Cherokon - 1992 Jeep Cherokee

Cherokon, started it's life as a 2 wheel drive 1992 Jeep Cherokee Laredo, and it began it's transformation right around it's 18th birthday. That's right, there she is, in all her glory. All her faded, peeling paint, purple window tint, sagging headliner, worn out suspension... glory. In 2010, a few months after selling a TJ and while not particularly looking for another project Jeep, I stumbled on to this little XJ. She had spent the better part of her early life in the South Eastern United States, which despite first impressions, helped contribute to the rather good, "rust-free" condition of her underside. We all know it wasn't actually rust FREE, but given that you can see the roadway beneath you while sitting inside most Cherokees of that age, it was in pretty good shape. Sure there were flaws, but in the grand scheme of things, she had potential.

Another factor that probably contributed to the general "good condition" of this little Cherokee, was the fact that it left the factory with only 2 wheel drive. So it's doubtful that it ever left the pavement. The previous owner had every intention to convert it to 4 wheel drive, but as the case with so many projects people take on, a lack of space to do the work and time, lead to an accumulation of parts in the corner of the garage, with no real timeframe on doing the work. Plus side for me, everything was included in the sale. It was a "take it all, or don't take anything" deal.

So, I loaded up a front vacuum disconnect Dana 30, 2 sets of wheels and tires, second transmission with the correct 4wd tail shaft, transfer case, driveshafts, as well as a bunch of miscellaneous spare parts, everything from tail lights, to turn signals to 4wd shift levers. It wasn't everything that would be needed to do the 4wd conversion, but it was pretty close. After I got home and took inventory of the situation and the project I had just gotten myself into, I made the decision almost immediately to make this project all about building the most capable XJ, with the least amount of money spent. Turns out in the end, I did spend a little bit of money on the project, maybe a little more than planned, but I like to think I still spent a lot less than I potentially could have. And with the goal of making Cherokon as capable, if not more, as any new Rubicon that rolled off a dealership lot I definitely spent a whole lot less than any new Rubicon owner ever has!