Is this all I need 4 a 10" lift

[watson]

I realize that post was a little contradictory but here is my reasoning...

I believe you'd be a much better driver if you started with a stock rig or a minor lift and some 31s or so and wheel that for a year but I also understand that it is a lot of money to continuously ugrade every few months as your driving skill improves. Personally I think an XJ on 33s and a rear locker is a great all-round vehicle. You can still have fun with the smaller stuff, still get challenged by many obstacles, keep breakage to a minimum, have something you can drive everyday, something that looks cool, and have a great platform to build on later.

But with a 4.5" lift you will encounter steering issues, possibly death wobble (long-arms or control arm drop brackets possible needed) and of course an SYE with a CV d-shaft.

This isn't too much rig for a novice to drive yet will still give plenty of wheeling trips of fun before the bug REALLY bites.

Edit - Looks like xjrugger made a few of my points in the time it took me to write my last post.

 

[Big Red]

Couldn't agree with the last 3 posts more. Being able to drive the rig you got is much better than having a great rig and not being able to do anything with it or worse, get yourself into trouble very quickly because you can't handle what it can do. Though I'd maybe jump a step or two from stock or 31s and start with a good 4.5" lift, 33s, and a rear locker (leave the front open to save the poor 30), and regear to 4.56s. Good gear for 33s but still adequate if you decide to add onto the lift and go to 35s in the near future. But 33s, good flex, rear locker, and good gearing will take you so much farther than you would ever expect. We did this on a buddy's XJ who had never wheeled before (though he is a great instinctive driver in no matter what you put him in) and he was actually pretty bored on the first trailride he went on. The Jeep just crawled over everything he pointed it at.

I did the stock thing, 3" and 31s, 4.5" lift and 32s, 6" and 33s, 8" and 36s and now mucho fender trimming around 9" of lift and 38s. The Jeep looks SO sweet with all the lift and 38s but I kind of wish it was lower. I wouldn't let just anyone drive it because it is a lot of Jeep to handle and if you don't know what you are doing, you'd be on your side or top in no time.

Good luck with whatever road you choose though.

What axles do you have under your xj to handle 38's??? Full width 1 tons? That must look awesome, but the unibody is only so strong. Do you do a lot of mudding out there in OH? I'm from Chicago and know the wheeling is alot different there than here in Northern California with the Rubicon and other rock trails.
Troy

 

[Big Red]

I did the curve too and i started in 1997 with a 2.5 inch lift and 31's, then went to 5.5 and then 33's then 4.10, then 6.5, then 7.5, then 10, then the bigger axles, gears, lockers 35's and and and. Yes its good to go through the curve b/c when i was a teenager, if i had a jeep built right on 35's i would have ruined it. NO Doubt. But with all the euipment out there today, why tell him to start with 3 inch and 31's. Why not just go to a 6 inch that's bulit to go to 8 inches. And maybe some used 33's and when they wear out go to 35's. I say do it once, do it right b/c if i did it again i would have the jeep off the road for a few months and would have a sick bast*rd of a rig once i finally got it back on. My buddy just did it with the k5 he built and although i could have cured rickets in the time it took, it came out awesome. Just my .02. Why do a 3 inch, so u have to throw that hardware away or sell it for cheap, cmon atleast start somewhere you can easily continue with.

Right on. Don't go crazy the 1st time, but get somewhat there. It sucks to have to pay retail and then sell dirt cheap because you want to upgrade. A 4-1/2" lift and 33's are a good start pt because you can bump the 4-1/2 coils/springs 2 more inches by using spacers/blocks etc. and then with fender cutting could get a 35's on there later.
Troy

 

[Nay]

Why do a 3 inch, so u have to throw that hardware away or sell it for cheap, cmon atleast start somewhere you can easily continue with.

I'll tell you why. Just about everybody I know had the most FUN when they just had a simple 3" lift and 31" tires because nothing was constantly wearing out or breaking, it drove great in every situation, and your typical "moderate" trails are a blast.

It's kinda like golf. Golf is only really fun when you suck, and a good swing is pure luck. When you suck it lets you just drink beer on the course and budget in a whole 24 pack of balls as part of your greens fees because you are going to lose one a hole or more. :cheers:

But get good, learn enough, and every bad shot gets you wanting to break a club, or in our case, an axle or something worse. I hate playing golf with guys who have managed to break 100. I've never seen people pay so much money to have so little fun.

Big lifts can sap the wallet and the heart very quickly, and we recommend them in 2004 the way we used to recommend OME (2") in the late 90's. It's tough to go back down once you've done the low gears, bought the new driveshaft(s), upgraded the rear axle...and try to sell a well built XJ for even a third what it cost you to build.

People throw tens of thousands of dollars to conquer one obstacle set on one trail just because somebody else did it, and these boards are the worst kind of encouragement (armchair). Just look at all the people weilding sawzalls these days.

3" lifts are so cheap and you can always sell it to the next newbie. But you shouldn't miss the thrill of learning and head straight for your XJ buggy unless it is the building that thrills you more than the wheeling, 'cause you'll be doing a hell of a lot more of the former.

Nay

 

[watson]

don't want to hijack - just answering the question...

I'm running Dana 44s front and rear and they seem to be holding up to the 38s ok. They are both high pinion ford axles not exactly sure what vehicle they are out of. The front has Warn shafts and CTMs, the rear is a full-floater with Summers Brothers shafts. My hubs in the front are my weak-link which is nice because they are cheap and really easy to fix. Ohio wheeling kinda sucks. We do most of our wheeling out of state. I do a lot of mud and rocks though. Badlands (Indiana), Tellico (N. Carolina), Jellico (Tennessee), Natural Bridge (Kentucky). I'll be coming out to the Rubicon in September. Really looking forward to it. Went to Moab 2 years ago and LOVED it!

