Newbie with alot of q's and more to come

[small pederson]

Well it appears that Iam only going to get ripped on for the rest of this thread simply due to the fact that I have the ability to do things in a few months what some of you still cannot accomplish in a few years if ever, sorry. Nay I really appreciate your input and would be more than open to more input.

holy shit are you serious? :laugh2:

 

[wannabe]

Well after reading my last post i cant believe i actually said that but its too late to change it now. Just dont like reading through a bunch of threads from people trying to learn and getting ripped on for it. Sorry, this is a great forum and i messed up.

 

[Beej]

New vehicle...kickin' stereo.... just put on the 21" chrome blingers and call it a day....

wannabe, I wasn't trying to push any buttons...
Don't give up on these forums just because a non-naxja member like myself gives you a little attitude. I will also say like Nay did that these forums can be deceptive, they are exciting, but if you don't really know what you are doing mechanically, or you are new to it, the trial and error can be deadly and damn expensive, its a huge learning curve. Not to say that this whole obsession isn't worth it, but it can become VERY involved. (Say goodbye to your girlfriend now... ) Also, if you really do have the funds to build it up like money is no object, then hey, more power to ya... my advice would be to use your friends' expertise, especially if they are running serious machines, as local knowhow is better than what you can get over the internet. If your buddies run rigs like you described, then ask them what they think is right for your needs and environment, probably 99% of their information, advice and expertise will transfer over to your XJ, and you will be ahead right away. Anyway, my point is forget my attitude, I'm just jealous!!!
Beej.

 

[seanR]

Well after reading my last post i cant believe i actually said that but its too late to change it now.
Just dont like reading through a bunch of threads from people trying to learn and getting ripped on for it.
Sorry, this is a great forum and i messed up.

You are not being ripped on! They are tring to keep you from making costly mistakes! We have all done what you are doing and we know what we are talking about. I 'wheel alot, not as much as I would like to, but one weekend a month I try to go some where.

If you have never wheeled before DO NOT buy the long arm kit!
If you want a starting point get the RE 4.5 you can either get the whole leaf pack or the AAL. put 31' tires on it and 'wheel. You will need rocker rails, a gas tank skid, a T-case skid, and some armor for your front diff. Armor is the A-1 most important mod you can buy!

There are A LOT of places to 'wheel where you do not need '37 tires. I have been doing this for almost 20 years and I have never 'wheeled with anyone running bigger than 35s.

Take the money you save, go on a run, pay your dues and join up. You will learn alot and meet alot of good people. 99% of the members here won't BS you. We are here to help each other out. Learn from our mistakes.

 

[REDXJ4FUN]

These guyare are being fairly nice and giving good honest info. a good 3 to 4.5 lift is a good starting point then depending on how much you like a sawsall you can fit 33s nicely. then wheel the crap out of it to get a feel for it then go from therethen you will understand all he things you change and how to get them to work for you.

 

[wannabe]

Hey guys thanks for being cool after the shit i said, way cool. I would like to keep this thread running and I will reply to the comments posted since my blow up later.

 

[Jump This]

Newb....just got back from a run with a group of seven XJs. Your thread was brought up (ya...we think you are possibly making a mistake)
If you were to note the mods on each of our rigs...you could see the typical progression of a Cherokee into a full time off-road rig.
Start.....armor. Protect valuable and breakable parts.
Lift....mostly 4 to 5" thats all.
Tires....almost all of us were running 32" to 33" rubber.
Lockers.....now this group had the gambit of them....arb, detroit, you name it it was in the group.
The notable exception is Marisha.....no lift.....small streetable tires....with armor and a rear locker....and she went where we did....(although new tires and a lift are in the works for her)
Anyway......
Just to give you a better idea what is out there...
Rick

 

[wannabe]

Beej,
I understand all of what your saying especially the girlfriend (im lucky shes all for it) the obsession (refer to girlfriend) and learning curve. As far as money it is an object its just that I had already planned on spending a certain amount for now at least, so I dont have problem with doing what I can with what I have at the moment.

