• NAXJA is having its 18th annual March Membership Drive!!!
    Everyone who joins or renews during March will be entered into a drawing!
    More Information - Join/Renew
  • 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 to do?

knifeboy2

NAXJA Forum User
Well I don't have an XJ yet but I'm in the process of trying to sell my CJ to get an XJ. Here's what I'm thinking and if I'm missing anything or if my information is incorrect please help me out

I'm looking for a '91 or newer Cherokee Sport with the 4.0 and preferably AX-15 but I hear the auto is good too. I'd like to fit 33x11.5x15 under it so from what I gather 4.5 inches of lift would work with some trimming. I was looking at the RE lift, they make great products for CJ's and TJ's but does the quality carry over? What about other brands like Skyjacker and Rustys? I hear Rustys is crappy and sags, and Skyjacker doesn't have the greatest reputation in the TJ world. Now I'm also planning on swapping out axles so that I'm not blowing up the 35 in the rear. So my quest is to possibly find an Explorer 8.8 with discs for the rear with 4.10 gearing and get an XJ Dana 30 front from a 4 banger with 4.10's so I don't have to swap gears out in the axle that I get with the rig. I also know with the 4.5 inches of lift I'd need an SYE. Is there a certain brand or type ya'll like? I see RE makes two different kinds. With that do I need just a new rear driveshaft or do I need both front and rear? Next to carry the spare, from what I read its a pain in the arse to lift a 33 inch tire from the roof racks so would a swing out be better or could a 33 fit inside standing up with no modifications? Otherwise would I be better off getting a class 3 hitch/bumper/swing out tire mount? If so who makes good ones for a good price? Next I'm assuming I'd need rock protection. Whats a good place to start? Rockers....tranny....front dif....steering box.....etc? In what priority would you place those? I'd guess tranny then rockers then who cares. Now here comes the truly crazy part. I want to do a lot of this under $2,500. The axle swaps may have to wait a while until I can afford them. Or should I swap the axles and skip the lift and tires? I really like the look of a lifted XJ. Otherwise they just look like kinda tall station wagons (sorry if that offends anyone). This will see 90% street since I can't really afford to break things. So I think thats enough questions for my first post here, don't you? Thanks in advance.

Edit....
After more searching and finding a great website with photo's it popped into my head that 31's don't look that bad on an XJ and I could live with that. I also realized that with only 4.5 inches of lift I'd have to pull out the body saw for 33's. Then another conclusion popped into my head, and that was for 31's I really wouldn't have to regear so I could stay with the stock drivetrain until I could afford those wonderful axle swaps. Sooo, I guess I'm giving ya'll two scenarios

1. I lift it enough to fit 33's, do some trimming, and axle swaps sometime.
2. I lift it enough to fit 31's, hopefully no or very minimal trimming, and stick with stock gearing and axles.

The second sounds more economical at this time so does everyone agree to that? Why did I ever buy a Jeep in the first place? This never ends. I can't sleep some nights because all I think about is JEEP JEEP JEEP.
 
Last edited:
If you are considering 33's, I'd save the money up and go for it. Building for 31's is fine if you intend to stay there, but the money you spend on 3" coils and leaf packs is wasted if you decide to go bigger in the future. Even if you try to go the cheap route to 4.5" with a 3" kit and a budget boost (spacers and shackles) you don't end up with enough room for 33's (I tried on mine and ended up with 32" MTR's and Bushwacker flares to get them in). As far as axles, I picked up a Dana 44 for $200, installed a mini spool for $90, and replaced the front shafts with newer ones with 297's. Protection wise, skid plate as much as you can afford to do. Don't worry about bumpers right off the bat, but skids and rocker guards should be considered manditory for a trail ready XJ. Hope this gets you started, I'm sure others will be able to help more than I can.
 
With a $2500 budget, you virtually have to go with Plan B (31s and no re-gear) to get your foot in the door. You can run 31s behind a stock automatic and get away with it. The 5-speeds have 3.07 gears and you do NOT want to be running 31s through 3.07 gears with a clutch.

With an older XJ you might be able to get away with a 4.5" lift and no SYE, maybe with an extended slip yoke or maybe just having your drive shaft lengthened locally. I know people at 4.5" who don't run an SYE and who have not modified their drive shaft, although an SYE is certainly stronger and better if/when you can afford it.

