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Jeep Cherokee (SJ)
Encyclopedia
Jeep SJ
Jeep's SJ platform was part of the "FSJ" or full-size Jeep lineup. According to the , an "FSJ" is any vehicle produced in North America, carrying the "Jeep" nameplate, with 2 or 4 doors, in rear or four wheel drive, whose wheelbase does not exceed , nor is less than , and whose tread width is no...
series Jeep Cherokee was a full-size SUV
Sport utility vehicle
A sport utility vehicle is a generic marketing term for a vehicle similar to a station wagon, but built on a light-truck chassis. It is usually equipped with four-wheel drive for on- or off-road ability, and with some pretension or ability to be used as an off-road vehicle. Not all four-wheel...
produced from 1974 through 1983 by the Jeep
Jeep
Jeep is an automobile marque of Chrysler . The first Willys Jeeps were produced in 1941 with the first civilian models in 1945, making it the oldest off-road vehicle and sport utility vehicle brand. It inspired a number of other light utility vehicles, such as the Land Rover which is the second...
division of the American Motors Corporation
American Motors
American Motors Corporation was an American automobile company formed by the 1954 merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company. At the time, it was the largest corporate merger in U.S. history.George W...
(AMC). It was similar to the Wagoneer
Jeep Wagoneer
The Jeep Wagoneer was an early sport utility vehicle and the first luxury 4x4, produced under varying marques from 1963 to 1991. It was noteworthy for being in production for more than 28 years with only minor mechanical changes...
that was originally designed by Brooks Stevens
Brooks Stevens
Clifford Brooks Stevens was an American industrial designer of home furnishings, appliances, automobiles and motorcycles — as well as a graphic designer and stylist....
in 1963.
Development
The Cherokee was a redesigned reintroduction of a two door body style, with a single fixed rear side window with an optional flip-out section. Previously, a two door version had been available in the Jeep Wagoneer line (1963–67), although this had the same pillarPillar (car)
Pillars are the vertical supports of the greenhouse of an automobile — known respectively as the A, B, C or D-pillar moving in profile view from the front to rear....
and window configuration as the four-door Wagoneer.
Based on the Wagoneer, the Cherokee was marketed as the "sporty" two-door variant of Jeep's station wagon
Station wagon
A station wagon is a body style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door , instead of a trunk lid...
. The term "Sport Utility" appears for the first time in the 1974 Cherokee sales brochure. A four-door was not added to the lineup until 1977. Other than the base model, the trim level
Car model
An automobile model is a particular brand of vehicle sold under a marque by a manufacturer, usually within a range of models, usually of different sizes or capabilities...
s of the Cherokee included the S (Sport), Chief, Golden Eagle, Limited, Classic, Sport, Pioneer, and Laredo.
Performance
Engine choices consisted of AMC I6AMC Straight-6 engine
The American Motors Corporation straight-6 family of engines was used by a number of AMC and Jeep vehicles from 1964 through 2006.-195.6:American Motors' first straight-six engine was the...
or V8
AMC V8 engine
American Motors Corporation produced a series of widely-used V8 engines from the mid-1950s before being absorbed into Chrysler in 1987. Chrysler kept the AMC V8 in production until 1991 for the Jeep Grand Wagoneer....
powerplants. When it was equipped with the powerful 401 CID AMC V8 engine
AMC V8 engine
American Motors Corporation produced a series of widely-used V8 engines from the mid-1950s before being absorbed into Chrysler in 1987. Chrysler kept the AMC V8 in production until 1991 for the Jeep Grand Wagoneer....
, it would out-run just about any other 4x4 in its class, and, with 3.07:1 highway gearing, could reach speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour (45 m/s) (early models had 120 mph speedometers). A range of AMC engines were offered: the 258 CID inline six-cylinder, a 360 CID V8 with two-barrel carburetor
Carburetor
A carburetor , carburettor, or carburetter is a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine. It is sometimes shortened to carb in North America and the United Kingdom....
, a four-barrel 360, or the 401 CID V8. The durable 401 had a forged crankshaft and forged connecting rods, as well as the high nickel content block of the other AMC V8s. The 401 was discontinued at the end of 1978. After acquiring
Takeover
In business, a takeover is the purchase of one company by another . In the UK, the term refers to the acquisition of a public company whose shares are listed on a stock exchange, in contrast to the acquisition of a private company.- Friendly takeovers :Before a bidder makes an offer for another...
AMC in 1987, Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
kept the 360 V8 in production until 1991 for the Jeep Grand Wagoneer
Jeep Wagoneer
The Jeep Wagoneer was an early sport utility vehicle and the first luxury 4x4, produced under varying marques from 1963 to 1991. It was noteworthy for being in production for more than 28 years with only minor mechanical changes...
.
