The nice thing is if you don’t like it just take them off, this is why I just made my own. No money invested just the time it took to make. 30 min or so 🍻
Great little details to consider. Personally, I love trucks and offroad vehicles. And every single truck, Van or SUV I get goes through this simple yet very noticeable mods: Off-Road and auxiliary exterior lights (auxiliary grille spots to assist the high beams, Fog lights if it doesn't have them, ditch lights, roof mounted Light bar and auxiliary reverse pods). Interior and work lighting (led light bulb replacements for the dome lights, feet lights, extra cargo lights, under the hood and in the tailgate). Big All terrain tires Magnetic phone mount Audio upgrade Roof Rack and tow hitch. If you are building your vehicle, I recomend you to wait on the tires until you are ready to get a lift (I would always go for a 3" lift as a minimum just to make it worth it) and then shop for the biggest tires you can fit there. If your vehicle allows you to do it easily (or if you are willing to do it anyways) I would also advice to get steel bumpers. Personally, I would never go for something under 3/16" thick and I would rather get a 1/4" thick plate there if the vehicle is large and powerfull enough (full size wont even notice it, but mid size can struggle with all the added weight of the bumpers, tires, roof rack, gear, people, etc). And plan for it. Make a wishlist of all you want and do it right once instead of going back to clean up a mess because you did it half way. Get plug conectors on ypur power lines for electric gear, make sure you can bolt things and unbolt them anytime, trim if needed, but make sure you have it all well done. Add all the switches ypu will need for the total build in thw place you want them and just add the gear little by little
I did the speaks in the hatch, junkyard, 5 3/4, found some grills. Then added an LED dome light mounted inside the middle of the speakers, flush. wired direct to battery. The light and speakers back there are great for the drive-in movies and camping, etc.
All good ideas. What I did on my 96 was to install a gauge cluster from a 94 or a 95 along with new sending units for oil pressure and temperature. I took the speedometer dial out of my old one and put it into the other one to maintain my odometer. Works great for the liftgate area, I installed a rocker switch in the dome, light housing with a separate wire for the auxiliary light.
Ive had two different 1992 jeep xjs that were mild trail rigs.long story short went through some hard times,finally back on my feet and slowly fixing up my 2000 Right hand drive XJ 4x4...its a work in progress but solid n no rust,just high miles!! Keep up the good work,enjoyed the tips!
Congrats on pushing through to get the new Jeep. just bought a 90 so excited 🤩 wish I could have gotten a RHD from an Aussie friend, but we could never get anyone to ship to the US. Cheers 🍻
Instead of hood spacers, install a timed relay wired to your electric fan. Being able to have 3 minutes of fan at the push of a button after killing the engine is a godsend for the common xj heatsink issue!
Great video, picking up my Phase 1 in the UK in a couple of weeks and am seeing what others have done to improve the whole experience in these - thanks
I’m 23 I have a 2 door 98 xj and a 4 door 2000. Currently drive the 2 door restoring both. I’ve had 3 so far. Next thing I wanna buy is a factory 5 DIY car
I've been pricing xj's on market place they want crazy money for beat up crap I would like to get one for a winter project. I like the mods especially the power to the back 👍👍👍👍🍻🍻🍻
Yeah it’s insane what people are asking for older Jeeps nowadays. I was very close to flying out and driving one back the other day, it made sense doing that. Especially if you can find a good deal, for myself i always wanted to buy back east and drive west. Not to sure how those Jeeps are doing with the rust and everything but Just for the sake of the trip. 🍻I hope you find one, thanks for watching🍻
Man ! . . .. . That Forest Green Pearl is so gorgeous! Reminds me of my brand new special ordered 99 Forest Green 2Door Up Country. My first new car. Polish that out and I promise you will love it even more. Good stuff. Keep it up. Thanks.
Excellent video series on the xj , especially since its a renix ! Everybody online is building the 96 or newer xjs so its nice to see some old school stuff . I am probably partial because I have a 90. Love the stock look with the flares and modded front bumper and not the goofy hacked up look i see all over . Keep the build and updates going 👍🏻.
Correct , body and suspension mods wil be about the same but totally different fuel system ,cooling system , alot of the wiring system is different, you even have a non cad front axle .
Haha yes , I’m actually dropping the tank as we speak for cleaning , pulled second filter out and completely plugged full of crap. I also put a gauge on the rail and was able to get the psi to drop to as low as 5psi under load , it’s definitely time to pull the tank. I have some other things going on as well all on the new video coming out soon. 🍻
I didn't see what year your XJ is but my 98 has a temp gauge. My sender is in the thermostat housing. So, my idea is that if you need to add a temp gauge, you should be able to use a thermostat housing from a newer model and mount your sending unit (sensor) there instead of cutting into a radiator hose. Just a thought 🙂
Yeah absolutely that would work, this one is an AMC 1987 pre update, will definitely pass that on as the owners budget at the time wouldn’t allow. Would be another good mod for the future. 🍻🍻
When you installed the power plug in the rear. I hope you cut back the sound deadening far enough. These sockets can get very hot if they are overloaded by a piece of equipment, like a tyre inflator. They can get hot enough for it to catch fire.
the ac intake is the driver side cowl, its kinda counterintuitive to have hot engine air get pushed out , and sucked straight back into the ac cowl intake. if you want to continue with this idea, having a hood vent on the passenger side is exactly what you want, giving more airflow and keeping the ac cold the hood is good for winter, but not ideal for summer.
