The Jeepspeed XJ platform – built to go fast, run desert trails, and take a beating. At least as much as a mid-size unibody SUV can withstand. . .
The early days of the 2000 Cherokee Sport build headed towards rock crawling and usual Jeep terrain, before taking a turn into a race-inspired go fast camper. Spending most of it’s time off-road in the deserts just east of San Diego, a hybrid go-fast setup just made sense. Queue Jeepspeed:
What makes a Jeepspeed XJ?
The term Jeepspeed is thrown around a lot. At it’s core, it’s running a Jeep as a go-fast prerunner rig rather than a low-speed rock crawling machine. Jeepspeed itself is a desert racing series with several classes from “stock” rigs (1700 class) to heavily built bodies and suspensions.
The 2000 Cherokee build took inspiration from the Jeepspeed 1700 Class to build a mid-level desert capable rig. Class specs follow: 33″ tires, 10″ front suspension travel & 12″ rear suspension travel.
The 6 cylinder 4.0 litre engine is retained in stock configuration.
Other components on the 2000 Cherokee build, typical to a Jeepspeed Xj, include a full 8-point .120 DOM roll cage (built by Pinobuilt), King 2.0″ x 2.0″ bumpstops, limit straps on each corner, fiberglass front fenders and a heavily reinforced unibody chassis.
XJ Rear Shock Hoops
The rear suspension build relocates the shocks from the factory crossmember to sit upright. A set of 12″ King shocks extend through the floorboard and mount between the shock hoops and leaf spring plate.
This allows for a long travel rear end and better shock mounting angles.
Jeepspeed XJ Unibody Stiffening
The first thing any Cherokee enthusiast will tell you is to watch that “frame” or you’ll be left with a crumpled ball of tinfoil for a Jeep.
The XJ platform, while being light, utilitarian, and well designed for off-roading has its weak spot. It doesn’t have a frame.
Where a normal desert truck would have a body-on-frame set up, the XJ underside resembles more of a passenger car. ~1/16″ thin unibody rails throughout. Add oversize tires and a few suspension hits and that “frame” gets flexing like a wet noodle.
Traditional kits on the market remedy this with a few cuts of 3/16″ steel strategically welded into the highest stress areas. While this is often sufficient, it can still leave weak spots as the impact is transferred into unbraced areas between the heavy-gauge plates.
On the advice of a local race truck fabricator, the 2000 XJ build took a different DIY route: 1/8″ thick bumper-to-bumper unibody plating with fishplates throughout. The bumper-to-bumper design should leave less exposed stress points between plated sections. The shift to 1/8″ thickness kept the rig on the lighter side while giving a total 3/16″ chassis thickness between the new and existing layers of steel.
Trackbar Brace
Another weak point on the Cherokee is frame flex from the trackbar and steering gearbox. Worsened by the XJ’s history of death wobble, this section of the Jeep called for added reinforcement. After desert runs exposed an ongoing shimmy in the front unibody, a tube brace was built.
This section of tube bends around the oil pan and ties together the passenger frame rail to the drivers side trackbar mount.
Fiberglass Fender Flares
The body of the Jeepspeed XJ build includes a set of baja-style fiberglass front fenders. This particular set of fenders was lifted from a pre-97 junkyard XJ, retrofitted with the help of a sawzall. With a smashed section repaired, fitment and bodywork commenced.
Jeepspeed XJ – Go Fast(Ish) Camper
The Jeepspeed XJ inspiration takes a turn with the integration of a one-off fiberglass camper top. While a full race rig wouldn’t worry about creature comforts, the 2000 Cherokee ties in a livable camper to the build.
The cage was designed with camper access in mind – stitching together horizontal tube work and the inner roof edge for a clean finish. The camper top is made of hand-laid fiberglass and was built out of the garage with a little elbow grease, ingenuity, and too much time.
Jeepspeed XJ Inspiration
Looking at true desert racing builds brought the Jeepspeed inspiration into the 2000 Cherokee’s configuration. From race spec to full-out desert builds:
NRT Autosports Jeepspeed Build
With some solid years behind the wheel, the NRT Autosports team claimed a 1st place win at the 2024 NORRA Mexican 1000. Pushing the limits of the XJ platform over 1372 miles of Baja terrain.
The build runs 2.5″ King Shocks front (10″) and rear (12″) along with a number of other modifications. A true Jeepspeed specced and raced rig shows that maximum performance can be pulled within the limits of the build. See more on the NRT instagram and site.
Justin Wyche x Terra Crew – XJ Prerunner
Another go-fast XJ build comes from Justin Wyche – running 35’s, coilovers, and King bypass shocks among many other mods on a 1994 2WD XJ.
