ratemysetup.com

Well I am in the early process of building up my 1999 XJ SE 2dr.

This Jeep is my daily driver and one that I am going to wheel as well. This will be my long distance 4x4 and one that I plan on doing some road trips with.

My budget it under $4,000 total and I want to build something that looks good but will work great on the trails as well.

My current drivetrain includes the following:

4L I6 with 230K on it
Auto
Dana 30/35 with 3:55 gears and ABS
2dr white.

Its all factory for now, but this is what I planned so far on paper, I did a lot of research on this and came up with the following:

Full Traction 3.5" Lift Kit
Rubicon Express 3.5" SuperRide rear leaf springs
Old Man Emu Shocks on all 4 corners
Safari Snorkel (I have yet to keep my feet dry when going 4x4ing)
5X 15" steel wheels with 31" BFG Mud Terrains (or a mud terrain tire of a different manufacture)


The Jeep came with the factory skid plate package and tow hooks, I plan on a future upgrade with bumpers and tow points at a later date.

So far this is what I plan on running, any other suggestions or opinions?

I would appreciate any feedback you guys can give me!

P.S.

How capable is this set up? what kind of trails can be done with a XJ on 31's? if you can rate it from 1 -10 (10 being the best) what do you guys think this set up is worth?

So $4K is what you have to work with, not including the cost of the jeep?

1. Ditch the D35 ASAP!! (Go with 8.25" rear) Depending on who you know or how thrifty you are the price on this can vary greatly, but it really shouldn't be that expensive tbh, like 300 MAX for a stocker.
2. Lockers. I'd probably go with an Aussie in the back at least. They are cheap and I've heard nothing but praise from their owners. Warning, they do make noise but that is about the only drawback. I would personally go with a selectable locker in the front i.e. ARB or OX.
3. Go to tirerack.com they have some pretty wicked deals on tires. No tire shop around me could even come close the the deal I got on there.
4. Probably gonna need a new track bar. Iron Rock is running a special on free shipping of orders over $100. Double sheer track bar for $189. Good deal and it's beefy as @#$&!! http://www.ironrockoffroad.com/Merc...=IROR&Product_Code=IR-STBCK&Category_Code=PFX
5. Going to need to extend your brake lines. http://naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?p=245181043#post245181043
6. Depending on what trails you like, i.e. mud or rocks or both, probably wanna armor up. Rock sliders, skid plates, bumper(s) etc...

With 4k you can build quite a capable rig.

Hmm, I've never seen a 2 door in that late of a model. But then again I'm not a fan of 2drs.

I agree with what he said ^.

But your plan sounds pretty good too.

Consider adding a steering box brace. Especially if you like to play in the wet.
If you end up in inclement conditions a lot, plan on some auxiliary lighting. Good set of fogs on the bumper at least.

Really think about this:
http://www.montanafab.com/aw4_trany_overide.php
(best mod I've made so far!)

Edit: also, think about some more skid protection, something like the Currie cross member, or one of the belly plates sold.

If this is your daily driver and you need it to get to a job or school or whatever,... 230k is not a new engine. While I hope you make it to 400K the likelihood is that you won't. Not knowing what your finances or mechanical capabilities are, you don't want to find yourself with all kinds of cash invested in your XJ and then can't use it because the engine bit the dust. I've seen it happen. I know a young man who destroyed his ricer with a lowering kit and then couldn't afford to fix it. Then he couldn't get to work. Everything just snowballed from there.

That's why I have (at least) 2 Jeeps as do a lot of others. You do something unexpected (sometimes known as stupid) and you have another vehicle to go get parts. Just food for thought.

yardape said:

If this is your daily driver and you need it to get to a job or school or whatever,... 230k is not a new engine. While I hope you make it to 400K the likelihood is that you won't. Not knowing what your finances or mechanical capabilities are, you don't want to find yourself with all kinds of cash invested in your XJ and then can't use it because the engine bit the dust. I've seen it happen. I know a young man who destroyed his ricer with a lowering kit and then couldn't afford to fix it. Then he couldn't get to work. Everything just snowballed from there.

That's why I have (at least) 2 Jeeps as do a lot of others. You do something unexpected (sometimes known as stupid) and you have another vehicle to go get parts. Just food for thought.

Click to expand...

All I'm saying is if you're going to invest a whole lot of money in moding an older XJ which yours is, do yourself a favor. Make sure that as part of that investment you have enough cash behind your project to keep the powertrain operational as well as taking care of the unexpected.

Look at goodyear duratracs if this is going to be a dd

lowrange2 said:

Hmm, I've never seen a 2 door in that late of a model. But then again I'm not a fan of 2drs.

I agree with what he said ^.

But your plan sounds pretty good too.

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Do you hate them because there too sexy?

There's not as many late model 2drs as early model 2drs, but there out there

Also get an SYE and a new driveshaft. Also even though your jeep came with tow points I would at least get a new front bumper, this will provide your front end with some armor. I also agree with getting some new gears and lockers.

go1lum said:

Also get an SYE and a new driveshaft. Also even though your jeep came with tow points I would at least get a new front bumper, this will provide your front end with some armor. I also agree with getting some new gears and lockers.

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Good Points but you won't know if you need the SYE and shaft until you lift it. But you need to budget for it in the event that you do.

Yes but being late model and a 3.5" lift it's almost guaranteed that he will need an SYE. I know every rig is different so he may be able to do without one. I ran my 98 with a RE4.5" lift with no SYE or Tcase drop with minimal vibes.

