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New member getting Moab ready

Nusteh

NAXJA Forum User
Location
colorado
Myself and a friend are trying to get ready for moab in June, we both drive xj's mine being a 01 sport and his a 96 country. We plan to take the kokopelli trail down there and some easy trails while we are there as our wives scare pretty easy. :) We are trying to stay on a tight budget and want to get the most out of any upgrades we do to our vehicles.


We both have fairly new sets of 235/75r15 AT tires and dont plan to replace them for this trip. We were thinking about doing some small lifts to our vehicles for the added ground clearance without having to get new tires right now.


His '96 sits 17" in the front 17 1/4" in the back so his suspension is in pretty decent shape already, but his shocks are worn out so we were thinking about the Rubicon Express 2" add a leaf kit http://www.rubiconexpress.com/SuspensionSystems/Product.aspx?part=RE6160 it comes with shocks and he isn't too concerned with the ride quality.


My '01 sits 18" in the front and a sad 15" in the back, this is where I am going to need a little help. I know I am going to need a new leaf pack in the rear. In the front I would like to go as cheap as a 3/4" spacer (~$30) on the coils since I am already sitting 1" over stock.

Rear leaf packs with 2" lift seem to run $100-$200 a piece from what I have found. Not a lot of choices but I was thinking of getting the OME medium or heavy packs.

For shocks I would love to be able to stay with the stock ones on there as they are not that old but i have read that I am better off replacing them with some longer ones. I have read some budget build articles and they recommend ZJ up country's monroes in the front ($25 a piece) and Comanche monroes in the rear ($40 a piece). The Comanche shocks would require bpe (~$25).

Can I get away with just these upgrades? No extended brake lines? No transfer drop? No new ubolts? No new rear spring bushings, just swapping the old ones in there? Any suggestions that might work out better?


We have been browsing craigslist for a few other possible upgrades racks/full size spares/skid/tow hooks. We would love to get a winch but the cost of a winch+bumper kind of puts us off to that. Hoping that a comealong and some straps will be enough should we get stuck. Anything you would put as must have for your Moab trip?


We are both in the military and leave for some pre deployment training in April so we plan to do our installs in May before we go. I would like to post pics of the build up then.

I was going to take my '86 samurai on this trip but after a 300 mile ski trip this weekend, my back is telling me no way!
 
I am thinking you will be basically throwing money away at 2" lift leafs because you will soon discover you want more lift. You could do the 2" leafs and later get some 2" lift shackles for 4" of lift. You might be better off to just do a quality 4" lift right from the get go. Being that you're a G.I. I know you don't have a wad of cash to throw at it. There are some good 4" lifts out there with full leaf packs and new shocks. I think that would be your best route if you can pull it off. Also, if you have a D35 rear I highly recommend getting a junkyard 8.25 with the right gearing to match your front. The wheeling at moab could make short work of a D35. I would do the full circle clip mod to your front axles also because the front shafts fail easily with the lousy clips that come on them.
 
If you have time to look through junkyards, you can do a pretty easy 2" lift using Grand Cherokee front springs and extra leaves from a Dakota, S-10 or another Cherokee. Try searching "BB"or "Budget Boost" and "Bastard pack".

There's another possibility though. Just run stock height. Surprising how far you can get with the factory parts. If you're going to spend limited money, get rock sliders and a transfer case skid. The armor will help a lot more then 2" of lift.

Get tow hooks and reciever hitches for recovery. Cherokees don't have any natural places to hook a chain/rope to, and you need recovery points.

I wouldn't get a rack unless you are really pressed for space inside. I don't like top heavy rigs.
 
This is the most important addition to your XJ prior to going to Moab. Spend the little bit of extra money and get the spiral bound edition.

DSCN0355.jpg

Here is Rightseatsis on the trail to Dellenbaugh Tunnel when we were out geocaching. Mary's stock height 01XJ has front tow hooks as required by NAXJA, rock rails, a transfer case skid and a trailer hitch. Mary has also taken it on Chicken Corners, Klondike Bluffs, Fins & Things, Schaffer Trail/Potash Road and out White Rim as far as Musselman Arch.



