2001 Jeep Cherokee LS 450HP ENGINE

"PEARL LS" by DAS. 100% RESTORED CHEROKEE XJ / LS ENGINE 450HP & MORE

PLEASE NOTE, THIS PROJECT WILL BE COMPLETED EST. 4/21
PRICE WILL BE POSTED ONCE THE BUILD IS COMPLETED, EST $75K

Here at Davis AutoSports, we are proud to bring to market one of the finest XJs ever produced. Our goal with this build was to produce the ultimate daily driver with trail capability without sacrificing road manors. The heart of this build is our full LS package, this Jeep is equipped with a GM LS2 6.0 Aluminum Engine merged to the GM 6 Speed 6L80E Transmission. This Combination increases the Jeeps power from 190HP and 225TQ to well over 450HP and 450TQ will actually decreasing engine weight and increasing fuel economy. This Jeep has nothing but the very best parts available: ARB, OMU, Rubicon Express, Yukon, Tera Flex, Novak and the list goes on and on. The build sheet below will show in depth the entire parts list.

Paint and Body:

Wanting to make this Cherokee a true one of a kind, we decided to finish the body in an incredible 3 stage Pearl White. This Jeep was completely disassembled down to the frame/unibody and striped down to the factory metal. Once all panels, trim, handles, windows, seals, etc were removed the metal panels were coated with a sealer. One the panels were prepped and sealed, we applied a primer, then sanded/blocked the first primer, followed by another coat of primer, followed by a second sanding/blocking. That process gets the body panels 100% flat for a perfect show finish. Once all panels are primed and sanded, we proceeded with a 3 stage pearl paint followed by 2 coats of clear coat. Once all panels were cured, the were all wet-sanded, compound, buffed and polished then assembled. For this particular build, you will not find one single tape-line, this is a better than factory paint job with every single square inch painted. With the LS engine being a major part of this build, we finished the engine bay for a show finish. All holes were welded and over 40 hours of body work went info the engine bay alone which was then refinished in the 3 Stage Pearl White. We also finished off all bumpers, caps, and trim in Pearl White to give this Jeep a full Color Match Appearance for a Limited Trim Level.

Interior:

We started this build with a blank slate with removing every single interior part and had this Jeep done to bare bones. With all floor pans and roof exposed, we lined the entire interior with Dynmat which was followed by running all wiring to end points consisting of speaker wires, power wire, ground wires, camera RCA, etc. Brand New Top of the line cut/formed carpet was installed throughout the entire Jeep. We decided with go with our DAS Seats finished in "Baseball Glove Brown" leather with a matching alcantara insert. (These seats are identical to the 2020 Grand Cherokee SRT Seat) Our Seat Package includes a full bolster and foam rebuild for a new seat with heated elements in each front seats. The exposed seat rails were then sanded down and refinished with a new black paint and grade 10 hardware to Secure back in place. (If you are looking for a different color seat, we can easily take these out and and install a color of your choice) We carried the matching leather material over the center console cover and all 4 door inserts for a true one of kind XJ interior. The Steering Wheel will be professionally refinished in matching leather. The Headliner was replaced with the matching Alcantara carried over from the seat inserts. The interior was completed with a top of the line full sound system and media center including, front and rear component speakers, 7" in dash flush mount navigation with bluetooth and back up camera. All factory trim panels were sanded down and dyed for a brand new finish and look.

Engine, Transmission and Cooling:

The Heart and Soul of this build is no doubt the massive 6.0 Aluminum LS2 and GM 6L80E Transmission. This is the same engine, GM uses for the their Corvette, GTO, ad CTS-V. This is one of the best engines every produced. With our final set up and tune, this Jeep will have 450HP and 450TQ which is 260 More HP than the stock 4.0 and 225 More Torque all while weighing less than the heavy IRON block 4.0 engine. More power, less weight and better fuel economy!!!! The LS Engine, Transmission and ECU Wire Harness is converted into the Jeep with the best of the best parts including a combination of Novak and our own Custom Parts.

This engine and transmission combo functions like a stock vehicle with the factory Jeep gauges, engine communication, etc. The 6 speed transmission also found in Corvettes and GTOs will have this Jeep well over 20 MPG on the highway. This Jeep will of course keep its legendary 4x4 system with a fully rebuilt and upgraded NP231 transferase that was beefed up for the build. For a buyer looking for an Atlas T-Case we can surely install if requested. To wrap up Drive-Line parts all new Tom Woods Drive Shafts were made and a Full Slip Yoke Eliminator was Installed. The Rest of the driveline was serviced and upgraded as needed. Cooling a NA Aluminum LS engine is rather easy compared to the Iron Block hot running 4.0 engine but we took no chances with went with an All Aluminum Triple Core, Dual Pass, Triple Fan Radiator. The Triple Core keeps the coolant/water much cooler but the dual pass actually circulates the coolant twice for further cooling and pair that with 3 Fans and this Cherokee can be put through the most extreme conditions and temps. The water Pump is also an Upgraded Unit.

