I'm looking for a cool first vehicle for my 16 yr old son. Found a 1997 XLT 4X4, 4.0 5 speed and less than 110K on the clock. Hasn't run in a number of years and has a few wires chewed threw by rodents. The interior is dry and in good shape. The frame has surface rust, but looks intact. Biggest problem I see is the front axle beams are Swiss cheese. I think I have a line on used ones, but want to know what else we should be looking for. We understand we're taking a huge chance with a non-running vehicle. I've been a car guy my whole life and am not afraid of getting into something needing work.

If we pick it up we'll dump all fluids including the fuel, refill, patch the wires and see if she runs. If it sounds good we'll move into swapping the axle beams, bushing etc. If not it'll be a good learning experience for my son and hopefully get him away from the video games for a while.

Any thoughts will be appreciated.