 

[wannabe]

seanR,
I really do appreciate all the input and advice, I defenitely understand where its coming from. You are the first person to come right out and say not to get the LA kit, others have gone the negative route but not that blunty. Can you give me some specifics on why you advise that (driveablity, possible damage, cost etc.) I wouldnt be against running the 4.5" kit what so ever its just that I have already placed the order for the LA kit. What is so bad about the kit that i havent realized.

 

[wannabe]

Jump this,
Thats awesome that i got an entire group out there getting ideas for me much appreciated. As far as my setup goes I had planned on amour of a few sorts so I should be good there. For now I only plan on running 33's but sometime down the road prob 35's, the thing with that is I dont want to hack the fenders just yet and from what i understand the 5.5 LA and spacers would be the best way to run 33's for now and have the ability for 35's in the future, that was my thought process when ordering the LA kit.

 

[seanR]

seanR,
I really do appreciate all the input and advice, I defenitely understand where its coming from. You are the first person to come right out and say not to get the LA kit, others have gone the negative route but not that blunty. Can you give me some specifics on why you advise that (driveablity, possible damage, cost etc.) I wouldnt be against running the 4.5" kit what so ever its just that I have already placed the order for the LA kit. What is so bad about the kit that i havent realized.

Well for one thing the LA kit is still has a alot of bugs in it, do a search, it has been discused here.

Secondly, Drivability. If you plan on driving your rig every day it will handle like shit! You will prolly end up rolling it on the highway some where. That set up is not made to go on a DD. Too tall, you should put full with axles under it for a greater stance and stronger axles.


Not a flame, just some advice.

 

[Renegade Jpr]

Jump this,
Thats awesome that i got an entire group out there getting ideas for me much appreciated. As far as my setup goes I had planned on amour of a few sorts so I should be good there. For now I only plan on running 33's but sometime down the road prob 35's, the thing with that is I dont want to hack the fenders just yet and from what i understand the 5.5 LA and spacers would be the best way to run 33's for now and have the ability for 35's in the future, that was my thought process when ordering the LA kit.

A 5.5" long arm is not the best way to run 33's. Try keeping your rig lower and the tires bigger. If you want to do some seruous crawling then your going to want a low center of gravity. Get a 4.5" lift, hack the fenders and throw some 33" meats on there plus a set of rocker guards. Then save for some axles to be built... you want to run 37's some day then throw a Dana 60 in the rear and a Dana44 up front. Your next weak link will be the transfercase, get an AtlasII 4.3:1.

Oh yea, your rig is a 99'....that has a 29 spline 8.25" rear axle, not a Dana35.

Your a newbie to the sport, if you build a rig with 37's, low gears and bomb proof drivetrain, then your going to end up hurting yourself by rolling it over. You have no idea of the campatablity of a rig that has been locked front and rear. genarly you can point it up a wall and it will keep going untill it flops over. Think of it this way, you have never played football before and now all of a sudden you put on your brand new gear and jump into a feild of a professinal football game...your going to get fawked up!

 

[jeepguy97]

Oh yea, your rig is a 99'....that has a 29 spline 8.25" rear axle, not a Dana35.

Technically it could still have the Dana 35. It was offered until the end of the Cherokee run.

 

[wannabe]

I checked out my rear LOL and it has a flat notch on the bottom so im told its a 8.25". If thats true how strong is it. Also I have another thread running "I ordered a 5.5" LA RE did i make a mistake", if anyone is willing to give me some more ideas go to the second page and read about opening a can of worms. thankx

 

[RichP]

Short reply is the 8.25 is between the 35 and 44, biased more towards the 44. If you plan on really building your rig up I would spend the money on 60's. I have the 8.25/D30 and will probably not go over 32's [famous last words ] so I'm adding a couple of things to mine this week, gears F/R and an auburn in the back. There are alot of goodies available for the D44 though, It all depends on how deep your pockets are and your imagination. Consider a set of top loader rockwells

 

[Eagle]

Any idea on what a decent 44 would run me if i could find one.

Define "decent."

