New guy, again...

Hey y'all... I'm a new guy to the Jeep world, and still considered a rookie in the four wheelin' area. I just bought a '94 XJ a few weeks ago with a 3" lift, BFG All-terrain 29s... Are there any tips or concerns that I should have for this particular year XJ? Everything is in great working condition on it, except for the minor exhaust leak.

What add-ons or upgrades do you suggest I get for my new addition? Any and all help will be most appreciated!


Thanks!

hey man hows it goin?

well to get into wheeling around here your gonna need some rock rails.....

everyone has a set and everyone has an opinion to the best ones....choose a naxja vender and you cant go wrong.

29s?

a 3" lift is perfect for some 31s and o get started out here that should cover you.

recovery points...

while they wont help you wheel better they will help you when youve gotten yourself messed up, and they are a requirement on runs.

tow hooks if you dont already have them and a reciver shackle/clevis will help get you out of your bad spots.

a transfer case skid. youll need one. get one!

with those items youll be ready to tackle all the trails within 75 miles of rancho. now if you plan on venturing a little further then youll need some more equipment

theres a run schedualed for big bear in a few weeks and even with the setup you have now you can come out and run the trails.

hope to see you out there and welcome to the best chapter in naxja.

before I spew as much information as Ben provided, here's the real question:

What do you want to do with your XJ?
- Daily Driver?
- Desert runs?
- RockCrawling?
- Just look cool?

Well, I thank y'all for the info. It sure helps. In response to djblade's question... I would like my XJ to be a daily driver as well as rock crawling. My Uncle is a rock crawler out of Hesperia and still uses his XJ as a daily driver. Any more suggestions? I'd really appreciate it...

strobe light....gotta have one.

xDUMPTRUCKx said:

strobe light....gotta have one.

Click to expand...

ive got a 80w strobe that will run off 12v but its blue, the rangers dont take kindly to that sorta thing lol

its the wingtip light from the underside of a plane so its BRIGHT


-mike

Just like to start off with WELCOME.. Like dumptruck said get some 31s i have 3.5 RE lift with 31s works very nicly for me...

We always get inchitis and want to go bigger. Build your suspension right the first time. It makes it easy to change tires and gears later on.

Get JKS quick disconnects. They make the best disconnect available.

3 inch lift, 31" tires and limited slip or locker in the rear will allow you to take your rig on most easy/moderate trails in California.

I am running 32's with 4.56 gears on my daily driver and trail rig with about 6" of lift at the moment and have been very pleased. 4.5" lift would be sufficient for 32s with either some trimming or bumpstops.

A 4.5" lift and 33" tires make a perfectly versatile rig. 33" tires will allow you to run about 95% of all trails in California

For the rear leaf packs, get custom designed 10-leaf spring from National. It's a great product and gives about 5.5" of lift.

Get shackles from JKS or TNT.

Front coils from Rubicon Express.
For rock rails, I vote yes on JKS Super Nerf rock rails. They are more expensive than JCR or AJ's but your rocker panel is going to need protection and the Super Nerfs are the best.

And if plan on lifting to about 5-6", you will need a Slip Yoke Eliminator and new rear drive shaft although some have been lucky and havent received any vibrations. Older XJs could often be lifted without incurring any driveline vibrations. Newer XJs, 1997+ most always exhibit vibrations on mild lifts and it's pretty much guaranteed to happen on 4.5" and higher. Which kit you should get depends on which transfer case you have.

You'll also need a good heavy duty trackbar and drop bracket. Also, you may want to consider adding drop brackets for the lower control arms to bring the ride back to stock feeling.

If you want to put 33" tires on you rig, then you will need to re-gear both axles. And if you're going to open up your axles to change gears, you might as well install lockers front and rear. Open axles are what keep most rigs from successfully navigating a trail.

Im just gona say welcome and hope to see you on the trails......Im in the third rebuild my heep...... why?...... because I can

Wassup! I'm a noob too.

Wow... These forums have really helped me out. Now I know what the XJ needs and have some great suggestions for later on. I already have a strobe, more like a beacon... It's a WOLO LED beacon with 12V hookup. Brighter than hell, too. I like the anti-collision light that GrimmJeeper got off the plane. I'm a commercial pilot and flight instructor, so... need I say more? LoL


Thanks again, y'all!!!


capnsean520

capnsean520 said:

Wow... These forums have really helped me out. Now I know what the XJ needs and have some great suggestions for later on.

Click to expand...

I recommend that you highly consider becoming a member of . Is not expensive, it helps keep the site active as well as helps the wheeling community. The information, help, and advice are usually worth way more than the price of a membership.

Plus, you get a cool sticker....LOL

greetings from another noob!

There's one consideration that's been left out up to this point... You need to calculate the ratio between the size of the rocks you want to crawl, and the size of your wallet. That four-wheeled, mild-mannered, grocery-getter in your driveway is capable of creating a healthy dent in your pre-Jeep lifestyle. Like they say in Vegas: Know when to stop before you start.

:worship: You must obey! A well-fed Jeep won't leave you stranded. :worship:

And as for that bank account? :wave:


O'Dochartaigh

they may not be the coolest thing to get but go w/ recovery points because when u go getting tons of cool stuff and then get stuck your gonna wish u got some recvoery points first lol trust me

hes right, i wish i had em! its going to keep me off a few trails i could probably make it thru at the fest next month but i wont chance it without a way to get unstuck! o well next thing to save up for is a bumper with d-rings i guess!

I just replaced my radiator today, very happy with it. I also scored a fire extinguisher and mounted it in the back, did a lot of tidying and whatnot for a run to Big Bear this weekend. First run on my lift which feels VERY nice on the road, zero vibrations and it tracks straight if you let go of the wheel at speed (not that i do that often hehe). But the other guys are right, do lots of research, listen to the veterans, and realize that you save big bucks in the longrun just going with what you want the first time. If you like mild fire roads and the occasional water crossing, build your Jeep for that. If you wanna tackle the Hammers in Johnson Valley, it'll take more sweat and coin. Either way, welcome to the coolest Jeep community in the world!

zachxj01 said:

they may not be the coolest thing to get but go w/ recovery points because when u go getting tons of cool stuff and then get stuck your gonna wish u got some recvoery points first lol trust me

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X2, even if you use the factory tow hooks. Protection and Recovery first. :lecture:

Hey guys... again... I spoke with my uncle today who is a wheeler, too. He told me that I should also get a set of Part-time lockers. However, I cannot figure out what kind of diff I have on my XJ. Is there some kind of marking that they have that will tell me which one it is? I'm thinking about getting either the ARB air lockers, or Detroit lockers. Any other suggestions?


Thanks again for all the help...



Sean Dickerson
capnsean520