Stock XJ general suspension q's

Hey- so I have a stock 91' xj sport 5sp 4.0 and am looking to put some $$ into it finally. It is mostly a DD and snow/ice/camping truck, not heavy trail use but def. lite offfroad. I have never had any work done on the suspension (just shocks a couple times) and while trying to research there is just so much information it's overwhelming. It looks to me as if a lot of my bushings are falling apart. Other than that I'd just like to beef everything up for her 20 bday with good parts while keeping it stock height or maybe 1" lift at most. My budget is about 1k. Any suggestions on where to start, or where to look for info? Whenever I start searching i get a lot of info about lifts, but I'm really looking to keep the truck simple, but tuff. Thoughts? thanks y'all

There are a plenty of threads here on about suspension and lifts. Just page back and read anything that looks interesting. Bookmark or print anything that looks useful.

Some replacement Heavy Duty XJ leaf springs from Quadratec and some good used stock Up-Country coil springs will give you 1" of lift and a bit more cargo capacity. Install new control arm bushings and that should take care of most of your project.

I have a set of low miles Up-Country coils, PM me if you are interested.

Replace your stock parts, with stock parts, i.e., look at obtaining an OMIX-ADA Catalog, Part #12505.01. Problem is, if it is a problem for you, is that many replacement parts are made by godless commie chinese slave labor workers under red army slave masters, financed by amerikan greedy pigs. That said, with our shrinking fiat currency, 1k won't go far. See if you can find some junk yards for various replacement parts that look better than yours. Me, I went with H.D. replacement coils, leafs, shocks by Old Man Emu, (Australian). Expensive, but well worth it. You can check into those via ARBUSA.COM. They offer softer tuned setups too. You could just take your parts apart, if they are good, and install new bushings. Most say rubber is best, especially in cold weather, and that the, (some), synthetics are known to squeek alot, perhaps some even fail in the cold. You might consider a steering box brace from kevinsoffroad.com too. Other companies that have stuff; Crown, Team Cherokee, Quadratec, 4WD.com, Morris, your dealer, etc. Not being into XJ's before, the whole field of parts variety confused the hell out of me.., so, I got a note book and spent a lot of time before I stopped trying to piece-meal the XJ back together. Hence, after all the time spent in research.., I went with OMEmu, all-around.., more, or less, a one shot deal, to get the best for a DD, and some radical offroading, lol, for a DD. ([Cut out the rear sway bar], connected JKS disconnects for the front sway bar, better track bar, new tie rod ends, the OME stuff, came out just over 1k). All and all, the stance of the XJ is proper now, and handles better on ice.

X2 on the OME lift. I drove my current XJ with a 2" OME lift for about a year and I really liked it and debated whether I should "break" such a good system or not. With the OME kit, you'll get coils and isolators, leafs, shocks, and maybe a transfer case drop for around $750. A used set of 30.5" tires will keep you under the 1k budget and you'll have a nice ride.

Thanks for the replies very helpful, keep 'em coming. Gonna check all that stuff out. I see the OME 1.5" Kits $810. both med and heavy duty (diffference?) Just bought new set of Duratracs, so tires are not part of my 1k budget. I like the ideas so far, really helps clear the air. And YES chinese made does influence my choices..not preferred.. TJ

I hear HD gives a stiffer ride overall.

HD certainly will cause body parts, lol, if you have them, to jiggle running over speed bumps, tar filled crack repairs, etc., at speeds above 25mph. XJ seats seem to prevent spinal compactions, though. HD is great if you want to load the vehicle to the max., which might be necessary if you need to; in an emergency, a weekender, vacation, i.e., heavy cargo, etc. OME provides a standard ride if that's all you need. Call 'em up, talk with a tech!