97 xe dream

[97XEDreamin]

just payed way too much to get my hands on a 97 manual XE with "low" miles. I want to turn this into a weekend warrior camper truck that in a pinch I could sleep in if I had to. Its completely stock. No pics yet. needs: hoses , clamps, battery, plugs, plug wires, battery cables, brakes, rotors?, oil change/filter, air filter, radiator flush refill, etc.

wants: safari rack w/2 lights, 5 new wheels / tires, 2 inch lift? not more, winch/bumper, cat back flowmaster exhaust, cold ram air intake, new radiator, complete new suspension tie rods bushings etc.. I have the money to do everything, my biggest issue is; I have no shop/workspace, skill set, or tools, to do this upgrade. I am confident that with the amount of money I have and the dream that i have for this pathy could come but at what cost? shoudl I put an ad on a classified site asking for a mechanic ? I can travel to anywhere within 1000 miles basically of Denver. there are lots of 4x4 shops in Colorado I could go to but they are mostly EXPENSIVE! what to do... I might have to end up biting the bullet on this one and just going to throw down some major coin at a high end shop and just get it all done at once. I was quoted at around $10,000 usd from one high end shop in CO for everything++. any advice would be appreciated.

[SkiBumBrian]

10K? Insanity. I would drive to Denver and do it for you for that. There are members in your area that would probably be willing to help you out, just like the forum members here. Nothing you mentioned takes an awesome shop, specialty tools, or more than basic knowledge of hand tools and some time.

Search around the forums and you will find lots of information pertaining to the projects you want to accomplish, the more you read the more confident you will get on believing you can do it yourself and stick that left over 7K+ in your pocket.

Have questions? Guys here are more than willing to help.

[97XEDreamin]

10K? Insanity. I would drive to Denver and do it for you for that. There are members in your area that would probably be willing to help you out, just like the forum members here. Nothing you mentioned takes an awesome shop, specialty tools, or more than basic knowledge of hand tools and some time.

Search around the forums and you will find lots of information pertaining to the projects you want to accomplish, the more you read the more confident you will get on believing you can do it yourself and stick that left over 7K+ in your pocket.

Have questions? Guys here are more than willing to help.

 

saving that much on labor costs sounds good. great even. I noticed most members here are at least "shade tree" mechnics. confindence is huge. also, I live most of the year abroad (outuside of the states) and keep a small one bedroom apt in Denver with 1 covered parking space NO working space(the apt owners dont even want anyone to change plugs in their parking lot). good news would be that there is a DIY Auto repair shop in Westminster which is a suburb of Denver on the north side. its $29.95 hr for diy and 45.95 hr for assited from their shop staff. they even let people order parts to their shop if you notify them ahead of time as to their arrival date. so there is that option. going that route would take something I dont have much of most importantly is time. still. it's something to think about. 70% labor cost? WOW! I sure would have to check around some more shops if I end up having ot go that route. no way im shelling out that much to save time. I will have time in April of next year then. that is the soonest I could start a rebuild on this pathy. thanks for your advice.

[fleurys]

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