Help me plan my next XJ

Hi guys,
I'm looking for some advice on my next XJ build.

To start, my current xj ('93) has 4.5" lift (mixed and matched), custom longarms, OBA, 40shot nitrous, 33's (trimmed and TJ rear flares), locked 8.25, BrettM's shift controller, and a handful of bolt on goodies like a winch and rocksliders and hoodvents etc...

Anyways, my Jeep has 500 000+km on it now and it's time to start looking for a new Jeep. I want to do another XJ up, but it needs to be more streetable then my current setup. My current rig is just fine for me, I drive it everyday to work, but I'm getting married in the spring and I'd like something my fiance will feel comfortable driving when conditions are too bad for her to take her Corolla to work... I want something that I can capably wheel on weekends and that she can feel good using when she's out shopping or for errands.

So I'm thinking a 97+ style Xj with lower km's will be the base vehicle. I dont' care what rear axle it has since I'll be ditching it right away most likely.

I'm thinking of building up a good rear axle right away. I have a line on an 8.8 I'm probably going to buy with low km's and discs and a limited slip. I will likely regear to 4.10's or 4.56's and run either 31's or 33's and throw an Auburn Ected in there. I don't want to ever have a problem with my rear axle and I want to have it built right from the start so that when this Jeep does get old and I want to goto 35's, I'll know I have a good setup for them already.

For lift, maybe a 3" OME lift and the Rusty's flares (buskwackers don't look good with 33's IMHO and the TJ flares are more work then they're worth...) or a 4.5" RE with longarms and a good set of shocks (need advice here... I really don't want to go testing out different shocks to find what works well for a good street ride). I have my JKS Quicker Discos I'll swap over as well as the AW4 shift controller and my M8000.

The steering will need to have a near stock feel since she's fairly new to bigger vehicles so hopefully I won't have any major issues there but I do already have some spare OTK inserts that I may use as well as a V8 ZJ tierod.

Is there anything that I'm blatantly missing here? I want to build this right the first time and have it streetable until it gets a bit older and I can go bigger with it.

Thoughts? Comments?

I dunno what you wheel - I was in edmonton last weekend and there doesn't seem to be anything there - but I blew up my D30 front with 35s... So, I wouldn't advise building an 8.8 to match the front and planning to just be able to up-size on the tires in the future.

Keep your current XJ and have yer fiancee trade in her Corolla for something a bit beefier. Like another stock XJ

Blaine B. said:

Keep your current XJ and have yer fiancee trade in her Corolla for something a bit beefier. Like another stock XJ

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x2

Get her a stock XJ, throw a budget boost in and some 245/70 tires and keep your XJ and built it according to your ideas.

BlueGerbil said:

x2

Get her a stock XJ, throw a budget boost in and some 245/70 tires and keep your XJ and built it according to your ideas.

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This is your answer. A 2nd XJ that you can build as mildly as your gal is comfortable with, while keeping yours. Think about it: You've already got one that works well for you. Is it on it's last legs, or just a high-miler that still runs well? I woiuldn't ditch it just because of the mileage.

But if I was building another XJ, I'd build it just like the one I just built. Clayton's 6.5" Hardarm, XJ D44 r, D Turdy front, 4.88" & Ox's f & r, Trail Ready bumpers, Warn M-8000, 35" Goodyear MTR's, Kevin's Jeep Parts nerf sliders. Rides and drives nicely on the road, wheeled like a champ on it's maiden voyage. I can't wait for the snow.

DirtyMJ said:

I dunno what you wheel - I was in edmonton last weekend and there doesn't seem to be anything there - but I blew up my D30 front with 35s... So, I wouldn't advise building an 8.8 to match the front and planning to just be able to up-size on the tires in the future.

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There's really no wheeling around here (well there's a few places but they've lost their appeal to me). I usually head out towards Rocky Mountain House or Cadomin or Edson or Hinton.

I believe a well built D30 could handle 35's without an issue... Maybe some alloys and the Warn Hub conversion and it'll do a lot better then stock.


I have considered buying a new one to keep stock(ish) and make mine more of trail rig, but I'm not convinced thats the funnest way to go. Any old redneck with a welder and some steel can make a trail rig, but it takes some finesse to make a very capable offroad rig that handles like a dream around the city. Or maybe I'm wrong? Haha

ert01 said:

There's really no wheeling around here (well there's a few places but they've lost their appeal to me). I usually head out towards Rocky Mountain House or Cadomin or Edson or Hinton.

I believe a well built D30 could handle 35's without an issue... Maybe some alloys and the Warn Hub conversion and it'll do a lot better then stock.


I have considered buying a new one to keep stock(ish) and make mine more of trail rig, but I'm not convinced thats the funnest way to go. Any old redneck with a welder and some steel can make a trail rig, but it takes some finesse to make a very capable offroad rig that handles like a dream around the city. Or maybe I'm wrong? Haha

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There's definitely more to making a comfortable dual-purpose wheeler than a trail only rig. You have to keep reliability, comfort, handling characteristics in mind throughout the build. But it's very do-able. Do your research and come up with a plan that incorporates the things I listed. That's what I tried to do, and so far I'm quite pleased with the results. My XJ is my daily driver, and it handles very well on the street. IMO, a quality suspension that you can dial in for a nice, predictable ride and selectable lockers are the two most important things on a dual-use rig.

Exactly I'm hoping to get a solid plan on paper though before I start the buying frenzy... haha

Selectable lockers front and rear are at the top of my list. I'm liking the Auburn for the rear since it's limited when it's not engaged and locked when its engaged and there's no airlines or compressors to run. The front might be something else if I plan to use the warn hub conversion... but I haven't decided on a locker for the front yet.

fubar XJ said:

Is it on it's last legs, or just a high-miler that still runs well? I woiuldn't ditch it just because of the mileage.

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The engine runs like a dream and the body is still decent... I my fenders have no rust and the paint is good but there's just a lot of things that need to be fixed and I don't know if it's worth my time to fix them on this Jeep.

The roof around the windshield is rusting and has holes in it... the passenger side fender and doors have some big wrinkles in them from when I laid it over, the 231 slips out of gear so I'll need to pop it apart to check that out, the rear brakes are having some issues, the floorpans are almost gone, the gastank has some holes in it so I can't get a full fill out of it, the heater blower motor is going to go right away, the NSS needs to be cleaned... etc... the list goes on and on and thats just the stuff off the top of my head that I need to fix over my christmas break. It's all the small stuff that adds up and it's not all that expensive to fix, but more time consuming and my time is worth money. :/