All Good points to consider. Currently AC in this jeep doesn’t work, and is really inefficient to have on a trail moving at 5mph speeds especially when the 4.0 already has its issues with overheating. All consideration aside it’s the offset in reliability of the cooling system at 10k ft and my own personal ability to cool myself which is usually not a problem and while I do like to drive to the trail, On the highway I don’t see this being an issue as the heat will rise and blow over. I might cut the hood one day but I’d hate to cut up a classic 4x4. 🍻🍻
we cut a set of vents into my dads TJ after a v8 swap, and we did the same on my XJ cutting in a couple of vents into the fender then cutting the inner fender well near the fire wall for a heat vent, i had to delete the dealership installed fuel pump resistor (1.1ohm ceramic resistor attached to the fender on my '91) and the mechanical fan now is able to do its job more efficiently first mod i did though on mine was swap in another instrument cluster from a higher trim level, my '91 xj is a "base" model and i swapped in one from a "Pioneer", only modification i had to do (besides the cluster) was add a 50Ohm resister at the temperature sending unit, change the temp sender out for one that has gauges and change out the oil pressure sending unit for one with gauges instead of the idiot light, Oil Pressure sending unit part Number: PS296, temp sender (to gauge) part Number: TU236 (autozone part numbers), if you can find one the instrument cluster is a major upgrade, and can be gotten for fairly cheap, found mine at a pull-a-part salvage, had tach, oil pressure, temperature, fuel, speedo with trip odometer, battery volt gauge, and even was direct plug and play with my factory harness, i was really NOT a fan of the idiot lights, at hot idle the oil light would flicker, and the temp light would flash, no way of knowing what either was until i did the cluster upgrade i also added a relay under the hood going to a rocker switch on the dash to said relay, with the switch On, power shunts to the electric fan via the relay, with the switch off, the fan operates under computer control as normal, i wired it to the stock fan wiring location and just ran a 10ga wire to the battery with a 20Amp Breaker
The cupholder honestly sucks, just saying. I was wondering what engineer thought it was a good idea when I bought my Jeep, now I know they watched your video... ooph, lol.
🤣 well it’s better than no cups holder lol a guy on here said you can use a hole saw and open the bottoms up to make your cup actually fit down in there 👌🏻
One of my favorite things about my XJ is that I have GLASS original replacement headlights. I think they looks soooo good.. I have not seen an LED headlight that looks good to me. But hell... I'm Blind.
NIce Xj dude I like the color, the rear led on the lift gate is perfect for tailgating i wonder if they make leds for the dome lights the old candle bulbs aren't bright enough to light the floors of the jeep, this video just reminded me to order a set of lift gate shocks as well.
@ATEMOFFROAD How did you wire up the led strips? Did you just splice in to the door button only with a toggle switch to turn them on while the door is closed? Asking for a friend
Two separate grounds, one through door switch to module, and one through dash switch to module. When door is open lights are on. When door is closed and push button is on lights come on. The best practice to achieve ground from the door switch is to tap off the connector behind the panel where the hood release latch is. I used a fuse tap off the distribution panel under the dash always protect it. I used a 2 amp fuses. 🍻
your the man! ive been wracking my brain on it the past few days because that mod caught my eye! thank you so much for the information and keep up the great work brutha, ill be watching! @@ATEMOFFROAD
Yeah that’s a big problem with these, they are like 6k so dust, rain and snow can be a problem. Amber fog lights can help with this as well as choosing an led that closer to 3-4k
7:05 - Very Incorrect. Only the base models got the idiot lights. It's not an "older XJ" thing as much as you need a cluster from a higher trim package. They're trivial to swap out as well. 1984-1990 can only use clusters from 1984-1990, 1991-1996 were electronic and require a cluster from a 1991-1996. 84-86 and 87-90 are interchangeable, but you will need to get the upper speedo cable from the donor vehicle because the former uses a different speedo cable than the latter. Swap your sensors from the idiot light switches to sensors from the higher trim models and it's plug and play. No modifications, ugly gauges, capillary tubes or extra wires needed. The cluster Temp gauge and Oil pressure gauge are instantaneously responsive as opposed to cheap mechanical gauges which has a latent time that can lead to runaway temps making it no better than the idiot light. By the time most mechanical gauges these days show you're starting to overheat, you're already overheated. Unless you buy a decent one (VDO, Smiths, Higher end Autometer), they either generally work or don't work reliably at all has been my experience. You also have to be careful when routing the Bourdon tube (the pipe that goes into the gauge and sensing bulb). Any kinks, work hardening (from bending it too much), chafing (from bad routing or vibration) and your mechanical gauge is now worse than the idiot light. It won't work anymore. I've done the swap across dozens of XJs and I own several because it's a sickness. How I know this for sure is I had an 89 Pioneer with idiot lights, 90 Laredo with gauges, 91 Laredo with gauges, 93 Country with gauges, 96 SE (Fleet) with idiot lights. Generally fleet models all came with idiot lights. Police package vehicles had a 120MPH speedometer (and full gauges). For my 96, I picked up a cluster from a higher trim in the junkyard for 25 bucks, took it to an odometer shop to match the mileage from my factory cluster (paid like 10 bucks) and now I have a working stock cluster without drilling holes in my dash, adding extra fittings, or having to look at my knees for a cheap mechanical gauge that just gives me no more reliable information than an idiot light would. (Generally, by the time you see 210 on these cheap mechanical gauges, you're already at 220 or higher)
