1981 Cherokee for $285, sorta

[o0elvis0o]

If the seats read "turbo", they could be Toyota Supra or maybe Celica. you might be able to make some money back posting those on craigslist.

I was thinking the same thing. It's worth a shot anyways. I sold a couple of Honda Civic seats and shipping was only $80 for the pair using FedEx. Greyhound or Amtrak would have been cheaper but neither have a terminal around here.

[o0elvis0o]

Is that tint on the rear windows factory or film?

It looks factory. I don't see an edge where the rubber has shrunk away from the glass.

Can't wait for the after pics.

Man, me too!

Wow, tore pretty good at photoshop, can't even see the rust. lol
Nice score, what part of the country are you in?

Hide it well, huh? Yes, Alabama. Been stuck here for years....

[o0elvis0o]

Slow progress update:

I gets dark now around 445 and I don't have a garage to work in so I only have small chances to get work done. The carpet was shag but the years had not been kind to it. Neither had the squirrels. As I was pulling it out of the back I noticed someone had just glued the shag on top of the original carpet. I thought I would separate the two but the original carpet was rotted and falling apart so it all went into the trash.

The paint in the back of the Jeep looks awesome and should clean up very well. I was taking the seats out so I could clean them better and a couple of the bolts are being stubborn. I ordered some special wrenches which should solve that problem. I was able to get the passenger seat out so I started removing the double layer carpet there too.

I haven't found rust anywhere on the body and was thinking I had a miracle Jeep. Not completely rust free anymore, there is a rust through by the passenger side door. I will get some stuff to neutralize the rust and the make a temporary patch for the hole so water won't splash up when driving.

(Being optimistic that I will be driving the Cherokee )



On a positive note, I fixed the two flat tires. One was in good enough shape to go back onto the wheel and seal up, the other was shredded. I found used 33x12.50x15 at a tire shop down the road for $36 including mounting and balance. Awesome! And it still has decent tread left.

Now the Cherokee is sitting up on all fours and looking great!!

[Tatsadasayago]

The driver and passenger side where your rust hole is are very common. That's usually from water getting in via the kick panel cowl vents, windshield and A-Pillar leaks.
Search for the thread: "Water water everywhere" to get an idea of the causes.
Again, if that's all the rust your Jeep has, you are one fortunate dude!

[CheapJeepBrad]

My brother got an 81 in the same color this summer. It looked about like yours but after a week of TLC it looks really good. I'm digging those door panels.

I've only seen those panels on the '83 models. wondering if they were replaced at some time. The interior is interesting.
This paint scheme makes it look like a chief and some of the panels on the interior are vinyl. Laredo had carpeted panels I believe.

Here is a better shot of the door panel. The image came out kinda blurry but it was just to show the color pattern. The same color pattern is on the seats as well but it doesn't look like the exact same colors. Might just be because they need cleaning.

my 83 laredo j10 had those same seats. The vinyl feels like some wetsuit kind of material. I wasn't a big fan of that seat pattern or material. Love the door panels. vinyl looks good. maybe some new backer boards are in order?

[CheapJeepBrad]

I haven't found rust anywhere on the body and was thinking I had a miracle Jeep.

take a look under your driver side door in the front. I'm betting there is a hole there or the metal is very thin.

[o0elvis0o]

The driver and passenger side where your rust hole is are very common. That's usually from water getting in via the kick panel cowl vents, windshield and A-Pillar leaks.
Search for the thread: "Water water everywhere" to get an idea of the causes.
Again, if that's all the rust your Jeep has, you are one fortunate dude!

I am having trouble getting the drivers seat loose because the nuts are rusted tight and hard to get to (the power seat isn't wanting to cooperate). Since the seat bolts are so rusty I imagine I will find the same rust through on the drivers side. Hopefully not much worse though

Thanks for the tip to read 'Water water everywhere' !

take a look under your driver side door in the front. I'm betting there is a hole there or the metal is very thin.

I haven't looked at the bottoms of the doors. I will check those out tomorrow after work.

[o0elvis0o]

my 83 laredo j10 had those same seats. The vinyl feels like some wetsuit kind of material. I wasn't a big fan of that seat pattern or material. Love the door panels. vinyl looks good. maybe some new backer boards are in order?

The backer boards are in terrible shape. I have the drivers side door panel off and it is crumbling at the bottom. I am looking at trying to carefully peel the vinyl away at the edges without ripping it so I can remove the rotted cardboard. Then I can put new material in there to stiffen up the door panel again.

