New To The Game(Stock Bulid Up)

ok well heres is my story. i am 17 and i own a 2004 lancer ralliart. a couple months ago i got in to a wreak (some lady slammed on her breaks). and i my car got messed up pretty bad. so it is in the shop now getin fixed. and i said to myself that if the car does not drive the same that i am going to sell it and get a 2001 cherokee sport.if i sell my lancer i will get like 13,000 for it cause it only has 4000 miles on it. so if i get the cherokee i am going lift and every so i need yor guys help. i do not know to much about off roading and lift s and stuff. so here are my plans for the mods that i want to do to the cherokee tell me what you think and tell me if i need to change some thing or add somethings.

2001 black cherokee sport 4X4
skyjacker 6" rock ready lift
35" mickey thompson baja claw radial tires
mickey thompson classic lock wheels
powertrax front and rear lockers
centerfource clutch
bushwacker fender flares
powerair throttle body spacer
edge trail jammer throttle body, air intake, and chip
gibson exhaust
jet stage 2
warn front bummper with winch
warn rear bummper with spare tire holder
JET Accu-Speed
JET 180° Degree Thermostat
BANKS TorqueTube headers
REFLEXXION Domination Series Steel Cowl Induction Hood
Old Man Emu Steering Stabilizer
skyjacker TIE ROD-HEAVY DUTY XJ,TJ,ZJ TR300
ARB SNORKEL KIT 95-01 XJ 4.0L
DAYSTAR SUPER KIT WITH 4WD RED 84-01XJ 23MM bushing kit
DAYSTAR motor mounts red
skyjacker DRIVE SHAFT ANGLE REDUCTION KIT

i am not going to get right out and buy every thing on this list, most of these part i will buy over a long period of time.

hope you guy give it the

welcome to . I would say sell the other car anyways and go for the Jeep. you will find all the mods you want will definitely happen over a LONG period of time. but as long as you get satisfaction out of doing things yourself, you will love it.

have fun and again, Welcome.

thats about 20 grand wirth of stuff on your list there including the price of a nice 01 XJ. youre gonna need to do some saving. Oh yeah... stay away from skyjacker. they ride like hell.

I'd say RE 5.5 kit instead of the Skycrapper kit. It's less money, for what I think is a better kit.

In addition to what everyone else has mentioned... Wheel it stock first. You'll be surprised at what it's actually capable of, and will gain valuable experience seeing as how this is your first off-road vehicle.

Don't change the thermostat for a colder one; it won't help with cooling any, particularly on later models.

Other than that, there's no list per se of what you should do to modify your XJ - like I said, wheel it stock, get used to it, then figure out where you want to go from there.

casm said:

In addition to what everyone else has mentioned... Wheel it stock first. You'll be surprised at what it's actually capable of, and will gain valuable experience seeing as how this is your first off-road vehicle.

Don't change the thermostat for a colder one; it won't help with cooling any, particularly on later models.

Other than that, there's no list per se of what you should do to modify your XJ - like I said, wheel it stock, get used to it, then figure out where you want to go from there.

Click to expand...

x2 on everything stated. been wheeling mine stock for about 6 months and am blown away at the things i've been through with it.

skyjacker sucks

ok so stay away form skycrapper, and get the RE 5.5 lift kit. also dont get the thermostat no use for it. i was going to wheel is stock no matter what. that list that i made was kinda a dream cherokee list i was not planing on geting every thing on that list. after i sell my car for 13 to 14,000 dollars and say buy a cherokee for 9,000 i will have 4 or 5,000 left so what should be some of the first things i should do with 4 to 5,000 dollars to the cherokee, like is the any place where the cherokee really need work.

I'm about the same age as you and have a 97 country. I looked on here for a couple years while I was driving my 88 and planned things. I wanted to be cool and have the lifted vehicle before any skids or what not. Needless to say, I now have a lifted XJ with some bigger tires, but I can't wheel it, because I am saving for skids and my back bumper has about 2 months worth of waiting to go (rigidco waiting list). I did wheel mine stock, no tow hooks, no skids,etc and it was fun. I wish I would have gotten skids (gas tank, t-case/belly, LCA, etc.) and some recovery points before I lifted it. It's kind of like order of operations, and I screwed it up, and now I'm paying the price by using it as a mall cruiser

I read all of the threads, but thought who would want a stock XJ with a ton of skids/ow hooks and no lift? Now I know differently...

9 grand on a vehicle when your 17 is way way to much. im 17 and i just bought an 87 comanche with 120k miles on it. the motor is fine. unfortunatly MJs are getting rare and after looking for a year, i took the first one i found. i gutted the interior and cut out all the rust and with the help of my dad we cut out new floorpans from sheetmetal and bent them up and welded them in (unfortunatly i havent gotten the opportunity to learn to weld yet). it had a 3 inch lift on it already and i bought it with brand new 33s. $800. im still working on sheetmetal with it and i need to replace the transmission and get geared axles. in the end im paying about 2grand for something that is just as good as what you want to spend 9 on. so do yourself a favor and dont spend over 4 grand if you want something that dosnt need work. lots of old guys bought xjs back in the early 90s and are selling them now. 3 grand for an xj thats unmolested and not beat with 100k miles is what you should look for. then trim your fenders, lift it 3 inches, regear your axles, add 33s, extend your brakelines (use stock yj lines, their longer and fit) and when your done you have a perfect rig for under 5 grand

stupidfast said:

9 grand on a vehicle when your 17 is way way to much.

Click to expand...

Hah....if you get a job, you will understand....

stupidast said:

in the end im paying about 2grand for something that is just as good as what you want to spend 9 on.

Click to expand...

I'd have to agree, I'd take an rusty 87 MJ over a clean 01 XJ as a DD and school vehicle anyday

stupidfast said:

so do yourself a favor and dont spend over 4 grand if you want something that dosnt need work.

Click to expand...

Am I the only one that is confused on this?