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Wife gave me a 10K budget for the XJ

Lake919

Lake919

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Mobile, AL
So I recently bought my XJ back from my neighbor after he blew the motor up, I missed it to be honest and I am glad to have it back. I really want a solid dependable off road rig that my wife and I can take offroad camping and having fun in. I havd big plans for this when I first bought it 2 years ago and then life happened and I moved on to other projects(2013 GT500). So on Friday I took out a 10k personal loan and it is being dedicated to the XJ.

My plans are an Iron Rock Off Road LA lift and I am going to run 33's.
I am going to swap the 8.25 in the back to a Ford 8.8 and truss it and regear to 4.56. I am going to truss and sleeve the front 30 and regear it as well. I am still up in the air on tires.

I am going to run a Smittybilt front bumper and Quadratec winch and I am going to attempt to use my stock tire carrier that I found at the JY and put my 33 on that. I am going to run some JCR armor and plan on dynamatting the inside and putting in new carpet.

If anyone has any useful recommendations, I am all ears.
 
If you have a genuine personal loan of $10k, for a jeep. Start looking at Clayton 3link or full traction 3/4 link kits. And what is your final tire size, if 33"-35" is the final, keep the 8.25 grab some 29 spline stock shafts if yours isn't and get a arb locker for it.
With $10k you could do 1tons and 37" tires and a cage lol


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Don't waste your money swapping out the 8.25, there's nothing wrong with it. They have no problems with 33's or 35's.
 
If it were my money I would probably look at some used JK Rubicon D44s w/ 4.10s and electric lockers, tube fenders, and 34 or 35 inch tires, might have enough left over for bumpers and a winch. The axles will require some fab work or parts.
 
I would save axle upgrades for last. Start with frame stiffeners full length. The is the single best upgrade you can do. Longevity of the vehicle will improve along with all driving characteristics. Then move to armor and outfitting. Interior upgrades to improve or camping and or offroading experience. Things like a good storage system or onboard air or a 12v fridge are game changers when adventuring.

Then look at suspension and steering and shocks. I would look at replacing/upgrading your steering box setup to psc to start will rather than down the road as well.

Then drivetrain and tire upgrades. With 33s this would be a 4.5" lift and sye. I would go with 4.56 gears. Its a solid bump over stock with 33s to compensate for the added armor. Your 8.25 will be more than happy with some chromos and a full case locker on 33s. Same with the d30. Chromos with a full case locker and you are golden at 33s.

4.5" with 33s properly built is an extremely effective combination. But is also very streetable. It is an excellent dual purpose setup.

Good luck. 10k is an amazing budget for an xj.
 
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The reason I suggested a JKU D44 is because they are already setup with brakes and gears and lockers. XJ D44 is a little better than a C8.25 but you could build it up slowly and not waste a chunk of your loan money.
 
Full length frame stiffeners for sure. JK Dana 44's (discs, lockers, etc)? If the Dana 30 stays, upgrade to better axles, same with rear 8.25.

No IRO... .Sorry, I just don't like how their caster adjustment bracket works. It's flimsy looking and a potential failure point. Why not BDS? I'd do their 4.5" in a heartbeat with your budget.

Skip Quadratec on the winch. I want something made by a company that built a reputation on winching products. Check out here: http://expeditionportal.com/tug-of-war-the-ultimate-12v-winch-test/

I'm assuming your looking at the Smittybuilt XRC (made in China) bumpers? For a little extra, I'd go JCR all around. Designed and Built in the USA... what's not to love? See a review of the XRC: http://gunscarstech.com/2014/08/09/smittybilt-xj-xrc-front-bumper-initial-thoughts-and-installation/

I'm actually working towards my own version of the JCR Realhawk, seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-qG7bPdkEM

Good luck with whatever you do, but that 10K can spend fast if you have to make rebuys down the road (measure twice, cut once).

-P
 
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Well, if it were a personal loan from a bank, I would go pay that shit back and wait until I really had the money to spend on a hobby.

Then a full set of alloy shafts all around. Wheel spacer-adapters and 5x5.5 beadlocks - you can put them on just about any axle set you would want to in the future.

Rubicon Express short arm kit with drop brackets and braces.

4.56s or 4.88s, Detroit front, ARB rear.

Atlas if possible.

Peel out.
 
What year rubicon axles from a JK do I need to look for? I like that idea a lot as I already have Moab rims from a JK. I am going to heed advice and purchase a quality lift kit. BDS, Clayton or another. I will steer clear of Rustys, and RC. I will also run 35's if I can get the JK axles. Is there a conversion kit for that axle to put it into an XJ?


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Phil said:
Well, if it were a personal loan from a bank, I would go pay that shit back and wait until I really had the money to spend on a hobby.

Then a full set of alloy shafts all around. Wheel spacer-adapters and 5x5.5 beadlocks - you can put them on just about any axle set you would want to in the future.

Rubicon Express short arm kit with drop brackets and braces.

4.56s or 4.88s, Detroit front, ARB rear.

Atlas if possible.

Peel out.
Click to expand...
Lol yeah that's my thought. Debt is a scary thing and I wouldn't willingly go in debt like that for a jeep. I'd just save until I had the cash.

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Wait, people take out personal loans to build jeeps? Ever heard of return on investment?

Anyway. $10k can go VERY quickly when building. I'd go with a complete long arm setup from Serious Off-road it literally includes everything except for shackle relocation brackets. Then do some axle stuff, 33s, and recovery gear. That should pretty much use up the whole amount.
 
Lake919 said:
So I recently bought my XJ back from my neighbor after he blew the motor up, ...
Click to expand...


For all this talk about axles and tires I would think the motor should be first priority.

Just a thought.

:looney:
 
Well that was a given lol. I am just trying to decide if I want to just put in a rebuilt 4.0 or do I want a stroker. The motor isn't coming out of my budget. I have a separate budget for that. I sold my wave runner last month. That will pay for the motor.


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A separate budget or a second loan?
 
Why hasn't anyone asked....what kind of wheeling? Rocks, Mud, Mall? How much highway vs trail? Daily driver as well?
 
Not a second loan. I didn't have to take the first loan, I just didn't want to take the cash out of my business account. Why are my personal ****ing finances any of your business?


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You asked for useful recommendations. :)

My credit union charges 10-18% interest for an unsecured personal loan so that adds a decent extra amount to the cost - say, a set of shiny new beadlocks or an ARB and installation.

I still stand by my recommendations above, bolt on upgrades to the axles you have in place, with good full lockers. Common wheels that you can use for a long time. Maybe go 17s and never have to buy new wheels again. Oh, Currie steering.

Drive it.
 
Taking out a loan for a hobby is fricken stupid. When you are done building this jeep it's going to be worth 3k. It will take roughly 15K to pay back the loan.
 
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