The small removable panel in the back is warped and needs rebuilding too. The panel that attaches to the tailgate isn't too bad but I will just rebuild all of them while I am at it. Well, I will rebuild them all if I am successful at rebuilding this door panel first.

[az chip]

Ah yes. To restore Jeep is to know depth of bank account.

[o0elvis0o]

Man, I believe you! I have a parts list I keep adding to and I haven't even heard it run yet.

[Skerrvydog]

His loc under his name says CA. Central Alabama. As opposed to LA, Lower Alabama. Or UA, Upper Alabama.

Thanks AZ Chip, I only read on Tapatalk which doesn't show sigs and user info so I didn't see any of that. Anyway I would have thought CA was California

[az chip]

His loc under his name says CA. Central Alabama. As opposed to LA, Lower Alabama. Or UA, Upper Alabama.

Thanks AZ Chip, I only read on Tapatalk which doesn't show sigs and user info so I didn't see any of that. Anyway I would have thought CA was California

CA usually does. Unless you are in the south! I learned that the hard way as well. I like Alabama. People are usually really nice.

[o0elvis0o]

His loc under his name says CA. Central Alabama. As opposed to LA, Lower Alabama. Or UA, Upper Alabama.

Thanks AZ Chip, I only read on Tapatalk which doesn't show sigs and user info so I didn't see any of that. Anyway I would have thought CA was California

CA usually does. Unless you are in the south! I learned that the hard way as well. I like Alabama. People are usually really nice.

You are absolutely correct on this. Around here LA is lower Alabama, usually somewhere below Montgomery.

Glad your experience with Alabama folks has been pleasant. One of the good things about living here is the low cost of living. $14 an hour lets you have your own place, pay all the bills, and support a habit whether that is cigarettes or Jeeps.

I bring in less than a thousand a week and we are doing good, and we have seven kids.

[az chip]

we are doing good, and we have seven kids.

Something else southerners are good at!

[o0elvis0o]

we are doing good, and we have seven kids.

Something else southerners are good at!

hahaha

[CheapJeepBrad]

my 83 laredo j10 had those same seats. The vinyl feels like some wetsuit kind of material. I wasn't a big fan of that seat pattern or material. Love the door panels. vinyl looks good. maybe some new backer boards are in order?

The backer boards are in terrible shape. I have the drivers side door panel off and it is crumbling at the bottom. I am looking at trying to carefully peel the vinyl away at the edges without ripping it so I can remove the rotted cardboard. Then I can put new material in there to stiffen up the door panel again.

The small removable panel in the back is warped and needs rebuilding too. The panel that attaches to the tailgate isn't too bad but I will just rebuild all of them while I am at it. Well, I will rebuild them all if I am successful at rebuilding this door panel first.

I an sure you will be able to work it out. I bought ABS panels from Men In Black in the vendor section and used stock vinyl to recover those. YOu are well on your way.

[CheapJeepBrad]

I bring in less than a thousand a week and we are doing good, and we have seven kids.

God bless you, Jeep brother. I do about the same with 2 kids.

[o0elvis0o]

I bought ABS panels from Men In Black in the vendor section and used stock vinyl to recover those.

Was the 1/8" thickness of the ABS close to the original backer board thickness?

God bless you, Jeep brother. I do about the same with 2 kids.

[o0elvis0o]

I heard it crank up today! :happydance:

Since the engine has been sitting 20+ years I tried to do a little prep before trying to crank it for the first time. Oil change, checked the rotor/cap (they looked great), checked the plugs (they looked great), squirted a little oil on top of the cylinders, and ran a hose from the fuel pump into some fresh gas.

I pumped the pedal to set the choke and poured a little gas into the carb. It fired up immediately! It didn't even turn over once before it sprang to life and roared until all the fuel I poured in the carb was burned off. I repeated this three more times trying to let the fuel pump prime itself but it never could run on its own.

I pulled the fuel line off between the pump and the filter and it was bone dry. So maybe that's why they quit driving the old Jeep. Fuel pump died.

I went to the local parts store to get a new fuel pump and when I said '81 Jeep Cherokee' all three guys working the counter had stories to tell. By the time I got out of the parts store it was getting dark.

I'll have to wait until tomorrow to get the fuel pump put on (no garage). I'm so excited!

[az chip]

Keep that fire lit. You'll need it for the long haul.