Choosing Lockers, Gears & Lift on a budget

With a $2k budget to do whatever, my first goal is to be locked front and rear! I have researched doing an axle swap, ive researched locking and gearing my stock axles, then i wanna lift my XJ a few more inches but then i run into an sye and shaft AND THEN my brain melts!!!!!!!
1)With the 8.8 rear swap i have to get it geared and locked or its not worth doing,, but then i have to gear the front and i run out of money to lock the front.
-2) With gearing and locking my stock axles i run into weak points to where i may snap shafts and u joints and i wanna avoid that as much as possible! Then i run into which lockers to get....
--3) Selectable e-locker in the front and a no-slip in the rear is my first option, but this tallys up to a grand in lockers leaving little to finish the job if i wanna gear or lift.
---4) If i go cheaper which is lockrights f & r, i have the $$ to lift her up some more for more articulation on the trails! With lockrights OR an aussie im only spending $500 on f & r lockers!! (no gears tho with this option).
----5) NOW, if i choose lunchbox lockers then should i just straight up buy leaf packs, ($400), or go with AAL's and bastard packs,(which i dont trust too much but saves $$). Rubicon makes 5.5" packs and matching coils that i would love. Those 2 add up to $500,,, so thats a grand in lockers and lift so far. Now i have to spend another $500 in an SYE and CV shaft and labor to install them.
-------If i get help instaling the lunchbox lockers, should i gear as well and create weak axles or should i just lock and lift??

Swap and Lock,, Lock and Gear,, Lock and Lift ???? ????

Recovery first, IMO.

Swap and Lock....then CUT (eliminating the lift part and still keeping it cheap)

if you know people or have have good yards around you, you might be able to get out with a good couple of deals, and still have money left over.

I agree with the recovery points first. But that being out of the way and should cost less than $50 for front and rear, I would figure out the tire size you are going to run and then how much you are willing to trim and then go from there.

In my situation, I went with a 3 inch lift and a little trimming and run 32s. I would of liked to go more, but after 3 inches you need a SYE and Drop brackets for the control arms or long arms. I didnt have the budget to go that far.

If I ever do another one I will just give a BB and put 31s on and call it good

OME has a nice lift that has gotten rave reviews here and if most likely what I would go with next.

As Far as locking axles, keep in mind what size tires you are going to run, and then work form there. Don't rule out the Aussie locker as it has also garnered alot of support here.

Cody

How much lift and what size tires do you want to run? are tires included in your $2k budget?

codysown said:

In my situation, I went with a 3 inch lift and a little trimming and run 32s. I would of liked to go more, but after 3 inches you need a SYE and Drop brackets for the control arms or long arms. I didnt have the budget to go that far.
Cody

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Not necessarily on both counts....I know people who are running 4"+ with no drop brackets....having adjustable uppers and lowers will get you along just fine. Most long arm kits wont work unless you have 4.5"+

SYE depends on your year and model of TC plus tranny and rear axle...

JNickel101 said:

Not necessarily on both counts....I know people who are running 4"+ with no drop brackets....having adjustable uppers and lowers will get you along just fine. Most long arm kits wont work unless you have 4.5"+

SYE depends on your year and model of TC plus tranny and rear axle...

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I dont think there is that much difference between a 3 and a 4 inch lift so i went with the safe amount. I did not want to drop my TC as that puts it more in the way of clearance issues. I was refering to 2" BB, 3 to 4 inch lifts and then going 5.5 and higher.

I think my lift net gained me around 3.5 in the front and 4 in the rear. I have no issues on or offroad. Steering column is a little loose and there is a noticeable bumpsteer, but not enough to warrant any changes. By the way, I saved this XJ from the Junk Yard. Installed a motor cheap lift and threw some 32's I had from my wrecked bronco. All in all I have less than $1200 in it. I have however put a lot of elbow grease and heart in to it. Its not pretty and I am not done, but its a good start.


Cody

Bumpsteer eh? hows your trackbar vs draglink angle?