The front transfer case already has a short, fixed output, so there is no need for a front SYE.
 
Rustys has changed something with his springs and now people are "complaining" that they give too much lift. Hes selling complete packages with tires now, you may want to check it out:

Rusty's 4.5" Spring Pack Kit
(2 - 4.5" Front Coil Springs
2 - 4.5" Rear Spring Packs
Front Adjustable Trac Bar
Lower Control Arms
Transfer Case Drop Kit
Brake Line Extension Kit
Front Sway Bar Extensions
4 - Rusty's Hydraulic Shocks
Complete Instruction )
(4) 31-10:50-15 Dick Cepek MC II
(4) 15x8 767 American Racing Wheels
Mounted, Balanced with Center Caps & Lug Nuts

total for about 1200 dollars. After shipping you would have at least a grand to spend on either the best of the best skid protection or a regear. Plus, from 4.5 inches, its not too hard to make the jump to 6 inches to fit 33s.
 
How goofy would it look if I went with the RE 5.5" lift and used 31's? Would it just give me more room to stuff my tires or would it look out of place? Anybody have pictures of this setup? I'm trying to prepare for the future today so I'm thinking about getting the big lift, and smaller tires until i can afford the axle swap. Would this make sense?

I don't know anything about lifts on an XJ, but I know CJ's pretty well. Mostly because all a CJ lift is, is new spring packs and shocks. So are the prices for RE stuff reasonable for what it is and are they beefy?
 
I know for a fact that there are people on this board that run 33s on the stock 30 and the 8.25 rear. Oh, and I run 31s on a five speed with 3.07s. There is always an exception to the rule...not to say it is a good combo, but it works.

It sounds to me like you should find an automatic 91 or newer XJ, put 3" and 31s on it, an SYE, armor, and call it your baby.

When you start going higher, the cost rises exponentially. You will start to need new control arms, track bar, break lines, steering geometry, axles, gearing, etc.
 
Last edited:
But what if I go high, and then go big. In other words put the RE 5.5" Extreme Duty lift on, but stay with stock axles and gearing with 31's. Then later down the road put new axles and better gearing under for bigger tires and more trimming then. The RE 5.5" lift comes with control arms, trac bars, brake lines, and everything else needed. I can get help from local clubs on the intall and the geometry so that doesn't bother me. I just don't want to look goofy with too much lift and not enough tire.
 
At 5.5" you WILL need a new driveshaft and new control arms, regardless of what size tires you run. Tires have no effect on the geometry of the drive line relative to the chassis.

You need to get your priorities straight. Looking ahead to what you'll want or need in the future is a great idea, but as already noted the cost per inch increases exponentially. You said you are trying to do this on a budget. Fine ... add up everything you'll NEED to go to 3", then add up everything you'll NEED to go to 5.5 inches, and see which one comes close to your budget.

BTW -- does the $2500 budget cover just the mods, or is the cost of the Jeep in that, too?
 
Well after doing math I realize I can lift it 5.5 inches on my budget but that wouldn't allow for any rock protection. I also don't want to be breaking axles on the street so I'd prefer to keep my tires small until I can do an axle swap. So if I went with a 3 inch lift, enough to fit 31's, how hard is it to add a few more inches in the future to fit larger tires? Is it as simple as blocks and spacers? I am learning that an XJ and CJ are two very different animals.

And the $2,500 budget does not include the vehicle cost.
 
If you want to go higher in the future, it is relatively easy, provided you have an SYE, adjustable trackbar, and adjustable control arms. These are the things which are affected most when lifting.

You could easily install a longer shackle in the rear to give more lift; blocks are frowned upon- but don't forget they change your pinion angle. Coil spacers work up front as well. You could use these to bring your 3" to 4.5", but after that, you'd want to start adding leaves to your spring pack to get some lift, and get new coils up front.

The point is: the springs are not the most expensive element of the lift, the control arms, trackbar, SYE, breaklines, and shocks are.

I hope this helps you out.
 
there are some miracle stories out there of guys with 6 inches of lit and no vibs. If you get the chryco rear end I dont think you will really need to swap axles if you're 90% on the road
 
and 31s on a 5.5 inch lift doesn't look bad and will give you enough ground clearance that you may not need the nicest of skid plates.
 
