new to the XJ community

Hi all, This is my first post on here and I'm new to the XJ community as well! I have an 87 Cherokee Laredo with no mods as of yet.

Plans so far: 4.5 lift, 32"s, possible rear diff swap (gotta check to see what mine has first!) Bumpers, roof rack...

I wanna set it up for mainly offroad but still somewhat functional on paved roads as well.

Any suggestions would be nice!

Welcome. Your plan sounds like a good start. What I didn't see any mention of is skid plates and rock rails.

i'm sorta new too, i've got your same plan and this forum is a wealth of info. welcome aboard!

Hey! Give me a call @ 294-2358
I'm in Nugetown.
Walt

welcome aboard........
mike

Hello and welcome

Couple pointers: blocks on stock springs are ussually very bad idea (ok blocks in general aren't that great idea). If you're using AAL's anywhere in your design, use long ones (shorties cause faster pack failure and sag).

Anyways, for 4.5" I'd recommend a new pack with longer shackle or just a longer pack altogether and for front, longer coils with spacer should work fine. You might want to look through the mod tech forum (btw, this should be on mod tech then oem, as that's where we discuss modifications ) as just recently people where talking about different spring pack manufacturers.

When planning a lift, post all the components here and you will get a lot of feedback. DO make sure though to look through recent topics (a page or two of threads) to see if it wasn't just discussed as that would put a damper in the number of responses you get....

ANyways, couple things to remember: make sure you get rails if you wanna have fun anywhere near rocks. Make sure that you plan accordingly and don't miss details: longer shocks, possibly bump stop extensions, longer brake lines, tank skid, tranny skid, sye (might need it or might not). Also think about combining lift with trimming.... a good trim of fenders might give you the abilty to run taller tires then you orignally expected without the need for extra lift thus keeping your center of gravity lower

Hope this helps
Kejtar

Your plan isn't bad, but like Eagle sorta said- GET ARMOR FIRST .

Welcome to the site and our club.

Sean

A couple of people have said this but I will repeat it - buy armor first. I was given that advice when I started and I have found it to be very sound.

It is amazing how easy it is to drop your rockers onto a stump or rock, or to slide in some mud and plow into a tree or bank. The rock rails and aftermarket bumpers I bought have paid for themselves many times over.

Yeah lifting will let you try more trails and obstacles, but armor will help insure you come off of them in one piece. Besides, you might be surprised what a stock height XJ can do.

I'm new too - but I have a slightly different tact:

+ RE3.5
+ 32x11.5 (or metric equiv LT)
+ Bushwacker flares to make up the inch of height lost

For armour was thinking of making the sliders (flare clearance), ARB front, AEV Blackfoot rear.

forget bushwacker... go TJ flares

As far as armor goes, Is there any suggestions. I don't have a lot of money to spend but I want to spend it on quality stuff.

The first thing I'm going to do though is get rid of the current "runnung boards" that it's got. They were on when I got it and may be stock, but useless!

How would I go about trimming the fenders? I asume I will have to do that before attaching a bumper?

g2z24 said:

As far as armor goes, Is there any suggestions. I don't have a lot of money to spend but I want to spend it on quality stuff.

The first thing I'm going to do though is get rid of the current "runnung boards" that it's got. They were on when I got it and may be stock, but useless!

How would I go about trimming the fenders? I asume I will have to do that before attaching a bumper?

Click to expand...

Welcome to the board.

Check out AJ's rails.
www.ajsoffroadarmor.com
Very reasonably priced and work very nicely.

John

Trimming fenders rarely has to do with bumpers (unless you get wraparound bumpers). The trim is mostly around the wheel area so that a bigger wheel can stuff better (search this forum for trimming, as I remember this topic coming up recently).

in regards to rails, I can only recommend what to get if you're in the SOCal area, as we have a local guy that makes some nice ones at a very reasonmeable price.

as others have also mentioned there is a welth of knowledge on this board and you have come to the right place.

If you are mechanically inclined and have more time than money then there are several things that you could start with ;trimming front fener and rear quarter panel, getting larger fender flares (bushwacker, TJ, YJ, other) and enlarging both front and rear fenders. Now with your 4.5" lift you can fit 33's or even 35's if you want, or go with a shorter lift and the 32's you discussed.

The stock skidplates work well (gas tank and front skid) I would make my own transfercase or get one from rusty or skid row or others. I would also get front and rear dif guards and rock sliders. Now your ready for your lift and wheels and tires.

Keep searching, reading and anytime you have a question let us know, we are much more able to provide more helpfull feedback the more we know about you, your intentions, capabilities, and your truck. more info, better feedback.

Welcome to the club,
Michael

g2z24,

Welcome to the world of XJ's, I hope you have as much with your's as we've had with our's.

I'll give a slightly different spin on some of this advice. The rock rails are very important, as they both help you wheel and provide body protection. Bumpers are optional at the beginning, they add little functionality until you get onto much harder trails requiring lockers, etc. If you bang up the stock bumpers, who cares? You'll end up replacing them anyway. A good rear bumper is more important than a front bumper, because it helps you as you're dropping off of things.

Fender trimming is very simple, when you get your lift and tires on, see where it rubs and trim until it doesn't rub. Don't worry about how much, many of us have trimmed way beyond what you would think. I think bigger flares are unnecessary, some crack and break, unless you just really like how they look. The tires rub at the bottom of the wheel wells, not at the top, so opening up the wheel well with a bigger diameter flare is rarely needed.....just open it up at the bottom and run the stock flare. I run stock flares in the stock location with 35" tires and many hardcore trails.

Also, many '87 XJ's have a D44 rear end, which is a good thing......you may be lucky.

Ask around and get a lift kit that is highly recommended.....there is a lot of good experience around here. 32's are a very good tire choice to get started with, by the time you wear them out, you will probably be ready for more. After rock rails, a lift kit, tires, and skid plates, gears and lockers are next on the priority list, then bumpers.

Have fun,

opps!

welcome from NC, rails 1st, then do the mods you like the best because you will end up doing them all anyway, the bug is bad here.