problems."

i'm hoping that i can afford to let the jeep bug really sink in soon. my goal in the next 5 years is to have my XJ for trails and bad weather, and some sort of manual-transmission mustang for good weather. i'm not gonna set the jeep up as a crazy trail rig, though. definitely tires, a CB, brakes and better lights...and if i can justify fatter axles and an NV3550, then i'll do that too. for now, i'm just happy to have a car that i can work on myself, instead of the computer-on-wheels nightmare i was driving before.

[bluedragon436]

:welcome: to :xjtalk: from Delaware, Dave!! Sounds like you found yourself a decent deal especially up in the northern climates.... Sounds like you have some pretty decent plans for your XJ, and don't worry you'll know when that bug bites!!

[davehzrd]

thanks, where in delaware are you? i'm going to firefly this year as a little graduation present to myself, so i'll be in dover in a little less than 2 weeks. last year i made the mistake of staying at a hotel, and learning the hard way that traffic in dover slows down to about 5 miles an hour during the festival, so this year i volunteered to work there, and got a free campsite.

[4.3LXJ]

my mechanic shot me down when i started talking mods. as he was doing my rear drums, i said "i want to put an 8.8 out of an explorer back here, so i'll have trac-loc and disc brakes." he ripped that idea apart, told me all i really need is snow tires, and that "american cars with rear discs always have problems."

i'm hoping that i can afford to let the jeep bug really sink in soon. my goal in the next 5 years is to have my XJ for trails and bad weather, and some sort of manual-transmission mustang for good weather. i'm not gonna set the jeep up as a crazy trail rig, though. definitely tires, a CB, brakes and better lights...and if i can justify fatter axles and an NV3550, then i'll do that too. for now, i'm just happy to have a car that i can work on myself, instead of the computer-on-wheels nightmare i was driving before.

I have turned a few wrenches and I can tell you that I disagree. The disc brake 8.8 is a good axle

[XJ Wheeler]

Welcome to the site Dave! I don't see how discs on the rear could hurt anything, sometimes they have to be set differently than drums sure but better in every way in my opinion. In fact, I am amassing the parts to do a zj rear disc conversion on mine soon. And if there is any question our last work truck (a chevy) had over 300k miles on its original set of rear disc brakes (even pads) even when we traded it in. Anyway, that is awesome about the taillights. I have wanted a set for mine for years but they are super hard to find over here, as I am sure you know. Post up a pic when you get em, and some of your jeep when ya get some time.

Congratulations on finishing all that hard work too!

[davehzrd]

that is awesome about the taillights. I have wanted a set for mine for years but they are super hard to find over here, as I am sure you know. Post up a pic when you get em, and some of your jeep when ya get some time.

Congratulations on finishing all that hard work too!

thanks! college was a hell of a ride, but i'm pretty happy to be done with it. as for the taillights, my uncle's originally from greece, and my cousin goes back every summer or so to visit his cousins. my cousin's also as much of a rabid car enthusiast as i am, and ever since i bought the jeep he's been obsessing over how i should have fogs (and a manual transmission, but the price of manual XJs is insane in the northeast. the only one i found for south of 5 grand was doorless with a lot of wear on it, and i needed a daily driver). before he goes to greece this year, i figure i'll throw him $60 and tell him to go hunting for me.

[XJ Wheeler]

thanks! college was a hell of a ride, but i'm pretty happy to be done with it. as for the taillights, my uncle's originally from greece, and my cousin goes back every summer or so to visit his cousins. my cousin's also as much of a rabid car enthusiast as i am, and ever since i bought the jeep he's been obsessing over how i should have fogs (and a manual transmission, but the price of manual XJs is insane in the northeast. the only one i found for south of 5 grand was doorless with a lot of wear on it, and i needed a daily driver). before he goes to greece this year, i figure i'll throw him $60 and tell him to go hunting for me.

Sounds like a great deal! I gotta find more family like that! :D