i have a 91 cherokee XJ sport, she has 209,000 orig. miles. the body is pretty rusty and the front end needs some work tie rod ends,bushings,etc....is she worthy of a build-up? Or should i choose a different ride? i really love the look of an XJ. also can anybody tell me the specs on her axels,transfer case,gears etc.....wear can i find rock sliders ive looked everywhere?  

Go for it, dude. There's nothing on that truck that can't be fixed or replaced with something better. My plan for a project XJ is for whenever I get the money to buy the cheapest 96+ 5-Door 4x4 I can and drive it till I break something. When something breaks (it will), I replace it with an aftermarket replacement. That's how you build a cheap truck.  

She's just barely broken in! Build it!

You're going to swap the tie rod ends, bushing and what not all out anyway when you start upgrading the front suspension, rust is an easy fix (mostly), and if you love the look why get something else you don't love!  

There's a whole lot of aftermarket available for the XJ. I've also got a 91 and I love her. The BEST place to start looking for information is the North American XJ Association at NAXJA.org. It is a web forum dedicated to the XJ Cherokees and Wagoneers as well as the MJ Comanche. As far as your axles go, you've got a Dana 30 up front and either a Dana 35 or Chrysler 8.25 out back. To tell the difference in the rear axle crawl under there and either look for the diamond shaped Dana symbol, or the Chrysler Pentastar. You could also measure the axle tubes. The 35 has 2.5 inch tubes where the Chrysler has 3 inch tubes. Hope this helps a little. If the uniframe is rusted out it may not be worth keeping, but if its just surface rust, clean it up and paint it. My Jeep has about 260,000 miles on the ticker and its still running strong.  

Still say build it...  

Duh build it. Most 4x4's are worth building. Hell, even if its a 4x2, you can make it 4x4......my point is get out and have fun with it.  

those wore out joint need to be replaced anyway,
like the editor says
                     JUST BUILD IT