Mercedes Powered Cherokee

gmentavlos

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2009
Location
Charlotte NC
Building another XJ......... Pics and info on the way soon.
 
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!
 

Attachments

  • Snow1.jpg
    Snow1.jpg
    123.1 KB · Views: 869
  • Snow2.jpg
    Snow2.jpg
    142.6 KB · Views: 862
  • Snow3.jpg
    Snow3.jpg
    143.3 KB · Views: 848
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....
 

Attachments

  • Snowtire.jpg
    Snowtire.jpg
    112 KB · Views: 692
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......
 

Attachments

  • Cherokee1.jpg
    Cherokee1.jpg
    112.2 KB · Views: 1,492
  • Cherokee2.jpg
    Cherokee2.jpg
    132.3 KB · Views: 1,569
  • Glasspack.jpg
    Glasspack.jpg
    159.9 KB · Views: 1,011
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.
 

Attachments

  • Mercedes 5 cyl.jpg
    Mercedes 5 cyl.jpg
    153.6 KB · Views: 743
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
 
Stock AW4 transmission and Stock T-case. I bought a custom adaptor plate to mount the transmission to the engine
 
awesome build man I run the 33 15.50 on my ranger they will look cool as hell on the jeep
 
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.
 

Attachments

  • flaresgrey2.jpg
    flaresgrey2.jpg
    96.5 KB · Views: 1,289
  • flaresgrey1.jpg
    flaresgrey1.jpg
    110.7 KB · Views: 878
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
 
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
 
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.
 
Thanks. The flares are really time consuming to install but the looks are what sold me
 
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.
 

Attachments

  • JEEP.jpg
    JEEP.jpg
    121.5 KB · Views: 2,664
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...
 
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...
 

Attachments

  • Jeepcut.jpg
    Jeepcut.jpg
    147.1 KB · Views: 929
  • ridehight.jpg
    ridehight.jpg
    97.9 KB · Views: 1,610
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.:beer:
 
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.
 

Attachments

  • Cher2.jpg
    Cher2.jpg
    103.4 KB · Views: 759
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
 

Attachments

  • Cher1.jpg
    Cher1.jpg
    117.2 KB · Views: 720
Fenders done! Also installed body armor at the rocker panels and at the bottom of the doors. I had them powder coated light grey.
 

Attachments

  • Jeep1.jpg
    Jeep1.jpg
    93.9 KB · Views: 497
  • Jeep2.jpg
    Jeep2.jpg
    122.4 KB · Views: 415
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
 

Attachments

  • Jeep4.jpg
    Jeep4.jpg
    93.7 KB · Views: 366
Lastly-Installed a vintage Jeep hood ornament I had laying around. Bolted down the hood scoop and finished us some pin stripping.
 

Attachments

  • Jeep3.jpg
    Jeep3.jpg
    105 KB · Views: 358
Back
Top