Mechanicals
A T-18/T-18a four speed manual gearbox was standard for all years, while through 1979 the General MotorsGeneral Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
' Turbo-Hydramatic
Turbo-Hydramatic
Turbo-Hydramatic is the registered tradename of a family of automatic transmissions developed and produced by General Motors. These transmissions mate a three-element torque converter to a Simpson planetary geartrain, providing three forward speeds plus reverse.The Turbo-Hydramatic series was...
TH400, more commonly fitted to 3/4- and 1-ton trucks rather than SUVs, was optional. For comparison, the Chevy Blazer used the TH350 automatic. After 1979, the TH400 was replaced by the Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
's TorqueFlite
TorqueFlite
TorqueFlite is the trademarked name of Chrysler Corporation's automatic transmissions, starting with the three-speed unit introduced late in the 1956 model year as a successor to Chrysler's two-speed PowerFlite...
727.
A gear-driven Dana 20 transfer case with 2.03:1 low range was standard with the manual gearbox (which had a much lower first gear of about 6.3:1), while the TH400 automatics received the permanent four-wheel drive QuadraTrac
Jeep four wheel drive systems
Jeep uses a variety of four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive systems on their various vehicles. These range from basic part-time systems that require the driver to move a control lever to send power to four wheels, to permanent four-wheel systems that monitor and sense traction needs at all four...
system. The chain-driven, aluminum QuadraTrac was quite advanced at the time. It included a vacuum operated center differential lock. The transfer case
Transfer case
A transfer case is a part of a four-wheel-drive system found in four-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive vehicles. The transfer case is connected to the transmission and also to the front and rear axles by means of drive shafts...
was offset, allowing it to sit just above the frame to avoid obstacles, and the chain itself is larger than nearly any other. A test by the Four-Wheel Drive Book found that the Cherokee was the only vehicle unable to be dynoed
Dynamometer
A dynamometer or "dyno" for short, is a device for measuring force, moment of force , or power. For example, the power produced by an engine, motor or other rotating prime mover can be calculated by simultaneously measuring torque and rotational speed .A dynamometer can also be used to determine...
because the transfer case would not allow the rear wheels to spin, unlike the other full-time four-wheel drive vehicles being tested. In the off-road test, the same held true. This transfer case was also employed successfully in Baja races, for example by Roger Mears
Roger Mears
Roger Mears , is a former off-road driver who also drove in the USAC and CART Championship Car series. He raced in the 1978-1984 seasons, with 31 combined career starts, and started in the 1982 and 1983 Indianapolis 500...
in the Baja 1000
Baja 1000
SCORE Baja 1000 is an off-road race that takes place on Mexico's Baja California Peninsula in November. The Baja 1000 is part of the SCORE Championship Desert Racing Series that include the Baja 500, San Felipe 250 and the new San Felipe Challenge of Champions in place of the Primm 300 which had...
. A 2.57:1 low range was optional on QuadraTrac.
In 1975, the Cherokee Chief package was introduced. Aside from trim changes, this model received larger fenders and wider axles, allowing larger tires to be fitted to further improve off-road ability. Four-door models were not available with "wide-track" axles.
Dana 44 model axles were used both in the front and the rear at least through 1979. Brake hardware was mostly General Motors equipment, with disc brakes up front (optional on earlier models) and drum brakes in the rear.
All Cherokees had semi-elliptical leaf springs in the front and rear.
Around the world
The Cherokee was marketed in left and right hand drive countries (such as the UKUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
). Main production of the Cherokee was in Toledo, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
.
Cherokees were briefly assembled in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia from 1981, although their heavy fuel consumption and high cost in comparison with Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
vehicles made them uncompetitive in that market. The Australian arm of Jeep was denied permission to assemble the upcoming compact XJ model
Jeep Cherokee (XJ)
The Jeep Cherokee is a unibody compact SUV. It shared the name of the original full-size SJ model, but without a body-on-frame chassis, it set the stage for the modern SUV. Its innovative appearance and sales popularity spawned important imitators as other automakers began to notice that this...
under the Button car plan
Button car plan
The Button car plan, also known as the Button plan was the informal name given to the Motor Industry Development Plan. The plan was an Australian federal government initiative, intended to rationalise the Australian motor vehicle industry. Industry consultation had begun in 1984 with a proposed...
, and all Cherokee assembly was discontinued in Australia by 1986, two years after the model name had been supplanted in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by the XJ.
In Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, the Cherokee was manufactured by Industrias Kaiser Argentina
Industrias Kaiser Argentina
Industrias Kaiser Argentina S.A. or IKA was an Argentine motor company established in 1956 in Córdoba Province as a joint venture with Kaiser Motors of the United States....
, who renamed the SUV as Jeep Gladiator, and was sold with one type of engine: the I6 Continental of the AMC, and was equiped with 3-gear manual transmission.