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My new XJ, and i need opinions/advice bad

D

Dinoxj98

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Garden City, MI
I just bought my first 1998 Cherokee classic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can see why so many people are loyal to this vehicle, never really cared for jeep but the second I test drove it I knew I would own it
.....okay here we go
It has the 4.0 H.O straight 6
AW4 trans
NP231 transfer case
Chrysler 8.25 rear
Dana 30 in the front
2.5" BDS lift
31x10.5 A/T Goodyear

I'm a fairly good wrench anything I don't know how to do, I can generally figure out. My questions are a matter of opinion but you guys will have the best opinions for me.....and those questions are
(i will use my jeep as a "fun" rig, deep snow, mud, sand, two tracks, and very light crawling. I do not care about MPG, or money or time)

What would be the best axles/gearing?

I want to do an engine swap for more power, what would be the best/ easiest v8 to put in it or just stroke it? Also what trans is best?

I'm gonna go with a 4.5 super ride lift, what else should I do to improve steering?

Is a rear disk conversion make that big of a difference?

What are products/projects I should stay away from?

Some things I will be doing are
-snorkel
-roll cage
-custom front and rear bumper/roof rack and winch
-bushwacker cut out fender flares

Lastly any extra info or advice about this beast would be great!

Thanks a lot guys
 
Well axles really are going to depend on what size tires you plan on running, well and what kind of wheeling your gonna do. Today I was installing a lift on the 3rd XJ in our fleet lol.

One is my wife's 97, 3" lift with 31's, only used for street driving and getting the twins around. Those will keep the stock rears and gears

One is my 89 that sit's at 6.5" on 35" boggers, this XJ is my mud & water jeep it only gets drove when heading out wheeling. I have a 8.8 ready to install on the rear of that, I like that option because of the rear disks that come already mounted on those rears. However a 8.8 requires some fab work, buy the bracket kit, weld it on, then install it. Seeing how this truck only see's mud and water, and I live on the flat land of NJ, I'm going to beef up my Dana 30 and run that. Truss, Axles, tube supports, full locker, and heavy diff cover. O yeah I'm running 4.88 gears on that Jeep

Now my DD that I'm in the process of lift now is a 2001 and the lift is a 5.5" IRO long arm kit. This XJ is going to be for exploring and camping and family wheeling, not to mention driving to and from work. For now I'm running 33" tires but will probably go to 35's down the road. I bought a Dana 44 of a older cherokee for this rig and just going to run a HP Dana 30 up front for now. This XJ will be running 4.56's once I get around to doing it.

My personal opinion on the bigger motor is I would just run a stroker motor. That's a decent upgrade, Some electrical work I think... but no where near the mods you would have to do for a V8. Plus you could just run your stock tranny.

I've never drove a XJ with a rear disk conversion... however it has to be better then the stock brakes. My 89 has horrible brakes, need to put a bigger master on it. But disk brakes are better then drums in my opinion.... plus the disks are much better when running mud and water. So my 89 is getting disks because that rear comes with disk breaks.... and the Dana 44 isn't even going in my 2001 until I get the disk conversion done on it.

I have a snorkel on my 89 and I love that thing.... I have been stuck in water to the point I was sitting in the driver seat and had water up to my waist, thing just sat there at an idle until I got pulled out. My 01 will get a roll cage too since the twins will be riding in that and I plan on doing a little rock crawling up in PA with that
 
I would stay away from the bushwackers if i was you, I bought a par for mine and was very unhappy with them. Everyone of them is cracked from either hitting it, or sticks that get stuck between the fender and the tire. for the price you pay for them you could probably make you some real tube fenders. If i was going to do it again i would go with jeeptubes fender kit. Everything is prebent. A little welding would be required though.
 
Dinoxj98 said:
I just bought my first 1998 Cherokee classic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can see why so many people are loyal to this vehicle, never really cared for jeep but the second I test drove it I knew I would own it
.....okay here we go
It has the 4.0 H.O straight 6
AW4 trans
NP231 transfer case
Chrysler 8.25 rear
Dana 30 in the front
2.5" BDS lift
31x10.5 A/T Goodyear

I'm a fairly good wrench anything I don't know how to do, I can generally figure out. My questions are a matter of opinion but you guys will have the best opinions for me.....and those questions are
(i will use my jeep as a "fun" rig, deep snow, mud, sand, two tracks, and very light crawling. I do not care about MPG, or money or time)

What would be the best axles/gearing?

I want to do an engine swap for more power, what would be the best/ easiest v8 to put in it or just stroke it? Also what trans is best?

I'm gonna go with a 4.5 super ride lift, what else should I do to improve steering?

Is a rear disk conversion make that big of a difference?

What are products/projects I should stay away from?

Some things I will be doing are
-snorkel
-roll cage
-custom front and rear bumper/roof rack and winch
-bushwacker cut out fender flares

Lastly any extra info or advice about this beast would be great!

Thanks a lot guys
Click to expand...


How old are you? Just curious.
 
Since money and time are not considerations...

