Over the coming weeks, we have given the reigns to our good friend Brad from TrailRecon so that he can give a deep dive into the vehicles of TrailRecon. This week we’re focusing on the TrailRecon Jeep Cherokee XJ. So grab your popcorn, sit back, and enjoy what Brad has to say about these rigs:

“When my twin sons got their learners permits, I knew it was time to start finding an affordable vehicle they could drive, but it needed to be off-road capable and something we could do some father and son garage projects on. After searching for about 3 months I finally found a bone stock 1999 Jeep Cherokee… perfect! The Jeep Cherokee XJ is a great platform for a teenager because there is a lot of aftermarket support, they are inexpensive, and modifying them is fairly straight forward.”

“The first thing we did to the XJ was to get out and use it and allow the boys to get familiar with how it handled in stock form, then progressively pushed its limits and began slowly modifying it. Spending time on the trail with my sons made for some great memories, but equally as enjoyable was spending time in the garage with them while we installed a lift kit, new steering components, some new pumpers, a winch, wheels and tires, and a few accessories.”

“The XJ has square headlights, so adding some aftermarket KC Lights that matched the style was important to us. On the bumper we installed some G-34 LED lights in a driving beam and over the front windshield we installed a series of G-46 lights utilizing the KC Xross Bar. Not only did this add the exact style we were looking for, but also added plenty of lighting for when we ventured out to do a little off-roading at night. The Cherokee has allowed my sons to learn a lot about off-roading and wrenching and I’m thankful for all the memories.”

Now that we know the story of the TrailRecon Jeep XJ that allowed him to spend some quality time with his sons, let’s get down and dirty with the full build specs as they are today (May 2020). This Cherokee is a very functional, well-built machine that’s capable and handling all types of terrain! Enjoy!

Vehicle:

• 1999 Jeep Cherokee XJ

The Essentials:

• 4.0 L Engine
• Stock Transmission and Driveshaft
• Stock Exhaust

Wheels & Tires:

• 15″ Method Aluminum Wheels
• 32″ BFGoodrich All-Terrains

Suspension:

• 4″ Iron Rock Off-road Lift
• Currie Tie Rod and Draglink

Lighting:

• Gravity® LED G46 Lights (Discontinued)
• Gravity® LED G34 Fog Lights
• Overhead X-Ross Bar

Exterior & Recovery:

• Smittybilt XRC Front Bumper
• Smittybilt XRC Rear Bumper with Tire Carrier
• Goliath Off-road Rock Sliders
• Smittybilt XRC 9500 Winch

Interior:

• 67 Designs Phone Mount
• Rugged Radio Handheld System

Build the rig you’ve always dreamed of and drive your adventure forward with our gear recommendations. For more off road & overlanding gear recommendations, make sure to check out our Gear Reviews section.