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2nd Cherokee. 1st was mild, second wild?

rcmf5525

rcmf5525

NAXJA Member
NAXJA Member
Location
Mobile, AL
I installed a RE 5.5 short arm on my '92 XJ and am running 33s with no complaints, but I recently stumbled upon a '99 with <100k for $500. Damn thing did not start and the guy did want to mess with it. I replaced the starter and voila she started right up after sitting for 6 months. Gotta love the 4.0L. Enough of that though. It is sitting in my driveway waiting to be my new project. I do not have a big roll of cash right now but I am willing to go piece by piece until it is built. Just trying to bounce some ideas off your knowledgeable heads.

I want to build a go anywhere do anything, but still somewhat street able XJ. I have been reading up on the coil over approach and it looks cool, but what are the advantages really? Is it worth all the ass pain and fabrication, or should I just go with a high end long arm system with leafs in the rear? I want to run 35s, maybe 37s, but no larger than that for the obvious CG issues. I have educated myself on the drive train needs; just want some opinions on some of the less than standard lifts. I don’t really want to hear 'I have a long arm kit and love it'. I am looking for someone who has owned both or operated both to give me some pros and cons. Maybe I am being picky but I am about to seriously invest in this project and want to be completely satisfied. Thanks in advance for your time....
 
I know you are looking for answers to your specific questions, but I'm curious...why don't you use the newer more reliable XJ as your DD and use the somewhat already built older XJ as your dedicated trail rig?
 
rcmf5525,
I am in the same dillema that you are in. I have an existing 97 with a mild lift excellent shape, high miles, and found a 98 cheap with under 100k that is in rough shape. Figure that once you crack that first bolt loose, like with the first one, you just cant stop there. 98 gets the big lift.
97+ can be more of a PITA for vibes.
SYE, and all that.
Go for it man!!!
 
My 97 has been good about not vibrating too bad, just a 3" lift. I have heard stories about some 96's with probs. He's got the 99 that I have been looking for. Had to settle for the 98 junker.
 
Not trying sound like a jerk, but most of your questions will be answered by spending a little more time searching.
 
97CountryXJ said:
My 97 has been good about not vibrating too bad, just a 3" lift. I have heard stories about some 96's with probs. He's got the 99 that I have been looking for. Had to settle for the 98 junker.
Click to expand...

That's why, you only got 3" of lift...go higher and see what happens!
icon12.gif
 
It'll never make you "completely satified" on the second try. You'll be building these things for the rest of your life.:D
 
This is stupid. What do you want to do with it that your current rig doesn't do?

Never mind. Get Rocktrac D60s front and back, 5.13s, ARBs, TnT EVERYTHING, full cage, 40" BFG MT KM2s, a Cummins, helicopter, JATO bottles, Shark cage, Adventure Trailer Chaser, Atlas IV, and lots of other obvious choices.

What'd I miss?

-----Matt-----

P.S. Do leafs. Lot's of 'em. Leafs are the new coils.
 
Well, that started off ok, but then we had to get the smart ass remarks. I have a DD and the '92 I going to give to my daughter. I know, lucky her. The '92 build was the same as a thousand others out there. I want to go a different route with this one. I typed in "coil over" in the search and read every thread. I saw things like I love it, its great... I just wanted to know if the coil over approach is worth the effort. Are coil over suspensions far and away better than standard set ups? If I am going to D60 or 14 bolts, I will have to do mods to the tubes anyway. Unless I am willing to spend 3 to 4 thousand dollars per axle. Which isnt going to happen. So why not go with coil overs if I am going to gain a lot of functionality. If all Im going to get is hey throw a .50 cal on the roof and some 240s on swing arm door mounts then I will go some where else for opinions. Are you two just pissed off because you are in overseas duty stations??? It is kind of nice here in Savannah....
 
rcmf5525 said:
Well, that started off ok, but then we had to get the smart ass remarks. I have a DD and the '92 I going to give to my daughter. I know, lucky her. The '92 build was the same as a thousand others out there. I want to go a different route with this one. I typed in "coil over" in the search and read every thread. I saw things like I love it, its great... I just wanted to know if the coil over approach is worth the effort. Are coil over suspensions far and away better than standard set ups? If I am going to D60 or 14 bolts, I will have to do mods to the tubes anyway. Unless I am willing to spend 3 to 4 thousand dollars per axle. Which isnt going to happen. So why not go with coil overs if I am going to gain a lot of functionality. If all Im going to get is hey throw a .50 cal on the roof and some 240s on swing arm door mounts then I will go some where else for opinions. Are you two just pissed off because you are in overseas duty stations??? It is kind of nice here in Savannah....
Click to expand...
Yikes, I would be pissed to if I was in Savannah. I guess its not as humid as it is during the summer, so I guess thats a plus.;)

Relax bud, what was said was obviously a joke. This is the intardnet, nothing is to be taken seriously.

Just because Im nice, Ill even add some tech. Why are you set on coilovers? Do you have the skills to add them? They obviously will not just bolt up. For good suspensions look at RK's 3 link or TnT's radius arms. I would keep the leaves in the rear just for simplicity and I think they work better on an XJ then coils in the rear do for most people.

