High-Performance Jeep Cherokee Xj Builder's Guide 1984-2001

Book excerpt: Ready to turn your Jeep Cherokee XJ into a trail-worthy machine? Why not? With two available 4-wheel-drive systems, solid axles front and rear, and a torquey 4.0-liter straight 6, the Cherokee is a very capable machine, especially when it's modified the right way. This book isn't about cutting apart your Cherokee to build an over-the-top, off-road-only rock crawler (though you can take it there), and it isn't about building a jacked-up, chrome-covered show rig either. This book is about building a useful, capable Cherokee for mountains, the mud, the desert, the street, and everywhere in between. With the modifications explained on these pages, your Cherokee can take you and yours just about everywhere you want to go - and get you back safely. Author Eric Zappe explains how to upgrade your Cherokee's suspension, axles, differentials, engine, transfer case, wheels and tires, skid plates, and more, using aftermarket and salvage yard upgrades. Zappe even has special sections covering basic driving and recovery techniques, and a number of built-up Jeeps to give you ideas for your own Cherokee. Also included is a detailed account of a group of XJs making a run through the famous Rubicon trail. The photos in this edition are black and white