8.1 gm bigblock
Auto trans
Atlas tcase
d60 front ARB 5.13's
14b rear Detroit 5.13's
4links front and rear
full hydro steering
42 inch iroks
beadlocks
Fully plated frame
cage

theres more, but come back when you get the above done
 
98stocker said:
Since money and time are not considerations...

8.1 gm bigblock
Auto trans
Atlas tcase
d60 front ARB 5.13's
14b rear Detroit 5.13's
4links front and rear
full hydro steering
42 inch iroks
beadlocks
Fully plated frame
cage

theres more, but come back when you get the above done
Click to expand...

I don't know, he said the best...i think Rockwell axles are probably a better place to start.
 
1. Get a long arm lift. It will ride so much better.
2. 33 inch tires
3. 4.56 gears with upgraded shafts and e-lockers
4. 1 ton steering, JCR, Serious offroad, and many others have it.
5. Go have some fun and be prepared to change everything twice before you finally figure out what you want.
 
Dinoxj98 said:
Im just turned 22
Click to expand...

3" budget boost, 31's and an adjustable trac-bar.

Until you read and read and read and figure out what YOU want to do then I'd leave it at that.

I see threads ALL the time of people asking what others would do. Like this one that's right under yours. http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1073989
If I had limitless money I sure wouldn't start with a Cherokee. I'd start with raw steel and follow the build sheet I sat down and wrote.
 
Last edited:
It sounds like you jumped on the web and got trigger happy. Do a few runs with it the way it is. Then see what you want and need. Even a stock jeep can surprise you. If it were me I'd go 4.5 lift 33s lunch box with 4.56 gears. To start. Then go for other things.
 
...Just an opinion, but;
start with the basics;
Add tow points front and rear (assuming that it doesn't have them already).
Learn to wheel (check out the local clubs and go on a few runs).
Take all advice with a grain of salt.
Everyone is different, drives different, likes different terrain and has different goals. Look around, talk to people, do some wheeling and figure out what kind of wheeling you like then make some goals and start a modification program.

Enjoy!
 
Dinoxj98 said:
I just bought my first 1998 Cherokee classic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can see why so many people are loyal to this vehicle, never really cared for jeep but the second I test drove it I knew I would own it
Click to expand...


Now for a serious answer. You say you love it so much right now. Remember that any modification is going to change the way it looks and drives, and you might not love it so much after you get done dumping money into it. I have a cherokee on 35's longarms, 4.56's locker, etc and I really like them better on 31's with 3.55's and a 2-3 inch budget boost.
 
Dinoxj98 said:
What would be the best axles/gearing?
That all depends on future plans... but a good place to start would be an 8.8 for the rear and some 4340 shafts for the front. Lockers, or trutrac's front and rear are a huge advantage off road and would be one of my first upgrades. As for gearing I would not go over 4.56 if you plan to run the 30 front. That gear should be good for up to a 37. If you need more, look into a doubler or 4:1 t-case.
I want to do an engine swap for more power, what would be the best/ easiest v8 to put in it or just stroke it? Also what trans is best?

I've done tons of engine swaps in my life and honestly I can say I'll never do one in one of my own crawlers. No matter how perfect, there always ends up being some kind of issue. Whether it's aftermarket fuel pumps. Relay issues, computer issues. ext. There is something to be said about leaving the factory engine configuration in place. The reliability factor alone is reason enough for the stroker over the v8. It's also a lot cheaper, and nets plenty of power.
I'm gonna go with a 4.5 super ride lift, what else should I do to improve steering?

With a 4.5" lift there isn't a lot to address. The VERY BEST steering set up would be to go to a high steer knuckle and cross over system. Build a custom panhard that is equil length and mounted at the same angle. Then add hydro assist. But your talking about a $2k steering upgrade there.

Is a rear disk conversion make that big of a difference?

Nope not any better stopping and worse e-brake. But they sure are easyer to work on. Plus they look coooool. In other words don't go out of your way for them.

What are products/projects I should stay away from?

Snorkle is a waist... so are roof racks.

Some things I will be doing are
-snorkel waist of time/money

-roll cage Should be at the top of your list

-custom front and rear bumper/roof rack and winch Check out my Stubby bumpers when you get ready for a winch/tow points

-bushwacker cut out fender flares Enless you just like the looks, forgo these. because offroad they are only going to get ripped off

Lastly any extra info or advice about this beast would be great!
Have fun with your rig and don't be stupid when offroading. Also pack in-pack out, treat the trails with respect and don't trespass.

Thanks a lot guys
Click to expand...
 
have to disagree on the disks. i did an 8.8 swap and gutted the proportioning valve, and mine stops much better now. the fronts still lock up first, but it is a huge improvement.
 
to the OP there are multiple build threads on here, and dozens of stickies about axles gears power plants when to go long arms and when to 3/4 link. Do what I did, spend 6-8 months reading what others have done, if not that long, at least a few weeks. And most importantly what parts to use and not. I'm sure you're excited and want to build it, but relax, its a process to be done right. Good luck and happy reading.
 
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