So I got my XJ, now what?

[Muddy Beast]

I bought a Jeep Cherokee Limited today, '89 with all the fixens (sun roof, leather, good transfer case, ect.) Anyhow, my hopes to this Jeep is to keep it as my DD (I'm 17, in high school) but I still want to be able to tackle some local trails (Northwest), and most are mud pits and slippery as heck. Now I want to know what all of you recommend? I know I need new tires...and definately a lift, but what kind? I was thinking 3.5", but any specific one thats better?

Please keep in mind I work a minimum wage job once a week, and I'd like to do most of the work myself with my dads help (Mechanically inclined), so price and value are a factor, especially for if I do get into 4 wheeling...I dont want to have to go back and spend a lot all over again necesarily.

Here it is.

EDIT:
P.S. It has 200k miles, my dad says we should replace the hoses right away, and the seals. The tires are also studded tires without the studs. Any hoses that are better? Maybe a Dif. guard?

 

[XJCHURCH]

I would keep the lift small like a 3" with 31's or so cause if you start goin' bigger there is a lot more money involved,:wave: and not as comfortable as a daily driver. Nice lookin Jeep by the way.

 

[Muddy Beast]

Thanks I thought so too.

Got it for $1200.

My hardcore wheeling (ZJ owner) friend said I should get a 3" lift and 32" tires, thoughts? I want BFGoodrich Mudterrains when I can afford them.

 

[xtimmax]

Plus you'll start going to bigger places thus, breaking more stuff and costing more money. Welocme to your new addiction, the only rehab for this is selling the heep and trying not to buy another.

 

[dave92cherokee]

The biggest question is what rear axle do you have, 35, 8.25, 44?

 

[Muddy Beast]

The biggest question is what rear axle do you have, 35, 8.25, 44?

That I'm not sure...it has the towing package, so what from I've heard I should have a dana 44...but ya.

Here's a picture.

 

[Frank Z]

Lift it,
Lock it.
Gear it.
Stroke it.


Next question.

 

[magimerlin]

You can do a bastard leaf. I used a Dakota rear leaf set under my main leaf. I ended up with about 4.5", you can adjust that by mixing the xj and dakota leafs. The front I have RC (rough country) springs. Keep in mind though if you go to 3" make sure you check your front and rear brake hoses, e-brake cables, there other things to check as you go up I just can't remember the little things at the moment. The bastard leaf threads are all over the place on here but the biggerone is this one. no pics left in it though
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=50083&highlight=11+bastard
and the pdf. version with the pics
http://webpages.charter.net/laurajeff44/Liftwriteup/s10_pack_PDF.pdf

Do not forget the recovery points and gear. Hope that helps you out a bit.
Jay

 

[xtimmax]

That would be a dana 35

BEWARE: d35 nazis freqeunt this site.

 

[TNT]

The biggest question is what rear axle do you have, 35, 8.25, 44?

It's an 89 so that rules out the 8.25 rear axle.

I would say start with a front towhook kit or a bumper with D-rings, for the rear get a 2" receiver hitch with a D-ring slide in or a good bumper with pull points and get a 30' snatch strap.

Next should be skid plates for the transfercase and fuel tank.

Pull points are a must since you will get stuck and need them to get out. There is nothing worse the being being a stuck rid with no pull point and a cracked transfer case or split fuel tank.

 

[92greenmachine]

definately go with the 3 1/2 inch lift and thrity ones.

I bought my jeep when i was 16, im 18 now, it had three inches on it already so i lifted it two more and...some 33's, new gears, a new rearend, a few drive shafts later, plus everything else that broke ( i lost track)... ouch.

The point is stick with a small lift and 31s and you can get through some decent trails. Wait until you have enough money to afford to break a few things, and then get a bigger lift, lockers... the list goes on

PS dana 35s are peices of crap, thats the first thing i would change

 

[Muddy Beast]

It's an 89 so that rules out the 8.25 rear axle.

I would say start with a front towhook kit or a bumper with D-rings, for the rear get a 2" receiver hitch with a D-ring slide in or a good bumper with pull points and get a 30' snatch strap.

Next should be skid plates for the transfercase and fuel tank.

Pull points are a must since you will get stuck and need them to get out. There is nothing worse the being being a stuck rid with no pull point and a cracked transfer case or split fuel tank.

Already looking at bumpers, have a 2" hitch already too. Plus, I have the fuel tank skid plate. After some trails today I dragged the front Dif. though, so I want to get some junk yard ones for that.

 

[xtimmax]

Stay small until you can afford it, and for the d35 stick with it as long as your comfortable with it. with some finese they will hold up to alot, just gotta know the limits..