See pics from my last trailride here http://doaoffroad.smugmug.com/gallery/114743/1
Mine's the gray XJ with the winch on front and full-size spare tire on back.

 

[Lawn Cher']

It sucks to have to pay retail and then sell dirt cheap because you want to upgrade.

I have to disagree. It is entirely possible to go through the buildup progression without paying much, if any, retail prices. Of all the parts that have been on my XJ, the only items I purchased directly from a vendor were the 31" Dunlops from TireRack, some coil spacers from Rocky Road Outfitters, the AA SYE from High Angle Driveline, on sale, (which I only did recently as a pre-emptive measure in the 35" tire stage,) the Clayton's long arm kit using a gift certificate I won at NACFest awhile ago, and a pair of axle shims from RE. Everything else I got secondhand or on ebay or thru other jeepers. With a little planning and some time prowling the classifieds on JU, POR, , and local clubs you could build a dozen jeeps.

 

[xjrugger]

Watson i think your jeep looks f'n awesome. Although maybe a little questionable with d44's and 38's, but if it has worked for you than way to go. Nay, when i was on 2.5 and 31's it rode awesome on the street, but i would get hung up on obstacles and the 31's would slip off rocks. The one thing i do miss is when i was at 2.5 and 5.5 with 31's, i used to launch the f'n thing, which these days on 35's i know the same launches will result in a tow home quickly followed by anger, misery, curses an empty wallet and so on. I still think the guy who posted originally b4 i helped drag on this forum should go with a kit like a 5.5 that can easily have that extra inch or two added for 35's. And i still think 33's bought used to start. Scratch 31's

 

[Big Red]

I have to disagree. It is entirely possible to go through the buildup progression without paying much, if any, retail prices. Of all the parts that have been on my XJ, the only items I purchased directly from a vendor were the 31" Dunlops from TireRack, some coil spacers from Rocky Road Outfitters, the AA SYE from High Angle Driveline, on sale, (which I only did recently as a pre-emptive measure in the 35" tire stage,) the Clayton's long arm kit using a gift certificate I won at NACFest awhile ago, and a pair of axle shims from RE. Everything else I got secondhand or on ebay or thru other jeepers. With a little planning and some time prowling the classifieds on JU, POR, , and local clubs you could build a dozen jeeps.

Yeah, I have bought lots of used stuff too. You do need to wait and then be quick on the draw when you see what you need. It can be done. I bought my 91' xj fairly built with 7" lift and 35" mtrs, winch, etc and then added upgraded axles, lockers, etc. It cost me a lot less to buy 1 already pretty built than to build 1 from scratch.
Troy

 

[casm]

I'm not exactly a veteran of the XJ or modified 4WD communities, but have been involved with moderate off-road driving since about the age of 14 and have plans to expand my XJ's capabilities from where they are now (stock). Because of that and my relative newness to the forums I've been quietly following this thread. However, I would like to pose one question to gptherezonlyone:

What do you want to use your XJ for once it's built?

Answer that question before you start opening your wallet and it'll save you a lot of headache in the long run. If all you want is to sit higher than the guy in the Avalanche next to you at the traffic lights, just get the most show lift you can for the least money. It's not going off-road, so why pay for capabilities that'll never be used?

If you are actually going to use it for off-road work, that 10" is going to be useless without work on the articulation, gearing, and drivetrain capabilities. Even then, 10" may be overkill - you're raising your center of gravity high enough that you're seriously risking tip or tumble at that point depending on the terrain you're trying to traverse.

Again: I'm a newcomer to modified 4WD, but from my past experience in doing things with passenger cars I can't agree enough with everyone who has advised starting small and building your way up. One of the first things I did with my XJ after I got it was to hit the trails and gradually get used to its abilities; it's surprisingly capable even in stock form. This gave me a better feel for what I need to modify to suit my uses as well as provide a future platform for expansion on.

By no means am I claiming to have the be-all, end-all viewpoint on this, or even that my suggestions are necessarily the right ones for you. However, learning to walk before you can run is probably the course you could be taking with this project.

 

[small pederson]

if your uncle owns a huge wrecking yard, go 60's front and rear...fuck 44's

ps while youre at it get me some front 60's too

 

[xjrugger]

I think at this point we scared him away, but casm you mentioned a stock jeep with great capabilities and it does. Not to get off the subject but my buddy in NH has a rock crawling garden next to his house and my other buddy's full size Bronco stock with a 6" and 36's could not get up to the point he almost rolled it. Then my friend who's house it is got in his girlfriends xj and crawled right up. The ensuing laughter and pointing at the bronco and its driver was priceless.

 

[xjrugger]

oh and the xj was stock

 

[small pederson]

I think at this point we scared him away, but casm you mentioned a stock jeep with great capabilities and it does. Not to get off the subject but my buddy in NH has a rock crawling garden next to his house and my other buddy's full size Bronco stock with a 6" and 36's could not get up to the point he almost rolled it. Then my friend who's house it is got in his girlfriends xj and crawled right up. The ensuing laughter and pointing at the bronco and its driver was priceless.

:laugh2:

reminds me of the time i took a honda accord farther up a hill than my buddy could his ford ranger

 

[Big Red]

Fords suck. They are only good for their axles!!!

 

[casm]

reminds me of the time i took a honda accord farther up a hill than my buddy could his ford ranger

Peugeot 505, similar experience. That was a damned good car.