I am in the same boat as the OP; allow me to suggest what I've recently learned from this board!

Where in SoCal are you, how experienced of an off-roader are you, and what are your intents and purposes for the XJ?

$2k won't do everything you think it will. Trust me. By the end of this week I will have spent:
$625 on tires (set of 5)
$250 on wheels (set of 5)
$800 on a *used* lift kit (RE 4.5" full pack)
$200 on shocks
$100 on a front bumper w/ recovery points
$225 on a PORC SYE kit and front driveshaft
($1,950 or so total so far)

There are a lot of "important" things missing from this list. However, important is all relative. While my rig might not look "complete," it will suit me fine for a couple months and I could actually do some respectable trails even with no rocker protection yet and a crappy open D35.

...I decided the next stage would be a swap to an 8.25 with a lunchbox locker, and then the third step would be gears. Somewhere in there, I still need to add another $500 or so on armor too. Then there's a rack, accessories, etc etc.

It adds up REALLY fast, so be patient and really try to purchase your upgrades in the order you will actually need or use them. For example...I realllly wanted sliders right now so my XJ "looked" complete. But why spend that $300 now, when I'm just gonna be driving on snowy highways the next few months?

I needed tires anyway, as I am going to be driving in very snowy mountain conditions over the next few months in the Sierra Nevadas. So for me, I decided good severe weather tires coupled with the lift kit was a better first choice than axle modifications or armor, and I am leaving the D35 alone until my next round of mods. I won't be crawling any serious rocks for a couple months anyway.

I also think that careful trail and line selection can still allow you to do fun trails without serious risk of crushing your rockers. Don't get me wrong, accidents happen...but I was careful with my last truck and while I did ding up the rockers a little, I was able to get through most of the popular SoCal rock gardens with no sliders and minor rocker dents. (They ARE high on my list though!)

What is your XJ equipped with? D35 or somehting else? If you have an 8.25 or D44, there's no reason at all to swap to the 8.8...unless you plan on running 35's and doing some hardcore rock crawling, and you need the disc brake bling factor. It would be niec, sure...but think of necessity first. I can think of 5 other things easy that would come in handy more often and get you through more trails safely than a rear brake upgrade would, and the 8.8 may be overkill depending on your goals.

In other trucks, I have suprised many buddies with just far you can get by smooth driving and picking the right lines. And I've been watching videos on YouTube of XJ's with literally thousands of dollars in mods with boneheads behind the wheel who can't drive for crap getting stuck on obstacles I could drive over in a minivan.

Make lists, make more lists, then edit them and make even more lists. If you're anything like me, the list changes almost every time when you're trying to squeeze as much as you can out of a certain budget! Really try to figure out what you want to do with the XJ, what it takes to tackle the trails you want to run, and how quickly you plan to start wheeling.

Many local trails require little more than a budget boost and some all-terrains on open D30/D35's. And while I'm not too familiar with the XJ's weaknesses yet, I am almost willing to bet money I could tackle Holcomb Creek on my open D30/D35 setup without breaking...

pick npull, ebay, craigslist, online forums will be your freind becuase used parts will save you tons of money
but for that amount you could stay under a 3.5"-3" lift and no sye is alright, shim or tcase drop for under 20$. then trim till your hearts content for more room to flex around in. tow hooks, d-rings, etc are cheap, but so is steel, so buy both and make suitable braces for your tow points, all under 50$.
3" leaves, coils, and shocks will get you by, you get all this for around 400 used if you look around(shocks, coils, leafs, brake ext, lcas)
use naxja/craigslist/ (your fav.online forum here) to find some used 31's, 32's or 33's for around 600$ for a set on rims,
skid up the t case and gas tank, brace steering box and area, you can make these/buy used for prob under 50$
truss d35 and d30
lunchbox rear for now, do arb up front now
save the rest of your moneys
save gear money for when you get that 8.8 or 44, until then id say just deal the sluggishness, do gears once, and then arb/ full detroit in the rear.

