• Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

What would you do?

chuck2000xj

NAXJA Forum User
Well... After losing my rear drive shaft on the highway at 70 mph and subsequently ( was gonna do it anyway) buying a car so I didn't use my XJ as a daily driver/ trail rig, I am in a position to do some work and upgrade. I have a 3" RC AAL on 33's with a 30 front (with recent Spartan Locker install) and 8.25 rear. I'm wanting to do some upgrading since I'm not hard pressed to get it back on the road right away. If you wanted to do some upgrading to lift and axle swapping (on a very limited budget) what would you do? I was thinking Dana 44's and a 4.5" lift. Just trying to get some ideas.
 
Limited budget?
Stay on D30/8.25 or D30/8.8 with 33s.
As soon as you get into larger axle swaps, the correct way, budgets unfortunately never remain small.
 
Yeah I hear ya... Yes I have a limited budget but I also have time. I could just stick with the D30/8.25 and worry about a little more lift. When I wheeled it, I never killed it and the 8.25 did alright. Was pretty successful negotiating obstacles.
 
If you are going to lift it higher for clearance issues, cutting the front and tubbing the rear end is free. It would also give you more room down the road if you did a swap and went to 35's or larger... did it to mine over a weekend and figure I can fit 37s in the rear pretty easily.

I don't really get why all of a sudden there is 15 threads of people saying... I have a 3" lift, I want a 4" lift... you wont tell the difference except in your wallet.
 
I have cut the fenders and folded the rear fenders. I have 33's and I rub a lot. I have had a 3" lift for about 2 1/2 years and I'm just ready to go bigger. I never said I wanted to go to 4". Just said I wanted to go bigger.
 
I was thinking Dana 44's and a 4.5" lift. Just trying to get some ideas.

Lol.

Well, what are you using the rig for? Why would you want bigger axles? Bigger tires? Tubbing the rear is a lot more clearance than a cut and fold when, if you already rub w/ 33's its only gonna be worse if you went larger, even with 1" extra lift.

I dunno, just throwing out free suggestions. Getting the fenders all cut up makes your rig appear taller, yet keeps you at a low cog...
 
Do you have the 27 or 29 spline 8.25? I swapped a welded 29 in place of my crappy 35 and have faith to run 35's on it once I find a 44 for the front. I too have 2nd car to DD so I didn't mind welding it and it was free, as well as cutting up the rear. That cost me 3 cut off wheels for the grinder.

Just keep in mind going 4"+ on a lift means trackbar, brake lines, sye + the cost of the lift. That's why I decided to stay at 3" and sacrafice the body. Also keeping it short arm over 4" you'd probably want drop brackets for the lowers to help your arm angles and give it a better ride.
 
I have a 29 spline. I understand what all is involved with going 4+. My jeep isn't drivable right now as there is no rear drive shaft. And since I have another car, I can play a little and take my time upgrading.
 
If you haven't already.. try properly bumpstopping your suspeniion to start with..

this, and cut more, if your rubbing alot then you need to do both of these, lifting it higher wont help, tire will still end up in the same spot upon uptravel
 
this, and cut more
THIS! Sorry, there's a lot I don't know about this stuff, but I do know that most do not cut enough. Tubbing the rear is much more than a cut & fold, and to run 37" tires without doing it you'd need 8-10" of lift for any real travel... I personally think 3" of lift is great for 33s, if you cut enough people will think you have 6". (You need to cut the fronts so deep you HAVE to relocate the washer reservoir)

Now if you were going after that stock-sleeper look, that would be different, but you obviously are not.
 
to run 37" tires without doing it you'd need 8-10" of lift for any real

what are you smoking, 37's can easily be ran on 4-5" and still provide plenty of flex with just a cut n fold
 
what are you smoking, 37's can easily be ran on 4-5" and still provide plenty of flex with just a cut n fold

I sliced up my 33's on 3" with a cut and fold, and what I thought was adequate bumpstopping. It caught a corner of one of my cuts and bent it down, literally took off an antire lug and a half of my tire. After that was when I decided tubbing it was my only option, I measured 1/4" from my rear door gap and followed the line all the way back, opened it up a little over 3" front to back and 1 1/2" up.

Just guesstimating, when I stuffed my 33 in the rear and saw the clearance it opened up, it SHOULD easily do a 37 without a sweat. But I dont plan on going that big.


To the OP, Id seriously consider what myself and others have said already in this thread. there have been suggestions that are FREE, and you said you have a very tight budget... $100... $500... $1,000??? You didnt specify. When Im on a tight budget (always) I pursue the most effective route to my pocket book that essentially acheives the same goal...

You want 1" more clearance, whats been suggested is free. What you would like to do, costs $$$ to do it the right way. Its either time spent working on your rig, or money thrown at it to do the same thing, whats worth more???

Ok im done
 
what are you smoking, 37's can easily be ran on 4-5" and still provide plenty of flex with just a cut n fold
I suppose we have different opinions of what "plenty of flex" is!

For instance, I've tubbed the back half of my rear wells, and right here if I would have just done a cut n fold I'd be on my bump already. Instead I have 8" or more of up-travel left:
imagew2.aspx


And that's not even articulated, that's just with weight shifted to the rear and digging in (and I have 6"+ of lift and those are 37s...) But if you don't mind riding the bumps A-LOT, then sure, you can fit 37's on 4-5" of lift with a cut and fold...
 
Back
Top