XJ Newbie Suspension Questions

[Zed Mikey]

Hello, all. I recently purchased my first XJ. 1986 2 Door with no drivetrain. But I'm putting in the drivetrain and suspension from a '94 that was rolled.

This XJ is going to be a daily driver for my girlfriend (to replace her current daily driver, a 1977 CJ5). I have a 3" lift from the '94 that I want to transfer over. The coils are Procomp and the rears have AALs. One of the rear packs is shot, so I want to replace them with RE 3.5" lift packs. To level it (if needed) I will use coil spacers. I was told the LCAs are Rough Country, but I couldn't find them on their site. The tcase does not have an SYE... just a tcase lowering kit.

Now, I'm getting close to 4" here, what are the chances I will need an SYE or drop brackets for the control arms to avoid vibrations or death wobble?

Yes, I understand that an SYE and proper control arm geometry are good things, but so far I've only got $150 into the XJ... and I'd like to keep it that way, but I also want a reliable vehicle that handles well for the woman to get around in.

Thanx!

--Mikey

 

[csudman]

At 4" w/ that year xj. I'd imagine you'd be just fine w/ the t-case drop.

 

[sidriptide]

have you researched the project of installing a 4.0L into a pre-87 XJ yet?? ( i assume you are doing the 4.0L).. its not as straightforwars as a newer XJ.. the 4.0 didnt show up until 87 ad the engine compartment was modified to make it work.. it is certainly do-able but my not be as easy as you think... if it was an original 2.8 v6 i'd suggest the GM 3.1 or 3.4 v6 (cant seem to ever rememeber which one) get one used in a rear drive vehicle not a front driver.. i just know basics about the swap never researched it.. plenty of guys here know what you will need to do the swap... i know someone who thought it was easier to replace the entire front end form the firewall forward... good luck with this
mike

 

[Matt]

have you researched the project of installing a 4.0L into a pre-87 XJ yet?? ( i assume you are doing the 4.0L).. its not as straightforwars as a newer XJ.. the 4.0 didnt show up until 87 ad the engine compartment was modified to make it work.. it is certainly do-able but my not be as easy as you think... if it was an original 2.8 v6 i'd suggest the GM 3.1 or 3.4 v6 (cant seem to ever rememeber which one) get one used in a rear drive vehicle not a front driver.. i just know basics about the swap never researched it.. plenty of guys here know what you will need to do the swap... i know someone who thought it was easier to replace the entire front end form the firewall forward... good luck with this
mike

Mike nailed it - if a 4.0l is in your plans you may have a better time finding a newer donor truck...

Or just cage and soft top the 94 - chop it up!

 

[Zed Mikey]

You guys guessed it. It's the 4.0L I was planning on dropping in. I shall search around and look into it further, as I'm not doing the swap right away. Can anyone point me to some info or write-ups on swapping a 4.0L into an early XJ?

The '86 originally had the 2.5L. If I can find a suitable donor, I may swap in a late model 2.5L and get the Dodge parts to mate it to the AX-15. Thanx for the heads up on the motor. Any other thoughts on the suspension?

Thanx again!

--Mikey

 

[sidriptide]

do a search in the archive and then post a new thread in this forum .. youll get a lot of replies
mike