Cheap mods+Budget Lift...help?

Hows it goin. Im pretty new to wheelin, just bought a '84 XJ off craigslist, went to a junk yard, bought a smittybuit 'yota front bumper and welded her on, as well as realtree camo'd the brush guards...so basically im a self- sufficient 18 year old with a new excuse to not make rent.

The jeep has a 2-3" rough country suspension lift on it, but I'm looking to add atleast 1.5-2" more on a very limited budget. I've looked into 'Rocky Road budget lifts' and they seem pretty cool, but for almost half the price i can get 2" rear leaf shackles, and 2" coil spacers for the front...what im wondering is.....is that all i need for the lift. Right now the immediate upgrade im looking at is simply a 1.5-2" budget lift. Just trying to get all the details before I invest my time (as well as my buddies') and money, any trouble shooting tips, brand suggestions....ANYTHING would be hugely appreciated. Also, what are some worthwhile mods/upgrades i can slowly apply to my jeep over time ($200 or less preferably)? Thanks a bunch, Ed

I was wondering how much you were able to get the bumper from the Yota for at the junk yard? I was actually thinking about doing the same thing! Thank you!

well i live in San Jose, CA and went to a "pick your part" as opposed to a pick & pull (PYP tends to have more 4x4 stff for some reason...anways i go tthe bumper for 20 bucks...it was actually serving as th jacks for the yotas rear end (underneath the leaf springs)...it was a once in a lifetime type deal...generely ive seen similar bumpers go for anywhere between $40-80, which even then is a great deal compared to the $300+ new price tag. The only thing that i can really recommend is finding a bumper that is either in tact or has fuctional mounting brackets...i welded on brackets for mine (being as the fork-lft operator originally removed the bumper with excessive and uneccessary force). Also if you by chance do have to go my route, and weld....just weld right-angle brackets to the rear of the bumper, and i think most (if not all) XJ bumper mounting frame plates & bolts have just enough side-to-side play to squeeze a 3/8" plate (the bumper bracket) in between the frame and the orig. bumper plate...you just need to cut out 3/8" slits in the orig. bumper

I know less than half of that made any sense, ill try to get pics up tmorw so you can see what the deal is. Hope this helps a bit for now, keep in touch..ill lend you as much as I know. Ed

Thanks, if you are looking for cheap offroad lights that are pretty sweet. Go to NAPA and look in their bargain/excess trailer lighting bins. It depends on the NAPA whether they have one of these or not I went to three different ones. Each light costs 13 dollars and is fully black rubber encased they are about 4.5 inches in diameter and they are called a work light with mounting hardware and everything to throw on a light bar or on the Yota bumper. I have a pair and love them! Also get a K&N cold air intake setup from rustysoffroad.com (cheap). Easy tow hook option is the 13 dollar receiver hitch rated to 10,000 lbs.hook by smittybuilt, all black and has proven useful!

You can add 2" spacers then 2" shackles in the rear. Shocks would probably be a good addition too if there weren't new ones put in with the first budget lift. If you haven't already done it, think about pulling off your sway bars or getting dis-connects. That will allow you tons more flex. Articulation is more important when you are at the height you are going to be at. Larger Lifts and Larger tire make up for lack of articulation usually. This is things I've found over time to be the case. I started out with about 4" of lift and 31s, then about 4.5" and 33, then about 5" and 34s. I am currently a little under 6" and 35s. It just keeps creepin higher. It is actually sitting at a very good place right now.