Jeep XJ Cherokees are being seen on the trails 10 times more often than they used to be. Why is that? Could it be that these vehicles that have been around since 1984 are only now getting widely recognized as capable 4x4s? Hardly. People have associated anything under the Jeep name with off-road capability since the brand was called Willys-Overland. The Cherokee's recent boom in popularity among off-roaders has to do with a number of things. The first being that it is a Jeep. Need we say more? Second, in the last few years Cherokees have become very easily obtainable monetarily, and the fact that there are quite a few out there at America's disposal guarantees that this will be the ultimate poorman's all-in-one vehicle. Lastly, the aftermarket support for Cherokees has exploded in the last few years with real-world suspensions and products that will still kick ass on the trail. Hank Van Gaale, a Cherokee owner and specialist, sums it up: "It's the ultimate usable vehicle: a soccer-mom rig that you can four-wheel all day on the Rubicon and then drive home in comfort. You can smoke most vehicles up to 40 mph and can sleep in it at night. What's not to like?" So without further ado, we bring to you the facts about Cherokees.
The word unibody is self-explanatory. It refers to a design that relies upon the body and the frame being one unit to provide the structural integrity of the vehicle. A subframe is normally used in the front end to provide a bit more support and rigidity where the engine sits and most of the force takes place. This type of design has been used in cars for years, but only in the last couple of decades have 4x4s used this. The '84 Cherokee started the trend with other vehicles following suit in the early '90s. Jeep now has two other unibody vehicles: the Grand Cherokee beginning in 1992 and the current Jeep Liberty that followed the demise of the Cherokee in 2001. The coil's top mount is the inner fenderwell itself, since the body supports the weight and force of the vehicle.
As long as your doors still open normally and the tailgate does not hit the bumper, you should be fairly confident that your Cherokee is still all right. It is when these symptoms start to occur that you should be worried. If this sounds like your problem, you have a couple of options. If it is not severe, then a chassis stiffener (described above) can help return the unibody to a less-bent condition. If it is severe, then 'wheel the piss out of it until you break it in half, then strip it and buy another XJ because you just can't economically fix that harsh of a bending.
So what happens if you decide that you like open wheeling, get too hammered with your friends one night, and sawsall the top off your Cherokee? Again, just wheel it until you bend it in half and throw it away. Or, you can do what Hank Van Gaale did to this customer's Cherokee and put a full rollcage to support the structural integrity. Don't try this at home without first acquiring extensive knowledge of what places to put supporting bars and where to reinforce the undercarriage. On this particular vehicle, Van Gale threw on a special touch and modified the hinges so that the doors are removable.