2000 Xj 4.5" Lift questions and concerns

[Scuuba Steve]

Hey all, first post on a Jeep forum but that said, I understand the process.

I have a 2000 Cherokee sport on 31's with 138k on the clock that I bought with a 3" lift. Coil spacers and blocks, that's it. Chrysler 8.25 rear end, low pinion D30 up front, 3.55's

I've had plans for a 4.5" lift since buying it. My questions are:
Will I need a SYE? ---Found mixed answers.
What angle/degree axle shims will I need for the rear?
Will I need a drop pitman arm? ---Found mixed answers about that depending on trackbar?

So far my to be lift consists of:
Rustys 4.5" springs
Zj rear lower arms
Sway bar disconnects
JKS adjustable track bar
Yj brake lines front and rear

Things I have yet to get that ik i'll need:
T-Case drop
Axle shims
Considering a Dakota bastard pack with 1" Rough Country drop shackles for rear ----------- Clueless on year, 2wd, 4wd, trim etc for dakota leafs


PLEASE tell me if I'm missing anything I intend to make this an all at once project.
I just want to make sure I have everything I need before I tear my daily driver down.

Excuse the ignorance with some of the linkages, this is my first vehicle with TWO solid axles


Plans for a mechanical Aussie Rear locker, anyone know any good shops in RI/CT area??

 

[billyjp2]

I've never used or needed a drop pitman arm with a 4.5" lift.

Because there isn't a definitive answer on the SYE you could try a transfer case drop and an axle shim as a cheap fix instead of a slip yoke eliminator. If you have vibrations just ditch the shim and drop and install an SYE.

 

[XJLI]

the SYE you'll probably need, but every Jeep seems to react differently with that sort of thing.

I'd also ditch the 4.5" leaf springs for a set of 3" springs and 1.5" shackles.. or even better, 3" springs and a shackle relocation kit and/or small lift shackle. you'll want new u-bolts as well. for the rear locker, do it yourself. I did mine in the street with a buddy when we were 17, had never done anything like that before. We took our time and finished in 5-6 hours. I could probably do one now in half the time.

 

[squashman702]

What size tire are you going to run? Keeping the 31's?

 

[MrSimon]

Welcome! Got any pics of the Jeep?

Since it's your DD, I'd pay special attention to making sure it rides smooth and tracks straight. Your list looks pretty good, but you might want adjustable upper control arms as well. That way it's easier to fine tune your caster angle, which makes a big difference in road manners.

 

[RCman]

As others have said, Welcome!

Seems like most of your questions have been answered so I will tackle the last one. If you can do everything else you posted you surely do not need to bring your Jeep to a shop to have a aussie (or preferably a genuine lock-right) installed. It will probably take you more time to get everything setup and cleaned up than it will to install a locker that replaces the spider gears.
It's also a great time to inspect the brakes since you'll need to pull the shafts out a little on a 8.25 with c clips.

If you are keeping the 31s a 4.5" lift is probably a bit much.

 

[dennis461]

I put a heavy duty track bar on my XJ where you had to drill out the tapered hole in the sub-frame bracket. It does not stay tight. If the KKS track bar has similar setup, skip that and just move the hole where the trackbar attaches to axle.

Keep track of what you do so you can go back after death wobble sets in
:-(

You wont need the SYE if you drop the t-case about 1 inch.

As for a locker, I put my lock-rite in the front, if it fouls up I can still drive home on an open rear-rear.
I go easy on the gas peddle, my dana 30 with 33 inch mud tires has been working great for over 5 years.

 

[Scuuba Steve]

Thanks guys!!! I had originally planned to just switch to a proper 3" all spring lift but I bought a pair of front "3inch" springs off craigslist for cheap and they ended up being 4.5 inch Rustys, so why not right?

I'll be sticking with my 31's until bald ----> 33's
but until then, FLEXXXX sans rub

Any suggestions on adj. upper arms?

After a rear brake tear down and adjustment today I found out I DO have rear axles shims of unkown origin/brand, but thats one thing off the list!!

 

[Empty_Pockets]

My last xj had 9in of lift, I bought a drop pitman arm for it but never installed it because it rode fine. I had an iron rock offroad double shear track bar on it. I hated the jks bar.

What I would do...
4.5in springs in the front
double shear track bar
upper and lower arms from currie, clayton, or metalcloak
2.5in ome medium duty springs
Shackle relocation brackets
2in lift shackles
Leave the degree shim in, and install sye using stock front driveshaft

Buttttttt that's the expensive way lol

If your considering an aussie check out lokka, same exact locker for less.

 

[xjnewbi]

This is what worked for me, but like others have said, each Jeep seems to ride different so build it, then assess if you need SYE. I have Rough Country 4.5" lift with full rear spring replacement (short arm so only lower control arms replaced), relocated track bar mount and 1" trans case drop. Rear springs sagged after several years so replaced them with Rubicon Express 3.5" springs, shims (2 degrees I think) and Iron Man Andy adjustable shackles. No SYE and it will do 75-80 mph no problem without wobble on 33's and tracks straight.

 

[Rock2pus]

Not for nothing, but I had 4.5" on my first xj, an 89, and even with a transfer case drop I still ended up wearing out the splines in the drive shaft slip yoke, which ended up causing a nasty vibe on the highway. You will get away with just the drop for a while, but to avoid future trouble I'd do a hack n tap on the output and a cv shaft in the rear. You don't have to do it right away, but again, keep it on your wish list before you put a lot (20k) highway miles on it.

 

[sidriptide]

being a 2000 you probably will end up needing the SYE, and let your budget dictate whether you just go ahead and do it, which isnt a bad idea at all, or if you wait until after the lift is in place and springs have settled with a couple miles on the new springs to settle them in a bit so the overall geometry is closer to what it will be going forward.
a band aid that i've had long term success with is switching the slip yoke on the rear shaft to one from a YJ. the slip is a little longer and the yoke design is a deep "V" design, as opposed to the stock XJ unit that has a shallow "square" design. it will gove you a little more contact on the splines, and the deeper design allows for more d/shaft angle without binding.
rubican express used to sell a copy of the YJ unit for $90 calling it an XJ extended unit.
your local Jeep shop is a good place to find one free or real cheap sitting in their junk pile.
there used to be at least 3 shops in short distance of PRovidence last time i was hanging around in that area.
bottom line, have the $$ available for a proper SYE conversion.

 

[Rock2pus]

being a 2000 you probably will end up needing the SYE, and let your budget dictate whether you just go ahead and do it, which isnt a bad idea at all, or if you wait until after the lift is in place and springs have settled with a couple miles on the new springs to settle them in a bit so the overall geometry is closer to what it will be going forward.
a band aid that i've had long term success with is switching the slip yoke on the rear shaft to one from a YJ. the slip is a little longer and the yoke design is a deep "V" design, as opposed to the stock XJ unit that has a shallow "square" design. it will gove you a little more contact on the splines, and the deeper design allows for more d/shaft angle without binding.
rubican express used to sell a copy of the YJ unit for $90 calling it an XJ extended unit.
your local Jeep shop is a good place to find one free or real cheap sitting in their junk pile.
there used to be at least 3 shops in short distance of PRovidence last time i was hanging around in that area.
bottom line, have the $$ available for a proper SYE conversion.

...well said.