Billy Bob the '96 XJ
Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2018 2:33 pm
This is Billy Bob, a homely little 1996 Cherokee that has seen many, many better days:
While Billy Bob is actually pretty mechanically sound, the body is rough. And as those of us that speak unitbody know, the body pretty much is the Jeep. So… why? Well, this one is for my boy; a strapping young lad of 12 years who has a taste for the outdoors and a knack for light tinkering. We had a whole different project vehicle lined up for him, but after several months along that path we realized it was just too much for him to really enjoy and get much out of, so we shifted gears and got something that he could both learn to wrench on and enjoy using at the same time. Don’t be surprised to find him on the trail behind you at some point in the (very) near future
After a trip to the pressure washer, I put the boy to work changing the engine oil and giving the entire thing a mechanical once-over:
With that out of the way, we assessed the overall situation with the body. Specifically, the rear fenders, as this is an area where several layers of sheetmetal are joined together to provide significant strength to the overall “chassis”, and also keep the outside out and the inside in. Unfortunately for Billy Bob, the previous owner had completely hacked the rear fenders apart in order to fit up some terrible Bushwacker fender flares. If one follows the instructions, these flares can be installed without detrimental damage; such was not this case with this particular installation:
The only way to properly fix this was to completely replace the rear quarters, and section in new inner fender wells to seal things back up. To be honest, this is not something I’ve ever attempted before, and while I appreciate good natured ribbing as much as the next guy, I’ll punch you in the throat if you tell me how terrible this looks.
I get it, I’m not a body guy, and will never claim to be. There is a reason this kind of work is expensive… 
The first order of business was to find a suitable donor. As luck would have it, I happen to still own an old XJ hulk that used to belong to none other than our beloved Danny. A quick trip to the ranch ensued to load it up and drag it home:
Once back at my place, I took a final look at the mess we had to start with, and went about ciphering on where to cut out the offending mess and be able to somewhat easily replicate those cuts on the donor vehicle:
A few minutes later, the mess got a lot bigger:
Some choice words and head scratching lead to a few minutes of grinding and fitup:
Tack tack tack:
Grind grind grind:
One down, one to go…
While Billy Bob is actually pretty mechanically sound, the body is rough. And as those of us that speak unitbody know, the body pretty much is the Jeep. So… why? Well, this one is for my boy; a strapping young lad of 12 years who has a taste for the outdoors and a knack for light tinkering. We had a whole different project vehicle lined up for him, but after several months along that path we realized it was just too much for him to really enjoy and get much out of, so we shifted gears and got something that he could both learn to wrench on and enjoy using at the same time. Don’t be surprised to find him on the trail behind you at some point in the (very) near future
After a trip to the pressure washer, I put the boy to work changing the engine oil and giving the entire thing a mechanical once-over:
With that out of the way, we assessed the overall situation with the body. Specifically, the rear fenders, as this is an area where several layers of sheetmetal are joined together to provide significant strength to the overall “chassis”, and also keep the outside out and the inside in. Unfortunately for Billy Bob, the previous owner had completely hacked the rear fenders apart in order to fit up some terrible Bushwacker fender flares. If one follows the instructions, these flares can be installed without detrimental damage; such was not this case with this particular installation:
The only way to properly fix this was to completely replace the rear quarters, and section in new inner fender wells to seal things back up. To be honest, this is not something I’ve ever attempted before, and while I appreciate good natured ribbing as much as the next guy, I’ll punch you in the throat if you tell me how terrible this looks.
I get it, I’m not a body guy, and will never claim to be. There is a reason this kind of work is expensive… The first order of business was to find a suitable donor. As luck would have it, I happen to still own an old XJ hulk that used to belong to none other than our beloved Danny. A quick trip to the ranch ensued to load it up and drag it home:
Once back at my place, I took a final look at the mess we had to start with, and went about ciphering on where to cut out the offending mess and be able to somewhat easily replicate those cuts on the donor vehicle:
A few minutes later, the mess got a lot bigger:
Some choice words and head scratching lead to a few minutes of grinding and fitup:
Tack tack tack:
Grind grind grind:
One down, one to go…
