Lifting a 2wd XJ? Ebay lifts?

Hello everybody, i have a 2wd 97 jeep cherokee with the 4.0L and the Ax15 with the ChryCo 8.25 rear end(its my DD, bone stock) and i was looking to do a 2-3 inch lift and 30s or 31 mainly to Pose and do some mall crawling, lol. In all seriousness though, im looking for a cheap lift kit, id rather not do the budget boost since i do not want the jeep down for longer than i need to be hunting down parts and uncovering unforseen problems. Ive been researching and im frankly confused, ive read that you might need a sye, extended brake lines, etc, but some sources say i dont? whats the truth? Can i use the stock shocks? Brake Lines? This jeep sees 99% asphalt and its offroad excursions involve the beach occasionally, the boat ramp, and driving down my driveway lol.

Are the ebay lift kits any good:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Jeep...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1984...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Jeep...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Jeep...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

Id like to go the cheap route obviously, and if number one or 4 would work, that would be great. The jeep never sees any kind of extreme flex, so essentially i just want to lift it to fit bigger tires.

Sorry for being a noob, thanks for the help!!!!

BTW this is what i have to work with(this is a very old picture but it gives you an idea what im working with)

the 2nd link you posted is a rough country lift, thats a good budget 3" lift, in fact i ran it for a while. my only problem with it was the shocks not working well for the fast stuff. at 3" of lift,

you can pretty much use stock brakelines, up front you can remove the screw holding the brakeline to the body, slightly bend the brakeline, and re-mount it lower.


as far as drivelines, typically 2wd's dont need sye's as soon, the longer driveshafts of a 2wd help with angles..

dont be sorry about being a noob, everyone starts there! welcome to the site!

i gotta warn you though, a 2wd in sand, wont end well... =) get that rear end locked ASAP! 2WD's can be fun, but a beach is asking for trouble

look for a 8.25 with 4.10s. and youll be money on 31s.

my recomendation for 2-3" and 31s:

lower control arms
sway bar drop or longer links
new springs
adjustable trac bar (cheap one would probably suffice) or redrill

new leaf pack or bastard pack
maybe a shackle
brake lines

shocks all around.

some will say that some of these things arent needed. i feel that all are. thats me, your experiences may say otherwise. but here is another good read:
http://www.rocklizardfabrications.com/home_brew_budget_boost.htm

If ya wanna keep it cheep, just get a lift that has spacers and shackles.
I have a DayStar 2" (measures 1 3/4") and Iam on 31's with 3.55 gears.
Works fine. No noticeable power loss. With 31's there was a little loss of brakes due to the new rolling mass of the larger tires. But you get use to it. (aint a whole lot)
With only 2" and 31's you will rub your flairs. I managed to knock both my front flairs off so I just left them off and trimmed.

With the shackles... your rear springs will wear out faster than a bastard pack or spring replacement. I replaced my springs about 2 years after doing the BB with some junkyard springs. They started to sag after about 3 years so I tore the 1st pack apart and added the main leaf to the existing pack. Flattened my springs back out. When this gets to sagging Iam getting new springs.

Heres how my XJ looks sits....







BTW....
Dont forget to extend your bump stops.
I did the rear but not the front. (could be why I knocked my front flairs off )

I did 2" square stock between the bump stop and the "frame" for the rear and I hear a hockey puck glued to the spring perch inside the front spring works great.

ive pieced together many "budget boost" or "dirt cheap 3" lifts for friends.
usually go with used 3-3.5" coils
bastard packs (cheap to build)
add cheap used shackles if need be
and used shocks can be had for under 20 a pair
if you search craigslist and naxja
you figure shocks are free or 20-40$ a pair used depending on shocks
used coils in the 3.5" flavor sell for under 60$
RE might be a little more used
ends up handling better than stock
if the stock stuff is shot....

then i recommend these cheap upgrades down the road:

hockey puck coil spring bump stops
put a spacer between frame and rear bumpstops

dakota rear brakeline 15$
mid nineties 2wd 3/4 ton gmc 2wd front lines 15$ each
maybe used after market control arms or carry spare stockers (free alot of the time)
maybe eventually a better trackbr (50-80$ used on here all the time)
upgrade with cheap used zj tie rod(20$ at the junyard or for sale thread like the seirra chapters)
get a decent tranny cooler (20$ at the junkyard, i got a brand new one from a minivan, kept fittings)
homebrew sway bar discos or buy cheap used from guys like me (build em yourself or used-20-25$)
little further down the road:
find a locked axle with your stock gearing on craigslist or naxja or jeep forums for around 200$

stay at 3-3.5" of lift
you wont neeed a sye most likely
maybe a small tcase drop
wont need as many ther upgrades if you stay at 3-3.5"
you can just cut out the fenders alot to clear 35s
i used to run 33's on 3"
some guys do 37s on 4"

xcm said:

the 2nd link you posted is a rough country lift, thats a good budget 3" lift, in fact i ran it for a while. my only problem with it was the shocks not working well for the fast stuff. at 3" of lift,

you can pretty much use stock brakelines, up front you can remove the screw holding the brakeline to the body, slightly bend the brakeline, and re-mount it lower.


as far as drivelines, typically 2wd's dont need sye's as soon, the longer driveshafts of a 2wd help with angles..

dont be sorry about being a noob, everyone starts there! welcome to the site!

i gotta warn you though, a 2wd in sand, wont end well... =) get that rear end locked ASAP! 2WD's can be fun, but a beach is asking for trouble

Click to expand...

