99 stocker to decent trail rig.

The wife says i can build the xj if i sell the sami.Its a 99 sport 4l HO,auto. So i think im gunna do it.
I just not sure about suspension, lockers, gears. Ill have about 5k when i sell or part out the sami. Heres what i have planned, any suggestions would be appreciated.
5.5 RE long arm, sye,cv driveshaft.
35's
locked front and rear with 410 or 456
eventually tera low in the case.
I guess my main questions are
Is the 8.25 rear worth an arb or detroit, or should i try and find a 44
is the 30 worth an arb or should i install a lock rite.
Is there a better suspension for the $$$$.
I want to wheel this rig for a couple years with out having to buy dynatracs.
And use as a dd if need be. I in Co. so the trails run from mild to wild hardcore rocktrails.
Thanks

HOPPER said:

The wife says i can build the xj if i sell the sami.Its a 99 sport 4l HO,auto. So i think im gunna do it.
I just not sure about suspension, lockers, gears. Ill have about 5k when i sell or part out the sami. Heres what i have planned, any suggestions would be appreciated.
5.5 RE long arm, sye,cv driveshaft.
35's
locked front and rear with 410 or 456
eventually tera low in the case.
I guess my main questions are
Is the 8.25 rear worth an arb or detroit, or should i try and find a 44
is the 30 worth an arb or should i install a lock rite.
Is there a better suspension for the $$$$.
I want to wheel this rig for a couple years with out having to buy dynatracs.
And use as a dd if need be. I in Co. so the trails run from mild to wild hardcore rocktrails.
Thanks

Click to expand...

If you are going to run 35's you very well will want to ditch your 8.25, especially if your going to stick an ARB in. Spend a couple hundred bucks on a Ford 8.8 from an Explorer, will give you a beefy axel with disc brakes and the right lug pattern, then re-gear and lock it. You may also consider trussing the D30 if you want to lock it with 35's, at the very least get aftermarket alloy shafts.

Without a doubt if you are going to 35's use 4.56, 410 will just be rubber overdrive. But Just a note that your going to kiss a lot of that 5k away just on axels especially if you are going to put in ARB lockers front and rear and the air system+gears.

Now im not a huge expert on all of this, but I've been doing research on these things. (BTW the Ford 8.8 is not necisarily better than the D44 but they are a lot more common and come with disc brakes and the D44 can be a bitch to find and more expensive)

Suspension wise you may consider using RE springs/coils and then a TNT Longarm Upgrade or other manufacturer. Only reason I say TNT is their crossmember is basicly armor and its pretty beefy. The RE long arm has the advantage of a drop out center for Tcase and Tranny work.

Im sure someone with more experience will come in here, but if you really wanna do it right and run 35's and not have to worry about anything for a while your gonna easily go over 5k. You also should be getting rock rails and skid plates and disconnects.

I would really suggest 4.88's with 35's. I had an 8.25 with 4.56's, and when I went to 35's ended up buying a 44 and going 4.88 gears so I could drive uphill at highway speeds.

Do it right the first time.