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Installing the Lift Kit
December 16, 2013

 

When I started looking to buy a Jeep to start a build, I knew I wanted a Cherokee. I've loved them since I was a teenager, and to me they are one of the iconic 4X4 models (I know, I know, Wranglers are more iconic) that seem to get less love in the after market. I can't drive 5 miles without seeing a lifted Wrangler. But a well built Cherokee is a little more rare. If we're being honest here, I also didn't have the money to start out with a TJ or a JKU, I'd rather spend my money on the fun parts anyway.

So after several months of looking I bought this 2001 Jeep Cherokee sport. As far as I could tell, it had never been offroad, yet pretty well maintained. I drove it stock for a few months, as I sorted out some regular maintenance items, and added Quadratec Floor Liners. But really what this XJ needed was an altitude adjustment. On went the Rubicon Express lift kit.

Install of a Rubicon Express 3.5" SuperFlex Lift Kit on a 2001 Jeep Cherokee XJ.

The parts used in this video were:
Wheels & Tires
June 11, 2014

 

With the install of a Rubicon Express 3.5" Lift Kit, Project XJ gets a much needed wheels & tires upgrade.

The parts used in this video were:
Smittybilt Rear Bumper with Tire Carrier
October 28, 2014

 

With our wheels & tires upgraded, we now address the issue of spare tire storage when you go with a larger size tire on an XJ. We installed a Smittybilt XRC rear bumper with tire carrier. While we had it in the shop, we also added a Smittybilt Defender roof rack for some extra storage up top.

The parts used in this video were:
Smittybilt XRC Bumper and Quadratec Winch
April 28, 2015

 

Now that the rear bumper has been upgraded, we need to beef up the front. We added a Smittybilt XRC front bumper, and a Quadratec Q11500iS winch.

The parts used in this video were:
Trail Upgrades
November 19, 2015

 

With summer time looming, we wanted to make sure Project XJ was ready for any trail. So we added some Smittybilt XRC Rock Sliders, G2 Aluminum Differential Cover, Rigid Industries RDS-10 Light bar with integrated Go-Pro mount, and swapped out our Quadratec Q11000is winch for the all new Quadratec 9500is Stealth winch for a more aggressive and blacked out look.

Parts used in this video:
Cooling System & Exhaust Upgrade
September 30, 2016

 

The cooling system in a Jeep Cherokee is far from efficient, and putting a winch on the front blocks some of your precious airflow as well. To fix this and keep our XJ running cooler we installed a Flex-a-lite aluminum radiator and triple electric fan combo. While we were at it we upgraded the rest of the cooling system as well. The exhaust system in our XJ was in dire need of replacement too, so we upgraded to a Magnaflow cat back system to replace the rusted out stock unit.

Parts used in this video: