How many seats does a....(Jeep)

[Donkeykong]

TJ Wrangler have? (4)
JK Wrangler have? (4)
XJ Cherokee have? (4 unless you get the 4 door then it is 5?)

I have yet to see a picture of a 2 door wrangler with three rear seatbelts.
Is this right?

I am looking at TJ's.
I am looking at JK's.

I wanted to spend $10 or less.

It looks like I am going to end up with a rokee? Not that I have a problem with cherokee's, but I have always liked wranglers, but I need to have the ability to fit three small bodies in the back until one of them can either drive, or is big enough to sit in the front.

OR

I am going to have to ask if is is okay to have a 4 or 5 or 7 year old sit in the front seat of a TJ or JK?
Ethically? Does Jeep Skool have a policy on this? Of course to even get there and remain legal on the street I would have to trailer the wrangler there, and have everyone packed into my libby.
Right now I have 4 children. To this point my daughter hasn't been with me on a Jeep Skool, but before I realize it I could potentially have 4 of my kids who want to ride with me... it doesn't look like a wrangler is going to cut it

[berettajeep]

Looks to me like your wife needs a Jeep too.

[H0USE34]

Looks to me like your wife needs a Jeep too.

She has a XK actually...

[RoboJr]

At the rate you're going you might need one of these.




Go with a Cherokee.

[badsparky]

Cherokees are quite capable offroad vehicles. 3 munchkins fit in the back of mine with no problems. XJ's are also a great value too. You can get a 97-01 4.0L in very nice condition vehicle for about $3-4k - leaves a lot of $$ for mods. 1998-99 seems to be the most desirable years to get. There is plenty of space for 5 and your gear (no need to choose between kids or tools). There is strong aftermarket support for them and many parts are interchangeable with TJ/YJ/ZJs. There was a period of time in the 80's and 90's that the XJ was actually a better offroader than the Wrangler in stock form. The 4 link front suspension first appeared in 1984 on the XJ and was such a good design that it was copied on the TJ Wrangler and Grand Cherokee (and is used on the new JK).

[berettajeep]

Looks to me like your wife needs a Jeep too.

She has a XK actually...

I remember that now.... Wheel it!

[Fox]

I am going to have to ask if is is okay to have a 4 or 5 or 7 year old sit in the front seat of a TJ or JK?
Ethically? Does Jeep Skool have a policy on this?

Although JeepSkool does not have a specific policy on this. If we see an unsafe situation (and we will if there is one ), we will correct it. Obviously, the "bad" part of having your child in the front seat is the airbag. There are many roads around that. But you will need to research that on your own and confirm any advice you are given. Good luck!

[Donkeykong]

LOL @ RoboJR, if I had unlimited funds to keep some fuel in it, I would be considering a Unimog... I think Cooke's have a couple of Minimogs, but they are only 2 seaters

Fox, well said. That was pretty much the answer I was expecting (and hoping for). As much as he would enjoy... LOVE riding shotgun, Milo, my older son will remain in the back until he is heavy enough to have the airbags deployed on him... my daughter (the older one) might be big enough to sit up front at skool... but with the laws as they sit, she's not allowed in the front seat on the roads until she is much older (she is 7)

And yeah, Ed's right.. we just got rid of my wife's Saabaru 92x-Aero, and got her into a 7 passenger Commander... it's even got skids, but I don't see us bringing it out to Jeep Skool as it doesn't even have a proper transfer case.... well... maybe if she comes to camp, but not to wheel....

For the rest of you;
It is good to hear about the cherokees. For some reason I got it in my head that I could get into a wrangler, but once again, foiled by logistics... I just like the idea of the simplicity of the machine...

Well... I am going to be on the lookout for a Cherokee... 4.0L, 5-Speed Manual... 4x4... the newer the better.

What do I want to look for in a good candidate?
I understand some of them came with the D25?
I understand some had air to engage the transfercase... or is that the differentials?
Are there any model years which are better out the box, or am I going to end up putting bigger axles on it anyway?
I can see myself fabricating a long arm kit. I can also see myself trying to get into a ultra low gear transfer case...

Where do I need to start? I would like to try and get into a rokee by the end of the summer/beginning of the fall. The only absolute is that it has to be a manual transmission

[Donkeykong]

Did I make a point of thanking everyone for their replies?