 

[poorboy_616]

Welcome to the board!!!

Being an a limited budget, use the search feature to look for a Budget Boost. Tons of info is available.

I own an 87 2dr.

Future plans:
2"BB with possibitly of 3" with SYE and other goodies
Repaint (because both my van and my Jeep are white, I need some color in my life...)
Possible cage farther on down the road
I don't want ot sit on the sidelines anymore, I wanna go crawlin!!!

 

[TNT]

If it has a D35 rear axle swap it out ASAP and either use a D44 or a 8.25"(96 & up have stronger 29 spline shafts) rear axle.

Get some 3"-3.5" lift front springs and Rubicon Express super flex replacement adjustable control arms new OME HD rear springs with a greaseable rear shackle is the way to go. Get the HD trackbar too. Some new longer travel shocks with some bumpstop extentions, Bilsten 5000 are a great choice.

Your control arms, shocks and rear springs are old enough they need replacing anyway. While you are at it replace all of the u-joints.

Don't skimp on the lift save up and buy quaility parts.

Get some 15x8 rims with 32" and some fender trimming will work great and is about all 3.55 gearing is ok with. You will want to rear gear and add lockers.

If you can find a XJ/MJ with a 4.10 geared D44 or a 8.25" rear axle you should grab the front axle too. They will work great with 32" tires.

 

[TNT]

Already looking at bumpers, have a 2" hitch already too. Plus, I have the fuel tank skid plate. After some trails today I dragged the front Dif. though, so I want to get some junk yard ones for that.

Just buy or beef up the front and rear diff covers. The front skid won't help protect the cover anyway.

Did you crawl under and see a steel fuel tank skid or just the plastic cover that fools people?

 

[TNT]

Rockrails are a good addition to do before lifting it also.

 

[Mudderoy]

If there are aggressive mud tires that are 27.5" I'd say that would be the cheapest thing you could do.

You might want to pull of the fender flares.

Go through and change all the fluids on the diffs, and transfer case. Be careful with the transmission though. Might want to do 50/50 on it.

Everything lubed and mud tires should get you through a lot.

The lift makes it look cool though.

 

[Muddy Beast]

Just buy or beef up the front and rear diff covers. The front skid won't help protect the cover anyway.

Did you crawl under and see a steel fuel tank skid or just the plastic cover that fools people?

I crawled under and saw a big piece of sheet metal with 3 bends in it over the fuel tank...there was a good size ding in it too...

And yeah are Diff. covers hard to get on? And any affordable good ones?

My dad said he might buy me the BF Goodrich tires I want, he said 31" is the biggest he'll buy (my tires on the jeep now are near bald, yet it still handled well in the mud!) and my wheeling buddy said he'd sell my his black steel rims for $130 for 4 (used).

Now I just need to buy a lift to handle things well, then a bumper.

The proto fab prerunner bars any good? Looks like there about $500.

 

[shoobie]

If you're on a budget, and need a good dual purpose daily driver/weekend wheeler, the concensus seems to be:

1) Recovery/Armor
2) More aggressive tires
2) Small (~3") lift


Now, I speak purely from what I have researched, not from experience. I am in a similar situation; I want a reliable rig that I can wheel on the weekends and drive to work/school on Monday.

So, for #1, I'd suggest skipping the expensive bumper for now. Keep an eye on your local craigslist for some cheap used stuff to come up. For front recovery, it seems that C4x4 tow hook brackets are the best bang for the buck. In the rear, if you have a Class III hitch, you could run one of these reciever shackles. If not, well, you could either buy a hitch or look for a basic rear bumper that has some recovery points (a hitch will be cheaper). I'd suggest looking at JCR Offroad. I think their prices are reasonable, and their work is generally considered high quality. I don't know much about armor, but skids plates, diff guards, and rock rails would all be worthy investments.

For #2, you might want to look in to Maxxis Bighorns. Not that there's anything wrong with BFGs, but these are slightly cheaper, and I've heard great things about them.

For #3, if you want to stuff 31s, I think you could either:

a) do a 2 inch BB (budget boost) and trim the fenders
b) do a 3-4" lift and not trim or trim much less

The choice is yours; just keep in mind that the higher you go, the more things you will need to spend money on changing. If you want a nice kit, the consensus seems to be that Rubicon Express makes some of the nicer kits, but they are pricey. Rough Country makes some nice stuff for much less money. Rusty's stuff is probably to be avoided. I know that some people have had luck with it, but I've heard too many complaints to spend any of my money on it.

Sorry for the novel, but I spend a lot of time lurking here, and these are the things that I've picked up and feel comfortable suggesting. Remember that I have no real world experience with any of this, so take it with a grain of salt.