That Thing Got A Hemi? 1974 Jeep Cherokee

Well, there’s no denying it, I like green! I lock up on that exterior hue before I even notice the rest of the car. But in this case, this 1974 Jeep Cherokee has much more to offer than its beautiful finish; its overall condition, attention to detail, and what makes it go are what really push it over the finish line. Looking beautiful in Burbank, this old-school SUV is listed here on eBay with an opening bid of $20,000 and none tendered so far.

Jeep’s SJ platform-based Cherokee, in two-door form only, was introduced in ’74. A four-door variant came along in ’77, and different trim levels such as the Chief, Laredo, and Limited would eventually follow. Production numbers for the Cherokee are hard to come by, but the prevailing estimate is that between 178K and 200K copies were built in its initial ten-year run (’74-’83), with 14K leaving the Toledo assembly line in its inaugural year. The seller tells us that he’s been working on this rig for ten years and, specifically, the “Vehicle was stripped to the frame, sandblasted, and painted. We built the Jeep from the ground up. Bottom of body was treated with POR15 and undercoated.” Well, it looks marvelous! The body is nice and straight, though there is a crease and a small dent on the lower passenger side; the finish has nice depth, and the chrome sparkles. There are included images of the underside, and it all shows as being sound.

The interior is a complete redo, and there are no demerits to be noted. The seller adds, “Leather and Vinyl custom interior by Ishmael, formerly of WCC, using a 3-tone plaid stitching. Front seats are TMI; back seat is stock. Suede headliner and sun visors. Modified dash with Speed Hut gauges with a handmade steel gauge bezel.” Even the wayback deck has been recovered in a beautiful emerald green fabric and framed with nicely reupholstered side panels. I’d sum it up as expensive! Yes, this is an A/C equipped Jeep.

I did a VIN decode, and if I’ve interpreted the “Z” engine code correctly, this Cherokee left the assembly line with an AMC 401 CI V8 engine. Well, you can forget about that, as the engine room now harbors a 2013-vintage Mopar 5.7-liter Hemi V8 coupled to a 545RFE five-speed automatic transmission, which utilizes an NP231DHD transfer case for the 4X4 feature. The seller got it all to work with a Hotwire auto harness, and a spare computer is included in the sale. There’s a long list of mechanical details to review, so please check the listing. Curiously, there’s no comment made about this Jeep’s running and/or driving characteristics, but there is an operational video included.

Way cool! And I have to admit, I’m surprised no one has stepped up to the bid plate yet. This Jeep’s modifications are nothing less than superb, and this had to be an expensive build. Time is almost up; any takers out there?