BalancingRock.jpg
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Here is my then stock height 00XJ at the 20th anniversary coming down Long Canyon. My avatar is from the same trip on Wipe Out Hill. The only mods were the same as listed above for Mary's white 00XJ. TUXXJ (paul) has taken his stock XJ to Top of the World, but he has plenty of seat time and I wouldn't recommend it without some experience.



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Fischer Towers at sunset.

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Our 84y.o. father on his first Jeep trip at the end of a dirt track between Canyonlands N.P. and Dead Horse Point State Park.

Beyond the scenery Moab offers trails for every level of XJ and driver skill.
Have Fun!
 
I am thinking you will be basically throwing money away at 2" lift leafs because you will soon discover you want more lift.

This is my wifes jeep and for the most part this will be its only big expedition. Once I get back from my deployment I plan to start a new rig for our outdoor fun. (fj62 or fj80)

If you have time to look through junkyards, you can do a pretty easy 2" lift using Grand Cherokee front springs and extra leaves from a Dakota, S-10 or another Cherokee. Try searching "BB"or "Budget Boost" and "Bastard pack".

There's another possibility though. Just run stock height. Surprising how far you can get with the factory parts. If you're going to spend limited money, get rock sliders and a transfer case skid. The armor will help a lot more then 2" of lift.

I have looked into the bastard packs but i am afraid that my rear leafs are already sagging too far for this to be effective and I know I dont have a lot of free time to cruise the junkyards. I have considered doing this at stock height and picking up some skids, I saw a full 3 piece factory skid plate set on craigslist for $100 but I was too slow to pick it up.

This is the most important addition to your XJ prior to going to Moab. Spend the little bit of extra money and get the spiral bound edition.

:) Already ordered from amazon. I have one of his Colorado books that I have used a ton. I also ordered two trails illustrated maps of Moab.


Would I be better off with spending my money on skids and leaving the suspension as it is with my really saggy rear? We do plan to have 3 of us in the vehicle and enough stuff to last about a week.
If I go the lift route what kind of options do I have if I need new rear springs? I would rather not spend much more then $500 on this. I know a stock vehicle can have plenty of fun but I want a little peace of mind while I am on the trail.
 
Would I be better off with spending my money on skids and leaving the suspension as it is with my really saggy rear?
If I go the lift route what kind of options do I have if I need new rear springs? I would rather not spend much more then $500 on this. I know a stock vehicle can have plenty of fun but I want a little peace of mind while I am on the trail.
I'd say skids and tow points first. You can get pulled off a rock if you hi-center on it, but if you tear something up, you're screwed. At stock/low lifts rocker protection is important. If you have the gear, you can fab a set of rock rails for under $100.00. Check this thread:
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1024225

With 3 people and gear in the truck, you'll probably have to do something to the rear just to keep it off the bump stops.
No time for the JY trips,... I'd still consider a bastard pack. See if maybe you can score a set of O.E. take offs from a shop, or craigslist/ebay local pickup. Just add one longer leaf
As far as new springs, based on opinion here/price/etc, I bought the OME med-duty springs for the back and a set of V-8 GC springs for the front. (Due to a stuck/rusted spring eye bolts, not installed yet, I'm going to need to have a sawzall handy when I do this) If you get new springs, you should probably get new bushings as well. If the Springs are shot, chances are the bushings aren't very good either.
 
We are trying to stay on a tight budget and want to get the most out of any upgrades we do to our vehicles.


Where in Colorado are you?
I think I have a set of springs with an add-a-leaf.
PM me.

Also what t-case do you have? I may have an sye for a nv242.
 
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What is your budget? Here's a small list of low-priced stuff.
OME 2" HD leaf springs ~220$/pair
Remove rear sway bar
MJ or other lift shackle - .75in/1"+ respectively
ZJ V8 upcountry coils/spacer(or extra coil spring isolator appro .625" lift) or other used lift coils
Homemade or JKS swaybar quick-discos
If you can find a set of JK Rubicon take-off shocks for cheap that works good
 
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