Thanks all. I'm still swaying between the 5.5" lift and all the extras needed to make it go without any skid protection and 31's OR going with the 3.5" lift with 31's and skid protection on the rockers and tranny. With either one I see an axle swap in the future for both front and rear to get 4.10 gearing and be able to run 33's. I've got 33's on my CJ-5 now and I think its the perfect size tire.
 
Eagle said:
With a $2500 budget, you virtually have to go with Plan B (31s and no re-gear) to get your foot in the door. You can run 31s behind a stock automatic and get away with it. The 5-speeds have 3.07 gears and you do NOT want to be running 31s through 3.07 gears with a clutch.

So what gears do you want with 31s and a 5-speed?

Thanks!
Mike
 
I got the RE 3.5 inch super flex kit, added a budget boost on top of that, some trimming, TJ flares, and it fits 35s. I did change the rear end to a GM 12 bolt that I had layign around, but the front is the D30 with warn shafts and is holding up fine. Going with a smaller lift and trimming gives it a squattier look but it has a lower center of gravity and feels really stable. It also flexes well.Picture album
 
If you are allready having dreams about 33's go with at least a 4.5" lift. It isn't easy to get 33's under an XJ with 3"lift coils (unless you really don't mind a lot of trimming). That way you can get a couple more inches out of a BB and you should fit 33's pretty easy.
 
Lucas said:
Rustys has changed something with his springs and now people are "complaining" that they give too much lift. Hes selling complete packages with tires now, you may want to check it out:

Rusty's 4.5" Spring Pack Kit
(2 - 4.5" Front Coil Springs
2 - 4.5" Rear Spring Packs
Front Adjustable Trac Bar
Lower Control Arms
Transfer Case Drop Kit
Brake Line Extension Kit
Front Sway Bar Extensions
4 - Rusty's Hydraulic Shocks
Complete Instruction )
(4) 31-10:50-15 Dick Cepek MC II
(4) 15x8 767 American Racing Wheels
Mounted, Balanced with Center Caps & Lug Nuts

total for about 1200 dollars. After shipping you would have at least a grand to spend on either the best of the best skid protection or a regear. Plus, from 4.5 inches, its not too hard to make the jump to 6 inches to fit 33s.

Since I have Rusty's 4.5" kit, I think I can comment on that.

Yes, it did give me 6" of lift, on my light 2.5 lt truck, but also a lot of problems.

First the rear springs are a joke. Too stiff to start with, my kidneys were bouncing up and down every time I crossed a speed bump with any forward momentum. Then the shackles were left all the way forward, touching the front end of their mounts. Finally the bushings allowed the springs to move, thus ending up touching the right part of their mounts. Rusty send me some new bushings (why on earth he does not install them from the beginning, instead of the crappy ones which came with the springs, I do not know) and .75" longer shackles (as if a longer shackle compensates for a short spring). I ended up removing the lower leaf from the pack and installing the new bushings and shackles. The truck is still at around 6" front and rear, but the rear rides a bit better. Last I checked the shackles are almost vertical now.

Then, the shocks are a joke. Since day one, if you grab the shock body and move it laterally, you could feel play in the area where the axle enters the body. Rusty says this is normal. In any case, they were completely gone in less than 9 months of driving, mostly on pavement.

Front adjustable track bar is a joke. Save yourself the aggrevation and get the heavy duty one and the corresponding frame mount. The TRE at the frame end of mine was dead on arrival, causing my steering to be so bad, I spend 6 months trying to find what was the problem. After several alignments, three different pitman arms (I thought it was bump steer) etc. the problem was solved when I got the heavy duty track bar end and frame mount.

Brake line extension kit is a glorified term for 3 pieces of metal that are used to relocate the fixed-to-flexible line connection. You can as well dump them and get some real, extended brake lines from the beginning.

Today, after a lot of aggrevation, a lot of money spend changing things that were shot or not up to their intended role, I can say one thing. I will never buy anything from Rusty again. With the money I've spend replacing his POS, I could have got the RE's lift kit and save the headache and the hours spend in the shop.

My 2 eurocents

Rgds
 
Back
Top