If not, consider yourself thanked

[Fox]

There are effective ways to disable those airbags. Google it. Unfortunately, I am in a position where I can't really give that advice.

[Donkeykong]

There are effective ways to disable those airbags. Google it. Unfortunately, I am in a position where I can't really give that advice.

Understood, but when it comes down to it, I put enough miles on the KJ that it's not worth disabling them

My wife pretty much gave me the go-ahead to get another vehicle, but I don't want to turn wheeling into something I can "only" do with my boys.... which is what would happen if I got a TJ or 2-door JK.

Maybe one day there will be a wrangler in my future, but for the mean time it looks like I am going to be getting another unibody..

[Marcel]

XJ Cherokee have? (4 unless you get the 4 door then it is 5?)

My 94 2 doors has three seat belts in the back seat.

What do I want to look for in a good candidate?
I understand some of them came with the D25?
I understand some had air to engage the transfercase... or is that the differentials?
Are there any model years which are better out the box, or am I going to end up putting bigger axles on it anyway?
I can see myself fabricating a long arm kit. I can also see myself trying to get into a ultra low gear transfer case...

Where do I need to start? I would like to try and get into a rokee by the end of the summer/beginning of the fall. The only absolute is that it has to be a manual transmission

No D25. All Cherokees have a D30 front axle. 99 and older are high pinion, which is stronger. All with ABS and all 96 (?) and newer regardless of brakes have the stronger/larger front u joints. 90 and older except full time 4wd versions (Selec trac) have the vaccum actuated front axle disconnect. Main problem is the vacuum lines being pulled off. It would in theory help gas mileage, but Chrysler got rid of it in 91 because the difference is too small to measure.

For the rear axle, the D35 is quite common, but it's a piece of poo. From 87 through 89 the D44 was optional, but is quite rare. 91 and newer can also have a Chrysler 8.25, but the 96 and older 8.25 has thin 27 spline axles that are not much better than the D35. 97 and newer uses thicker 29 spline axles and is almost equal in strength to a D44.

Mechanically, this makes the 97 through 99 the best choice as far as drive train strength goes.

[gperzcreeperz]

There are a few Scouts and Scout IIs down here that need a bit of love, but can be fixed and viable on/off road vehicles easily. The ones I've seen have D44s front and rear and the bodies are in good to great shape. None of them have tops though. That's been the kicker so far. Let me know.

[wwiifirearms]

My JK 4Dr seats 5 and their is a company that makes a third row seat so it will seat 7!

I often have three adults and two kids at JS.
-wwiifirearms

[boardmanXJ]

I know this is kind of an old topic in this thread but to disable the airbags in XJs are the same as ZJs, remove the module that is located underneith the center console.

Now my 2cents...

if your looking for something both streetable and wheelable, I would deffinatly choose another ZJ but now I would know what to look out for.

here are my pros and cons:

Pro:
They have the same d30 as an XJ/MJ/TJ
some came with a d44 in the rear
coils on all four corners
disc brakes all around
V8 (either a 5.2 or a 5.9)
more room in the inside
I'm pretty sure its got a bigger gas tank
more creature features
better stock gear ratio
ABS brakes on all ZJs
improved unibody structural design over the XJ
the V8s have better control arms, bigger trackbars, bigger front coils, and bigger sway bars


Con:
the d44 in the rear has an aluminum center section so its not really much better than a d35 for wheeling because you can spin the axle tubes and the aluminum is a lot more flexible and can cause binding in the gears. for towing stuff its a big plus though.
V8s only came in the limiteds and with the limiteds came CV joints in the axleshafts and front driveshaft and NEITHER are good for off roading (found that out the hard way...)
more creature features means more work for the alternator/battery and less extra power for lights, winch, ect.
you need to lift higher to fit bigger tires and you deffinatly cant cut as much to make them fit.
almost every ZJ ive seen has transmission shift solenoid issues.
the limiteds have the np249 transfercase so no 4hi and no 2wd.
although the suspension and front axle are the same, the axle assemblies are longer so XJ/MJ and exploder assemblies wont fit.
rear passenger windows dont go down all the way

dont get me wrong, I love XJs but, for wheeling purposes, I think the ZJ is commonly overlooked.