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Newbie with a few ?'s

Sig Ep Mock

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Rancho Cucamonga
Hey guys. Just got a 95' XJ with the 4.0L and 54k miles. I'm new to Jeeps other than a POS YJ I had in school. Here's what I've figured out so far. All stock with the NP242 (part time and full time 4wd right?), D35 rear with limited slip.

The Jeep is going to serve as a tow vehicle behind the motorhome for the family and for mild wheeling. So far I'm looking at the RE 3.5" Superflex lit with replacement spring packs. 31" tireson 15" or 16" wheels. I think I'm going to need the "hack and tap" SYE and CV driveshaft. Am I going to need shims for the rear axle and does anybody know how many degrees if I do? Any thing I'm going to need for the lift? Steering upgrades, etc...?

Also looking at front and rear Hanson Offroad bumpers, they are pricey but I really like the looks and connections to the body/frame.

I've got the Haynes manual and Eric's Jeep Cherokee XJ Builder's guide...any other good sources of info?

Thanks for the help,

Chris
jeep1.jpg
 
Welcome and congrats on the XJ.

I flat tow my XJ behind our 24' Class C.

Do you still have the original owners manual? I'm not sure what it takes to flat tow with the 242 t-case.

Find an original factory service manual (FSM) with what you have, the FSM and NAXJA you've got all you need.

You probably won't need the SYE with the 3.5" lift. Lift it frst then see if you have any vibes.

Check out the NAXJA supporters for a good price on a lift kit.
 
Welcome to NAXJA Chris...

I think you're on the right track.. I ran 15" and 16" wheels. I like the look of the 16" wheels, but I like the ride of 15" wheels - probably because of more rubber around the rim.

RE is a good choice. You can wait and see if you have vibes, but I say get the SYE anyway.. As far as angling the rear axle and shims, you have to wait til you lift it to get an accurate measurement.

With a RE kit, you wouldn't need anything else. Your stock steering will be fine. Depending what you plan to do with you XJ will determine what you should/need to do with your rig.

References.. you have plenty of knowledge here in the Stock and Modified forums. Haynes manuals suck, but Eric's Guide is great.. I think he has a new version out too.

BTW - Welcome to the Jeep World.... There's no other vehicle like a Jeep. :D Honestly, it's the best off-roading 4x4...


E
 
congrats and welcome!

As far as a SYE, hold off on purchasing anything until you do feel vibes after the lift install. If you do have vibes, I'd recommend Tom Woods SYE for the NP242 vs the H&T

You should not need any shims after the lift. If you were lifting up to 6"+, then you might.

I recommend picking up the FSM
 
hollywood32 said:
Cool another local, Sounds like you have pretty good plan for your project.
Just in case you want or need it I have a spare front drive shaft for the 242 that I don't need so if you want just PM me and its all yours.

Thanks for the offer I might hit you up on that. Thanks for the rest of the reply's too...looks like a good group.

I've got the owner's manual and the flat towing instructions are pretty simple. I'll look for the Factory Service manual....the Haynes is pretty vague to say the least.

I guess I'll try the lift with out the SYE for now. If I get serious about this thing I forsee a long arm set-up with coil-over's and an Atlas t-case but for now it needs to stay mild. If I get vibes can I add the t-case drop to help solve it...or should I just go for the Tom's Wood's set-up. It looks nice but I'm not crazy about splitting the t-case open right away. I've heard the Hack n tap leads to leaking seals because of the unsupported output shaft but is it really that bad?

Thanks again for the welcome and help,

Chris
 
Your lift should come with the trans case drop ( 1" spacers/longer bolts) Defently do the Sye Tom Woods drive shaft if needed ,Do it once the right way and be done with it.
 
97xjdawg said:
Your lift should come with the trans case drop ( 1" spacers/longer bolts) Defently do the Sye Tom Woods drive shaft if needed ,Do it once the right way and be done with it.


Thanks...I know you're right on the SYE.... just trying to get by until the wife gives me the green light on the Long Arm and 35's...but I should know what cutting corners will get me.

Started soaking all the bolts with penetrating oil....hit the shock mount bolts, sway bar bolts, LCA's, and anything else that looked like it would need to come out.

