Buying an XJ, a few questions please!

[Boston Mangler]

Hey Guys, long time no chat, now that the divorce is over and done with, i can get back into my favorite hobbie! Yippee!!!

I am going to be in the market for a new rig soon and i want to build an XJ. I have had and built many YJ's in the past and wheeled them well.

I am looking into building this XJ to use as a daily driver as well as a nice weekend trail rig seeing medium duty wheeling.

My questions arent about what tires will fit etc... as i have already figured all that out.

Here are my questions.

I like the pre 97 body style a little better then the newer one but i am looking of as low as mileage as possibly and a newer one might be the best best.

1- i see that some post 97's have 231's and others have 242's Which should i look for if i go with a newer one? I have ripped apart and rebuild a few 231's and actually like that tcase. WHat are the pros and cons here?

2- post 97 all have digital gauges right? are these pretty reliable or are the older ones better?

3- do the post 97 really have that much less opening in the wheel wells?

4- do all XJ's share the same unibody or are some years stronger?

5- anyone know how to get a york into a post 97?

6- I see that the front ARB bullbar is quite a bit more for the post 97's then for the older ones, why is that? I thought they were almost identical? anyone have pics of the 2?

7- i heard a few folks mention the post 97's are a little more cramped with less room, this true? i am 6'4" so this is important!

any other advice or info would be greatly appreciated! i want to make sure i buy the right rig with the right stuff!

thanks

[Kris]

What happened to the Land Cruiser ?

ok.
Not having one my opinion is worth what you paid for it, but here it goes...

91-93 you get the H.O. motor, with OBDI electronics. Get at least a 91+.
94+ H.O. with OBDII electronics. A bit better ?

231's have upgrades out the wazoo available, 242's are strong, but except for a SYE I dont think that there is much available. The 242 is nice if you visit snow frequently...

If you can find one with an 8.25 rear, you can put 29 spline axles in them if it came with the 27's. They switched to 29 spline toward the last few years of the run. This makes for a cheap upgrade that is well worth the extra $200 or so when you put in a rear locker.

The later style (uni)body is said to be stronger than the early. I know quite a few here have had problems with cracking with extreme use.

For the York, get ahold of Kilby.

I have a friend that was trying to sell their 92 a few months ago, never heard if they sold it. Original owner, 100k, power everything (laredo), 2grand-ish...

Thats the good thing about the 91 to 95 range, there cheap as dirt (in the jeep world)...

Now if only the xj guys would chime in... Mark ?... Paul ?...

Best,
kris.

[Handlebars]

Watch out, if you get one with a 242 it will most likely have ABS, which gets a Dana 35 axle.

FWIW here's my thoughts on a lift and tire combo for a moderate wheeling/drive anywhere rig:

http://jeepsunlimited.com/forums/sho...hreadid=222212

[Boston Mangler]

Originally posted by Handlebars
[B]Watch out, if you get one with a 242 it will most likely have ABS, which gets a Dana 35 axle.

Ahhhh thanks! Didnt even think of that! I am trying to find one with a 8.25 rear end and a NP231 tcase! I hope i can find one fairly easily!

thanks