Which way should I go?

Ok so the times come that I'm going to start doing some big work to my xj, which leads me to a conflict so I'm going to ask those that are in the process or have done it. Should I build my rig up little by little and go back and change or remove previous mods to make way for new mods, or should I take it out of commission for a couple of years and build it the way I ultimately want it the first time (think buggy). I've already got the roof chopped off completely but have been thinking about it before I do anything with the cage. Let me know what your thoughts are and which way you went and how it worked out for you.

hmm...im thinking straight lol
but seriously, if money isnt a factor then do it all at once, altho nothing gets you acquainted with your rig more then doing it all slowly. also you get to test things out and see how well they work for you

Turn hard driver, give it a bump, when it starts to grab, hit it and start working it straight.

Two years? No reason for it to take that long. I'm a big fan of the all-at-once-build. Save your money until you can afford to do it all in one shot, and don't tear the rig down until you're at that point. Noting more demoralizing than having what will be an awesome build collecting dust in your garage for months or years because you can't afford to do it the way you want to. If you honestly can't afford the big build, settle for a minor one that you can slowly build upon over time.

But absolutely, if money is no issue, do the big build all at once.

I'd say if you know how to wheel it stock go ahead and do it all at once. If you have no clue how to wheel it stock you have no business sitting on big ass tires because that usually leads to you getting into a situation you aren't ready for.

I doubt it'll take two years was just throwing that time line out as I don't have the expendable cash like others on here do. That and the only time I'll have to work on it is the weekends due to family and kids and such. The main thing I don't like is the idea of paying a few hundred bucks to build a cage the way it is now and then down the road a year or two paying a few more hundred to cut the old one out and build a new one when I can cut the body a little more and build the cage the way I want first. Axles and big tires won't be for a while as I will want to get them built up completely before throwing them in. What I'm thinking is cut the windshield off the rest of the way, and the sides completely from the front a pillar all the way back. Then boatside it, frame brace all the way back, and build a full cage for now. Then wheel it while I work on building up the axles and collecting all the parts for suspension and steering. That should give everybody a better idea of my thought process and I'll probably have rredalty build the cage for me since I don't want the generic basic cage that's widely sold.

obviously this is not a DD.... I would do it in sections but each section I would go big or go home.

Like you said there is no reason to build it part of the way and then go back take it out and rebuild it, thats just waisting $$

If your going to do the suspension, go all out and then wheel it. if your doing the frame stiffeners do the whole body along with cross supports and then wheel it. If this is your only trail vehicle could you stand not going on the trail for the arbitrary 2 years you have listed?