RE 3.5, 8.25, some tow points, and tires

clean4drxj said:

RE 3.5, 8.25, some tow points, and tires

Click to expand...

Are you just trying to up your post count? This is one of multiple threads I've read that you don't even give any input on what the OP says...

soaker said:

Well I am in the early process of building up my 1999 XJ SE 2dr.

This Jeep is my daily driver and one that I am going to wheel as well. This will be my long distance 4x4 and one that I plan on doing some road trips with.

My budget it under $4,000 total and I want to build something that looks good but will work great on the trails as well.

My current drivetrain includes the following:

4L I6 with 230K on it
Auto
Dana 30/35 with 3:55 gears and ABS
2dr white.

Its all factory for now, but this is what I planned so far on paper, I did a lot of research on this and came up with the following:

Full Traction 3.5" Lift Kit
Rubicon Express 3.5" SuperRide rear leaf springs
Old Man Emu Shocks on all 4 corners
Safari Snorkel (I have yet to keep my feet dry when going 4x4ing)
5X 15" steel wheels with 31" BFG Mud Terrains (or a mud terrain tire of a different manufacture)


The Jeep came with the factory skid plate package and tow hooks, I plan on a future upgrade with bumpers and tow points at a later date.

So far this is what I plan on running, any other suggestions or opinions?

I would appreciate any feedback you guys can give me!

Click to expand...

Why RE leafs if you are buying a kit? Why not just buy the RE kit?

With the Safari Snorkle don't forget this isn't the only mod you need if you are infact planning on doing water crossings. I learned the hard way that your ECU and other electronics need to be water proofed aswell.

Did you mean 15x8 wheels? 5" wide wheels are 2" skinnier than stock. Why 31" BFG Mudders? I know the terrain in Canada a little, I would go with 33's atleast but this will require regearing.

When I was in Alaska the Tundra got me stuck on a 4.5" lift and 33's more times than I would like to admit. That stuff is sticky. What kind of wheeling are you planning on? Good trails or dirt roads?

yardape said:

All I'm saying is if you're going to invest a whole lot of money in moding an older XJ which yours

Click to expand...

A 1999 is not that old as far as XJ's go! :spin1:

You already have stock skids, so that is a bonus. No extra money there.

I am running a 2001 XJ with a 3.5" RE lift and 31's and I primarily run forest trails around here. A lot of rocks in the southeast also.

I feel my rig is perfectly capable of running with the guys on 33's. I am smart about my wheeling, though and know what I can and can't do and am not ashamed to take a bypass!

Here is what I did to mine (already had the 31's in my garage) staring from bone stock:

-Warrior Product front bumper (Quadratec)---Around $400
-Custom 4x4 Fab rear bumper from C4x4 ---Around $400
-AJ's Rock sliders from AJ's---Around $300
-Full OEM skid plates from junkyard/ swap meet---Around $60
-Rubicon Express 3.5" lift with full leafs (Quadratec) ***I didn't need an SYE, by the way.---Around $1000-1100 maybe, don't recall
-OEM HP D30 with 4.10s from the junk yard---Around $75
-Explorer 8.8 with 4.10s with drive shaft bracket from junk yard---Around $75
-8.8 welding and set up by member---Around $100
-Truck Vault interior storage unit for tools and gear from Craigslist---Around $150
-4 JK Rubicon shocks (fit 3-4" XJ lift) at 4WD Parts store. Bought from one of their customers that lifted their JK and didn't want the OEM shocks---about $20

I bet my total for those above items is around $2700..these are estimated prices.

Point being, if you are patient, can get items from the pull-a-part cheap, do some swapping with the guys, cruise Craigslist, and plan smart, you can build a capable rig for reasonable money. Plan smart and that $4000 will take you ALOT farther than my $2700 took me...and it sounds like your initial plan is to build about the same Jeep I have.

POSJ said:

Why 31" BFG Mudders? I know the terrain in Canada a little, I would go with 33's atleast but this will require regearing.

When I was in Alaska the Tundra got me stuck on a 4.5" lift and 33's more times than I would like to admit. That stuff is sticky. What kind of wheeling are you planning on? Good trails or dirt roads?

Click to expand...

Going with 33"s DOES NO REQUIRE a regear!! While regearing to 4.56s would be the best idea for this it is by no means required!! I was told too that it was required and only to find out there are a TON of people on here running 33s with their stock gears. Granted I would not run 33s if your stock gears are below 3.55s. I'm running 33" KM2s with stock 3.55s and it does just fine. Will upgrade eventually but not at the moment.

Don't be afraid to buy off ebay either. I bought my entire kit off ebay cause nobody could touch the price. Here is exactly what I bought and it's from the same guy. This guy is super nice and super helpful! Same price as the kit on the RE site BUT free shipping!!! That saves you a good $100 easy!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/RE60...Accessories&hash=item3c9601d4cb#ht_1268wt_939

Cruise his ebay store he has basically everything from RE and I THINK he does free shipping on everything which is crazy!!

Re-gearing is nice, but expensive! My old jeep was far more capable with 33's and 3.55's than it was with 31's and 3.55's

Oil Town XJ said:

Do you hate them because there too sexy?

There's not as many late model 2drs as early model 2drs, but there out there

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lol, I don't hate them I just think they look unproportional.

I've never seen a 2dr around here.

lowrange2 said:

lol, I don't hate them I just think they look unproportional.

I've never seen a 2dr around here.

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Ya it took my a long time to track down my 2000