JNickel101 said:

Bumpsteer eh? hows your trackbar vs draglink angle?

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Yes I could use an entire new lift and put it on a new vehicle. I did this on a budget just like the OP is going to do.

I dont do rocks as there isn't any rock crawling within 300 miles from where i am. I can drive my Jeep on I 80 at 80 mph and have no issues. As I said, there is a little bumpsteer but not near what I thought it would. My point to the OP was if the budget is tight stay as low as you can to avoid extras like the trackbar, SYE, and driveshafts. If I trimmed a little more I could get 33s. I only need enough lift to clear the tires.

One thing to think about is, spend money on a higher lift or get lockers and gears. With the wheeling he is intending, he would be better off spending the money on traction aids.

This is my opinion and he is welcome to go about it anyway that he wants.

When I built mine I was on a tight budget. My bronco was totaled and I took the money that I got from it and put it towards a new car for my wife. My Jeep was done a bit at a time when I got a little extra money saved up at a time. Its not my daily driver, however I find I drive it more than my truck, for fear that someone will run into it. Eventually I will get lockers in it and some body protection.

Cody

I put a 2" BB on mine, and a locker in the d35 (yeah, I know yalls thoughts on this). I put 30's on it, but 31's would fit just fine.

So,

100 for BB
100 for 4 brand new looking aluminum rims (old jeep 5 hole champ design)
450 for tires
300 for locker

total 950 bucks, and it wheels just fine for what I use it for.

I´d sugest: get a 8.8 with a LSD and 4.10 gearing (and 31splines and disc brakes), then get a set of 4.10 gears and a lunch box locker for the D30. Perhaps you can get a D30 from a diesel XJ, they came w/ 4.10, too.

Then I´d get a set of recorvery points annd skidplates from the junkyard, a budget boost and a set of 30" MTs on the stock wheels - that should keep you happy some time, in which you could save for a "real" lift w/ a nice set of tires & wheels.

with out knowing where your Jeep is built to currently, or where you live/wheel, it's basically pointless to make any recommendations.
If you're starting from scratch, recovery points/gear, quality stockish sized tires(including full sized spare) and armour.

just keep your eyes open for good deals on craiglist, naxja or other xj sites. I bought my jeep with a 4.5 inch lift for $500 with some issues, just bought another xj with a brand new 6" lift for $500 for parts for mine. Got tires cheap by trading mine in too. If ur patient u will find deals and can assemble a nice xj. Patience is key

Here's what I did with $1500. I bought a 6" Rusty's Lift and bought a used set of 33x12.50's mounted on Rock Krawlers That looked brand new. I put the lift on over the weekend. Trimmed the fenders and quarters up to the fenderwell body line, removed the front valance and bumper ends and rocked it with out a locker or axles all last summer. No SYE or drive shaft... no long arms or brackets. Just adjustable arms upper and lower. Shimed the rear for the correct pinion and lucked out with minimal vibes.Mind you, I didn't have my foot into the skinny pedal at all times. But I really wasn't all that careful about it either. I'm a college student so my funds are minimal as well, but to me it sounds like you haven't gotten enough experience in your XJ to realize that the stock axles unlocked can go a long ways considering. My XJ had 210,000 miles on it when I sold it but seriously, that thing went alot of places people wouldn't expect. It's all in your driving.

Right now I'm in the market for another one. I can tell you right now that I'm another another strict budget of about $2,000. I'll be doing another 6" lift with adjustable uppers and lowers, Putting 33x13.50's on it, buying some lights for th A-Pillars, and Lincoln-Locking the rear. I MIGHT have a couple bucks left over for a tank of gas. But I'm buying everything brand new and doing all the labor my self. Hopefully I'll be able to get some gears in there soon after.

Good luck on your decisions. I just don't think you should be too too worried about locking or swapping axles. Gears... yeah, but the rest isn't too important with a budget like 2k. I guess that's just my opinion though. You can adjust your driving/wheeling habits accordingly.