First Lift

[scottsxj]

alright so i still havent gotten a lift but here is what i plan on so if you have any suggestions dont hesitate to point them out.
Rear Dakota leaf pack (4.5 approx.) extended brake lines, extended bumpstops, new leaf spring pins and clamps
Front Ill prob use either F 150 coils with a two in spacer or some full length lift coils, extended brake lines,

and then ill get the appropriate shocks all around. I dont know what to use to fix the rear driveline angle and front (shims, t-case drop, sye???)

well if any thing is missing please let me know im trying to do this all for around 200 dollars

thanks for the input
scott

 

[red87cherokee]

Your profile shows you have a 1992. That being the case, you may not need to do anything with the tcase as the early XJ's aren't as sensitive to lift problems as later ones. If you do need to drop it, you can make your own for under $10 (just don't go over 1 inch, and check fan clearance at the front of the engine before starting the engine). Tapered shims aren't very expensive, but I didn't have to use any with my lift, so I don't have any experience to pass on.

BTW - Like you, I pieced together my own lift and found that good shocks can add a significant amount to a lift. You might find that a commercial lift that includes shocks may be cheaper than a pieced together one, with shocks purchased separately.

 

[scottsxj]

Thank you for the input. How much lift did you get from peicing one together?
and what kinda stuff did you use.As i said this is my first lift so i want to do it right the first time. Thanks again

 

[red87cherokee]

Before I did anything, I read everything I could on the internet . . . and practically memorized this website:

http://members.aol.com/Stvns/


For my lift, I bought 3" coils for the front off eBay for about 50 or 60 dollars (I have no idea what brand they are) and they gave me almost exactly 3" of lift in the front. These coils were the exact same length as the stock coils but the "wire" was thicker so they didn't compress as much - but, as a consequence they are pretty stiff riding. On the rear, I had an add-a-leaf laying around that I had purchased several years earlier for my 1970 Ford F100 1/2 ton pickup - which was supposed to give 2 to 2-1/2 inches of lift on the pickup . . . it gave 4-1/2 inches on the Cherokee.

So, I went back to eBay and purchase a front coil spacer (and shackle, which I didn't install) to level out the rig (I got the spacer and shackle from a company called RDSI).

I bought Trailmaster SSV's shocks, which are fairly inexpensive $30-35 each, but give a great ride. My ride is really firm, but I have had a good time with 4-wheeling and I get no sagging with heavy loads in the cargo area. I probably didn't save much money in the long run, but I could buy the pieces over time (and the rear AAL was essentially free, since I already had it and didn't have the F100 anymore). Also, since I pieced it together and installed it myself, I feel pretty comfortable with future modifications (since I know what is there, and what the shortfalls for each piece may be).

Good luck.