First XJ build

Hey guys,
sorry in advance for the long post.
I picked up my first XJ a few weeks ago, after having a brush with a van that ended my spree with a Saturn. Family has had about 7 or 8, although all mud jeeps which got a cheap lift, sawzall action and run til they died, after which tires and battery were stripped and hauled off to be crushed.

I have a 98 XJ Sport with a 4.0L, 8.25 Chrysler rear end, not sure on the rest of the drive train. This is my daily driver and bone stock at rhe moment, but Id like to put a 3"-4.5" lift on there, with 31.5 BFG KM/2 or aimilar tires. This is gonna see everyday action on the pavent to and from work, and weekends hauling camping gear, misc tools and such. first step, getting all the functions working is almost done, only need to fix cruise control and rear wiper. The next step is to add off road capability. I have put in a number of 3" RC lifts, with AAL and an extra block to make up for the sag. These have never seen more than 20mph, so im not sure on highway speeds. I drive aroind 75MPH with 90+(passing only lol) occasionally hit. At first i was set on an RC 3" with rear leafs, but ive been reading up that it is really stiff, which wont work too good for me. I have stock bumpers, roof rack to be added so weight will be close to stock. i would like to set a budget of $750 MAX for the lift. This will see off road use on weekends, but DD is its main goal. Ive heard good things of RE, but an SYE doesnt fit in my budget, only a transfer case drop if needed.

Now to the questions i have. First off, is it a bad idea to piece together a lift, and is it doable for my budget? I might add a coil spacer and shackles to add an extra inch or so later on. Second, is there a way to get lighter springs with a lift kit? Ive read that some are nearly twice as stiff as the OEM springs. Lastly, would the shocks that come with most lift kits be ok for road duty? Ive considered buying seperat 3" lift leaf springs, coils, shocks and control arms(possibly adjustable). Could this yeild a better lift?

Thanks for reading through and i apreciate anyones advice. Ive helped build a few XJs for mud duty, but I'd like to build my the right way (and keep all my parts from falling off)

Ok so ive been giving it thought, and although i know AAL arent great for lifts, ive had to cut my budget to around 450 so im considering the 3" Rough Country level 2 lift kit, and also getting an extended shackle kit, which i hope will give me a better ride with the stock leaf springs, until i can afford to replace with new rear springs. The rear is sagging a bit more than the front (1/2"-1") though, so i thought adding a full length AAL(thinking IRO AAL for now)could help remedy this issue, if i can possibly talk with RC and get the kit without their AAL. What do you guys think of this set up? This jeep is mainly gonna see commute and highway miles, along with a couple camping trips and mild trails(no rock gardens), so i dont need ridiculous flex. Also, found an adjustable track bar on craigslist for around $70, might get that unless i can relocate the stock one.

Have a look at the Rustys 3" full spring/leaf lift, higher quality springs and leafs American made, had mine on for over 2 yrs and zero sag not like the RC leafs at all. They are well within the budget that you have set for the lift.

Well I talked to Jeff at RC, and I can get a level 2 for a steal IMO straight from them with full leaf springs. 450 is pretty much my limit, and I've heard mixed reviews on rustys. A little nervous about the RC shocks, never ran them on road

Sounds like your mind is made up. Honestly I would piece something together. 3 inches is easy to do for $450. The RC shocks are stiff and the ride is not great, I would go with Rusty's over RC. Get a set of Rusty's 3 or 3.5" coils and their aal. Then get a set of yj front shocks and ranger rear shocks from your local auto parts store( I like Napa or carquest). You can run 3" on factory control arms but if you go with wider tires on factory wheels you will rub lca's before you get to full lock so either order a set of fixed lowers from Rusty's for an extra $150 which should round out your $450 or mod a set wj lca's.

I would put a 1.5 inch coil spacer in the front and a 1 inch lift shackle in the back. Adjust the rear pinion angle with the appropriate shim. Put 30 *9.5 inch tires on it and use the remaining budget on Bilstein or equivalent shocks. I can promise you that 450 bucks and a 3 inch lift kit is going to leave you with a poor riding vehicle that well inevitably leave you spending more money to fix things that lifting a late model causes.

x-jay vision said:

I would put a 1.5 inch coil spacer in the front and a 1 inch lift shackle in the back. Adjust the rear pinion angle with the appropriate shim. Put 30 *9.5 inch tires on it and use the remaining budget on Bilstein or equivalent shocks. I can promise you that 450 bucks and a 3 inch lift kit is going to leave you with a poor riding vehicle that well inevitably leave you spending more money to fix things that lifting a late model causes.

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While my budget 3 inch lift rides decent the 1.5 inch lift option but with new crown leafs, that will yield 1/1.5" of lift, for the rear to get rid of the saggy leafs will likely ride better.

Re: Re: First XJ build

darksidemj said:

While my budget 3 inch lift rides decent the 1.5 inch lift option but with new crown leafs, that will yield 1/1.5" of lift, for the rear to get rid of the saggy leafs will likely ride better.

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This is probably an even better solution. Will cut in to the shock budget a little but you should still be okay.

I dont think AAL is an option anymore since I looked at my leafs and they are SAGGING bad.

You hear that BS about Rustys but when it comes time to see the photos of the problems they disappear and you don't hear from them again. I'm sure someone has had a problem sometime as will happen even with the very best vendors at times. To many just repeat something they hear and really know nothing about the product period.

Rustys springs and leafs are very good American made and hold well, have for me now for over 2 yrs and heavily loaded zero sag.

Alright so my plan, due to ease of ordering, so far is a 3" Level 2 kit from RC for $450(a good deal if im not mistaken) that comes with full leaf springs. That and an adjustable track bar off Craigslist will set me back around $500. That is phase one. Phase 2 will add 1.5" front spacer, 2" adjustable rear shackle, SYE or TC drop, QD links, and larger tires. Wouldthis Would this, in your guys opinions be a decent start to my XJ? Its gonna be my DD and see only a few rougher trails a year, for the rest just mild mud, lots of snow and a ton of highway.

Now, ive thought of bilstein shocks, but I cant afford to splurge right now on those, and I learned to drive in stiff old farm trucks, so a caddy like ride isnt my main concern. Now have a clunkking going on in the front end which I fear to be a u joint or similar, along with the coolant leak, both to be fixed tomorrow(if I can figure it out). Now, my question is, am I wasting my money getting the RC LCAs? Woild it be better to get a quote for the pack without them, and get some better riding shocks instead(assuming I sell the RC shocks) or something similar? Ive not had bad experiences with RC in the past which is why Im more open to them then others, this would be the 6th kit I install or help insrall, but first DD install

Well heres an update on my jeep. I received a 3" AAL level 2 kit that my uncle more or less conned me into buying. Today driving to ace hardware i lost a rear shock(upper bolts snapped off) and i realized there was no difference without the rear shocks. I figured id get the hardware for the rear shocks, and popped im the RC 2.0 shocks. Then i realized i was tired of sagging rear end and built bastard packs with the 2wd Blazer packs i had bought. Took main leaf and thr 2 secondary leafs, left out the overload. Tomorrow ill add the front coils and LCAs. Now i need to swap the track bar with the adjustable(rustys i believe). Wish me luck