For axles, I would shy away from 60's and 14 bolts on 35s unless you like dragging diffs on very little rock. A polished 30 or a semi polished 44 should be good for the front. Back, XJ 44, another 44 or even a 9'' are a lot better depending on what front axle you use.

Best advise, tell us exactly what you want. I know my ultimate xj does in fact have a .50 mounted to the roof. Shark tank isnt a bad idea either. But, I dont have 3 kids to carry around. Where do you wheel, what style. We need some better info to really help you.

Also look at pictures people have posted. There are tons of pictures here, and theres a "Badass XJ" thread on pirate with lots of nice xjs. Just start at the beginning of the thread, as the last ones have been rather stupid.
 
A coilover suspension is exactly the same as any other linked suspension but with different springs.



Are you trying to ask if you should link the rear of your Jeep? If so, no...leaf springs are perfect for you.
 
I'd go with a MK-19 on the roof instead of a .50....

and before you ask, yes, i like being overseas :)

I really dont see an advantage to using coilovers, unless you are looking for some kind of ridiculous, stupid crazy flex....it seems like an awful lot of work, AND just something else non-standard to break. and maybe i'm wrong, but dont you have to lift it pretty high for that? Wouldnt your COG suffer? I cant imagine it being a great on-the-road ride....
 
I am not set on coil overs, just trying to think out side the box. I figured most would say it was too much of a hassel for the gains in articulation. As far as the COG suffering from the amount of lift incurred from coil overs, COG is going to suffer from any lift in general, but I have figured a 8" net gain from a well set up coil over converison. That is rather high, but D60s or GM corporates weight like 400lbs+ each. That will help with COG some.
I have been going back and fourth with some people I know here that know a thing or two about crazy jeeps, and they say it would be cool but dont think it is worth it. On the same lines as the feedback here. They also mentioned a coil conversion for the rear, witch would be much easier to accomplish. I should get started with something sometime after chirstmas and will post pics.
 
With coilovers you have to fab hoops for the front, tie them in, and you might as well do a cage and rails to tie everything in.

Here's my take...
Ford d44 front, gears, locker, locking hubs.. Coilovers if your froggy, nice Deaver or RE coils if your not. Get a nice front link setup, as mentioned above, TNT and RK 3 links are very nice.
Rear... Ford 9", gears, locker... maybe shafts. Keep leaf setup, but with nice leafs, Deaver, ect..

SYE and maybe even a Tera-Low kit.

Unibody stiffeners, tie in Rock rails.
Bilstein 5150's
Interior cage of some sort if your goin a lil crazy.
You may want to look into Steering box stiffeners and even some aftermarket motor mounts for your block.

Build it smart, build it safe...


Oh, and poo on the .50's... Getcha a gat.
 
What is the reason for not doing away with the leaf springs? I figure I would get less axle wrap from a 4 link system in the rear. It should be more stable, better ride, and more flexible. What are the major drawbacks from going to coils or coil overs in the rear???

I do love the 5150s I have on my '92. I have not had any experience with ultra high end shocks, but I cant see how much better they could be. Maybe I am just ignorant

I have fired almost every weapon system the army has and a .50 is a close second to a .300 WinMag sniper rifle in my list of favorite weapon systems.
 
rcmf5525 said:
What is the reason for not doing away with the leaf springs? I figure I would get less axle wrap from a 4 link system in the rear. It should be more stable, better ride, and more flexible. What are the major drawbacks from going to coils or coil overs in the rear.
Click to expand...
More and more people are going away from rear coils. There are even TJ owners who are converting to rear leafs. It's a lot more stable than coils and doesn't unload at odd times. The Ultimate Adventure JK had a rear leaf swap as does the Egyptian military JK truck.

Point is, there are a lot of reasons to stay with the stock rear suspension. The only reason to do coils, IMHO, is if you're trying to bust 1100 on an RTI ramp.

-----Matt-----

P.S. Sorry about the sarcasm in my last post, but you left the question so open, and it's been covered so many thousands of times it gets tedious.
 
Maybe I was a little too vague on my origional post. I was just wanting some real pros and cons of a full coil over suspension.

IXNAYXJ - you mention odd unloading times. Can you give me an example. I have done some crawling, not to be confused with a seasoned vet or anything, but cant say I have had an odd unload ever. If there is nothing under the wheel to load the spring then it will unload. I am not trying to be a jerk, but if leafs were the answer, why dont we see them in production jeeps or better yet rock buggies. Leafs are for heavy lifters, not performance.
As far as stability goes, as long as I set up a stiff sway bar (with disconnects obviously) in a coil sprung rear, I should be good right? Maybe even better than leafs alone with out a sway bar. Theoreticly, one could make an all coil jeep handle well on the road with the right swaybar set up. As well as an eight foot tall vehicle would be expected to handle, that is. With full sized axles and 50" of tire width, I should have plenty of track to compensate for the raised COG. With the big axles, a thousand pounds of the vehicle's weight is no more than 18" off the ground. Sure, I am not going to be able to take an off camber curve doing 80 mph, but that is not what it is going to built for.

I just cant get it through my thick skull that coil sprung rear is not better than leaf sprung.
 
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