I have an XJ (Cherokee); I beg to differ on the ability to wheel on the rocks. Of course it took money, time, and modification to make it so but I have seen almost as much modification on the CJs, TJs and such I wheel with.
As far as fitting 35ö tires on an XJ, I upgraded my axels to a D44 front and Ford 9ö rear, new drag link, new tie rod, cut the front fenders almost off, and put in a 6ö lift. This kind of lift also needs a slip yolk eliminator (SYE, new upper and lower control arms, and another rear drive shaft. No need for a drop pitman arm since the XJs are already factory dropped.
The body/frame does flex. I added an internal roll cage and this helps. A 4ö lift will fit some 32ö tires and not cost a ton of money. The ZJ (Grand Cherokee) lifts are more expensive than the XJ.
Be careful of any Jeep but a Ruby on 35ö tires with stock axels on EBAY. Most had the D35 rear; this is a very weak axel. The XJs with the 4.0 HO had 8.25 (C-clip) rear axels and a few XJs had a D44 rear.
By the way, my XJ cost me $700 but I have spent several grand on mods.

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> It's always interesting to see what others read into a post! herc, no one said anything denigrating the cherokee offroad capability. But, you can build an offroad rockcrawling vehicle out of car, too! Is it practical? Probably not. The point was that it would be best to use a Wrangler instead of a Cherokee if someone is buying a new rig specifically for rockcrawling with 35" tires for ground clearance.

Every region probably has at least some challenging four wheeling venues, but I never have personally heard of any challenging rockcrawling venues in Texas. Your UNIBODIED Cherokee w/ ROLL CAGE will probably enjoy an unimpaired and unparalleled longevity there in Texas in contrast to a similarly built-Cherokee frequently traversing difficult rockcrawling trails, such as the Rubicon Trail mentioned above.

herc you're not alone, I commonly see posts from many Jeep owners endorsing or defending what they have done to their rig when it may not be the best technical resolution to a particular vehicle's drawback. Bolstered sheet metal will never give the desired support/strength required for a rockcrawling 4x4 vehicle that is provided by a frame under the tub; as it is now, Jeep Wrangler frames are just barely adequate, at best. A roll cage does little to provide the strength to protect against the type of damage being discussed here.

If cargo area and 4-doors are the reasons a Cherokee is being considered over a Wrangler, the Unlimited Wrangler that comes stock with dana 44 rear axles appears to have even more cargo area that the Cherokee: and, the new 07 Unlimited Wrangler will be available with 4-doors.

Personally, I always recommend buying newer metal and newer technology for the basic platform to build a Jeep rockcrawler. I suspect most people who build a Jeep rockcrawler only build one, and they have that vehicle forever ... and they are constantly modifying/improving their beguiling creation. It's easy to invest way too much money into your Jeep rockcrawler; so much that most four wheelers can not afford to replace the vehicle and start again. Usually, it's less expensive to simply modify and upgrade. In that regard, it's best to start with a newer Jeep platform that has the inherent essential strength for the rocky trails and best suited for easily performed modifications.

Cherokees look great jacked-up with 35" or greater tires under them; but having your vehicle sitting so high up isn't very practical. Just getting in and out of the vehicle on a trail run so many times gets to be "really old" after awhile. Now, a TJ Wrangler can easily be set-up for running 35's without getting ridiculously high off-the-ground; and, can still be conveniently used as a daily-driver, if-need-be.

Hey, hurc, wheel what you've got, but carefully consider what you build into a rockcrawler!

Austin Craigslist has a Corvette 4X4 listed real cheap..
Big Jim <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> True about the car thing, I have seen some weird rigs. As far as Texas wheeling, youÆre right, not much here. Usually need to travel outside the state to wheel.
I will be going to the Colorado All 4 Fun Run this August.
To each his own, I like the longer wheelbase and the enclosure, works for me and I do not drive it on the street. I am seriously considering upgrading to a buggy when the XJ wears out.
Getting a new Jeep is cool but allot of people are to worried about body damage with a new one, I also know some who are not.
I still think the wheeling is 40% vehicle 60% driver. The frame/body will last longer than the unibody off road.

herc, the Colorado All-4-Fun event is very popular; I've always heard good things about their four-wheeling and camping events. Have a good time.
BTW, the Unlimited Wrangler has basically the same wheelbase as the Chrokee (fraction of an inch difference).

i have seen some wild ones myself. my neighbors cousine back home has a 69 elcamino lifted,ive seen a lifted mustang,pinto,vega,chevelle and a hearse. out of all of them i liked the elcamino and hearse the most,they looked great,ran greeat and was cleanly done.
as far as the xj goes yes i own one and yes i agree with fread much easier and cheaper to modify. granted i wheeeled mine at stock height for awile before i moved to nj then it became the suv it was ment to be,taking it on fishing trips,picking up lawn supplies and so on. It moved me to nj,lasted (and still going strong) 4 years since i bought it with only about 500 in parts into it(biggest was the tank ,sending unit,and pump). the unibody is a bit on the weak side,they tend to crack at the steering box,and a bit longer.sure they make a kit to strenghten the frame,another to fix the steering box area,sawzallz to make fender holes bigger.but those are things you dont have to deal with on a wrangler.

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> That's okay, close enough, Coveru! Indeed, Fred is a difficult name for some to spell! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

bah bad day yesterday lol worse part of that is i had a neighbor named fred lol

Sorry to hear that.

I'm gonna wind way back the original question, and encourage you to get what you want! I'd love to wheel a ZJ, probably a Limited because of the anecdotal evidence that they have more satisfied owners. I'd opt for a V-8 with the 231 t-case (if possible... probably not) or the 242. For 35" tires it would need a rear Dana 44 at least (not the lame aluminum 44 it comes with). I would probably go with 33" tires, though.

All this talk about wimpy unibodys is BS. The uniFrames hold up fine. (I understand Finite element analysis professionally, which is how the XJ and ZJ were designed... very well, and with a built-in frame.) The SoCalXJ guys beat the crap out of their XJs, usually at the Hammers. They break eventually, but so does everything. Mine (XJ) is still in great shape.