I stand corrected then haha , just doesn’t make sense to have the temp gauge as a higher trim package. 🤷♂️ just silly to me this is why I mentioned older xj , because shortly after they added them to all trims. anyway I’ve done the research and they are pretty simple to replace with factory you just need everything to do it. . At the time this was cheap , simple and convenient enough, that I didn’t need to take a bunch of stuff apart or drill holes in my dash I just used the existing. Keep the stock looks and at a glance I can see temps. The idiot light didn’t go anywhere 🤷♂️ Thanks for the history lesson, It was a fun little mod. 👍🏼🍻
@ATEMOFFROAD No, I agree. The idiot light fascination of the 80s-90s is something I just don't understand. My guess is they were hoping to make cars more "user friendly" because most folks wouldn't understand Temps over 210 are bad for your engine or that oil pressure under 40 is a problem. The issue with that is when the lights would come on, it was usually too late by the time most people noticed them. They had to set the lights' reaction with enough distance from normal operation that it would avoid vehicle returns due to owner confusion. Set it too close and you either get alarm fatigue or constant service visits/vehicle returns. So they erred on the side of caution. To the detriment of useful vehicle service life. This was also during the start of the era, where manufacturers were at a fast race to the bottom for vehicle pricing and "maintenance costs." So much so, that only tow package Cherokees ended up with transmission coolers despite the transmission fluid in normal operation regularly exceeded Asin's documented maximum of 180°F and Chrysler changed the transmission service interval from 30,000 miles to over 60,000 miles. Without the transmission cooler, the AW4 (Asin A340) would be subjected to "severe service" during normal operation requiring more intense maintenance. This was done as a cost saving measure and allowed Chrysler to market lower cost of ownership to the detriment of transmission life. So win win for them. Lose lose for the consumers who didn't constantly buy new vehicles. We were lucky, though, that Asin overengineered the A340, and the majority of transmissions generally survive beyond 250,000 miles. effortlessly. The problems nowadays, though, are greatly exacerbated due to the Mercon/Dexron-III fluid that was ran in the transmissions from factory that breaks down quickly in Temps over 180°F. This was remedied far too late in 99 when they switched to ATF+4 as the factory fill option (and many folks attribute its use to the failure of their transmissions when the truth is, the damage was done by the original factory fill.
I would spend a bit more and opt for the side mount cupholders. Ive had the center style and they wont fit anything besides a pepsi can. The side mount can fit an adapter that gets your ridiculously oversized water bottle
I knew that was coming 🤣 but I really don’t care, because there are no floor lights in the 87 xj and these rgbs have a white light option. 🤯 Much better IMO. I even have an override button on the dash so I can turn the lights on with the door closed. I will be putting together a much boring led kit video to replace all the incandescent lights, for things like dash interior and exterior lighting. It’s a good idea,👍🏼 thanks for watching.
@ATEMOFFROAD How did you wire up the led strips? Did you just splice in to the door button only with a toggle switch to turn them on while the door is closed? Asking for a friend
What did you use to mount your Roof Top Tent? I'm getting an XJ. I will without a doubt be going back to the RTT world. Decided to sell my crawler and take up rocklanding instead.
This was a cheap 100 dollar ladder rack from Amazon that I modified. Here’s the link to the video 🍻 Episode 3: Cheap DIY RTT Rack For Project ‘87 Jeep Cherokee Xj czcams.com/video/g8P2b3TzQIQ/video.html
Personally I have plenty of room for my feet, and lastly I didn’t have to drill additional holes for mounting. I used the screws that are already there. 🍻
Forcing?? hot air rises. Maybe a heater core shut off valve so during the summer you can cut off the heat front the core in the cab next to the AC evaporator coils. I hear it makes the Ac more efficient, but never tried it.
I have the factory-installed cup holders and that is them. They flipping suck don't waste your money on them everything other then a can falls out into your lap.
You got a link for that lol I have been struggling with them for ever and if someone gets in and uses them without knowing they suck I normally get a lap full of soda
@@kylemaskell722 someone just told me here in the comments, they cut out the holes and dropped those cups in and its been awesome no more spills . 🤷♂️
I doubt it , I have had vents on my wrangler hood for over 2 years now it’s been good, survived the wildest El Niño year we ever experienced last year. 🍻
@@ATEMOFFROAD cool thanks, my father had an XJ and a TJ when I was a young kid. I always thought they were so cool. Fast forward 30 years and I just bought myself a 99 XJ clean with only 126k on it, the exact color as my fathers white exterior with the tan/black interior. I FaceTimed him once I got it home and showed him and he was like whattttt!!!!!!!!!! Is that mine??????? I said no it’s the same color combo but this one is now mine lol !
@@jonesy3002man what a awesome jeep, and low mileage, really can’t go wrong with the 99 xj . I actually share the same childhood story’s as you. We had tjs and xjs . Its what I started learning how to work on. This Xj here I know the Original owner and his son wants the jeep back , it was his jeep he grew up in since the 80s. I told you can have it back anytime. FFwd he’s really serious about it. 🍻
@@ATEMOFFROAD yeah man I’m a fast car guy had all muscle cars to 10 second imports. Just recently started getting onto the off-road scene. Going to do this build slowly but the correct way, starting from all maintenance first, then upgrading the rear to an 8.25 or 8.8 with rear disc brakes then the sliders etc and last lift and wheels
@@jonesy3002the 8.25 is actually a fairly tough axle and i believe I've heard jeep liberty rear disc backing plates are a bolt on swap. I believe wj grand Cherokee rear backing plates are also swappable with a minor modification enlarging the center hole. Don't forget offroad trucks can be fast too but dont forget your gears!! Happy jeepn yo
I dont think the laws are being upheld with the headlight brightness. I have been driving since ummm 1985 and these new led headlights are WAY too bright.
