All right, I'm new the the Jeep scene. Just sold my 89 Toyota 4x4 pickup (selling it was a bad move on my part), and I picked up a beat up 94 Cherokee for 1800 bucks (for a price like that, who could refuse?).

Anyways, I suppose I'll start by telling you how much I know about Jeeps: Nothing. Haha.

Well, never the less, I have plans for this vehicle, mostly cosmetic (because it's in less-than0desirable shape), and I want to work on the engine. That 4L has far more potential than just the stock 190hp.

One of the main things I wanted to do was to take a design from the Wrangler and incorporate it into the my Cherokee. I've never been a fan of the SUV styling, they look like bricks.

To clarify, I want to remove the back portion of the vehicle (starting after the rear doors, naturally), and seal off the cab, adding a back window (reusing the one that I removed, probably). I drew up a sketch of what it would relatively look like (It's just a sketch, so the dimensions are probably off, but not by much). Unfortunately, my scanner is currently on the fritz.

My biggest concern with a project like this would be the finishing touches, such as sealing off the cab from the make-shift bed.

I came up with two solutions, but neither one will be particularly easy.

First option would be to use sheet metal to create the bed and enclose the cab. This would cost me a prety penny in materials, but even moreso in the labor to have it done (I dont have enough experience with welding in order to take on the job myself).

Option two would be to take a Commanche bed and use it instead (as I would need a tailgate, also). I am under the impression that the Cherokee and Commanche use the same chassis. I could be wrong, though.

But I would then have to shorten the bed from the Commanche, and completely remove the rear end of the Cherokee in order to make it work...again, not easy.


I was planning on completely redesigning the interior, as well. I've never been a fan of Jeep interiors. Too little for the driver, too unfriendly.

Mainly going to replace the front seats, reupholster the back bench in the same material as the front seats, replace the flooring (possibly replace it with a spray-on liner), replace the dash, the electronics, the console, and I need ot replace the headliner.

The windows need re-tinting, but that's minor. The rear drivers-side door needs to be replaced (or at least, the interior door handle needs to be made functional). I'll replace the steering wheel, fix the horn, etc.

I was also going to replace the bumpers with the same pipe bumpers I had on my Toyota, along with the same PIAA foglamps as well.

I also want to lift the suspension 4 inches, and get 33" All-Terrains and keep the 15" wheels I have now. I dont want this vehicle to be as tall as my Toyota was.

That's mainly it. Any comments, suggestions, or concerns? I'd really love to hear them before I start on this thing.


I just wish it was a manual, and 4wd....those are my biggest concerns, becaue I can (relatively) easily change the rest.

Man where to even start with this..... LOL As much as I will not bash on someone's project or idea, the one main thing I have to say here is, a Cherokee is a Unibody vehicle, so there is no Chassis, and you really dont want to cut up the body unless you are going to make a full cage to replace the chassis. I had a buddy in college that did just that, he cut the whole top and doors off his 4 door XJ, but he added a full roll cage, not just roll bar, to stiffen the XJ back up. He then cut the fenders all up and gave it a mild lift and ran 35" SSRs. It looked pretty good and did well off road, but it was really just a trail rig, that was still technically street legal. Good luck with what you plan, but I would definitely do a lot more research before you cut anything.

Hmm. Most definitely. That would be the reason I posted it up here before I went ahead and did it. I appreciate the info, and I will look into my options to see if I can do this, or if it's just not worth it.

If it's not, I'm going to put that money into another vehicle. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Long-ago Jeep section editor, Bart Jacobs, did something similar to his XJ. Look in the Gallery here:

trailshots > 4x4 Trailshots > On the Trails > Utah > Moab > Easter Jeep Safari 2001 > Day 2 Hells Revenge

Bart's XYJ

I think he called it "XYJ" so a search might find more pictures. I've seen one other in SoCal. Bart's is in Utah.

Someone in Freedom Off Road, JeePete's club, did one. It's called the Cherofreak. JeePete in on here frequently; drop him a line. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

Yeah, that's almost exactly what I want to do, except I want to add a back window and a piece of sheet metal or something to close in the cab from the bed.

And I'll keep my doors. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />