We all have different objectives when it comes to vehicle builds. Some want the most off-road capable vehicle they can build. Others are looking to go as fast as possible. Jon Wilder built his 1999 Jeep Cherokee, Rusty the TexJ, for another more personal reason: his family.
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The Jeep Cherokee (XJ) was made from 1984–2001, and there have been tons of lift kits on the market during those 18 model years. So when it came time to choose a Jeep Cherokee Lift for Cranky, our Jeep Cherokee project, I decided to look to a company that had plenty of experience lifting Jeeps. Skyjacker has been…
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I’ve long held the belief that a vehicle’s nickname manifests itself. It shouldn’t be forced or given prematurely. Well, we decided that our project Jeep Cherokee now has a nickname: Cranky.
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Plans for our 2001 Jeep Cherokee (XJ) are starting to come together, and a multitude of parts are arriving. We’ve already got the awning and fridge from ARB and the rack from BajaRack on the rig, but here are some of the other goodies we’ll be installing:
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We typically go to Easter Jeep Safari for the annual gathering of off-road enthusiasts, primarily Jeeps—duh. I’ve been to the event for work many times. We even drove our Jeep Cherokee out there one year. We barely made it, but that’s another blog post. This year, we took our 1992 JDM Mitsubishi Pajero, aka the…
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I grew up watching my dad fix cars and handing him tools as a wee lad. He’s been a mechanic since our family immigrated to the United States and tended to buy cars with mechanical issues to fix and drive. He worked as a master technician for a Mazda dealership, but we were a Mopar…
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Words by Andy Lilienthal; photos by Mercedes Lilienthal As we work on The PDXJ (project ’01 Jeep Cherokee), we’ve had an outpouring of support and help to get it upgraded, maintained, and well, fixed. Whether it’s the crew from ARB USA, the team at Nitro Gear & Axle, Jason from Outlaw Xpeditions, or our friends…
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Words by Andy Lilienthal, photos by Mercedes Lilienthal/FCA The Jeep Compass has had quite the evolution since it debuted back in 2007. I can’t say I was much of a fan of early iterations, what with its odd proportions and fairly anemic powertrain. So it’s amazing that for 2017, the Compass will come into its…
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This meme: This is my New Year’s resolution. We picked up our 2001 Jeep Cherokee, aka, The PDXJ, in July 2016. Almost immediately, we started working on it, and we haven’t slowed since. Whether it was standard maintenance things, minor repairs, or aftermarket upgrades, I feel like all we’ve done is work on the thing….
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New website, new project. While Crankshaft Culture will undoubtedly cover a host of vehicular topics, I thought we’d first introduce you to our Jeep Cherokee project vehicle. This is more than just a project for us, however. This Jeep belonged to my father, Jim, who passed away in January, 2014. It was his daily driver….
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