The ground off the lights is wired through the driver side door switch, I also added another over ride switch that way I can have them turn on with the doors closed 🍻
OK, sloppy installs are the type where you can see the wires. Take some time to hide the wires and lights. Hood risers are for amateurs. What do you need is a flowkooler water pump. It will solve your overheating issues. Add an aluminum radiator and all electric fans and you will never overheat under any conditions. As for the temperature gauge, if you go to the junkyard and get the full gauge set, you can just swap it for your idiot lights. Most sending units are the same. That way you can use the factory sending unit and not have more gobbledygook under the hood. Take some pride in your work, unless of course you’re not into preserving your Cherokee and you’re just gonna run it into the ground and send it to the junkyard. Please people, don’t be like that. These things are precious metal at this point.
Stop being silly it’s a offroad camping rig, it’s not a show room floor never going to get driven jeep! 🤷♂️ I’m not pulling seats and carpet just to hide one foot of wire that’s hidden under the seat, especially if I’m not 100 percent sure I’m going to keep it that way, no other wires show. Now The wires for the tailgate light do show because i didn’t want to drill and permanently add anything it’s all stick on. As far as the hood risers go it’s the best alternative solution to not cut up the hood for additional heat rejection there’s no harm here. The Cherokee already has an e fan and there’s no reason to spend additional money on a true aluminum radiator unless you need one because your engine is built and modified. It’s a totally stock engine. Don’t waste your money. Fix it right. The water hi flow water pumps are a good choice.and I agree on the sending unit, but this was 25 dollars and the only modification made was cutting the upper hoses, it’s one wire guy. No holes to drill no additional mods needed. I do take pride in my work, but it’s situational, it’s a offroad camping jeep guy. Now if you watched my last video you would also know I gave the keys back to the owner. So he can take that vision of restoration upon themselves. 🍻
Thumbs up if you believe the Cherokee XJ is the ultimate combination of toughness and practicality!
🙌👌🏻
Practicality absolutely. Toughness ehhh not so much considering the fact that the frame is 1/16 steel and it can't be replaced
I love my xj
Hell yes! We love our XJ's!
@@JeepinDownUnder We like our as well!
Love the simplicity of hood spacers, but there is too much fear of getting in a head on and final destinationing myself.
The nice thing is if you don’t like it just take them off, this is why I just made my own. No money invested just the time it took to make. 30 min or so 🍻
Yank those bolts & replace with grade 8. Much safer.
Great little details to consider.
Personally, I love trucks and offroad vehicles. And every single truck, Van or SUV I get goes through this simple yet very noticeable mods:
Off-Road and auxiliary exterior lights (auxiliary grille spots to assist the high beams, Fog lights if it doesn't have them, ditch lights, roof mounted Light bar and auxiliary reverse pods).
Interior and work lighting (led light bulb replacements for the dome lights, feet lights, extra cargo lights, under the hood and in the tailgate).
Big All terrain tires
Magnetic phone mount
Audio upgrade
Roof Rack and tow hitch.
If you are building your vehicle, I recomend you to wait on the tires until you are ready to get a lift (I would always go for a 3" lift as a minimum just to make it worth it) and then shop for the biggest tires you can fit there.
If your vehicle allows you to do it easily (or if you are willing to do it anyways) I would also advice to get steel bumpers. Personally, I would never go for something under 3/16" thick and I would rather get a 1/4" thick plate there if the vehicle is large and powerfull enough (full size wont even notice it, but mid size can struggle with all the added weight of the bumpers, tires, roof rack, gear, people, etc).
And plan for it. Make a wishlist of all you want and do it right once instead of going back to clean up a mess because you did it half way. Get plug conectors on ypur power lines for electric gear, make sure you can bolt things and unbolt them anytime, trim if needed, but make sure you have it all well done. Add all the switches ypu will need for the total build in thw place you want them and just add the gear little by little
I did the speaks in the hatch, junkyard, 5 3/4, found some grills. Then added an LED dome light mounted inside the middle of the speakers, flush. wired direct to battery.
The light and speakers back there are great for the drive-in movies and camping, etc.
💯🍻
All good ideas. What I did on my 96 was to install a gauge cluster from a 94 or a 95 along with new sending units for oil pressure and temperature. I took the speedometer dial out of my old one and put it into the other one to maintain my odometer. Works great for the liftgate area, I installed a rocker switch in the dome, light housing with a separate wire for the auxiliary light.
Nice , I like that rocker switch idea super convenient too. 🍻
All great mods. Just installed my rear glass light bar on my JKU and I love it!
It’s a great mod , we love our light 🍻
Ive had two different 1992 jeep xjs that were mild trail rigs.long story short went through some hard times,finally back on my feet and slowly fixing up my 2000 Right hand drive XJ 4x4...its a work in progress but solid n no rust,just high miles!! Keep up the good work,enjoyed the tips!
Congrats on pushing through to get the new Jeep. just bought a 90 so excited 🤩 wish I could have gotten a RHD from an Aussie friend, but we could never get anyone to ship to the US. Cheers 🍻
Instead of hood spacers, install a timed relay wired to your electric fan. Being able to have 3 minutes of fan at the push of a button after killing the engine is a godsend for the common xj heatsink issue!
That’s exactly my set up. TDR activated by a momentary switch runs for 3 mins, no more heat soak .
Great video, picking up my Phase 1 in the UK in a couple of weeks and am seeing what others have done to improve the whole experience in these - thanks
Congrats on the new XJ, shall you have many great experiences. Thanks for watching 🍻
I’m 23 I have a 2 door 98 xj and a 4 door 2000. Currently drive the 2 door restoring both. I’ve had 3 so far. Next thing I wanna buy is a factory 5 DIY car
Take good care of that 2Door. Very nice.