Exhaust, Air and Fuel:

The increase breathing and power we decided to go with a full stainless steel set of headers which flows to a full stainless steel set of high flow cats and stainless steel muffler which we custom bent piping to roll over the axle for a clean rear exit. We will also be adding a custom intake system finished in Pearl White. The factory Fuel Pump has been removed and upgraded to feed the LS 6.0 Injectors.

Suspension, Steering and Brakes:

With our goal for this Jeep to be a perfect daily driver our focus was not on an off road set up but rather a system that drives perfect on the road with way more than stock abilities off the road. We went with a custom set up with our own final parts to give this Jeep the best road manors as possible. For Suspension we went with a full Old Man Emu which is going to give this Jeep a very comfortable ride as we feel OMU shocks lead the industry in comfort. The Suspension is 3" with a fully adjustable Coil Over System by JKS to raise to your exact needs. We upgraded the Control Arms to Rubicon Express along with RE Fully adjustable heavy duty track bar and Tie Rod Bar. For the Days you want to go offloading we did decide to go with Extreme Duty RE Fully Adjustable and Quick Disconnect Sway Bar End Links and an OME steering stabilizer. All Tie Rod Ends, Bushings, Etc have been fully upgrade as well. With all the power the 6.0 is producing we upgraded the braking front to back. Drilled and Slotted Rotors up front with upgraded Calipers, pads and Lines and we converted the rear from the the drums and shows to full Rotors, Calipers, and Pads along with all new stainless steel lines and new Parking Brake. The entire brake system even under the hood components are brand new and upgraded from factory specs. The Power Steering System has also been upgraded with all Brand New GM Parts.

AC and Heat:

The entire AC and Heat System is brand new including, Compressor, Condenser, Evaporator, Receiver Drier. Heater Core, Lines, Etc.

Exterior Upgrades:

This is where you, the buyer can really add your touch to the Jeep. All the items that we will be installing are easily removable and changeable. Nothing here is set in stone. With the full color Match Pearl Paint, we decided on our 17x9" Bronze wheels mounted on a 265/70/17 BFG Tire. In the example photo of the Jeep, that is our 16x8 DAS Moab Wheel which would be a great option as well. We will also be adding a full Set of Truck Lite LED Headlights and a Factory Location of Fog Lights which will be Rigid Industry. To finish the front, we will add a set of OEM factory Upcountry Package Tow Hooks. This Jeep will get our CNC Billet Emblems which will be finished to the wheel color. Up top, we will complete the exterior with a full length gutter mount roof rack with very small but functional front and rear Rigid Industry Lighting. All windows will be finished in a 3m 50% tint.

Additional Items:

In a build like this which takes over 12 month, there are countless hours and additional parts installed on this XJ that are not mentioned from completely new wires, wire harnesses, window regulators, door checks, mechanical parts, interior parts, 12 volts parts, and much more.

Pricing:

We just completed our "Army Green" XJ build which the link will be post below which sold for $60k without the LS Engine Package, Tranny, Etc. This "Pearl LS" XJ has nearly $30k more in parts and hundreds more labor hours which should put the price well over $90k. We have over $50k in parts alone, that's with our discount on everything's, which is closer to $65k retail and thats not including the Cherokee itself valued at $10k stock with the 138K miles it had. We have well over 1200 hours in this build labor wise, do the math and you will see whey most shops charge $200k for builds. While I understand the concept of a $90k+ Cherokee would be the most expensive Cherokee ever sold, but this is the finest Cherokee ever built as a complete package. We were the first shop to sell $20k XJs, then $35k XJs, then $50K XJs, then $75k XJs. We actually find these XJs to be a good value in many ways, for example if we did the identical build as this, same parts, same man hours, same quality but on a different platform for example Toyota FJ60 or FJ80 the price would be $150-175K, same goes for for many other platforms with prices from $100-200k. We have done those builds on those platforms but our roots are Cherokees XJ and we will continue to focus on them. As a shop, builds like this are good for marketing and promoting and not look at as money makers as we have too much time and money invested to make a real profit. If you want the most complete Cherokee XJ on the planet, this will be it once its completed.

Link to above mentioned Jeep - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHVg3tH3Zqg&t=849s

Completion Date and Marketing Info:

A majority of this build is completed but not all finalized. We have an estimated completion date of Aug 15th. The Jeep is for sale now with a deposit and full balance paid once its completed and the marketing has been completed. We have a national media company that is going to do a special on this XJ which is Scheduled the first week of Dec so the Jeep can't be picked up or transported until that is recorded. We also offer full financing for this Jeep at 4-5% and take all trades.