Mercedes Powered Cherokee

[gmentavlos]

Building another XJ......... Pics and info on the way soon.

 

[gmentavlos]

Diesel Donor Vehicle before paint and body work......

Also, Jeep has 67k original miles, but the engine leaks oil out of every seal.

Someone also installed a glass pack muffler, rediculous........ It is gone soon!

 

[gmentavlos]

Here is the tire wheel combo I will be running. 15X8 OE replica wheels. They look awsome, was a little worried about a replica type wheel but the quality is amazing. The tires are 33X1050 BFG's. More to come soon....

 

[gmentavlos]

Finally getting a little work done. Finished new paint job and minor body work. I have about 6 inches of lift on the jeep, Soon to have about 2 more inches of lift and some fender trimming. Drive-train is removed. Transfer case rebuilt. Here are a few pics of what I got so far. Also the tires pictured are going on this jeep. They are 36x15.50 R16 Mickey Thompsons. Just for a laugh, I pictured the muffler that I just removed as well and yes it is a glass pack......

 

[gmentavlos]

I also began cleaning up the new motor. It is a Mercedes OM617 Turbo Diesel. I have a rebuilt turbo to go on it and plan to changed the rear-main seal, timing chain, valve cover gasket, water pump, and oil pan gasket just to freshin in up a bit.

 

[adamk]

what trans and tc are you matching with it? When I first read the title of the thread and thought you had a true factory diesel XJ and was gonna ask how you got so lucky to find one in the states haha

 

[gmentavlos]

Stock AW4 transmission and Stock T-case. I bought a custom adaptor plate to mount the transmission to the engine

 

[95flexj]

awesome build man I run the 33 15.50 on my ranger they will look cool as hell on the jeep

 

[gmentavlos]

I bought some really nice fender flares from Notch Customs. I really like the way they look and the amount of clearance you get. The only downside is they are complicated to install. It took me about 4 hours to get the 1st one mounted. They require a lot of fitting and re-fitting, sheet metal cutting, and you also have to trim the flares some too. They are made of fiberglass and don't fit completely flush with the body so it took a lot of trimming to get them to fit flush. Ride height will be about 2 inches higher than in the pics. I am trying to keep the jeep a reasonable height. I also plan to have the flares painted to match the jeep once I get them all fitted.

 

[Andy J.]

Those flares are awesome. Just try not to smash them into a tree on the first trip!

 

[gmentavlos]

I will do my best, they are sturdy. I think if I did hit a tree the whole fender would come off with the flare...

 

[95flexj]

Those flares are sick coming along good. Did you paint it yourself if so if you don't mind me asking how much did it set you back my 96 need a new white paint job

 

[gmentavlos]

I can't Remember for sure. I had a few door dings removed a well. I think I paid about 650.00. I still have to take the flares in to get them painted too

 

[sammi_davis]

I love how the Notch flares look , but everything I have read mentions how much of a pain it is to mount them. Its going to be fun to watch this build.

 

[gmentavlos]

Thanks. The flares are really time consuming to install but the looks are what sold me

 

[gmentavlos]

Almost done with another flare....... Been busy working on a Comanche as well. Trying to be carefull to perserve as many pinch welds as possible on the rear. I will have to cut through and re-weld the inner fender but don't want to cut any more than I have to. So far I am happy with this build. The jeep almost looks like a "Hot Wheels" car.

 

[sammi_davis]

Looking good !

 

[TeamSpatula]

I've been thinking about the Mercedes diesel swap into a Cherokee myself, would love to see more details & info on that aspect of it - the adapters, mounts, and any other issues that come out of that...

 

[gmentavlos]

Still have a little more trimming to do on the rear fender but getting closer. The second pic is close to ride height with the 36 inch tire. Looks like I may lower it a little in the rear...

 

[frankenyoter]

Looking good. Ive considered the Benz swap on my cruiser. Those engines are really over engineered and strong. You can turn a few screws and jump the power a good bit. Looking forward to seeing this progress.

 

[gmentavlos]

I decided to change the title of this thread.... This tread is so old I figured why not re-name it.
I started working on this again a few weeks ago. I finished cutting sheet metal and drilling holes for the flares. I also bed-liner sprayed the lower body panels of the jeep. All of these areas will be covered up by the flares and body armor. I figured this would provide additional rust prevention.

 

[gmentavlos]

I had the flares color-matched to the jeep. They turned out great. It took painting them 3 times to get the color right. The jeep is a little tall in this pic. The engine is not in yet. I also plan to stretch the front about 2 inches

 

[gmentavlos]

Fenders done! Also installed body armor at the rocker panels and at the bottom of the doors. I had them powder coated light grey.

 

[gmentavlos]

Also, started cleaning up the floor boards. Wire wheeled some light surface rust. Plan is to prime and paint as well. The floor boards look really good for a 1994 model. I have not been so lucky with XJs in the past

 

[gmentavlos]

Lastly-Installed a vintage Jeep hood ornament I had laying around. Bolted down the hood scoop and finished us some pin stripping.