@@99jeepxjguy97 doing everything I can right now
@@99jeepxjguy97it’s getting full paint and body done as we speak :)
Nice! I really like the 12V mod in the rear💪
Thanks bro I appreciate it. 🙌🔥🍻
I've been pricing xj's on market place they want crazy money for beat up crap I would like to get one for a winter project. I like the mods especially the power to the back 👍👍👍👍🍻🍻🍻
Yeah it’s insane what people are asking for older Jeeps nowadays. I was very close to flying out and driving one back the other day, it made sense doing that. Especially if you can find a good deal, for myself i always wanted to buy back east and drive west. Not to sure how those Jeeps are doing with the rust and everything but Just for the sake of the trip. 🍻I hope you find one, thanks for watching🍻
Man ! . . .. . That Forest Green Pearl is so gorgeous! Reminds me of my brand new special ordered 99 Forest Green 2Door Up Country. My first new car. Polish that out and I promise you will love it even more. Good stuff. Keep it up. Thanks.
That’s a good idea I bet it would buff out pretty good too. 🍻
@@ATEMOFFROAD 😂😂 I thought I made that comment on another video with a green XJ . Oops
This is all good stuff too. Thank you.
Excellent video series on the xj , especially since its a renix ! Everybody online is building the 96 or newer xjs so its nice to see some old school stuff . I am probably partial because I have a 90. Love the stock look with the flares and modded front bumper and not the goofy hacked up look i see all over . Keep the build and updates going 👍🏻.
Thank you i appreciate it 🍻
97 or newer. Mine is 96 same body but has obd2 and no renix.
87 - 90= renix , 91 up h.o 4.0 l, 96 and up are newer so you see more of those builds on the internet
@@chuckshade7959 96 is same body style I own one.
Correct , body and suspension mods wil be about the same but totally different fuel system ,cooling system , alot of the wiring system is different, you even have a non cad front axle .
Great video, I’ll be trying them out soon, once I get some time! Thanks for sharing.
XJ lookin good bud
Thanks Jerry I appreciate it 🍻
Looking good, nice call on the temp gauge. Now a fuel filter 😂
Haha yes , I’m actually dropping the tank as we speak for cleaning , pulled second filter out and completely plugged full of crap. I also put a gauge on the rail and was able to get the psi to drop to as low as 5psi under load , it’s definitely time to pull the tank. I have some other things going on as well all on the new video coming out soon. 🍻
I didn't see what year your XJ is but my 98 has a temp gauge. My sender is in the thermostat housing. So, my idea is that if you need to add a temp gauge, you should be able to use a thermostat housing from a newer model and mount your sending unit (sensor) there instead of cutting into a radiator hose. Just a thought 🙂
Yeah absolutely that would work, this one is an AMC 1987 pre update, will definitely pass that on as the owners budget at the time wouldn’t allow. Would be another good mod for the future. 🍻🍻
When you installed the power plug in the rear. I hope you cut back the sound deadening far enough. These sockets can get very hot if they are overloaded by a piece of equipment, like a tyre inflator. They can get hot enough for it to catch fire.
Yes and it’s protected with a 15 amp fuse, most tyre inflators are 30amp, I’d recommend to clamp directly to a battery. 🍻
Really like the hood spacer idea. Can't believe I hadn't seen it before.
the ac intake is the driver side cowl, its kinda counterintuitive to have hot engine air get pushed out , and sucked straight back into the ac cowl intake. if you want to continue with this idea, having a hood vent on the passenger side is exactly what you want, giving more airflow and keeping the ac cold the hood is good for winter, but not ideal for summer.
All Good points to consider. Currently AC in this jeep doesn’t work, and is really inefficient to have on a trail moving at 5mph speeds especially when the 4.0 already has its issues with overheating. All consideration aside it’s the offset in reliability of the cooling system at 10k ft and my own personal ability to cool myself which is usually not a problem and while I do like to drive to the trail, On the highway I don’t see this being an issue as the heat will rise and blow over. I might cut the hood one day but I’d hate to cut up a classic 4x4. 🍻🍻
we cut a set of vents into my dads TJ after a v8 swap, and we did the same on my XJ cutting in a couple of vents into the fender then cutting the inner fender well near the fire wall for a heat vent, i had to delete the dealership installed fuel pump resistor (1.1ohm ceramic resistor attached to the fender on my '91) and the mechanical fan now is able to do its job more efficiently
first mod i did though on mine was swap in another instrument cluster from a higher trim level, my '91 xj is a "base" model and i swapped in one from a "Pioneer", only modification i had to do (besides the cluster) was add a 50Ohm resister at the temperature sending unit, change the temp sender out for one that has gauges and change out the oil pressure sending unit for one with gauges instead of the idiot light, Oil Pressure sending unit part Number: PS296, temp sender (to gauge) part Number: TU236 (autozone part numbers), if you can find one the instrument cluster is a major upgrade, and can be gotten for fairly cheap, found mine at a pull-a-part salvage, had tach, oil pressure, temperature, fuel, speedo with trip odometer, battery volt gauge, and even was direct plug and play with my factory harness, i was really NOT a fan of the idiot lights, at hot idle the oil light would flicker, and the temp light would flash, no way of knowing what either was until i did the cluster upgrade
i also added a relay under the hood going to a rocker switch on the dash to said relay, with the switch On, power shunts to the electric fan via the relay, with the switch off, the fan operates under computer control as normal, i wired it to the stock fan wiring location and just ran a 10ga wire to the battery with a 20Amp Breaker
Awesome , all great advice and mods, thanks for sharing I appreciate it. 🍻
not a problem bro, sweet build and awesome project@@ATEMOFFROAD
Great video! Lots of awesome modifications! Thanks for showing them. Jeep looks great!