What is everyone's opinion on the Tera Flex rear disk brake upgrade? The rear brakes on mine are shot so I figured I'd make the jump while I had it all apart for the lift.

Chris
 
Sig Ep Mock said:
What is everyone's opinion on the Tera Flex rear disk brake upgrade? The rear brakes on mine are shot so I figured I'd make the jump while I had it all apart for the lift.
Chris

IMHO, the TeraFlex rear disk brake kit is over priced. You can get ZJ rear disks backing plates and calipers from the junkyard for much cheaper.
 
Welcome Chris...

I'm also one of the new guys around here. I did the RE 3.5" SF kit with leaf packs on my 2000 with the 8.25 rear. Here's what I learned.

H&T from RE- cutting and drilling was easy. take your time to make sure your surface is as level as can be. Tapping that hole is a bitch- it took me and a buddy 3 hours to do switching off and using a LOT of Nick's Stix cutting lube. Back your tap out often (like all the way out) one it settles in and the threads are well set and remove the metal frags that cause friction and use a can of dust off or an air compressor to blow out debris. Put a good amount of grase on the output shaft and you placement of the yoke will be easier... mine slid righ on after it was aligned.

The lift is a pretty basic install. I added adjustable UCAs to the list and it helped me sort out some vibes up front. I eventually had to set my UCA length to 15 9/16ths or something close to that for correct pinion alignment on my set up... roughly putting my castor angle at 4*.

I DID have to shim the rear, despite other advice I was given and it settled much of the vibration problems I had post lift. I used 6* shims for the rear.

I didn't wait to have vibration problems before deciding to get the H&T SYE- But I know it helped along with using a front DS from a '91 auto.

Hope this helps.
 
Sig Ep Mock said:
What is everyone's opinion on the Tera Flex rear disk brake upgrade? The rear brakes on mine are shot so I figured I'd make the jump while I had it all apart for the lift.

Chris

Welcome to the madness of it all called JEEP...

Check out DC4wd on this site.. He has the best price on the Tera flex rear disc kit, and its a complete bolt on deal. But I would hold out on the disc conversion if you have a D35, and wait till you upgrade to a D44.
 
zeelaagee said:
Welcome Chris...

I'm also one of the new guys around here. I did the RE 3.5" SF kit with leaf packs on my 2000 with the 8.25 rear. Here's what I learned.

H&T from RE- cutting and drilling was easy. take your time to make sure your surface is as level as can be. Tapping that hole is a bitch- it took me and a buddy 3 hours to do switching off and using a LOT of Nick's Stix cutting lube. Back your tap out often (like all the way out) one it settles in and the threads are well set and remove the metal frags that cause friction and use a can of dust off or an air compressor to blow out debris. Put a good amount of grase on the output shaft and you placement of the yoke will be easier... mine slid righ on after it was aligned.

The lift is a pretty basic install. I added adjustable UCAs to the list and it helped me sort out some vibes up front. I eventually had to set my UCA length to 15 9/16ths or something close to that for correct pinion alignment on my set up... roughly putting my castor angle at 4*.

I DID have to shim the rear, despite other advice I was given and it settled much of the vibration problems I had post lift. I used 6* shims for the rear.

I didn't wait to have vibration problems before deciding to get the H&T SYE- But I know it helped along with using a front DS from a '91 auto.

Hope this helps.

Great info thanks for the help. Did the low pinion D30 in front add to your vibes problem?...I've got the High Pinion D30 up front and was hoping I wouldn't need to touch the front. **Edit** I just re-read your post ...are you saying you used the front DS from a 91' Auto as your rear shaft or you swapped the front DS and used the CV rear DS????? ** For the rear I figured I get a couple of sets of shims and play with it. I'll get the 4* and 6* sets to start.

Can the Tera flex kit for the D35 be swapped to the D44? I thought I read that the kit was for either axle, but I've been reading so much it's all starting to blur together.....got to love:twak:

Thanks again for the great info guys,

Chris
 
For some reason there is a difference between the older style body and the new. A 95 probably will not need an SYE with the D35. Nor will it need the TC drop. Do it and then check for vibs.
The 2000 has a Low Pinion front diff where you have an High Pinion diff (through 98). the problems clean-rc had will not be the same as those you encounter. Continue to do searchs and pay attention to the year the owners have to judge if their comments apply.
 
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