Any D44 from an XJ is obviously going to be used. It was available primarily in 1987, and despite reports that it was also used in 1988 and 1989 I have never encountered one out of other than a 1987. Prices for a used one range from $200 to $600, although as the Explorer 8.8 conversion becomes more popular the people demanding premium prices for junk D44s seem to be disappearing.

But an XJ D44 is going to have 3.07 gears if it came with a 5-speed, and 3.54 gears if it came with an automatic. So you're looking at regearing right away. And you shouldn't consider regearing without all new bearings, etc. Those parts will set you back another couple hundred clams. More than likely a used D44 will need brake drums. They ain't cheap -- even the offshore drums go for about $50 each, and good ones made in the USA are more. Naturally it will need all new brakes, add on another $75 or so. And unless the axle comes from somewhere like Arizona or California, the hard lines across the axle are probably too rusted to be relied on, so you'll need new brake lines. You can do it cheap by buying universal brake tube and bending your own, or you can have custom lines made up by one of the companies that do such work, with the spiral gravel shield and all. If you go that route, budget around $50, and expect to send the first set back when (not if) they don't fit. So you'll pay double shipping to get them right.

We haven't discussed traction devices. That's too much to go into here, because you face that decision regardless of what you use for an axle.

 

[Eagle]

Oh yea, your rig is a 99'....that has a 29 spline 8.25" rear axle, not a Dana35.

Unless he has ABS

 

[wannabe]

No ABS its a 8.25" so thats helpful. I called and cancelled my order for the RE LA kit so now baaaack to square one and deciding what the hell to do. If possible i would like to at least get it in the air for memorial day weekend but well see how that goes.

 

[5-90]

Don't take this the wrong way, but have you actually FULLY considered what you're going to do with your XJ? I concur that more than 3"/31's on a DD is overkill, and is going to cost you more in the long run. Besides, my 87 ran 3"/31's/D30/D35 (3.55) and was really quite capable offroad, and well-mannered onroad. I did consider going to 4.11 or so for axle gears, but I never got around to it (and now it's a project truck, and will probably be unrecognisable when I finally finish it in a few years and somewhere outside California...)

I'd not consider a lift something to do lightly, and going with bigger tyres will just murder your fuel mileage (especially with an automatic - the average auto eats up something like 15-25HP just spinning, vice the 2-3HP for a manual. That's why manuals get better mileage, all else being equal.) I have nothing against the AW4 four-speed auto - I really think it's one of the better slushboxes out there - but it's something else to think about. If you are going to do all the tyres and lift you are thinking of, consider going to an AX15/NV3550/NV4500 manual as well. If you don't know how to drive a manual, you really should go learn, as it really is something every serious driver should know!

Moving on - I've got 5.25" Sony Xplods up front (OEM size) and 6x9" Sony Xplods out back (some mods required to liftgate) and they tuck quite nicely behind the OEM grilles and trim panels! I'd check out the charts at crutchfield.com, they will tell you OEMR size (which doesn't matter) and mounting depth available (which damn sure does!) so you can decide how to mount what you've got and if it will work well. There are also some interesting options for driver mounting available for you, IIRC - I think you'd start with QLogic for those. If you have to rewire, and especiall if you have to drop an amp for a driver or two, check both doorsills, and run the audio leads down the side that doesn't have the main harness (usually the driver's side.) Don't be stingy with the wiring, either.

For drivers, I highly suggest leaving yourself the ability to pull the box when needed - you might find that to happen quite often. I found a nifty little "double banana" jack plate at Radio Shack for a few bucks, and they have twist-locking banana plugs as well. Both are gold flash-plated, and offer good connexions (I use a couple for auxiliary power as well, when I need something REALLY secure and a lighter plug just won't do.)

Finally, remember that most of us here are oddballs, and take what we say with the requisite grain of salt. Put on your thick skin and continue to ask questions - you will get some useful answers if you take the time to ask. Also, take the time to THINK before you WORK - you might save yourself some trouble and some knuckle agony, and you just might find out a new way to do something and make your life easier....

5-90