Thanks for watching 🍻🍻
I laughed at the hood riser mod. The weather stripping is there for a reason bro
Yeah it’s not for everyone, I just Didn’t want to cut the hood, it helps on slow moving trails.
I thought it was odd but it’s not any different than adding a scoop or a cowl! I kinda like the look!!
Taking the led idea
Which one ?
@@ATEMOFFROAD both of them lol
@@deadspeed6679 nice 🍻
Very good video 👍
Thank you 🍻
The cupholder honestly sucks, just saying. I was wondering what engineer thought it was a good idea when I bought my Jeep, now I know they watched your video... ooph, lol.
🤣 well it’s better than no cups holder lol a guy on here said you can use a hole saw and open the bottoms up to make your cup actually fit down in there 👌🏻
I agree, I bought one too. They suck . . . However I used the idea to make my own and it works great. So I appreciate the idea!
You can use plastic 711 cups or dollar store cups with the bottom cut off to extend the cup holder
Awesome love it 🍻
GREAT WORK !
Thank you i appreciate it 🍻
great mods, great video . very well explained and the xj you have is looking nice and clean. awesome man!
Thank you I appreciate that. 🍻
One of my favorite things about my XJ is that I have GLASS original replacement headlights. I think they looks soooo good.. I have not seen an LED headlight that looks good to me. But hell... I'm Blind.
Good one, love the XJ. Thanks for listening 🙏🍻
@@ATEMOFFROAD lol.. I hear ALL the blind jokes and let me tell you..
That was Brailliant.
@@BlindDude haha I knew you’d get it . 🍻
My 92 cheokee has full gauges just depends on your trim spec
i have had 3 xj's all of them had temp gauges. now the xj came with 2 different set of gauges. swap the old style out for the new style.
Great tips and mods!
Thanks for watching I appreciate it 🍻
NIce Xj dude I like the color, the rear led on the lift gate is perfect for tailgating i wonder if they make leds for the dome lights the old candle bulbs aren't bright enough to light the floors of the jeep, this video just reminded me to order a set of lift gate shocks as well.
Thanks buddy, they actually do have LED replacements for the dome here’s the link>>amzn.to/3NJHFpv
@ATEMOFFROAD How did you wire up the led strips? Did you just splice in to the door button only with a toggle switch to turn them on while the door is closed? Asking for a friend
Two separate grounds, one through door switch to module, and one through dash switch to module. When door is open lights are on. When door is closed and push button is on lights come on. The best practice to achieve ground from the door switch is to tap off the connector behind the panel where the hood release latch is. I used a fuse tap off the distribution panel under the dash always protect it. I used a 2 amp fuses. 🍻
your the man! ive been wracking my brain on it the past few days because that mod caught my eye! thank you so much for the information and keep up the great work brutha, ill be watching! @@ATEMOFFROAD
@@ol_dirty13 thanks for watching 🍻
Many of these pertained to my WJ! Thank you.
I had LED headlights until I drove home in a snow storm. The reflection back into my eyes made it undrivable. I switched to Phillips lights instead.
Yeah that’s a big problem with these, they are like 6k so dust, rain and snow can be a problem. Amber fog lights can help with this as well as choosing an led that closer to 3-4k
I’ll be using the light idea 👍
Love the video. But that cup holder sucks. There’s better ones out there
In the only relevant mod for me was that cup holders🤣🤣🤣🤣
7:05 - Very Incorrect. Only the base models got the idiot lights. It's not an "older XJ" thing as much as you need a cluster from a higher trim package. They're trivial to swap out as well. 1984-1990 can only use clusters from 1984-1990, 1991-1996 were electronic and require a cluster from a 1991-1996. 84-86 and 87-90 are interchangeable, but you will need to get the upper speedo cable from the donor vehicle because the former uses a different speedo cable than the latter. Swap your sensors from the idiot light switches to sensors from the higher trim models and it's plug and play. No modifications, ugly gauges, capillary tubes or extra wires needed. The cluster Temp gauge and Oil pressure gauge are instantaneously responsive as opposed to cheap mechanical gauges which has a latent time that can lead to runaway temps making it no better than the idiot light. By the time most mechanical gauges these days show you're starting to overheat, you're already overheated. Unless you buy a decent one (VDO, Smiths, Higher end Autometer), they either generally work or don't work reliably at all has been my experience. You also have to be careful when routing the Bourdon tube (the pipe that goes into the gauge and sensing bulb). Any kinks, work hardening (from bending it too much), chafing (from bad routing or vibration) and your mechanical gauge is now worse than the idiot light. It won't work anymore.
I've done the swap across dozens of XJs and I own several because it's a sickness. How I know this for sure is I had an 89 Pioneer with idiot lights, 90 Laredo with gauges, 91 Laredo with gauges, 93 Country with gauges, 96 SE (Fleet) with idiot lights. Generally fleet models all came with idiot lights. Police package vehicles had a 120MPH speedometer (and full gauges). For my 96, I picked up a cluster from a higher trim in the junkyard for 25 bucks, took it to an odometer shop to match the mileage from my factory cluster (paid like 10 bucks) and now I have a working stock cluster without drilling holes in my dash, adding extra fittings, or having to look at my knees for a cheap mechanical gauge that just gives me no more reliable information than an idiot light would. (Generally, by the time you see 210 on these cheap mechanical gauges, you're already at 220 or higher)
I stand corrected then haha , just doesn’t make sense to have the temp gauge as a higher trim package. 🤷♂️ just silly to me this is why I mentioned older xj , because shortly after they added them to all trims. anyway I’ve done the research and they are pretty simple to replace with factory you just need everything to do it.
