Up early and saw an ad for a free Jeep, sorta local. Been looking for a freeby as a source of parts for mine, especially the rear end. Want to make a “Lincoln Locker”. Drove down to check it out. Flat tire, and an automatic, so the trans is locked up (no keys). Filthy and nasty, but all there and a battery that hold (is holding, at least) a charge, and 3 usable tires.
A guy hails me from across the street and asks me about the house. Only able to tell him an ad on Craigslist said it sold at auction and the two cars there are free for the taking. Guy said that the Jeep was running last he saw anybody at the house, months ago.
Hauled ass back home to hook up the trailer and grab tools, get back there and it’s still there. Start to load it, and notice it’s not four wheel drive! :eek: I had no idea Chrysler made an XJ without 4x4.
Eh, I hauled it off anyway. The rear end, tires and other stuff I can make use of on mine, or get it running and have a second Dog Jeep.
Got the ignition switch removed and the steering lock by-passed, so I can roll it around the yard. Had to disconnect the drive shaft to tow it home, but that was a two-minute job (4 small bolts).
Free Jeep! Free nasty, garbage-filled ashtray of a disgusting two-wheel drive Jeep. That’s what I did today.
I have a '99 XJ Cherokee Sport that I bought new, in the (I’m told) rare Deep Amethyst (dark metallic purple). It has over 225,000 miles on it, but it’s in great condition and still runs strong. I’ve been thinking for years of selling it, and I’d hoped to get $2,000 for it. After reading the article, it sounds like I might be able to get more than that.
Be sure to read the ‘essay’ the guy wrote: The original Jeep 4.0L inline-six was hewn from a solid block of granite by lightning bolts. Its cylinders were bored by the Imperial Winds and its rotating assembly was balanced by the Scales of Justice. The Ancient Egyptians used Jeep 4.0L engines to move the blocks which built the Pyramids…
Only luck I had was insomnia. Free Jeeps are pretty frequent around here, but seldom in my neck of the woods. (This makes sense if you know the area, otherwise, not a fucking lick!)
How do you know that the Craigslist ad was legit and the Jeep was yours to take? Maybe the dude across the street posted the ad so someone would haul that POS eyesore away for free.
A buddy has two identical chainsaws, he kept the second around for “parts.” I made fun of that, but it makes sense in some situations. If you get it running, you can have someone drive it behind it everywhere, so that he can figure out what parts are dropping off and have a backup handy.
That straight six is a hell of an engine. It should come back to life. The tranny and the rest of the Jeep might be complete garbage, but a solid ten bucks says that engine is most likely ready to come back to life. Even if the head gasket is trash, you are only about a bill and an afternoon of wrenching to fire it up. Good nab my man!
All indications are that it is a runner. I’ve got an ignition switch coming ($10, by coincidence ), and am pretty confident it will fire up. It’s just really dirty inside, but that don’t bother me much. I’ll put the kid to work cleaning it.
The tire is holding air, and the battery is still good after sitting for who knows how long. And the guy across the street from where I got it said it ran.