Sure it will.. You just launch the mo fo, and replace broken parts fro mthe aftermath. LOL. I used to go out to the dunes in my basicalyl stock 2wd yota and tear it up. A fellow naxja member here runs a 2wd 99 XJ and does pretty well. A locker will definitely help.

As far as BB's go there are places that offer "kits" basically you get all the pieces you would find seperately in a bundle. If you can find some JK rubi shock take-off's probably the cheapest way to get a taller shock.
For front, you can go either lift coil, or coil spacer. Cheapest way for this unless you come across a deal is ZJ V8 Upcountry coils, net approx 1.5-2" lift. For the rear, I would suggest actually throwing down some cash and picking up some OME Med-duty 2" lift leaf packs. And maybe a lift or MJ shackle.

Your gas mileage will go way way down.

But if you really want to do it, it's easy to do it cheap.

1) Leave the shocks alone, you don't need new shocks.

2) Spacers IS what you want up front. They're cheap.

3) In the rear, there is no easy option because of the leaf springs. For all the claims about simplicity and bygone days and all that crap, leafs are complex, outdated, and make a vehicle tougher to lift. Shackles are cheap but they change the geometry. Add-a-leafs take a lot of effort and someone to disassemble and reassemble a leaf pack for you unless you do it yourself. New leafs are expensive, but considering labor costs probably come out to the same price. Look into OME light duty leafs.

4) Tcase drops suck. You're bending the whole engine and transmission down, while other parts like the exhaust stay where they are which means stress.
That's why you shouldn't even think about going higher than 2".

5) Consider leaving it stock and getting 30" tires. The extra sidewall will make them look beefy and stuffed-in. Combined with stock height you get a sweet low slung but big tire look, like a Humvee or something! Plus you maintain the stock ride since the control arms stay horizontal

Ok i think im getting it all figured out:

-2 inch spacers in front
-XJ UpCountry spring packs(my rear springs are shot anyway)(ive read that these should give me about 2 inches of lift, am i correct?)
-rear spring bushings, etc, etc
-30 inch tires

No SYE needed?(Do they even make them for 2wds?)

Anyone have a picture with a 2" lift and 30s?

Whats all needed to install the leaf spring packs and spacers(bolts, bushings etc?)

Remember this is my DD just trying to make it a little more aggressive looking!

Thanks!

The upcountry springs should only be 1" or less lift.

For the aggressive look, trust me, stuffing 30" tires at stock height looks awesome. Someone please post pics to prove me right!!

winkosmosis said:

The upcountry springs should only be 1" or less lift.

For the aggressive look, trust me, stuffing 30" tires at stock height looks awesome.

Click to expand...

sorry, my bad wrong springs! Prob will go OME 2inch lift springs in the back.

I would do the 30s stuffed in there but i have a enclosed trailer and my racebike that i tow with this jeep, if i stuff 30s in there they will prob rub!
.

What about stock front, upcountry springs in the back? Also, there are airbags you can put in the rear for cargo and towing

The ride gets a LOT worse in the front once you add any lift. You go from gliding over bumps to feeling the unibody creak over bumps

Wait what does your trailer with the bike weigh? Towing will be tougher with the bigger tires

its a little five by eight enclosed hallmark, with the GSXR1000 inside,prob 1500lbs or so. the jeep does squat with it hooked up but the rear springs are shot, that is one of the reasons im doing the small lift since i need to change out the rear springs anyway

Hey burkemx, drive on up to Lubbock sometime this summer and we can have a wrenching party. I'll help you with this kit

Silver60th said:

Hey burkemx, drive on up to Lubbock sometime this summer and we can have a wrenching party. I'll help you with this kit

Click to expand...

thanks, ill have to hold you to that, just gotta decide what im gonna do first!

careful with OME 2" springs, mine were 2" HD springs (CS035 or 034, forget which) and netted me 3.5" above stock, which was 4.5 or 5 above where I was pre-install. I was sadly forced to lift the front to match :dunno: it was a terrible terrible moment for my wallet as this got me started on modding my XJ but other than that, no regrets

That's why I said light duty. Mine are exactly 2"

If you decide to come up here and let me help you with the lift, you better start spraying all of the bolts down with PB Blaster now. I don't want to break stuff

And my advice:

Bastard pack for the rear using a new(ish/er) XJ pack and some S10/Dakota leaves
New U-bolts
Rough Country or OME 2.5-3 inch coils
JK shocks

Why advise 2.5" to 3" lift? We know that increases the odds of needing an SYE, and will make the ride much worse than 2".

2 inches is a negated when you give a fat guy a ride, thats nothing =\
3" is the least i would lift any cherokee. anything less is for mall crawlers who cant shit, 0R get off the pot.

if you're that worried about ride quality, go buy a kia. this is a jeep. 3" all the way.