• NAXJA is having its 18th annual March Membership Drive!!!
    Everyone who joins or renews during March will be entered into a drawing!
    More Information - Join/Renew
  • Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

lifting my 96 grand

96 xj

NAXJA Forum User
Location
pennsylvania
hi guys
i have a 96 GRAND LAREDO 4.0
I WANTED TO LIFT IT AT LEAST 3"
I WAS TOLD I CAN USE COIL SPRINGS FROM A
FORD F150.
I NEED TO KNOW IF THIS IS TRUE?
HOW HIGH WOULD IT LIFT IT?
THESE WOULD BE STOCK HEIGHT COILS
WOULD IT WORK AND WOULD I HAVE TO MAKE MODS? HAS ANY ONE EVER TRIED THIS B4?
ALSO, WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT AXLES I HAVE F/R
AND DOES IT HAVE A POSI/LIMITED SLIP?
THIS JEEP HAS P/T 4WD ALSO
ALSO WHAT IS THE BEST MODS TO DO FOR MORE POWER? ITS THE 4.0, HIGH MILES. A/T.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST TIRES I CAN USE W/ THIS LIFT?
IF THESE MODS R FEASABLE, WOULD THE JEEP SIT LEVEL? IF SO WHAT ABOUT THE BACK?
SORRY FOR ALL THE Q'S, BUT NEVER HAD A JEEP B4. THANX:confused1
 
is this for a grand cherokee??
 
Agreed with the moving to a GC board, but I do have some advise. I agree with yucca-man, lose the friggin caps lock or I WILL be forced to hurt you.

Anyway, the front of a GC (ZJ in CryCo speak) is almost wxactly the same as a XJ (cherokee) The springs are even the same. Yes, I have heard the ford F-150 coils will work, but will create a harsh ride. Th rear you may be stuck with ZJ or TJ (97-06 wrangler) lift coils. not sure what the conversion for TJ to ZJ lift is, but they will fit. All control arms fit all Jeeps. The exception is WJ (99-04 Grand) they are different in both springs and Control arms. You will also need front and rear adj. trac-bars.

as far as axles, you have the Dana 30 up front (like all ~87-04 jeeps, except liberty) and the Dana 35 rear. Why chrysler used the 35 in the rear of a gran and the 8.25 in the rear of the XJ I will never know but whatever. (27 spline 8.25 is considered slightly stronger, 29 spline is considered almost as strong as a Dana44) I think the only way to know if you have the trac-lok in the rear is to find the build sheet. A VIN and a quick trip to the dealer will tell you this.

As far as power, there are no cheap ways to get more than about 10-20 hp. Intake and exhaust will net you about this. give or take, anything other than that with a lot of miles I would suggest a rebuild. JET makes a pretty good chip as far as I know, but on a high mileage engine I am not sure I would use it unless I had the compression checked to make sure it was still good.

Good luck!
 
the cheapest way to lift your grand is to do the front-rear swap


that involves you putting your front springs in the rear, Purchasing a set of Grand cherokee 3.5" lift springs, from say. RUbicon express and you will still need to swap shocks, re-drill the front trackbar and or put in an adjustable. and put in a rear trackbar bracket.


Ford f150 coils are way too stiff and your rig will drive like it is on bricks, dont do it..


SO your options are, front-rear swap, a full RE 3.5" kit.

dont half-ass it, do it right, or it will just not work right.
 
I'm pretty sure he has an XJ Laredo, not a ZJ. He said it has a part-time transfer case (ZJs only had them 93-94). For some reason many people, at least where I live, don't know the difference between Cherokees and Grand Cherokees.

Anyway if you have a Cherokee and want an inexpensive but well built 3" lift I suggest you mix parts. Rubicon Express 3" coils, custom built leaf packs using S10/Blazer leaves and your XJ main, or a used set of Rustys 3" leaf packs, shocks (anywhere between $20-100 depending on your wallet size) and a front adjustable track bar.
Of course if you have the cash get yourself a complete Rubicon Express or Rusty's kit.

The front axle is high pinion Dana 30. The rear depends: if you have ABS it's a Dana 35, if you do not it's a Chrysler 8.25 (much stronger).

Biggest tire with no (some minimal at bottom corners of fender flares depending on rims) trimming for a 3" lift is 31".

To see if you have a Trac-Lok: Jack up the rear end and spin one tire. If the other spins in the same direction you have it. If they spin opposite you don't. Most likely you do not.
 
UH, sorry but 96' zj's had NP242's in them, so he may very well have a ZJ...

only the V8's has full-time cases... some very rare 4.0's had full-time cases but most all had 242's
 
zjmikey said:
UH, sorry but 96' zj's had NP242's in them, so he may very well have a ZJ...

only the V8's has full-time cases... some very rare 4.0's had full-time cases but most all had 242's

I guess we wont know what he has until he comes back, if he ever does. But he did state that he has a P/T transfer case. 242 is part and full-time. So who knows.

Oh yah, and it was common for early 4.0 ZJ's to have 249s, which is unfortunate considering how crappy a tcase it is.
 
i dont know why you guys rag on the 249 all the time, my dad had one in his 93 GC and never gave him a problem and sold it with 175000 on the clock. Never ahs there been a more fun system in the snow. May not be the best system for wheeling, but honestly, how many people wheel their GC that hard? (I know there are some, fact remains, most are street machines)
 
MIXJ said:
i dont know why you guys rag on the 249 all the time, my dad had one in his 93 GC and never gave him a problem and sold it with 175000 on the clock. Never ahs there been a more fun system in the snow. May not be the best system for wheeling, but honestly, how many people wheel their GC that hard? (I know there are some, fact remains, most are street machines)


its a little thing called the viscous coupler, which sucks when you wheel it hardcore offroad.

also the pre 1996 grand cherokee with the 249's in them had no TRUE mechanical low lock.. it locked through the viscous.. which in extreme situations just lets the transfer case slip.. not good...
 
zjmikey said:
its a little thing called the viscous coupler, which sucks when you wheel it hardcore offroad.

also the pre 1996 grand cherokee with the 249's in them had no TRUE mechanical low lock.. it locked through the viscous.. which in extreme situations just lets the transfer case slip.. not good...


yep. I actually wheeled my 96 from time to time. NO WHERE near as hard as my XJs and the VC is crapping out. I bought it last year in February with 140K (was never wheeled) and now it has 156K and wheeled a few times and the tcase has no clue how to act in any condition. It locks, unlocks, binds during normal daily driving, snow, etc. Its just not a good setup. MIXJ, your father must baby his ZJ because its really not a good setup. I've heard of STREET ZJs with under 100K needing a VC replacement.
 
has anyone noticed that the one who started this thread never posted again...:dunno:
 
Back
Top