This 1998 Jeep Cherokee Sport, 4-door, has been a two-and-a-half-year project, built by the Patagonia Union High School Automotive and Welding classes. The first step the students took was to gut the interior down to the metal. Completely clean all metal parts, pressure wash, and clean all upholstery and plastic pieces, then reinstall the interior. It looks great.

The second part of the restoration involved tuning the engine, and this is where the first issue appeared. The Jeep has a 4.0L inline 6-cylinder engine, and when we sent the head off to be rebuilt, we discovered a major crack and decided to replace it with a new one. After replacing the head, lifters, push rods, water pump, thermostat housing, fuel injectors, all ignition parts, and filters, the engine has 40 minutes on the rebuild and will need an oil change. It is still running on break-in oil.

The students then completely rebuilt the suspension system with factory items, only to discover the tire size they chose was too big, so a new 3” Rough Rider lift kit was added. They also installed new brakes, rotors, and drums, a new fuel pump and filter, applied undercoating to the undercarriage, and installed rock lights wired to the fender well.

The last phase was the exterior. Students replaced all lighting with LED lights, replaced rear tail light lenses, and the license plate light bracket, removed the rear bumper, and installed a metal off-road bumper created by our welding class. On the front end, a new metal bumper, also created by our welding students, replaced the factory bumper. Factory fender flares were removed, and aftermarket flares were installed. New off-road 17-inch BF Goodrich tires and FJ wheels were installed. A roof rack was installed with LED off-road lights, individually switched from the shifter console.

Seeing how they love their music, a new stereo, interior speakers, woofer box, and amp were installed for your driving pleasure.

This vehicle is not perfect. It still needs to have the AC system serviced, front-end alignment, and the transmission needs servicing (the transmission shifts fine, we just did not change the oil and filter). We have attached a list of all new parts installed for the auction.

All money raised from the auction of this vehicle will roll over into our next project, a 1979 Ford Ranchero. Can’t wait.

As with all public auctions, this vehicle is being auctioned off as-is, no guarantee or warranty implied, nor given.

Front End: Exterior

• Front custom grill with stainless steel mesh backing (original grill sent with vehicle upon auction)

• LED headlights, turn signals, and side markers

• Front metal bumper, created by the school welding shop

• 9500 lb front winch, wired and ready to go

Engine Compartment

• New 4.0L head

• New injectors

• New ignition system

• New radiator, new lifters, and push rods

• New water pump

• New thermostat housing

• New thermostat and radiator hoses

• New serpentine drive belt

• New battery with off-road terminals

• New overflow tank

• New power bar mounted on the firewall

Interior

• Removed all seats and carpet, cleaned the body, and reinstalled following a complete shampoo and cleaning of all plastic parts

• Headliner removed, reupholstered

• New stereo

• New stereo wiring

• New shifter indicator bezel, with 4 LED light switches mounted for roof rack lights

• New woofer box with amp mounted and wired

• New interior speakers

Suspension

• New brake pads and shoes

• New slotted rotors and rear drums

• New rear brake hardware

• New 3” Rough Rider suspension lift kit (new original stock suspension parts included, installed before new tires, thus needing a 3” lift)

• New FJ 17” off-road wheels

• New BF Goodrich tires

• New fuel pump and filter in the tank

• New front drive shaft (4X4)

• Fender wells rock crawler LED lights

Exterior

• Off-road fender flares

• Roof rack with front, left, right, and rear LED lights (all wired individually)

• New windshield

• New wipers (front and rear)

• New rear tail lights

• New metal rear bumper, built by the school welding class

• New license plate light cover on the tailgate