. At the time this was cheap , simple and convenient enough, that I didn’t need to take a bunch of stuff apart or drill holes in my dash I just used the existing. Keep the stock looks and at a glance I can see temps. The idiot light didn’t go anywhere 🤷♂️ Thanks for the history lesson, It was a fun little mod. 👍🏼🍻
@ATEMOFFROAD No, I agree. The idiot light fascination of the 80s-90s is something I just don't understand. My guess is they were hoping to make cars more "user friendly" because most folks wouldn't understand Temps over 210 are bad for your engine or that oil pressure under 40 is a problem.
The issue with that is when the lights would come on, it was usually too late by the time most people noticed them. They had to set the lights' reaction with enough distance from normal operation that it would avoid vehicle returns due to owner confusion. Set it too close and you either get alarm fatigue or constant service visits/vehicle returns.
So they erred on the side of caution. To the detriment of useful vehicle service life. This was also during the start of the era, where manufacturers were at a fast race to the bottom for vehicle pricing and "maintenance costs." So much so, that only tow package Cherokees ended up with transmission coolers despite the transmission fluid in normal operation regularly exceeded Asin's documented maximum of 180°F and Chrysler changed the transmission service interval from 30,000 miles to over 60,000 miles. Without the transmission cooler, the AW4 (Asin A340) would be subjected to "severe service" during normal operation requiring more intense maintenance. This was done as a cost saving measure and allowed Chrysler to market lower cost of ownership to the detriment of transmission life.
So win win for them. Lose lose for the consumers who didn't constantly buy new vehicles. We were lucky, though, that Asin overengineered the A340, and the majority of transmissions generally survive beyond 250,000 miles. effortlessly. The problems nowadays, though, are greatly exacerbated due to the Mercon/Dexron-III fluid that was ran in the transmissions from factory that breaks down quickly in Temps over 180°F. This was remedied far too late in 99 when they switched to ATF+4 as the factory fill option (and many folks attribute its use to the failure of their transmissions when the truth is, the damage was done by the original factory fill.
I would spend a bit more and opt for the side mount cupholders. Ive had the center style and they wont fit anything besides a pepsi can. The side mount can fit an adapter that gets your ridiculously oversized water bottle
Good idea 🍻
No offense:
16 year Olds install RGB strips. A better mod is replacing all the dome lights with LED bulbs, including the dash.
I knew that was coming 🤣 but I really don’t care, because there are no floor lights in the 87 xj and these rgbs have a white light option. 🤯 Much better IMO. I even have an override button on the dash so I can turn the lights on with the door closed. I will be putting together a much boring led kit video to replace all the incandescent lights, for things like dash interior and exterior lighting. It’s a good idea,👍🏼 thanks for watching.
@ATEMOFFROAD How did you wire up the led strips? Did you just splice in to the door button only with a toggle switch to turn them on while the door is closed? Asking for a friend
Where can I find the thermostat / temperature sensor that plugs into the mechanical gauge?
This is what I used amzn.to/3PZlrjL
break booster rust rotting off in the future with the hood like that up north.
Yeah we just run it for the summertime when it’s starts to get 80+ here we are used to 110+ F🍻
@@ATEMOFFROAD 🍻
Modern cars need to bring back the ball chiller 😭
Yess 🤣🤣
Are the lightstrips still in place
What did you use to mount your Roof Top Tent? I'm getting an XJ. I will without a doubt be going back to the RTT world. Decided to sell my crawler and take up rocklanding instead.
This was a cheap 100 dollar ladder rack from Amazon that I modified. Here’s the link to the video 🍻 Episode 3: Cheap DIY RTT Rack For Project ‘87 Jeep Cherokee Xj
czcams.com/video/g8P2b3TzQIQ/video.html
@@ATEMOFFROAD Thank you! :)
May be a dumb question but where do you wire the led lights into? Or are they USB?
Used a fuse tap you can buy them at any hardware store, perfect for adding a protected circuit. 🍻
Super informative!
How did you get interior lights on the door switch?
@@Cmander5000 ground the led module through the door switch. Used a fuse tap to power on the module
Do you know where to get oem interior pieces? I want to restore the interior
Why the heck did you put that heat gauge right there where your feet don't have enough room to get in and out?
Personally I have plenty of room for my feet, and lastly I didn’t have to drill additional holes for mounting. I used the screws that are already there. 🍻
Used the stock screws?
That works for me!
I'll figure out how to get my size 12's in later.
@@ATEMOFFROAD
i have a 2000 wish mine was a 5 speed
Auto is better for crawling, but yes 5 speed is very fun 🤩
Nothing like forcing hot air into the air intake for you air conditioning.
Forcing?? hot air rises. Maybe a heater core shut off valve so during the summer you can cut off the heat front the core in the cab next to the AC evaporator coils. I hear it makes the Ac more efficient, but never tried it.
How did you wire the first mod to the door??
Thanks for the ideas.
Thank you 🙏
What year is yours? My 91 has a temp gauge.
I have the factory-installed cup holders and that is them. They flipping suck don't waste your money on them everything other then a can falls out into your lap.
Someone modified them with dollar store plastic cups, that way they are deeper to hold larger and heavier items. 🍻
You got a link for that lol I have been struggling with them for ever and if someone gets in and uses them without knowing they suck I normally get a lap full of soda
@@kylemaskell722 someone just told me here in the comments, they cut out the holes and dropped those cups in and its been awesome no more spills . 🤷♂️
Well done.
Thank you 🍻
Great Job!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you 🍻
Yoo what state are you located? I swear I seen that exact jeep for sale on fb marketplace I almost bought it
This is in CA , and it was never on marketplace. Thanks for watching 🍻
Right on looks good man great video, I ended up buying a decently built one from my grandparents!
Will rain mess up the engine bay with the hood raised up like that ?
I doubt it , I have had vents on my wrangler hood for over 2 years now it’s been good, survived the wildest El Niño year we ever experienced last year. 🍻
@@ATEMOFFROAD cool thanks, my father had an XJ and a TJ when I was a young kid. I always thought they were so cool. Fast forward 30 years and I just bought myself a 99 XJ clean with only 126k on it, the exact color as my fathers white exterior with the tan/black interior. I FaceTimed him once I got it home and showed him and he was like whattttt!!!!!!!!!! Is that mine??????? I said no it’s the same color combo but this one is now mine lol !
@@jonesy3002man what a awesome jeep, and low mileage, really can’t go wrong with the 99 xj . I actually share the same childhood story’s as you. We had tjs and xjs . Its what I started learning how to work on. This Xj here I know the Original owner and his son wants the jeep back , it was his jeep he grew up in since the 80s. I told you can have it back anytime. FFwd he’s really serious about it. 🍻
@@ATEMOFFROAD yeah man I’m a fast car guy had all muscle cars to 10 second imports. Just recently started getting onto the off-road scene. Going to do this build slowly but the correct way, starting from all maintenance first, then upgrading the rear to an 8.25 or 8.8 with rear disc brakes then the sliders etc and last lift and wheels
@@jonesy3002the 8.25 is actually a fairly tough axle and i believe I've heard jeep liberty rear disc backing plates are a bolt on swap. I believe wj grand Cherokee rear backing plates are also swappable with a minor modification enlarging the center hole. Don't forget offroad trucks can be fast too but dont forget your gears!! Happy jeepn yo
I dont think the laws are being upheld with the headlight brightness. I have been driving since ummm 1985 and these new led headlights are WAY too bright.
They are very bright, keep them pointed down
What size screws are the console for the cupholder? Mine didn’t come with any. 94
I honestly don’t know the size, I just re used the ones that were Already there.
Have you installed a bigger disc brake kit?
I thought about it , but was a budget build. If I go larger tires. It will be necessary 🍻
great video
From 🎄 tree, to how you spent money for lifting the car
this a classic car not a disco, not your house
Nothing permanent, but the DISCO 🕺 is fun . Haha 😂 🍻
Howd you power the interior lights?
The ground off the lights is wired through the driver side door switch, I also added another over ride switch that way I can have them turn on with the doors closed 🍻
@@ATEMOFFROAD aww ok, I put in a overhead console and lost most of my interior lighting. I have the footwell lights that come on but that's it
Nice god bless
Thank you 🙏
Sweet
Saludos
Thank you 🍻
I guarantee you those LED strips were unglued and hanging by the cord by the time this video got uploaded
Good to be skeptical, but they are still strongly attached. It’s 3M tape, the lights are very light in weight. 🤷♂️
Had mine installed in the Mississippi heat and humidity for over a year.... no probs whatsoever with that....
Lewis Deborah Smith Kimberly Hernandez Angela
"tailgate"??
Smith Timothy Allen Jeffrey Taylor Timothy
OK, sloppy installs are the type where you can see the wires. Take some time to hide the wires and lights. Hood risers are for amateurs. What do you need is a flowkooler water pump. It will solve your overheating issues. Add an aluminum radiator and all electric fans and you will never overheat under any conditions. As for the temperature gauge, if you go to the junkyard and get the full gauge set, you can just swap it for your idiot lights. Most sending units are the same. That way you can use the factory sending unit and not have more gobbledygook under the hood. Take some pride in your work, unless of course you’re not into preserving your Cherokee and you’re just gonna run it into the ground and send it to the junkyard. Please people, don’t be like that. These things are precious metal at this point.
Stop being silly it’s a offroad camping rig, it’s not a show room floor never going to get driven jeep! 🤷♂️ I’m not pulling seats and carpet just to hide one foot of wire that’s hidden under the seat, especially if I’m not 100 percent sure I’m going to keep it that way, no other wires show. Now The wires for the tailgate light do show because i didn’t want to drill and permanently add anything it’s all stick on. As far as the hood risers go it’s the best alternative solution to not cut up the hood for additional heat rejection there’s no harm here. The Cherokee already has an e fan and there’s no reason to spend additional money on a true aluminum radiator unless you need one because your engine is built and modified. It’s a totally stock engine. Don’t waste your money. Fix it right. The water hi flow water pumps are a good choice.and I agree on the sending unit, but this was 25 dollars and the only modification made was cutting the upper hoses, it’s one wire guy. No holes to drill no additional mods needed. I do take pride in my work, but it’s situational, it’s a offroad camping jeep guy. Now if you watched my last video you would also know I gave the keys back to the owner. So he can take that vision of restoration upon themselves. 🍻
This isn’t a ford raptor 😂. Jeeps are meant to be cheap Offroad rigs. Especially Xj’s!
The title of the video is SIMPLE mods also, stop nitpicking the dude he found solutions that work for him. Nice video
Ну ты и колхозник, my friend
Doo-doo?
Nice stuff great ideas
Thank you 🙏
4 wheelers going ricer?
😂
What light kit is that
Which one?